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A convicted sex offender will soon live on Randall Street in Eau Claire. Police say Rob Collins will be released from prison on October 8th and live in a house in the 100 block of Randall.  Collins was convicted in 1998 of exposing himself to a child and third-degree sexual assault in Wood County.  He was also convicted of second-degree sexual assault of a child in Eau Claire County in 2006. PHOTO CREDIT: WEAU 13 NEWS

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is backing off from requirements regarding submitting deer for chronic wasting disease testing.  The DNR recently decided hunters in Rock Creek, Albany, Brunswick, Drammen, and Pleasant Valley no longer need to submit harvested deer.  The DNR is still holding voluntary testing and recommends hunters still submit deer during gun season.

The Eau Claire City-County Health Department is offering free flu shots for kids.  Anyone up to 19-years-old can come to the Eau Claire Indoor Sports Center from three to seven p.m. on October 14th and get a free shot.  Adults can also get one for 45 dollars.

A 19-year-old is charged with burglary and theft for incidents at UW-Eau Claire.  Police say Billy Blaser lived in Murray Hall and worked at the school when a series of thefts occurred over five days in July and August.  Some of the items were stolen from dorm rooms and others were taken from public areas.  Blaser is not a student at UW-Eau Claire and is no longer able to access the facilities.

Andrew Jackson might need to carpool with you in Dunn County. The Dunn County Board is considering a twenty-dollar wheel tax.  The proposal comes as the county needs more money to pay for road projects due to declining state funding.  If approved, the wheel tax on cars, vans, SUVs, and trucks registered in the county would raise around 725-thousand dollars per year.  The Board will vote on the measure at its November 12th meeting.

A new children’s museum will be built on Eau Claire’s Line Site.  The Redevelopment Authority yesterday approved the plan to develop the grassy area near the Galloway Street parking ramp.  Construction on the 24-thousand square-foot Children’s Museum of Eau Claire is set to start next spring.  The site will be shared by Monarch Ventures, which is expected to take up a 27-thousand square-foot building.

Ground is broken on a new hotel in Eau Claire.  The Holiday Inn Express and Suites will be located on Craig Road on the former site of the Green Mill and Clarion Hotel.  It will have event and meeting rooms in addition to 99 sleeping rooms.  Construction is expected to be completed in the summer of 2020.

The La Crosse Police Department’s Domestic Abuse Reduction Team will continue its work for three more years.  That’s thanks to a 450-thousand dollar grant from the Office of Violence Against Women and the U.S. Department of Justice.  The team works to reduce repeated episodes of domestic violence within La Crosse County.  It’s made up of ten La Crosse officers, three officers from nearby departments, local outreach program advocates, and medical providers.

Milwaukee will have a new form of wintry entertainment next year.  Bumper Cars on Ice is scheduled to come to town next April.  The attraction features round bumper cars which drivers can skate around in on ice.  It will also feature a winter wonderland-themed bar.  No location has been announced.

Walmart is testing a new program to help their employees afford healthcare.  It will put patients in touch with nearby doctors.  The program will begin in Texas, Arkansas and Florida.  The company will also test a concierge service for billing and appointments in North and South Carolina.  And workers in Colorado, Minnesota and Wisconsin will be able to video chat with doctors.