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The Wisconsin unemployment office is experiencing a backlog of claims as jobless numbers rise due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A state Program and Policy Analyst says since March 1st, around 400-thousand people filed for unemployment benefits. The department says all claims have been processed, but until the office can hire more staff to continue processing, they’ll be playing catch up. The department says they’ve already taken over 100-staff members from other departments, and they’re now in the process of reviewing applications to

A local theater is offering to host graduation ceremonies for Class of 2020 seniors who are missing out due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Stardust Drive-in Theatre in Chetek is offering to host graduation at its facility so family and friends can watch the ceremony from the safety of their own cars. The theatre says they got approval from the Barron County Health Department to host the ceremonies, and five schools have already expressed interest. The theatre also says it’s

There is a new plan to get people back to work by this time next week.   Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce on Friday unveiled its Back to Business plan. The blueprint gives businesses in the state steps toward reopening. There is a nod to flattening the curve, and the plan has a risk assessment for all reopening businesses. WMC’s Kurt Bauer says the plan allows for businesses in different parts of the state to make the call that’s right for them on

April is getting ready to wrap up, and as time marches on we continue to march forward as well and part of that means continuing to gather information and stay informed in the midst of a world wide pandemic. Here, we aim to lay out the facts clearly, in simple and easy to follow way. That way, you can get the numbers, news, info you want-when you want. So, to start the week we will start on the big world

A recent announcement from Eau Claire Police has updated this arrest to now say that 22-year-old Ian Kearns was pronounced dead at an Illinois hospital. The details of the original case remain under investigation. The search for the third suspect in last month’s home invasion/murder in Eau Claire is over. Authorities in LaSalle County, Illinois found Ian Kearns yesterday. He is wanted for the killing of Edwin James Garcia-Smith in Eau Claire back on March 23rd. Two other suspects in

A man is in serious condition after a motorcycle crash. On Sunday, just before 8 in the evening, the Eau Claire County Sheriff’s Office responded to a motorcycle crash in the 3500 block of County Road D, which is in the Township of Ludington. It was reported that a male subject was lying in the ditch unconscious and the motorcycle was on its side in the roadway. During the investigation, deputies learned that a 26-year-old male had been riding the

The meat packing plant at the center of Brown County’s coronavirus outbreak is closing to help flatten the curve.  Officials at JBS made the announcement yesterday.  Public health officials have traced 189 cases back to people who work at the plant that employs 12 hundred.  No one is certain what’s going to happen to their paychecks.

The University of Wisconsin system says the coronavirus quarantine has pushed its online learning platform to the front of the class. The school said that nearly five thousand professors and faculty members had published nearly 17,460 courses online as of April 8th. That is a huge step forward. UW managers say they launched their online learning platform in the summer of 2017, but it took this outbreak to make it the focus of how the university’s campuses teach.

Wisconsin’s attorney general is asking people to keep their unused prescription medicine at home for a little while longer. A-G Josh Kaul canceled Saturday’s Drug Take Back Day because of the coronavirus. Kaul says many of the state’s prescription drop-off sites are closed. He says it’s best to lock unused prescription pills away in a safe or room in your house that has limited access.

One of western Wisconsin’s best high school quarterbacks will get a chance to play pro ball just across the Mississippi River. The Minnesota Vikings drafted Menomonie’s Nate Stanley in the 7th round. Stanley played his college ball at Iowa. He says he’s hopeful about his shot at the NFL.