Home

The death toll in Wisconsin from the coronavirus now stands at 784.  The Department of Health says today 600 new cases were confirmed in the past 24 hours with seven additional deaths.  Over the last two weeks, the daily average of COVID cases in the state has increased from 266 a day to 475.

A reward for information leading to an arrest in a Madison hate crime now stands at ten-thousand-dollars.  Madison police announced the increase today in connection with an incident last week.  A woman, who is biracial, says she was stopped at a light one night when four white men approached her car.  One used a racial slur before spraying her with lighter fluid and setting her on fire.  She suffered burns to her face and neck but is expected to be

Group camping will be allowed at Wisconsin State parks in two weeks.  The State Department of Natural Resources said today groups of up to 50 people will be allowed to camp beginning Monday, July 13th.  Group camping does require a reservation.  Officials urge visitors to wear masks and to practice social distancing.

Anyone experiencing coronavirus symptoms and recently went to Brothers Bar or the Pickle on Water Street should get a coronavirus test. The Eau Claire County Health Department confirmed possible exposures at the restaurants last week. The exposure at Brothers could have happened June 23rd or 24th from 9 p.m. to midnight. Exposure at the Pickle could have happened the same dates from midnight to 2:30 a.m. The health department says anyone with symptoms should be tested. 

A former Colby High School staffer will do community service after she used district money to pay her bills. Lisa Steen was sentenced in Clark County last week for charging over seven-thousand dollars in personal expenses to a school credit card. She’s also accused of changing her child’s grade in the school computer. In addition to community service, she’s expected to repay the money and write an apology to the school. 

Eau Claire County’s public health boss is worried about the local jump in coronavirus cases. City-County health director Lieske Giese yesterday said 24 more people tested positive for the coronavirus Saturday, Sunday, and yesterday. She said many of the cases can be tied back to local bars and restaurants. Giese says she fears people are not wearing their masks or staying socially distant. Since March, 218 people in Eau Claire County have tested positive for the virus. Giese says 148

Eau Claire Police want to know who is putting homemade spike strips in city streets. Officers released pictures of the strips yesterday. They are essentially two-by-fours with about 25 nails in them. Police found them in the road at Menomonie and Clairemont, Menomonie and Ferry, and Fifth and Hudson. Police are asking for tips in finding the culprit.

More changes are coming before Election Day in Wisconsin. A federal appeals court yesterday unanimously reinstated most of the state’s 2016 election law changes. The ruling means early voting in Wisconsin will be shrunk to two weeks, people have to live in the state for at least a month in order to vote, and voters won’t be able to get their ballots by email or fax. The court said the law was written to benefit Republicans, but it does not make it tougher

Wisconsin’s insurance commissioner is making it clear that insurance policies in the state must cover healthcare for trans people. Commissioner Mark Afable sent a memo to insurance companies yesterday explaining that his order includes breast removal and breast enhancement surgeries. Afable says the recent Supreme Court decision on trans discrimination applies to healthcare decisions as well, not just workplace decisions. The memo means taxpayers will likely be the ones responsible for the surgeries for trans people enrolled in the state’s