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A familiar name to our area will be hanging up the badge. Sherriff Jim Kowalczyk sent the following letter announcing his decision to not seek reelection this year: After 44 years in law enforcement, with the last 15 years as your Sheriff, I have reached the important decision to not seek re-election to a fifth term to serve as Chippewa County Sheriff.  I have put a great deal of thought and reflection into this decision.  I will always be grateful

The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) is accepting nominations through April 1, 2022 for two seats on the Ginseng Board of Wisconsin. DATCP will mail nomination forms to eligible growers. Producers must sign, notarize, and postmark completed nomination forms by April 1, 2022 and include signatures from at least five eligible growers other than the nominee. Growers should mail completed forms to P.O. Box 8911, Madison, WI  53708-8911. Growers who have not received a nomination form

Diversity Week at University of Wisconsin-Stout will open with an art exhibit that asks artists and visitors to reflect on their identities and the journeys they’ve taken to understand themselves. OASIS, What a Time to Be… features the works of 17 Black, Indigenous and People of Color students and 10 alumni artists and designers. The juried exhibition will open UW-Stout’s Diversity Week with an artists’ reception held from 5 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 18, in the Student Art Gallery 209, on

On Wednesday, February 16, 2022, at approximately 01:10 A.M., a Wisconsin State Patrol Trooper stopped a vehicle for an equipment violation on 920th Avenue, West of STH 25 in Dunn County. The driver, 51 year old Beth M. Mittelstadt, showed signs of impairment. A subsequent investigation, including standardized field sobriety testing, was conducted with Ms. Mittelstadt. As a result of the investigation, Ms. Mittelstadt was arrested for operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of an intoxicant. Ms. Mittelstadt

The voter turnout may have been low, but local ballots were decided. Election managers say voter turnout was just over eight percent. Voters narrowed the field for school board. Josh Ingersoll ended-up as the only one of the seven candidates not to advance to the April election. In Menomonie, incumbent school board member David Styer, who is the board’s president, failed to advance from the primary.  Voter turnout across western Wisconsin was nearly as low as it was in Eau Claire. On

The last of Wisconsin’s Afghan refugees have left Fort McCoy. Commanders say the final families left the base yesterday. At its peak, Fort McCoy was home to 13 thousand refugees. They have all been sent to new homes either in Wisconsin or in other states, but no one is saying just where the families went. Refugees at other U.S. bases in other states have also been sent to their new homes.

The court system in Milwaukee may be adding hours to deal with a backlog of pending cases. Milwaukee County Circuit Court Chief Judge Mary Triggiano told a WISN that she is considering adding night court hearings in order to clear some of the 17 hundred criminal cases on the docket in Milwaukee County. The judge says it’s an ‘all hands on deck’ situation. But she says it could take a year-and-a-half to clear the current glut of cases.

The plan to change Wisconsin’s constitution to require tougher bails took its first step forward at the State Capitol. The State Assembly overwhelmingly passed a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow judges and court commissioners to consider the severity of a crime when setting bail. Right now, Wisconsin law doesn’t allow that. The amendment is a direct result of the low bail that the Waukesha Christmas Parade suspect got just days before police say he ran down more than 60 people. Lawmakers have

You have to go back to last August to find coronavirus hospitalization numbers this low. The Wisconsin Hospital Association yesterday said the state’s hospitalization fell to 842 people. The last time numbers were that low was on August 28th of last year. The Hospital Association says 165 people are in ICUs with the virus across the state.

Another tradition is returning after the coronavirus. UW-Eau Claire yesterday said the Viennese Ball will be back this year. Last year’s ball was a virtual event because of the coronavirus. There will be a mask mandate and a requirement for a negative coronavirus test for anyone who wants to attend this year’s ball. Tickets are on sale now.