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Few details are available, but officials say a high school referee who collapsed during a game in Richland Center has died.  The WIAA says the high school referee collapsed in the second half of a boys basketball game between Mount Horeb and Richland Center yesterday.  Emergency crews tried to revive the man using CPR and a defibrillator, but the official passed away shortly after. 

It has taken nearly two years, but some former Shopko employees will soon see severance checks.  A lawsuit against the department store chain was settled for more than three-million-dollars.  That will be shared in the coming weeks by hundreds of workers after lawyers’ fees and expenses are paid.  The lawsuit was filed in May of 2019 on behalf of employees owed severance pay as the chain filed for bankruptcy and then ceased operations a month later.

Summerfest is back except it’s being moved to the fall.  The ever-popular Milwaukee music festival is traditionally a mid-summer event, but because of COVID and the vaccination process organizers are moving it to September.  The festival will run from September 2nd through the 4th, the 9th through the 11th and the 16th through the 18th.  The coronavirus cancelled Summerfest last year.

 Mayo Clinic Health System in Northwest Wisconsin will allow one visitor per patient, beginning Wednesday, Feb. 3, at 8 a.m. This includes hospitals and emergency departments in Barron, Bloomer, Eau Claire, Menomonie and Osseo, as well as all Mayo Clinic Health System clinics in the region. This replaces the no-visitor policy implemented in October 2020. Visitors are required to be masked, screened at the door and follow safety guidelines. Visitors should bring their own mask to wear while in a

The Eau Claire City Council extended an offer of employment to one of the candidates for City Manager interviewed on January 14 and 15, 2021. That candidate informed the City yesterday that they have accepted a competing offer of employment from another municipality. The City Council will meet in closed session next week with Baker Tilly, the City’s search consultant, to determine next steps going forward. The City Council remains committed to working alongside City staff, the residents of Eau

Groundhog Day is here and with it comes the annual forecast offered by Punxsutawney Phil. He’s the one who gets the most attention and he has spoken. Michael Castner reports.  But he’s not the only one on the job. Staten Island Chuck is predicting an early spring.  Scott Pringle reports. From the badgers to our own resident groundhog, Sun Prairie Jimmy agrees with Chuck, saying early Spring is on the way. Bring it on, Mother Nature!

A new student housing development could be going up on Water Street in Eau Claire. The city Plan Commission voted Monday to approve the plans to rezone the property and create apartment buildings for students. The City Council will make the final call at its meeting next week. 

Anyone over the age of five who needs a quick COVID test can get one in Eau Claire today. The county health department says community members who need a rapid COVID antigen test can get one for free at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire’s Zorn Arena on Tuesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. It’s open from 4:30-to-8 p.m. 

A Chippewa Valley forensic interviewer is receiving thanks from the Eau Claire Police Department. The department posted to Facebook saying Kayla Lauderdale of the Chippewa Valley Child Advocacy Center has completed more than 800-child forensic interviews in the past five-years. The department presented Lauderdale with a letter of appreciation and department coin during an outdoor ceremony yesterday.