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We should have a better idea by the end of week just how many people are living on the streets in western Wisconsin. The twice-a-year homeless count in Eau Claire, Buffalo, Trempealeau, and Jackson counties started last night. The idea is to count people who don’t have a place to stay, and then find them some help. Last summer’s homeless count found 20 people in those four counties. Advocates say this year’s count could be larger.

The number of newly confirmed coronavirus cases in Wisconsin drops below 600 for the first time in two weeks. The Wisconsin Department of Health said 590 new cases were reported today with an eight-and-a-half-percent positivity rate.  Last Monday the positivity rate was over ten-percent.  One additional death is reported, bringing the total number of Wisconsinites killed by COVID-19 to 893.

Nearly 42-million-dollars in funding is benefiting some 12-thousand Wisconsin farmers.  Governor Tony Evers announced today that farmers have received a 35-hundred-dollar payment through the Wisconsin Farm Support System.  The program is funded by the CARES Act, which is designed to help out during the coronavirus crisis.  A second round of funding will be distributed following the application process, which runs from August 10th to August 24th.

The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) and the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory confirmed that a Dunn County horse tested positive for Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE). It is the state’s first confirmed equine case of EEE this year. The unvaccinated crossbred mare was approximately 10 years old and was euthanized due to her rapidly progressing neurologic symptoms. Subsequent testing was positive for EEE. DATCP encourages horse owners to vaccinate their horses against EEE and West Nile virus

Downtown Eau Claire, Inc. announced the winner of the semi-annual Downtown Enhancement Grant, Ambient Inks. You’ve probably enjoyed a food or beverage cart at an event, but soon you’ll be able to get event merchandise literally “hot off the press” from a new mobile screen printing cart thanks to the Downtown Enhancement Grant and Ambient Inks. Ambient Inks, a local print shop is a familiar fixture at many events. The Ambient team will take the rest of the year to

A delivery driver in New Jersey helps the Eau Claire Police Department identify a scammer. The department posted to Facebook saying a U-P-S driver in Newark spotted a weird package sent from Eau Claire. They said it turns out the package was from a resident who was tricked into sending about 84-hundred dollars cash to a false relative in jail.  The department said thanks to an officer who worked with the delivery driver, they got the cash returned to the

It’s the 30th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.  Saturday marked 30-years since former President George H.W. Bush signed it into law. In Milwaukee over the weekend, activist and author, Dr. Temple Grandin spoke about watching the university where she taught become more accessible with sign language interpreters and ramps for wheelchair accessibility. The federal act bans discrimination against anyone with disabilities. 

A local specialist says getting enough sleep could help reduce the stress felt by the coronavirus pandemic.  S-S-M Health Sleep Medicine Physician Dr. Joseph Crisalli said even before the pandemic, around one-third of adults weren’t getting enough sleep at night. He says sleep helps restore bodily functions which are vital for mental and physical health. Dr. Crisalli recommends between seven-and-nine-hours of sleep at night.

Masks could soon be mandatory for everyone in Eau Claire’s schools. The city’s school board will vote next week on a proposed mask requirement. Superintendent Michael Johnson says he understands that masks are uncomfortable and not everyone can wear one, but he says a mask requirement could help keep students and teachers safe. Students are due back in school two-days a week starting September 1st.

The U.S. is on a pace to pass 150-thousand coronavirus deaths this week.  More than 146-thousand Americans have died from the respiratory illness since the first death in January.  The nation has averaged around a thousand deaths a day over the past few days.  Researchers say there could be 175-thousand deaths by mid-August and 200-thousand by November.   Here closer to our area, on the state level there are some questions to go along with Wisconsin’s latest coronavirus report. The state’s Department