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The Packers will get a lot of national attention this season. The NFL released the schedule for the upcoming season last night, and Green Bay has five primetime games. The Packers play three Sunday night games, one Thursday night game, and a Monday night match-up. In all, the Packers have just seven noon games all season. Green Bay starts the 2020 season against the Vikings in Minneapolis, and ends the season against the Bears in Chicago.

Governor Tony Evers says the state is adding staff and working hard to process unemployment claims.  The governor today says he knows many people have waited for checks but requests have been overwhelming.  Evers said calls about unemployment benefits topped four-point-seven-million last week alone.  The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development says the state is looking at a fast dwindling unemployment trust fund balance.  The balance yesterday was one-point-eight-billion dollars, but the state is receiving over 300-thousand jobless claims per week.  Workforce Development

Program cuts and layoffs are on the horizon for all campuses in the University of Wisconsin system.  System President Ray Cross today directed officials to prioritize courses and programs and prepare for a reduction in staff for the 2021 school year.  On another front officials are looking at the possibility of temporarily suspending standardized tests like the ACT and SAT for freshman admission.

A fire heavily damaged a pole shed. It was on May 6th when the Black River Falls Fire Department and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Fire Control were paged by the Jackson County Emergency Dispatch Center for reported structure fire located at N7925 County Highway K. This address is located in the Township of Komensky and County of Jackson. Upon arrival the BRFFD had pole shed with heavy smoke showing and some flames. The department knocked down the fire

The Economic Recovery Task Force isn’t focusing on when businesses will reopen, but how. The Eau Claire Chamber held a virtual town hall yesterday to update the board on what the task force has accomplished so far. Officials say the overall goal of the task force is to help restart local businesses amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Health Department Director said several businesses have already begun reopening, and the board has a checklist about how that’s done in a safe

There’s a new hotline for veterans that have questions about benefits. The Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs yesterday said the hotline will connect people with staff to answer any questions veterans have about programs, benefits and the eligibility process. The hotline is a substitute for face-to-face meetings and walk-in appointments amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Veterans can call 1-800-WIS-VETS, or 1-800-947-8387. 

Governor Tony Evers’ push to get more people in Wisconsin tested for the coronavirus is headed online. The governor yesterday announced a website where people can search for their nearest testing facility. The governor has said for the past week that he wants anyone who needs to get a test, to be able to get one. Wisconsin has the capacity to test as many as 12 thousand people per-day for the coronavirus. But the governor says not nearly that many people are actually being

An Eau Claire man who served time for a drug-related death is heading back to jail for using drugs himself. A judge yesterday sentenced Dustin Leshock to eight months in jail for possession. Leshock was on parole for the 2016 drug related death charge that sent him to prison. Police say he provided the heroin that killed a man.

The state of Wisconsin is not reporting any coronavirus hotspot investigations in the Chippewa Valley. The state’s Department of Health Services yesterday released numbers regarding facility-wide coronavirus investigations. There are none in Eau Claire, Chippewa, or Dunn counties. In fact there are only four investigations in all of western Wisconsin. Most of the state’s hotspot investigations are in the Milwaukee-area, Madison, and Green Bay. The state’s Department of Health Services yesterday said most of its 235 facility-wide coronavirus investigations have come in Milwaukee,

Eau Claire County’s sheriff says it’s up to parents to make sure teenagers are ready for the road. The state’s DMV on Tuesday said it is suspending driving tests for teenagers because of the coronavirus. Sheriff Ron Cramer says that means parents are going to have to be responsible and make sure their teens are ready to drive. Cramer says parents also need to remind their new drivers that points are double for anyone still on a graduated driver’s license.