Home

An audit of the state’s unemployment insurance program’s call centers indicate more than 93-percent of phone calls regarding unemployment claims went unanswered for months.  The state audit released today shows over 41 million phone calls made to the Department of Workforce Development from mid-March through the end of June.  Over 38 million, or 93-percent, were blocked or received busy signals and didn’t reach the call center.  Only a half-of-a-percent of calls were answered in the early months of the pandemic.

Halloween is just around the corner and Candy Store.com has released its 2020 list of favorite candies in each state.  The top three most popular Halloween candies in the Badger State are Starburst number one followed by Butterfingers and Hot Tamales.  In neighboring Iowa M-and-M’s are the new winner followed by Reese’s cups and Candy Corn, which was last year’s top pick.  Skittles has knocked Reese’s cups from the number-one spot this year as America’s favorite Halloween candy.

The average cost of regular gas in Wisconsin is 17-cents-a-gallon lower than the national average.  Triple-A says the price per gallon in the Badger State is 2.02 today.  Drivers are paying 2,19 nationwide.  The price at the pump is two-dollars a gallon in Madison, and below that in Oshkosh and Kenosha County at 1.97. Closer to our area we are at about 2.08 on the signs in La Crosse and Eau Claire.

There will be flags lowered in the coming days. Flags will be lowered to half-staff to honor Wisconsin firefighters who have died in the line of duty.  Governor Tony Evers today ordered flags lowered tomorrow and on Saturday, October 10th.  There will be a silent procession ceremony at the Wisconsin State Firefighters Memorial Park in Wisconsin Rapids tomorrow.  The October commemoration will come at the end of Fire Prevention Week.

Eau Claire Public Schools Foundation will receive a $25,000 grant from the Solar Moonshot Program to support the Solar On Eau Claire Schoolsproject. The grant will match all gifts made through October 9, finalizing the fundsneeded for the project’s costs. Installation is expected to be complete in November, with permission to turn on expected for December. Once turned on, the arrays’ performance will be incorporated into the STEM curriculum at the two high schools, as well as expose students to

The city of Eau Claire has a new interim manager. The city council has selected David Solberg to take over on October 21st when Dale Peters is set to retire.  Solberg has worked for the city as an engineer since 2013 and will take on the additional responsibilities as manager.  The city council hopes to hire Solberg’s replacement shortly after the new year.

A former Eau Claire County Humane Association accountant is facing additional new charges for alleged forgery. Police say Nicolle Wilson allegedly used clients information to obtain small business loans. She is also being accused of stealing 60-thousand-dollars from the association.  She is facing charges in relation to forgery, wire fraud and money laundering. Her first appearance on the new charges is scheduled for September 30th. Her sentencing for theft is October 30th.  

A recently released video shows a man vandalizing Miller Park over the summer.  Police say Keyon Lambert walked into the ballpark got on a tractor and started tearing up the grass field.  Police records state that Lamber told officers he was going to try to write his name in cursive with the tractor tires but it moved too slow.  Authorities say Lambert caused 40-thousand-dollars of damage.  He has been charged with criminal damage to property and disorderly conduct. 

More schools and businesses are connecting digitally and remotely as the pandemic continues, and that’s a problem for people who don’t have the resources to get broadband.  The Public Service Commission is opening up a helpline to get people the connections they need, and State consumer protection administrator Lara Sutherlin says it’s especially important for rural communities. Click below to hear more 715 Newsroom coverage with Jon Demater: If you need help with establishing broadband service, call the P S

Wisconsin’s public health managers are not saying how many of the swell of people in the hospital with the coronavirus are from college campuses and college towns. The state’s Department of Health Services yesterday reported 530 people are in the hospital with the virus. That is the most ever for the state. Of those 530, 151 are in the ICU. Wisconsin has seen a spike in coronavirus positives this month, and almost all of them have come as students reporting back to