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University of Wisconsin employees are getting a two percent pay increase. The Wisconsin State Journal reports the Joint Committee on Employment Relations voted unanimously Wednesday night to increase salaries but it rejected raising the minimum wage for state employees to 15 dollars per hour.  The salary increase will be in place for 2020 and 2021.

Western Wisconsin’s Democratic congressman joined almost every other member of his own party in voting to impeach President Trump. Congressman Ron Kind said yesterday that his vote is not for impeaching the president, but rather he voted to uphold the law. Kind was the only questionable vote in Wisconsin. He is a Democrat, but President Trump won western Wisconsin back in 2016.

Prosecutors in Eau Claire are moving ahead with charges after police say they found a three-year-old boy home alone earlier this week. Police say they found the little boy naked at home, he needed to be changed and fed. Officers say his mother, 28-year-old Cristina Villarreal, may have been drunk when she eventually showed up. The D.A. filed charges yesterday against Villarreal and the child’s father, 34-year-old Kanlaya Lo. Lo told police he’d leave for work around 6 a.m. and

The folks who make cheese in Wisconsin are happy with a proposal at the statehouse that would define what cheese is. The Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association yesterday said it is thrilled to see a State Senate panel approved two pieces of legislation that would define cheese. Both spell-out that cheese comes from animals, as opposed to nuts or plants. The idea is to show the difference between real cheese and vegan cheese. The Cheese Makers’ John Umhoefer says it is unfair to let companies

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is wondering about water quality in some parts of Chippewa County. The concerns come after regulators found higher than allowed levels of arsenic in a drainage pond at the Superior Silica Sands mine near New Auburn. DNR says the worry is that the arsenic seeped into streams or private wells, and may have ended-up in the drinking water supply. Superior Silica Sands filed for bankruptcy protection back in the summer. Chippewa County leaders say the mine’s

A pair of Chippewa Valley farms are getting some help thanks to Willie Nelson and the gang. Farm Aid organizers yesterday announced a million dollars in grant money for farmers. Some of that money is earmarked for the  Wisconsin Farmers Union in Chippewa Falls and the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service in Spring Valley.

The order to remove more than 230 thousand people from Wisconsin’s voter rolls has survived its first court challenge. A three-judge appeals court yesterday refused to cancel last week’s order from an Ozaukee County judge that would remove the voter because they have moved or haven’t answered questions about their addresses. State law says election managers have to remove people 30 days after they change addresses. The League of Women Voters in Wisconsin has asked a federal court to step-in, there could be

Wisconsin’s governor is stepping-forward to welcome more refugees to the state. Governor Tony Evers this week wrote a letter to the Trump Administration explaining that he wants the federal government allow more people from other countries to come to Wisconsin. Evers wrote in his letter that refugees are a ‘critically important part of our families, our communities, and our culture.’ The Trump Administration issued an order back in September that requires state and local governments to provide written consent before the

Today the Markquart dealerships held a check presentation for the recipients of Markquart Gives Back 2019. Thanks to the help of the Chippewa Valley, the top 10 organizations were each presented with a check for $5,000. The 2019 recipients are: – Pony Tails Refuge and Rehab– Pony Tails provides refuge and rehab for neglected and abused horses. They provide the compassion and training needed to prepare the horses for adoption. – Eau Claire County Humane Association– The ECCHA provides medical

A four-star linebacker from Saint Paul, Minnesota is signing with the Badgers.  Today Kaden Johnson signed his National Letter of Intent to play for Wisconsin in 2020.  The Wisconsin State Journal called Johnson one of the top undecided recruits in the country.  He’s also the top linebacker in Minnesota and a top 200 recruit in the country. Multiple Wisconsin women’s volleyball players are named All-Americans.  The American Volleyball coaches Association named Dana Rettke and Sydney Hilley to the first team earlier today.  Molly Haggerty is named