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The Buffalo County Sheriff’s Office has new information on how the fire that destroyed former Wisconsin Senator Kathleen Vinehout’s house started.  Officials say Vinehout and her husband left a fire burning in the fire place before going to bed Friday night.  The house later caught on fire and was noticed just after one o’clock the next morning but the Vinehouts were able to get out safely.  A fundraising page for the family has been set up by Eau Claire City

A New Auburn man is going to prison for 30 months after being convicted of hitting a killing a person with his car in Eau Claire.  If you were paging through The Chippewa Herald, you likely saw the reports 32-year-old Donald Bass Junior was sentenced to homicide by motor vehicle last Friday in the death of 18-year-old Samantha Coyle in 2017.  After Bass’ prison sentence he’ll spend ten years on extended supervision and pay an over 500-dollar fine. 

A Jackson County man is in custody after being accused of committing his sixth OWI.  Police say they saw 55-year-old Jeffery Klukas driving erratically over the weekend when they pulled him over in Black River Falls.  Police say he smelled of alcohol and admitted to drinking and was arrested.  He has five prior convictions dating back to before the 1990’s. 

No charges are being filed against a Greenwood-area man accused of neglecting a horse.  Hareld Heck was accused of tying a horse up outside in subzero temperatures with no shelter and over 200-thousand people signed a petition to raise awareness about it.  A Clarke County judge recently denied the petitioners’ request to file charges against Heck, saying there’s not enough evidence to support a conviction. 

Donations are pouring in to Saint Jude Children’s Research Hospital after a benefit concert at a record studio in Eau Claire.  Dozens of people went to Revival Records downtown for the free concert yesterday and donations weren’t required, only optional.  Revival is organizing benefit concerts every few months and plans to have another one for Saint Jude in the near future. 

A fundraising page is up and running for Kathleen Vinehout after a house fire.  The former state senator and candidate for governor’s home was destroyed in a fire Saturday.  A post on Vinehout’s official Facebook page says the family is safe, but has lost everything.  The fundraising page was set up by Eau Claire City Council acting president Andrew Werthmann.  He used to work in Vinehout’s office and campaigned for her during her run for governor.  

U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar [[ KLOH-buh-char ]] is the first 2020 presidential candidate to visit Eau Claire.  The Minnesota Democrat met with hundreds of people Saturday at Shift Cyclery and Coffee Bar to discuss what she plans to do if she’s elected president.  Klobuchar focused on climate change, automatic voter registration, and health care. 

Governor Tony Evers is calling for the legalization of medical marijuana and the decriminalization of recreational use.  Evers is including a measure in his first state budget proposal to decriminalize marijuana if the users, manufacturers, and distributors handle 25 grams or fewer.  He is also proposing Wisconsin’s first medical marijuana program, regulated by the state’s health and agriculture departments. 

State Patrol officials say one death has been confirmed from a semi crash in the Wisconsin Dells.  Authorities say the semi was recovered from Mirror Lake yesterday afternoon after it slid off the interstate earlier in the morning.  One occupant of the semi is still presumed missing. 

The president of the host club the Eau Claire Hash House Harriers says this year’s National Snowshoe Beer Mile Competition was a little harder than usual.  Dozens of people showed up for the mile or half mile event, where participants have to run two to four laps and after each lap they have to chug a beer.  The higher amount of snow this year made the course more difficult for those in the challenge.  Host officials say 12 medals are