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The man who shot and killed a neighbor in Rusk County back in 2018 is going to prison for life. A judge on Friday sentenced Preston Kraft to life without parole for killing Robert Pettit at a home near Conrath. Prosecutors had to wait for Kraft to be declared fit enough to stand trial. Kraft continued to scream his innocence, even at the hearing on Friday.

The latest snapshot of just how much the coronavirus is costing Eau Claire is striking. The latest hotel/motel tax report shows business at local hotels dropped by almost two-thirds this spring. May’s report shows just 44 thousand-dollars in hotel/motel taxes. Last May, that number was up over 167 thousand-dollars. Eau Claire finance director Jay Winzenz says the drop means the city will have to postpone some building projects. Visit Eau Claire will also take a hit.

UW Eau Claire won’t be moving to a new science building as soon as campus leaders hoped. UW Regents last week did not include the next wave of funding, 147 million-dollars, for the project. The hope was to demolish Putnam and Thomas Hall and build a new building. There’s enough money for demolition, but not enough money for new construction. UW EC Chancellor James Schmidt says they will form a committee and decide what to do later this fall.

State auditors say Wisconsin’s Department of Public Instruction got it almost right with its back-to-school guidance. The Legislative Audit Bureau last week said DPI failed to check with teachers’ unions about whether they needed to bargain over online classes.  The auditors also said DPI needed to be more clear about teacher and student absences during online learning. Many schools in Wisconsin are starting the year entirely online on September 1st.

Not everyone is happy with Wisconsin’s governor’s words after the officer-involved shooting in Kenosha. Police shot 29-year-old Jacob Blake yesterday as he leaned into his SUV and ignored an officer who was trying to arrest him. Governor Tony Evers issued a statement after the shooting that talked about excessive use of force and immediate escalation. The governor said he does not know all of the facts, but added that Blake is not the first Black man in Wisconsin to “have been shot or

Former Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is getting a high-profile speaking spot at the Republican National Convention. Walker said yesterday that he will officially nominate Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday. Politicos say the move once again shows just how important Wisconsin is to President Trump’s reelection in November. The RNC officially starts today in Charlotte.

The Green Bay Packers are on the list of NFL teams that league sources say tested positive for the coronavirus, even though the team’s tests came back negative. About 10 NFL teams were flagged in a round of tests to start the weekend. Yesterday, Packers coach Matt LeFluer said rapid tests cleared the team. The Packers practiced yesterday, and didn’t have any players on the coronavirus list. Other teams, including the Bears and the Browns, canceled practices yesterday.

A person is dead and another injured in a multi vehicle collision in La Crosse County.  WMTV reported Friday that the wreck happened Wednesday near U.S. 53 near Holmen.   A farm tractor towing a field tool turned off highway 53 onto County Highway T.  Just then, three vehicles behind the tractor were involved in a chain reaction rear end wreck. One of those vehicles traveled into oncoming lanes and was hit by a semi, both of which erupted into flames. 

A major community gathering in Madison celebrates the life of Anisa Scott.  Yesterday more than a thousand people were on hand first at Capitol Square where one hundred-11 doves were released in the 11-year old’s memory.  Scott was hit by a bullet on August 11 while riding in a car on East Washington Avenue.  She was removed from life support two days later at 11:11-a.m.

Brett Favre and Jordy Nelson are inducted into the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame.  Both men were inducted during a ceremony Friday at the Lac La Belle Golf Club in Oconomowoc. The former Packers standouts join Vince Lombardi, Hank Aaron, Charles Woodson, Bart Starr and dozens of others in the state’s Athletic Hall of Fame.