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 A Menomonie man has pleaded guilty to attempted child enticement. Prosecutors say 50-year-old Andrew Patrow entered his plea on Monday. Investigators say Patrow made arrangements to meet who he thought was a 14-year-old girl. In reality, he was chatting online with Altoona Police. As part of the deal, Patrow will serve six months in jail and have to register as a sex offender for the next 15 years.

Two special prosecutors will decide if a former Wauwatosa police officer should be charged with a years-old shooting that he’s already been cleared of. A judge yesterday said La Crosse County’s D.A. and a Milwaukee attorney will look at the evidence against Joseph Mensah in the 2016 shooting of Jay Anderson. Police say Mensah shot and killed Anderson when he reached for a gun after Mensah woke him up in his car. Investigators cleared Mensah twice in the shooting. Anderson’s

Schools in Wisconsin that stayed open during last year’s coronavirus outbreak will have to wait and see if they get their extra coronavirus stimulus money. The federal Department of Education this week paused a 77 million-dollar payment to schools that were open at least half the school year last year. Lawmakers set aside the money as a reward. State Senator Howard Marklein and state Rep. Mark Born, who wrote the state budget, say the feds and Wisconsin’s Department of Public Instruction are playing

Public health managers in Wisconsin are asking the federal government to help manage the state’s spike in coronavirus hospitalizations. Health Secretary Karen Timberlake yesterday said Wisconsin is asking FEMA for five response teams to help treat coronavirus patients. There are over 16 hundred people in the hospital with the virus, which includes more than 400 people in the ICU. Timberlake says Wisconsin is doing everything it can to make sure hospitals across the state can keep-up with the flood of

Wisconsin’s Elections Commission is not saying the money Mark Zuckerberg’s election group spent in the state is legal, but commissioners are saying the money is not illegal. Commissioners yesterday agreed with a recommendation to dismiss challenges to the eight million-dollars that Zuckerberg’s Center for Tech and Civic Life spent during last year’s election. A number of Republican lawmakers have said that money tipped the scale, and went beyond simple support for election offices in Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay, Racine, and

Eau Claire is in the bullseye for the worst of tomorrow’s winter storm. The National Weather Service already has a Winter Storm Watch in place for tomorrow afternoon and tomorrow night. Forecasters say Eau Claire and the Chippewa Valley could see between six and ten inches of snow. They are hoping that most of the snow falls later at night. Today’s forecast calls for a wintry mix during the day, then some light snow later this evening. CLICK FOR MORE

There’s a warning about gift cards during this holiday season. The state’s Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection says people need to be careful both buying and using gift cards. The advice for buying gift cards is to make sure they are not already used, and to make sure you read the fine print. As far as using gift cards, DATCP says anyone who is demanding payment with a gift card is likely a scammer. The state says you

Fans of Jimmy Buffett known as “Parrot Heads” can soon take the party to the high seas.  The world’s first Margaritaville Paradise ship will set sail next year.  Margaritaville At Sea will start sailing its first cruise ship beginning April 30th.  The re-branded Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line will set sail from the Port of Palm Beach.  The line will sail two-night cruises from Florida to Freeport in The Bahamas.

State Senator John Erpenbach will not run for re-election.  The six term Senator announced his decision through his office this morning.  Erpenbach thanked his family, friends, staff and the constituents of the 27th Senate District who he has represented since first elected in 1998.  Erpenbach says serving in the state Senate has been an honor and he’s been humbled by those who placed their trust in him.

State health officials say the seven-day average for new COVID-19 infections is at its highest in a year.  Health clinicians across the state report surging numbers of COVID hospitalizations.  The state is averaging more than 35-hundred new infections a day and there are more than 16-hundred people hospitalized.  Some medical centers say the increase in numbers is having an impact on patients who are not dealing with COVID but are finding available beds at a premium. CLICK HERE FOR MORE