Home

Memorial Day saw the latest piece of Altoona’s veterans memorial unveiled. A large crowd was there to watch the official dedication of the second phase of the memorial yesterday. The Chippewa Valley Veterans Foundation’s Eric Killen says it is almost ‘indescribable’ to say what the new memorial means to local veterans. The latest phase includes statues of two soldiers, the flags from all six armed forces branches, legacy stones that honor veterans, and a statue that honors gold star mothers.

Firefighters in Sparta say nearly two-dozen dogs and cats died in a weekend fire. The fire broke out Sunday afternoon at a home just outside of Cataract on County Highway I. There was not much damage from the fire, but smoke filled the house. Firefighters say 14 adult dogs and 12 puppies died from smoke inhalation. They say two cats also died. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Deputies in Fond du Lac County are looking into the death of a five-month-old baby. The sheriff’s office says someone called 911 yesterday morning about a baby that wasn’t breathing. While dispatchers tried to walk the caller through CPR, deputies rushed to the home in Calumet to check on the baby. When deputies arrived, they declared the baby dead. No one is offering any specifics about the baby’s death or the investigation in general.

The 186 people in the hospital with the coronavirus in Wisconsin is the lowest hospitalization-count in the state’s history. The Wisconsin Hospital Association yesterday said the current numbers are the lowest since they started tracking hospitalizations last April. Wisconsin’s hospitalizations peaked at over 22-hundred people back in November. The WHA says this latest count is down 92-percent since then. CLICK HERE FOR MORE FROM WI DHS. You have to go back to early January to find the last time so few people got the coronavirus

The head of Wisconsin’s economic development office says generous unemployment benefits are not the only reason businesses in the state can’t find workers. WEDC Secretary Missy Hughes said on UPFRONT on Sunday that the state has had trouble finding workers for years. She says Wisconsin’s aging workforce is to blame for that. Hughes says the coronavirus has also left a lot of parents without childcare options. She said foreign workers are sparse because a lot of J1 workers aren’t applying for jobs.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is telling students and faculty members it is not okay to ask people if they are vaccinated. The university on Friday said it is ending its mask requirement as of tomorrow. The school released a Q-and-A with the announcement. The first two answers tell both students and faculty that they cannot ask someone without a mask if they’ve been vaccinated. UW-Madison says people can voluntarily share their vaccine status, but the school says it is ‘not appropriate’

It’s another sign of the return to normal. Eau Claire is getting ready to host the national Kubb championship. Eau Claire is the hot spot for the game and will welcome teams from across the country to the championship tournament. The games are on the schedule for July 9th through the 11th. Last year’s tournament was canceled because of the coronavirus. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO.

 Wisconsin is celebrating a birthday this weekend.  It became the 30th state in the Union on May 29th, 1848.  Wisconsin is celebrating 173-years of statehood.

The Better Business Bureau of Wisconsin says scammers are targeting travelers this holiday weekend.  With more people making travel plans, the B-B-B warns people to watch out for mailings and phone calls offering free getaways.  You can check if a website is accredited or file a complaint by going to the WEBSITE WITH A CLICK HERE.

A Greene County winery is honoring veterans with the release of a new wine.  Bailey’s Run Vineyard in New Glarus introduced the wine this weekend which will benefit the Ben Jackson Foundation.  Jackson was a 2016 graduate of New Glarus High School who was killed while serving overseas in the Air Force.  His parents created the foundation which provides financial assistance to help newly enlisted members of the military visit home from their first permanent duty assignment.