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Wisconsin’s Democratic U.S. Senator says helping volunteer firefighters buy homes may be the key to getting more volunteer firefighters. Senator Tammy Baldwin says her plan to offer 15 hundred-dollars in assistance to help low income volunteer firefighters buy a house could help strengthen smaller communities in Wisconsin. Baldwin says many small volunteer fire departments don’t have enough people because, in some towns, there are not enough people.

Wisconsin’s economic development managers say 250-million-dollars from taxpayers should be worth over a billion-dollars in new jobs and business expansion. The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation yesterday released its list of the top 15 deals for 2019. Among them are the investments into paper companies in Biron and Howard. The half-million-dollars given to Menard’s for an expansion in Eau Claire is also the best-of list for 2019.

The Wisconsin Badgers are spending the holidays preparing for a New Year’s Day date with the Oregon Ducks.  The two teams greet 2020 with a 4:00 kickoff in the Rose Bowl.  The Badgers finished the regular season with record of 10-and-3 and ranked 11th in the Amway Coaches Poll.  Oregon heads into the game with an 11-and-2 record and a sixth-place ranking in the Coaches Poll. 

Today is one of the busiest days to return gifts at stores and malls.  A survey by Oracle reveals 77-percent of consumers plan to return some of their holiday gifts.  Returns are expected to peak at nearly two-million nationwide on January 2nd.  Wisconsin retailers advise that people research policies regarding time allowed for returns, the need for a receipt and whether there is a time limit for getting cash back. 

Eau Claire Parks & Recreation announces that all warming shelters will open for the season today with regular holiday hours offering hot cocoa, indoor games, and arts and crafts. Pinehurst will also be open for sledding, snowboarding, and cross-country skiing.  2019-2020 warming shelter holiday hours will continue through January 1.  Boyd & Pinehurst: 11am‐8pm Demmler, Oakwood, Putnam Heights, Roosevelt, Sam Davey: 11am‐7pm  Indoor Skating Opportunities at Hobbs Ice Arena 11am-1pm and 1:15pm-3:15pm. $4/person OR EC RecPass (1 punch) Includes skate

It certainly was a warm Christmas for southeast Wisconsin. The National Weather Service says yesterday was the second warmest Christmas in the past 40 years for Milwaukee. The city saw 57 degrees yesterday,. That’s the warmest since the Christmas of 1982. But that doesn’t mean we are lining up for a warm winter. While Christmas 82 was warm, Christmas 1983 was the coldest for Milwaukee over the same 40 year period.

The Menomonie Area Chamber of Commerce has a new CEO.  If you were paging through The Dunn County News with your coffee, you may have seen that Ashley DeMuth has been selected to start the new role on January 2nd.  DeMuth is currently the director of the United Way of Dunn County. PHOTO CREDIT THE DUNN COUNTY NEWS

Two Eau Claire residents are accused of buying cocaine in Minnesota and bringing it back to Wisconsin.  A criminal complaint claims Tamara Howlett and Terrell Wilson bought the drugs and sold them to an undercover informant in Eau Claire.  Drugs were also reportedly found in their car and house during a search.  Howlett and Wilson were recently arrested and charged with multiple drug counts.

A traffic stop leads to an OWI and arrest for a Black River Falls woman who was driving with a baby in the car. It was on Wednesday, December 25th, at approximately 2:30 pm a trooper stopped a vehicle for speeding (58/45) on Highway 40 in Chippewa County. Upon initial approach the trooper detected the odor of alcohol. An 11 month old child was also an occupant of the vehicle. A subsequent vehicle search revealed multiple open intoxicants and the

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers isn’t looking to cut taxes in 2020. The governor this week said he’d rather spend any surplus money on clean water and educational initiatives. Republican lawmakers say they want to spend next year’s surplus to help homeowners across the state deal with what could be the highest property taxes in a decade.