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The Eau Claire Area School District is welcoming its new superintendent,Mr. Michael Johnson, who begins his role today. Johnson is returning to the community after serving as Assistant Superintendent of Academic Excellence and Accountability for South Washington County Schools in Cottage Grove, Minnesota. He and his wife, Michelle, both graduated from UW-Eau Claire and taught in the Chippewa Valley for about 10 years. “Joining the Eau Claire Area School District as its superintendent is a dream come true,” Johnson said.

A Rusk County man is charged with sex crimes in three Western Wisconsin counties. A criminal complaint shows 38-year-old Roger Hattamer Junior is now facing charges in Rusk County after previously charged in Chippewa, Clark and Taylor counties for sex crimes against children. Hattamer will appear in Chippewa County Court today for three counts of first-degree sexual assault of a child under 13. 

The Eau Claire Public Library is reopening today. The L.E. Phillips Memorial Library will offer limited in-person appointments for browsing the collection of books, using the computer, and providing access for at-risk people. Residents can schedule an appointment by calling the library or sending an email.  CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION

Kids don’t float. That’s the sign hanging above a new life jacket loaner station in Altoona. City officials and first responders installed the station at River Prairie Park this week where life vests are available for children and adults for free. Altoona police say they hope to install more free life jacket loaner stations around the community. 

Eau Claire police are warning people not to leave their pets locked inside hot cars this summer. Officials said even days in the high-60’s and low-70’s could pose a threat to animals. The police department said they take two or three calls daily about endangered pets in cars. Police say cracking the windows doesn’t keep your pet cool, and an animal in a hot car can die within 20-minutes.  Pets aren’t the only animals that need to stay cool this

Add eleven more positive tests to Eau Claire County’s coronavirus count. The City-County Public Health Department yesterday reported that more people have tested positive for the virus. Many of the new cases are being tied back to Water Street businesses. Since last Friday, Eau Claire County has seen nearly 50 new positive coronavirus tests.

A Dunn County man is due in court later today to answer charges that he sexually abused a woman for years when she was a child. Prosecutors filed charges yesterday against 44-year-old Jeffrey McCulloch from Colfax. Investigators say a woman recently came forward and told them that McCulloch abused her for years, starting when she was seven-years-old. McCulloch has denied the charges. He faces 260 years in prison if convicted.

Small businesses in Chippewa Falls have a few more days to ask for some help from the city. Chippewa Falls yesterday extended the deadline for its Small Business Relief Program til next Tuesday. Businesses can apply for up to 25-hundred-dollars in grant money.

Good news for people who love Wisconsin’s great outdoors and are looking to perfect a S’mores recipe. The state’s Department of Natural Resources yesterday said that group camping can resume on July 13th. Groups will be limited to under 50 people, and you must have a reservation. You can find all of the information about camping in Wisconsin WITH AN EASY CLICK HERE.

The gap between the number of minority students and minority teachers in Wisconsin is growing. The Wisconsin Policy Forum yesterday released a report that shows while the number of minority students in the state has grown by seven percent over the past decade, the number of minority teachers in the state has only grown by one percent. The Policy Forum’s Anne Chapman says the gap between minority students and their teachers is a problem across the state, and in every community.