Home

Police officers in Eau Claire won’t be getting body cameras anytime soon.  The city council shelved the plan to equip the city’s 100 officers with cameras because it would cost too much.  City Council President Terry Weld says the cameras alone would cost 230-thousand-dollars, but the maintenance could cost 150-thousand-dollars a piece over the next four years.  Weld says Eau Claire doesn’t have that kind of money to spend. 

Authorities in La Crosse County are warning of a bad batch of heroin that may be killing people.  La Crosse County Medical Examiner Timothy Candahl says he’s seen eight overdoses in the past five days.  Candahl says all eight OD’d on heroin that is laced with something else.  Police say they are seeing reports of other heroin-related deaths in other near-by counties as well.  

Prosecutors will start to make their case against the man accused of killing Milwaukee Police Officer Matthew Rittner.  Both sides agreed to a jury yesterday, opening arguments are set to begin today.  Jordan Fricke is accused of gunning down Officer Rittner during a drug raid back in February.  The defense is reportedly looking to claim self defense.  Fricke faces life in prison if convicted. 

The Dunn County Criminal Justice Collaborating Council will be holding a forum on Monday, July 29 from 6-8 p.m. at the Boyceville Community Center. Attendees are invited to bring and submit questions for the panel to address. The forum will focus on the evolution of local drug trends and mental health issues in Dunn County, and how these areas impact the community as a whole. There will also be discussion surrounding current and future efforts to mitigate these evolving areas. Panelists will

President Trump is planning a visit to Wisconsin.  Details have not been released, but the president is expected to attend a fundraiser hosted by the Republican National Committee in Milwaukee on Friday.  It’s not known whether the president will just attend the fundraiser or whether a rally will be held. 

Multiple Democratic presidential candidates will be in Wisconsin this week.  On Thursday, Bernie Sanders, Beto O’Rourke, Julian Castro, and Elizabeth Warren will participate in a town hall as part of the League of Latin American Citizens national convention in Milwaukee.  Warren will hold a separate town hall at South Division High School the same night.  Marianne Williamson will also speak at the convention on Friday. 

It should be clear in west-central Wisconsin today, but some parts of the state could see smoke from wildfires in Canada.  According to the National Weather Service, smoke moved across the northern Midwest over the weekend and impacted air quality in parts of the state yesterday.  The majority of the smoke has been moving south through central and eastern Wisconsin and should clear out by the end of the day. 

The number of elderly people in poverty in Wisconsin is up.  According to the annual Wisconsin Poverty Report, less people in the state overall are living in poverty.  However, the number of people 65 and older living in poverty is increasing.  The report blames the increase on a rise in out-of-pocket medical expenses.

The Hurley Midgets are no more.  The school in northern Wisconsin voted to drop its longtime nickname last winter.  Last month, the school board voted to adopt a new name.  Hurley will now be the Northstars.  School leaders say they picked the Northstars after combing through 76 different suggestions.