Home

Friends Thomas Cook and Joseph Feeney shook hands in 1992, swearing if either one won the Powerball jackpot, they would split the winnings…no matter who bought the ticket. Tom, of Elk Mound, and Joe, of Menomonie, made good on that handshake when Tom realized a Powerball ticket he bought at Synergy Coop Exit 45 on 2100 County Rd. B in Menomonie for the June 10 drawing was the $22 Million jackpot winner. After learning of the win, Tom called Joe to tell him the

The housing market is making a comeback. After a huge hit in home sales in May, the Realtor’s Association of Northern Wisconsin says June sales were only down four-point-five-percent. May’s sales were down nearly 25-percent compared to last year. The association also says sales in Chippewa and Dunn counties increased from this time last year.

Oktoberfest is coming back to the Chippewa Valley. Celebrations were canceled this year because of concerns about coronavirus, but a local brewery is starting to make the “Oktoberfest” beer this week to give residents something to look forward to. Owner of Lazy Monk Brewing Theresa Frank said the brewery will make around 15-hundred gallons of beer in the next six-weeks, and they expect it to be out on the shelves by late August. 

Eau Claire County is adding another death to its coronavirus count. City-County health director Lieske Giese yesterday said a man who was over 65 and had underlying health conditions is the latest to die from the virus. Since March, Giese says 409 people in Eau Claire have tested positive for the coronavirus, and 346 have fully recovered. On the state level, Wisconsin has seen the largest number of negative coronavirus tests in a single day. The state’s Department of Health Services

Somebody is breaking into cars and mailboxes on Eau Claire’s south side. Eau Claire Police yesterday put out a warning after what they are calling a series of thefts overnight Tuesday into yesterday morning. The neighborhood north of Damon Street between Highway 93 and Oakwood Hills Parkway was hardest hit. Police are reminding people to lock their cars, and take anything of value inside.

As the coffee is poured and chainsaws are fired up, clean up continues in our area. The National Weather Service yesterday confirmed the storm that rolled across western Wisconsin Tuesday evening and produced an EF0 tornado that hit Cadott. EF0 tornadoes have wind speeds of up to 85 miles-per-hour. The storm knocked down some trees and removed some roofs, but didn’t leave any people hurt.

It’s the latest sign that a lot more people are going to vote from home this year. The Wisconsin Election Commission yesterday said absentee ballot requests for the August primary have topped 740-thousand. That’s more than all of the ballots cast in 2016’s August primary, and almost six-times as many absentee ballots from that same year. Of the over 700-thousand ballots mailed this year, the Wisconsin Election Commission says almost 200-thousand have already been returned. Milwaukee County, as you’d expect, leads the state in

Milwaukee County is officially recognizing Juneteenth as a major holiday. County Executive David Crowley signed an order to officially add Juneteenth to the county’s holiday schedule yesterday. That it is a major holiday means county offices will close for Juneteenth, which will be celebrated June 19th.

There is some good news in the coronavirus numbers released Wednesday.  One day after setting a record for new COVID-19 cases the state Department of Health Services says positive tests declined today.  The 712 new positive tests is one of the lowest totals of the month.  The positivity rate of four-point-eight-percent is the lowest since early July.  There were six new deaths reported,  bringing that toll to 865.

The Menominee Tribe is asking for help solving two missing persons cases.  The tribe is offering rewards of five-thousand-dollars in each case for information regarding tribe members Katelyn Kelly and Robert Lyons.  The 22-year-old Kelly disappeared in Shawano on the morning of June 17th this year.  Lyons was 25-years-old when he disappeared three years ago on June 4th, 2017.  He was last seen riding an ATV in the Long Marsh area on the reservation.