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A rare bee has been discovered in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest.  The U.S. Department of Agriculture says scientist found the insect known as the Cuckoo Bee while conducting a bee inventory in Lakewood.  It is considered one of the rarest bees in North America.  It is the first confirmed record of the bee in Wisconsin since 1910. 

A meth bust leads to prison for a man pulled over by St. Croix Falls police last year. Attorney General Josh Kaul announced that Adam G. Gonet was sentenced to five years of initial confinement followed by five years of extended supervision for possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine and three years of initial confinement and three years of extended supervision for possession of a short-barreled shotgun concurrent to the sentence for the possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine charge.

Public health managers in Wisconsin are once again warning about the dangers of blue-green algae.  The Wisconsin Department of Health Services yesterday said they’re looking into three people and one dog who’ve gotten sick after swimming through the algae.  The algae can make people sick, but it can be deadly for dogs and other animals.  DHS says it’s looking into two other possible cases as well. 

A Barron County man is facing 60 years in prison after pleading guilty to repeatedly sexually assaulting a child.  A criminal complaint says a then 12-year-old told police Donaven Sprague started assaulting her when she was nine-years-old.  Sprague reportedly admitted to police he assaulted the girl but said they didn’t actually have intercourse until she was eleven.  He pled guilty on Tuesday and will be sentenced in December. 

Two Rusk County men are facing child pornography charges.  Reports say police were tipped off by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children earlier this summer.  An investigation led to the arrests of Ladysmith resident Dennis Berthold and Hubbard resident David Johnson.  They’re each charged with ten counts of child porn and will return to court next week. 

The Eau Claire Police Department’s Child Abduction Response Team is preparing for a potential child abduction.  The team held a drill at Whispering Pines Campground yesterday where they investigated a missing 15-year-old girl.  Police interviewed friends and family members and a mock suspect and had a search team with K-9’s.  The team says it conducts similar drills once a year. 

An Eau Claire bridge is the winner of a regional competition.  The rebuilt Carson Park causeway was recently named a winner of the Mid-America Association of State Highway and Transportation regional competition along with seven other projects in five other states.  The causeway is featured in the Quality of Life and Community Development section of the competition.  The three best projects from all four regions will be announced Friday. 

The man who once handled the finances for Eau Claire’s firefighter union is looking at prison time for stealing from the union.  William Drath agreed to a plea deal on Wednesday that could send him to prison for 12 years for stealing 18-thousand-dollars from the city’s firefighter union.  Drath was union treasurer from 2006 til 2016, and prosecutors say he stole the money over a six-year span.  Drath will be sentenced in November. 

Eau Claire County leaders aren’t going to stop the plan to move the Veterans’ Tribute Trail to Altoona.  The county board on Tuesday voted to allow organizers to move the two-million-dollar trail and park out of Eau Claire.  The folks behind the trail decided to move earlier this summer after a disagreement with neighbors in Eau Claire over renaming a local park to honor the trail. 

Wisconsin’s new governor wants the state to possibly do something about the rising cost of prescription drugs.  Governor Tony Evers yesterday ordered a new task force on prescription drug prices be created.  The governor says the task force will look and see just how expensive prescriptions have become as well as study what other states are doing.  Evers says it’s all part of his push to make healthcare more affordable in Wisconsin.