Home

Restaurants in downtown Eau Claire and along Water Street will have an easier time adding seats outside. The city yesterday said it is willing to cut down on the permitting process that restaurants usually have to abide by. The move is designed to give restaurants more seats and more options as they look to recover from the coronavirus shutdown.

Eau Claire County’s former treasurer, Larry Lokken and his assistant Kay Onarheim, could be looking at five more years in prison. The two have until July 21st to repay one-point-three million-dollars that they stole from taxpayers. Lokken has paid only 18 thousand-dollars, Onarheim has paid over 73 thousand-dollars. Her attorneys are going to ask for a break, given that she’s paid back much more than Lokken.

New University of Wisconsin President Tommy Thompson says he’s ready to get to work. Thompson was named president of the UW System last week after the school’s one finalist dropped out. Thompson yesterday named two top aides to his transition team and said he is ready to hit the ground running. Thompson will need to not only help the university’s campuses reopen this fall, but he will have to shepherd the school through a financial crisis caused by the coronavirus.

It’s now time for Wisconsin lawmakers to offer their thoughts on the plan to go back to school this fall. The Assembly’s committee on education has a hearing scheduled for 10 o’clock this morning to talk about the recommendations from DPI for local schools about heading back to class. DPI’s four recommendations all include some learning from home. A who’s-who of education groups and advocates will testify at today’s hearing.

It’s the latest sign of just how important Wisconsin is in the 2020 election. President Trump will sit down for a town hall meeting in Green Bay tomorrow. The town hall will be broadcast on Fox News. The president will also visit the shipyard in Marinette. President Trump’s visit comes after Vice President Mike Pence was in southeastern Wisconsin yesterday.

The exact dates are still being worked-out, but the Milwaukee Brewers say they are ready for the 2020 season. The team yesterday said a second spring training will begin on July 1st, and the 60-game season will start later in the month. There will be no fans in the stands when baseball does restart. There is no word what, if anything, the Brewers plan to do to involve fans in the new season.

State Health officials say five additional deaths are confirmed from the  coronavirus.  As of today, 750 Wisconsinites have died from COVID-19.  There were 263 new positive coronavirus cases reported in the last 24 hours. 

President Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Alexander Azar both have trips planned to the Badger State.  The president will hold a town hall meeting in Green Bay on Thursday which is a closed event.  Human Services Secretary Azar is in Green Bay next Wednesday to tour a community health clinic and talk about care for the homeless and the underserved.

Dairy Fest is back in Marshfield.  The Chamber of Commerce says today this year’s theme is Dairy Strong.  The week-long event celebrating the dairy industry will be held from July 12th through the 17th.  Organizers say public health safety guidelines will be strictly followed, but in-person events are planned.

The Barron County Sheriff’s Department with the assistance of the WI Department of Justice  Department of Criminal Investigation and the DNA Doe Project announce the identification of the bones located south Barron in December of 2017. The remains are identified as 63 year old Gary Herbst, of New Prague, MN. The manner of death is now being investigated as a homicide and is an active case in the Sheriff’s Department.