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Investigators in far northern Wisconsin say a UW Health surgeon died when the ground gave out from underneath her while she was hiking. The autopsy for Kelsey Musgrove shows she died within minutes of falling from a bluff near the Potato River in Iron County. The sheriff’s office says her body was found at the base of the bluff, along with rocks and clay that had fallen with her. Musgrove told friends she was going for a hike, but then never returned.

The zoo in Chippewa Falls is preparing for the bird flu. Irvine Park zookeeper Cynthia Valentino said none of their birds are sick right now, and she said they are working to keep it that way. Valentino says they are taking several precautions to keep their birds healthy. Wisconsin is one of many states dealing with a bird flu outbreak. Veterinarians say it looks like wild birds are spreading the flu to birds in domestic flocks or in captivity.

You can no longer buy a dog, a cat, or a bunny at a pet store in Beloit. City council members this week approved a new ordinance that bans pet sales at pet stores in the city. There aren’t any pet stores in Beloit that sell pets, but a city spokesperson says council members wanted to send a message anyway. The new ordinance also seeks to create ‘community awareness of animal welfare.’

Wisconsin’s governor is sending millions-more to schools across the state. Governor Evers yesterday signed a plan that will spend 15 million-dollars on mental health services for students. Every school in Wisconsin is guaranteed at least ten thousand-dollars, but some schools will get a lot more. Some of the money will be used to hire ‘mental health navigators,’ provide mental health first aid, and provide what the governor is calling ‘family assistance programs.’

The UW System’s new free speech survey was apparently the last straw for Whitewater’s chancellor. The Wisconsin State Journal reported yesterday that Jim Henderson resigned on Monday out of frustration over the recently-ordered survey. The paper says Henderson didn’t want to force another survey on students, and wasn’t happy about the politics behind the survey’s origins. Henderson is the third chancellor at UW-Whitewater to leave since 2018.

A Marquette County sheriff’s deputy is arrested after being accused of soliciting sexual acts from someone who’s underage.  A statement from the sheriff’s office says Travis Bittelman was arrested today but his specific charges haven’t been announced.  The sheriff’s office says it will update the case after an internal review.

Visit Eau Claire is bringing back the ColorBlock program for 2022. ColorBlock is an exhibition of original mural art, free and accessible to the public 365 days a year. Murals will rejuvenate an overlooked part of the city, provide opportunities for artists, and create a new destination for locals and tourists alike. Artists are selected through a committee after their applications are reviewed. All selected artists will be provided a monetary stipend for their work, and all of their materials

Students in University of Wisconsin-Stout’s Honors College recently joined efforts to support refugees in Wisconsin through a service learning project. And they will build a greater understanding of what life is like for people fleeing their home countries to reach safety at a panel discussion, Afghan Refugees in Wisconsin, at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 12, virtually in Zoom.  The discussion is open to the public. The panelists, from organizations in Eau Claire and Wausau helping Afghan refugees, will discuss resettlement efforts in

Child abuse and neglect are pervasive – yet preventable – issues affecting communities across Wisconsin. To raise awareness and acknowledge the collective efforts of families, caregivers, communities, and agencies preventing child maltreatment, Governor Tony Evers has proclaimed April as Family Strengthening Month.   “Every child deserves to grow up in a safe, stable, and nurturing environment,” said Department of Children and Families (DCF) Secretary Emilie Amundson. “To achieve this, we need to ensure that every family has the necessary supports needed to

The father of the eight-year-old boy killed in Sheboygan Falls last week says his wife was drinking and becoming erratic after watching coverage of the war in Ukraine. Prosecutors filed formal charges against Natalia Hitchcock yesterday. They say she admitted to strangling her son last week so that he wouldn’t be sexually assaulted or attacked. Hitchcock’s husband said his wife, who was born in Russia, became angry and paranoid in the days leading-up to the boy’s murder. He told police