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Funeral services are being held this week for Barron Police Department Officer Ben Smith.  Smith died unexpectedly while off-duty last week at the age of 26, and had just joined the department last year.  Visitation hours are from 4 to 6 p.m. today at Red Cedar Church in Rice Lake with a Celebration of Life and Honors tomorrow beginning at 11 a.m.

A federal judge is allowing Hannah Dugan’s case to go to trial.  Dugan’s case was set to go to trial in July but the judge pushed it back to consider her motion to dismiss.  Judge Lynn Adelman sided with the federal government in Tuesday’s hearing, which means the case will go to trial.  Dugan is accused of helping Eduardo Flores-Ruiz avoid federal agents looking to arrest him.  She has been suspended from her position as judge on the Milwaukee County

A Wisconsin man who faked his own death and fled the country will spend 89 days in jail.  Ryan Borgwardt pleaded guilty Tuesday to misdemeanor obstruction.  He staged his disappearance with an overturned kayak on a Wisconsin lake, then traveled to Canada and Asia before settling in the Republic of Georgia.  Investigators say he escaped to be with a woman he met on a dating app, leaving behind his wife and children in Wisconsin.  Month-long efforts to find Borgwardt’s body

New information about the UW-Platteville murder-suicide shows online searches made before the crime.  A police report says Hallie Helms made searches online about buying a gun, suicidal topics and a map of the residence hall where the incident happened.  Interviews with Helms’ roommate revealed questions that Helms had asked her.  She asked things like “how would you rob a bank?” as well as “if you were to kill somebody, how would you do it?”  Helms fatally shot her resident assistant

A Wisconsin man is in custody in connection with a child solicitation investigation.  An undercover detective exchanged texts with Jamey Scott Ralph Strand of River Falls, who thought he was texting a 14-year-old girl.  Authorities learned that Strand would be driving through Minnesota on August 24th.  Mankato police arrested him after identifying his car.  Strand could face up to five years in prison and a ten-thousand dollar fine if convicted. 

Do you know of someone or a business that has achieved sustainability success that  deserves public recognition?  For the ninth year running, the City of Eau Claire’s Sustainability Advisory Committee  will issue the Sustainable Eau Claire Awards. The 2024 awards recognize individuals,  businesses, and organizations that are committed to creating a more sustainable Eau  Claire. Possible nomination categories include:  ❖ Clean-up or Beautification  ❖ Energy: Renewables, Efficiency or Conservation   ❖ Environmental Education  ❖ Exceptional Natural Resources Steward  ❖ Green

A Barron County ice cream shop won big at the 2025 World Dairy Expo.  Judges named Kurschner’s Premium Ice Cream out of Chetek, Wisconsin, the grand champion in this year’s ice cream competition for it’s peanut butter chocolate.  The ice cream shop also took second place for it’s lemon poppy seed ice cream in the flavored category.  Kurschner’s also earned first place in the regular vanilla ice cream competition. CLICK HERE TO FILL UP ON THE DETAILS. PHOTO CREDIT: Kurschner’s

The Wisconsin man who faked his own death and fled the country will be sentenced today.  Ryan Borgwardt staged his own disappearance using an overturned kayak on Big Green Lake in Green Lake County, made his way to Canada, flew to Asia, and eventually started living in the Republic of Georgia.  Investigators say he escaped to be with a woman he met on a dating app, leaving his wife and children behind in Wisconsin.  Borgwardt willingly turned himself in almost

More law enforcement will patrol Wisconsin trails this Labor Day weekend to look for unsafe ATV and UTV driving.  The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources says more wardens and county recreation deputies will be on trails starting Friday.  The campaign will end on Sunday, August 31st.  So far this year almost 30 people have died on ATVs and UTVs.  The DNR says alcohol use, speeding, and lack of seatbelt or helmet use contributed to most of the fatalities.

The vice president is visiting Wisconsin this week.  Vice President JD Vance will speak at a steel fabricating facility in La Crosse on Thursday to speak on manufacturing.  No more details about the event have been released.