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A pole shed in Elk Mound has over 50-thousand dollars’ worth of damage after a fire.  Fire officials say the fire broke out on 570th Avenue early Wednesday morning and it took about 45 minutes to put out.  There are no reports of injuries and it’s unclear what caused the fire.

Wisconsin lawmakers are looking to have some public employees and school teachers work a bit long. A new plan at the statehouse would raise the retirement age for the Wisconsin Retirement System to 59-and-a-half years-old. That’d be up from the current retirement age of 55. Cops and firefighters would be exempt. The retirement wrinkle is just part of the plan. State Senator Duey Stroebel is including the change as a way to offset his other plan which would allow retired teachers to come

A state lawmaker from Eau Claire wants to phase out the state voucher school program.  Currently families can enroll kids in private schools and still receive tuition assistance from tax dollars.  Earlier this week, Jodi Emerson of Eau Claire co-authored the Public Education Reinvestment Act.  It would do away with the voucher system and reinvest that money into public education.

Wisconsin residents can no longer register online to vote in the Spring Primary but voters can still register in person.  The deadline for registration was yesterday.  Anyone still wanting to vote can bring proof of residence and a photo ID to their precinct on the day of the primary.  It takes place on February 18th.

A new report says almost half of Americans aren’t using all of their vacation time.  According to the Wisconsin Department of Tourism, the lack of vacation takes a toll on the economy.  The department claims the economy would see an increase of about 150-billion dollars and about three-million jobs if all Americans would use all their vacation days.

The man charged with a killing in Rusk County from 2018 will once again see a doctor to see if he is fit enough to stand trial. A judge in Ladysmith this week ordered a psychiatric evaluation for Preston Kraft. There have been questions about his mental health since his arrest in November of 2018. Police say Kraft killed Robert Pettit in May of 2018.

The real police in Eau Claire are not sure what some fake police officers want. Eau Claire Police are warning people after getting reports that scammers are calling people and pretending to be with the police department. One person got a call threatening to arrest them, while the other got a call that they were a victim of the crime. The real police say if you get a call, hang-up.

With all of the focus on the coronavirus, it is easy to forget that it is still flu season in Wisconsin. Hospitals in Eau Claire say they’ve seen 23 people hospitalized with the flu so far this season. The Eau Claire City-County Health Department says that’s compared to 58 cases last year. Public Health nurse Allison Gosbin says most of the flu cases up till now have been Influenza B. She said doctors are starting to see Influenza A cases pop-up.

Dairy farmers and cheese makers in Wisconsin are thrilled that the new trade deal with Canada and Mexico is almost final. President Trump signed the USMCA yesterday. Wisconsin’s Dairy Business Association says the new deal will open-up markets for Wisconsin milk and cheese and could help farmers who’ve been struggling for years. Leaders in Canada need to ratify the agreement for it to be final.