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 Monroe County couple are facing four years in prison for keeping their children in homemade cages.  Travis and Amy Headrick of Melvina were sentenced today to a prison term as well as seven years under supervision.  They pled guilty in February to felony charges of neglecting a child and false imprisonment.  The Headricks had been arrested in 2018 after police responded to a complaint at their residence where they found multiple children age ten and older locked in double-stacked cages. 

The University of Wisconsin is experimenting with a new COVID-19 test.  Researchers at the university say it would be quicker, cheaper and easier to use than a nasal swab test most people have used to diagnose the virus.  The test has been used on three volunteers at the U-W site and a local elementary school. The test involves spitting into a tube and produces results in hours.  The researchers are studying whether the test can be used frequently and efficiently.

Authorities are letting the public know of an update regarding a sex offender. A notification this morning from the Department of Corrections that Donald Rusaw will no longer be residing in Bloomer, WI as of today. The supervising agent is currently looking for housing but as of this afternoon no residence or location has been successful.  Donald Rusaw will return back to Chippewa Falls and will be considered homeless at this time. All restrictions in the bulletin release are still active and remain

It’s a sad end to the search for a missing Altoona woman. The Trempealeau County Sheriff’s Office says someone found Angela Coffield’s body in a field Wednesday afternoon. She’d been missing since last week. Investigators say they do not suspect foul play.

More people are testing positive for the coronavirus in Wisconsin, but overall the numbers are remaining steady. The state’s Department of Health Services yesterday reported 839 positive tests and almost 17 thousand negative tests. Those numbers are in-line with what Wisconsin has seen most of the week. DHS yesterday also said that 336 people are in the hospital with the coronavirus, and 121 are in the ICU.

The two women charged with beating a state lawmaker to the ground outside the State Capitol back in June are heading for trial. A judge in Madison yesterday found there is enough evidence against Samantha Hamer and Kerida O’Reilly to go to trial. Prosecutors say they are the two who led a mob against state Senator Tim Carpenter after he took a picture of them rioting outside the statehouse.

Students, faculty members, and other workers at UW System schools can expect to be tested for the coronavirus when they return to campus next month. The university yesterday said it is getting 350 thousand testing kits from the state. The kits are being paid for with 32 million-dollars from Wisconsin’s share of the federal coronavirus stimulus. UW President Tommy Thompson says parents should be confident in the university’s testing plan. Students who live in UW dorms will be tested for the

The deepest cuts to the HSHS system in Wisconsin will not come in Eau Claire. The hospital yesterday announced it is making cuts amid the coronavirus pandemic. Overall, this 10% reduction is across all 15 hospitals within the HSHS system which serves WI and IL.  The majority of the employees are non-clinical.  Closest to our area, St. Joe’s hospital will see cuts that mean there will no longer be an ICU, or a women and infant’s center for the foreseeable future.

Graduates at Eau Claire North and Eau Claire Memorial high schools finally have their diplomas. Both schools held graduation ceremonies for their seniors last night. Both schools had a drive thru ceremony, but there were parents and teachers in the parking lot to cheer them along. School leaders say they felt they owed the Class of 2020 a more personal goodbye than just a virtual ceremony back in May.

The Lambeau Leap will hurt more than usual with no fans to catch the players. It’s going to be November before Packer fans can set foot in Lambeau Field. The team yesterday said it will not allow fans at the first two home games, September 20th against the Lions and October 5th against the Falcons, because of the coronavirus. The third home game, on November 1st, is up in the air. Packer team managers say they will reassess the coronavirus