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The cleanup from a massive EF-3 tornado that rolled over the town of Wheaton last Tuesday continues.  Volunteers from across the region spent the weekend clearing away and cleaning up debris.  Two people were hurt and more than a dozen homes and other buildings suffered damage.  Governor Tony Evers declared a state of emergency in Chippewa, Dunn and Clark counties.

Wisconsin improved to 2-and-0 in the Big Ten and 4-and-0 overall after beating Northwestern at Camp Randall Stadium Saturday, 24-15.  The Badgers’ defense carried the day, sacking Northwestern’s quarterback five times.  From the field to the diamond, the Milwaukee Brewers will play the Washington Nationals tomorrow night in one of the two National League Wild Card Games.  The Brewers wound up the season in second place in the National League Central, behind the St. Louis Cardinals who beat Chicago to take

Almost 30 cats and dogs have been rescued from poor living conditions at a home in Eau Claire.  Reports say police removed eight dogs and 20 cats from a home on 7th Street last week and arrested the two residents.  Officers say they had to take safety precautions because of how unsanitary the house was.  The animals have been taken to the Eau Claire Humane Association.  The two people arrested have yet to be charged.

A woman won’t go to prison after being convicted of possessing drugs in connection with a deadly overdose case in Chippewa County.  April Lonetree and Shane Johnson were both arrested on Thanksgiving in 2017 after Nicholas Buck was found dead from a heroin overdose.  Johnson was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison in May of 2018.  Lonetree pleaded guilty to four charges in the case last Friday and was sentenced to a one-year stayed jail sentence and four years

Two Barron County parents won’t face charges in connection with their baby’s death.  The district attorney’s office says the ten-month-old died from accidental asphyxia due to sleeping with its parents and a sibling.  The death happened back on August 20th in Haugen.

No one is hurt after a one-car crash in Vernon County.  Authorities say 84-year-old Arvilla Novy was eastbound on County Highway F near Tower Road Sunday afternoon when she lost control and left the road.  Novy hit some car parts, went through a pole shed and a private backyard, and came to a stop in a ditch.  Novy’s car was heavily damaged but she declined to be taken to the hospital.

A new report says Wisconsin’s state lawmakers are some of the highest paid in the country.  According to The Badger Project, Wisconsin senators and representatives make 53-thousand dollars per year, ninth most among the 50 states.  The reports says Wisconsin is also one of the smallest states to have full-time legislators.  Some of the states ahead of Wisconsin include California, New York, Pennsylvania, and Michigan.

Several Menomonie apartment residents are out of a home after a fire.  Twelve units at Northern Meadows apartment complex were damaged in the blaze on Sunday.  Firefighters say no one was injured, but the affected units are a total loss.  The Red Cross is assisting the displaced residents and fire crews are still working to determine the cause.

Officials are praising the efforts of volunteers who arrived over the weekend to help clean-up damage from last week’s storms.  Governor Evers says he has made every state agency available to help in recovery efforts and acknowledged the majority of the work has been done by residents and neighbors in and around the Wheaton area.  The National Weather Service says the EF3 tornado touched down in Elk Mound and moved over four-miles through Wheaton and Chippewa Falls impacting over 15-hundred

A girl scout from Strum is being honored with the group’s highest achievement for helping build a pavilion at Veteran Tribute Park.  Amberlee Wojcik was given the Gold Award over the weekend for her work in building the pavilion to help house services for veterans on holidays like Memorial and Veterans Day.  Wojcik said her father’s military service helped inspire her to start the project.  Only five-percent of eligible girl scouts successfully earn the Gold Award. PHOTO CREDIT: WEAU 13