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Voters in Eau Claire will be able to return their absentee ballots at the grocery store this fall. City Manager Dale Peters last night said the city will have four absentee ballot drop-off boxes, three at Festival Foods stores and one at city hall. Peters says all four boxes will be under video surveillance for safety. Eau Claire’s clerk says the boxes should be installed this week, ballots will be mailed-out next week. The plan is to check the boxes

Wisconsin’s governor is asking the federal government to not stop paying for face masks, and cleaning and testing supplies for local schools, local governments, and the state’s prisons. Governor Tony Evers sent a letter to FEMA yesterday saying that if the feds stop paying, Wisconsin may not be able to deal with the coronavirus. FEMA told states earlier this month that it will only pay for PPE for first responders, health care workers, and patients. The change would mean Wisconsin would have to pay

Ninety nine percent of students and staffers at UW-Eau Claire do not have or have not been exposed to the coronavirus. The university’s head of student affairs, Dr. Warren Anderson, yesterday said while the number of people testing positive for the virus at the school is going-up, the numbers are not out of control. Anderson said there are over ten-thousand students on campus, just 69 have tested positive and nearly 150 have been quarantined. Anderson said it is possible that

Eau Claire’s airport is not alone in seeing far fewer people this year. The latest passenger count from the Chippewa Valley Regional Airport shows just 14 thousand people have flown out of Eau Claire this year. That’s down from 33 thousand last year at this time. Airport managers say the coronavirus is to blame. The Chippewa Valley Regional Airport has just two flights a day to and from Chicago.

Wisconsin’s Democratic U.S. senator is proposing a bailout for music venues across the state. Senator Tammy Baldwin yesterday signed-on to the Save Our Stages Act. The plan would provide ten-billion-dollars to music venues and theaters, as well as promoters and bookers who’ve seen shows disappear because of the coronavirus. Baldwin says live music and plays are crucial in the state, but are in danger because of the restrictions from the coronavirus.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald are joining other lawmakers in the Midwest in asking the Big Ten to reinstate fall sports.  The group says today they believe the Big Ten can play sports safely.  They want the conference to reconsider the decision to play a modified football season in the spring.  The Legislators feel athletes attending Big Ten schools like UW-Madison are at a disadvantage because other conferences are playing sports this fall. 

State Representative Shelia Stubbs will co-chair the Speaker’s Task Force on Racial Disparity.  Stubbs was appointed today to join Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke of Kaukauna as co-chair.  The Madison Democrat says the racial disparities in Wisconsin are among the worst in the nation and can no longer be tolerated.  Stubbs says the task force creates an opportunity to bring community voices to the table and move closer to real change.

It was a bit after 1:30 on the afternoon of September 7th when the Sawyer County Dispatch Center received a 911 call of a car vs motorcycle crash on County Highway CC near fire number 8677N in the Town of Hunter. Initial investigation and eye witness statements indicate that a 2008 Harley Davidson motorcycle operated by 60 year old Kenneth A. Link of Elmwood, and his passenger 58 year old Carla L. Link, also of Elmwood, were traveling south on

All in-person social events are cancelled, and student gyms and recreation facilities are closed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Chancellor Rebecca Blank ordered them closed yesterday, and limited dining halls to carry-out only. Visitors aren’t allowed in residence halls, and all student organizations are meeting online. The chancellor says the restrictions are in place to help stop the spread of COVID-19 on campus. The school reported 148-positive cases yesterday. The restrictions are in place for the next two weeks.

Eau Claire County residents will have an opportunity this weekend to dispose of trash that’s not included in the county’s Clean Sweep program. A Clean Sweep event is happening Saturday, September 12th from 8 a.m. to noon. First Choice Computer and Electronic Recycling and WRR Environmental Services will be participating to collect electronic and toxic waste materials that cannot be thrown out with regular trash. The last Clean Sweep event collected over 56-tons of materials.