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The end of Governor Ever’s emergency means Wisconsin will see fewer food stamp dollars from Washington, D.C. The state’s Department of Health Services yesterday said Wisconsin will lose 50-million-dollars a month in emergency supplemental FoodShare benefits. Those extra benefits are only available to states under a coronavirus emergency. Republican lawmakers say they tried to pass a law earlier this year that would have kept the state eligible for the money, but Governor Evers shot that plan down.

A new poll says most people in Wisconsin support criminal justice reform. The Badger Institute yesterday released the poll results showing nearly three-quarters of voters in the state want prisons to focus on preparing inmates for life after their sentence. The poll shows strong support for helping inmates get job skills and keeping ex-cons away from committing new crimes. The Badger Institute has pushed for criminal justice reform for years, and says the poll is encouraging news.

Human trafficking suspects are now in custody. . In March of this year Mark Scoville was charged with 32 separate offenses following a long-term investigation in the Village of Fairchild. The offenses included human trafficking, false imprisonment, sexual assault, administering a dangerous drug and maintaining a drug trafficking house. His associate, Catherine Ottinger was charged with Trafficking of a Child and Causing a Child Under 13 to View Sexual Activity. On March 24th , warrants were issued for the arrest

Confirmed cases of COVID-19 continue to tick up statewide.  The Department of Health Services today reported 727 new coronavirus cases.  That brings the total number of cases to more than 581-thousand-800.  There were also five additional deaths reported today, raising the coronavirus death toll to 66-hundred-and-53. CLICK HERE FOR MORE FROM WI DHS.

Spring elections prompted a predictably low turnout at the polls.  The race for Superintendent of the Department of Instruction generated the most interest with just over 920-thousand people casting a ballot yesterday.  Democrat Jill Underly defeated Deb Kerr in that race.  The unofficial tally has about 20-percent of the state’s registered voters going to the polls yesterday.

Tailgating is returning to American Family Field.  The Milwaukee Brewers announced today the return of the pregame tradition at all stadium parking lots.  The COVID-19 pandemic put the kibosh on cooking up brats and burgers prior to the games.  There are some new rules to follow including not wandering around the parking lot to visit people.  Tailgating must end within 30 minutes after the game begins and will be limited to single vehicles for those sitting in the same pod

Nearly all the votes are in. With 100-percent of precincts reporting, the Eau Claire City Council members in Districts two, three, and five have been decided. Emily Anderson defeated Kyle Woodman for reelection in District 2. Jeremy Gragert defeats Josh Stanley for reelection in District 3, and Andrew Werthman brought in more votes than Gabriel Michael Martin Schlievefor reelection in District 5. Eau Claire Area School Board members have also been decided including Erica Zerr, Joshua Clements, and Marquell Johnson.

A virtual, school-sponsored suicide prevention workshop for families is being held on Monday night. The Eau Claire Area School District holds workshops once a month in part of it’s ‘Here for You’ series. The workshop is Monday, April 12th from 6:30 to 7:15 p.m. A virtual meeting link is up on the district’s Facebook page, which you can find with a CLICK HERE.

State Senator Kathy Bernier (R-Lake Hallie) and Representative Donna Rozar (R-Marshfield) introduced a bill to name Colby cheese Wisconsin’s State Cheese. The authors issued the following statement upon introduction: “We are thrilled to introduce this bill to honor Colby cheese as Wisconsin’s State Cheese. Colby began as a farm family recipe dreamed up by a young man on the floor of his father’s small wooden cheese factory. Today, it has gone on to become world-famous and one of America’s most

The Chippewa County seasonal weight restrictions will be removed next Thursday (4-15-21).   To see more about these updates, CLICK HERE.