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Carson Park, the Pablo Center, Bon Iver, The Wal-Mart House…These are things we all seem to know in Eau Claire. And one  of those things is about to disappear-It was  Irene Cardinal’s old house in Eau Claire that became known as Eau Claire’s Walmart house, Cardinal and her husband refused to sell the home near Eau Claire’s Walmart for decades. After they passed in 2018, the home went up for sale. The couple’s realtor says Kwik Trip recently bought it

Today is Earth Day.  Earth Day was founded 50 years ago in 1970 thanks to Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson.  Nelson was a native of Clear Lake who served in the U.S. Senate, the State Senate and as Wisconsin’s 35th governor.  His work on environmental issues earned him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1995.

The Wisconsin Republican party is rescheduling its state convention.  The convention was originally set for next month in Green Bay.  It was postponed today until July 10th in part because of the coronavirus crisis and the court battle over lifting the governor’s stay at home order.

Nearly 150 coronavirus cases are being linked to a meat packing facility in Green Bay.  The Brown County Public Health Department says today 147 COVID-19 cases are connected to employees and people who had contact with employees of the JBS Beef Company.  On-site testing this week confirmed the cases.  The plant remains open for now. OSHA and the USDA will decide if it should close.

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office is warning people about a COVID-19 scam. Officials say the scammer uses a false phone number to make it look like the caller is from the Monroe County Health Department and then asks for Medicare information. Law enforcement officials said the county will never ask for medical or bank information over the phone. 

The Big Blue Dragon Boat Festival is cancelled. Mayo Clinic Health System and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater La Crosse yesterday cancelled the 2020 event due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The festival was scheduled for June 20th at Copeland Park. Officials say the festival will begin refunds for teams that made registration payments.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court could decide when the state will reopen. Top Republican lawmakers yesterday filed a lawsuit to strike down Governor Evers’ Safer at Home extension. The lawsuit says the state’s Department of Health Services secretary overstepped her bounds when she extended the order to keep businesses closed and keep people at home until May 26th. Lawmakers say the governor needs their permission to extend his order beyond May 11th. Governor Evers yesterday said if the Republicans win their lawsuit, people

People continue to come down with the coronavirus, but overall Wisconsin’s coronavirus count is tilting down. The state’s Department of Health Services yesterday confirmed 121 newly reported cases of the virus. That’s down from 153 new cases the day before, and about 140 new cases last Sunday and Monday. DHS says it’s too soon to know if the downward trend will continue. Statewide, DHS says four-thousand-620 people have come down with the virus, and 242 people have died from it. Here

The air quality in Eau Claire is getting good grades. The American Lung Association is out with its latest air quality report card, and Eau Claire gets a ‘B’ for ozone pollution and an ‘A’ for small particulate pollution. The Lung Association’s Dr. Malcolm DeCamp says those are much better grades than cities in southeast Wisconsin got. But DeCamp says there’s always room for improvement.

There is a new search for a school superintendent in western Wisconsin. Chippewa Falls schools are looking for a new boss after Superintendent Heidi Taylor-Eliopoulos took the superintendent’s job in Altoona this week. Chippewa Falls School Board President David Czech says they will start their search immediately, but says they are in no rush.