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Eau Claire County is adding two more weeks to its coronavirus emergency order. City-County Health Director Lieske Giese yesterday said the order will mostly stay the same, but noted some differences. For example, starting Friday, Eau Claire County residents can gather in groups of 20 outside. A new order from the county health department said people should still stay home and limit interaction with others, but planned outdoor events can include up to 20 people. The order says organizers must

The suspect in Eau Claire’s weekend shooting that sent a man to the hospital should have been behind bars. Court records say Kyle Baker was released from the Rusk County Jail this spring because of the coronavirus. Records also show he skipped a May 5th sentencing date for a probation violation. Eau Claire Police say Baker shot a man during an argument Saturday. Prosecutors have yet to file charges in that case.

Cities, counties, and towns in Wisconsin are getting a piece of the state’s stimulus money. Governor Tony Evers yesterday promised to send 200-million-dollars to local governments to help with their costs from the coronavirus outbreak. Milwaukee County is getting the most money at just over 15-million-dollars. County leaders had asked for over 100-million from the state. Just how much each community will get is based on a formula that leans heavily on population.

Some people in Wisconsin who are waiting on an unemployment check could be waiting til October. The state’s Department of Workforce Development yesterday said it could take that long to clear the backlog of people waiting to have their jobless claim processed. Republican lawmakers said that is unacceptable. DDWD said the current unemployment claims backlog is at 112 thousand cases. State Senator Chris Kapenga says DWD needs to figure out how to erase that backlog as soon as possible. CLICK HERE FOR

Just about every voter in the state of Wisconsin will get the paperwork to vote absentee in their mailbox this fall. The Wisconsin Election Commission yesterday unanimously agreed to mail absentee ballot applications to all voters who have not moved since the last election. That will be just over three million people. The Commission is not mailing actual ballots, people will need a voter ID to request an official ballot through the mail. The move comes after a massive uptick in absentee voting in

Add Wisconsin to the list of states suing to stop the Trump Administration from relaxing emissions standards for cars and trucks. Attorney General Josh Kaul yesterday joined A-G’s from several other Democratic states in suing over the president’s order to move away from the California emissions that were adopted under President Obama. Kaul says by relaxing the emissions rules for states, the president is stopping states from deciding about clean air rules. The president says he doesn’t want to end the California

Scratch another summer tradition off the list of things to do in the Chippewa Valley. Organizers of Rock Fest in Cadott yesterday canceled this year’s show because of the coronavirus. Planners had hoped to simply push the festival back, but ultimately decided it was better to pull the plug entirely.

The Eau Claire Area School District has received four applications for its current Board of Education vacancy. The applications are to fill the seat vacated by Board Member Eric Torres after his resignation takes effect on May 29. The full board will review the applications and vote to approve an appointment. The individual selected will serve until the next election in April 2021. The individuals submitting applications to fill the vacancy are Melissa Allen, Justin Hendrickson, Omar Parks, Erica Zerr.

The one-day number for COVID-19 deaths is the highest confirmed since the outbreak began.  Health officials today say 22 people died from the coronavirus in the last 24 hours.  That brings the total number of deaths in the state to 539.  New hospitalizations have also jumped with 79 admissions since yesterday.

A new grant program aims to help local leaders deal with needs created by the coronavirus crisis.  Governor Tony Evers announced the Routes to Recovery Local Government Aid Grants program today.  The program makes 200-million-dollars available for reimbursements for expenditures that were not budgeted and happened because of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Wisconsin’s tribal nations will receive ten-million-dollars while the rest will be disbursed to every county.