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 Although the New England Patriots were the winners of the Big Game, we had some local connections in Atlanta yesterday. A Wisconsin native is one of the six-member Thunderbirds team that flew in close formation over the Super Bowl in Atlanta.  Michelle Curran is the first female demonstration pilot for the Thunderbirds since 2014.  The 31-year-old Medford native demonstrates the capabilities of the F-16 during performances and is only the second female solo pilot in the 65-year history of the Thunderbirds.    A

The status of Eau Claire Area School District Superintendent Dr. Mary Ann Hardebeck is up for discussion by the board.  A closed session meeting is set for tonight to discuss Hardebeck’s contract.  The results of the session will be brought up for a vote in the open session.  Hardebeck has been with the district since 2012 and her current contract goes through June 30th.

The American Red Cross is issuing an emergency call for blood and platelet donations.  The Executive Director for the Northwest Wisconsin Chapter Kyle Kriegl says the organization has had to close 46-hundred mobile blood drives because of the extreme weather.  Kriegl is encouraging people to donate, as hospitals need the blood and platelets. 

Foxconn officials say the company will move forward with its plan to build a ten-billion-dollar facility in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin.  In a statement Friday, the company says productive talks with the White House and a personal conversation between President Trump and Foxconn chairman Terry Gou put the plan back on track.  Reports last week said the Taiwanese tech company was shifting strategy away from hiring 13-thousand manufacturing workers to focus on research and engineering which would require far fewer jobs.  The

State leaders are coming together to commemorate the start of Black History Month.  On Friday, Governor Tony Evers and Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes joined the state Legislature’s Black Caucus at the state Capitol where words of encouragement were shared.  Barnes noted that there’s a lot of work to be done as Wisconsin is home to some of the worst racial disparities in education, health care access, economics and incarceration.  Barnes is the highest ranking African-American to be elected in Wisconsin politics.  

The first-ever Wisconsin Newspaper Association’s Civics Games is drawing in students from around the state.  About 100 high school students competed in regional competitions yesterday. They answered questions about civics, which included topics like local elections, quorum rules and the state budget.  The top two teams from the regions will get to advance to a championship at the state Capitol on February 23rd.  Winning members of those teams will get a two-thousand dollar scholarship to a college or university in Wisconsin. 

16-year-old boy is dead after a rollover crash in Pierce County.  The Wisconsin State Patrol says Caleb Bylander was hill jumping in his truck near Plum City Saturday afternoon when trooper found him ejected from his rolled-over truck.  Bylander was pronounced dead at the scene. 

Middleton-based American Girl is shutting down a pair of its stores in Minnesota and Boston.  The company said the leases at the stores at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota and at the Natick Mall in Boston are expiring.  Both stores have apparently been open for ten years. They will close on March 20th.  Vice President of Retail for American Girl, Wade Opland, says the closures are necessary for the health of the business. 

It is National Wear Red Day which spotlights the American Heart Association’s campaign about the number-one cause of death among women.  The Wisconsin Department of Health says cardiovascular disease is the second-leading cause of death in the state.  According to the United Health Foundation, an average of 196 per 100-thousand women in Wisconsin died from cardiovascular disease last year.  That’s below the national average of 213 deaths.

Foxconn officials say the company will move forward with its plan to build a ten-billion-dollar facility in Mount Pleasant.  In a statement today, the company says productive talks with the White House and a personal conversation between President Trump and Foxconn chairman Terry Gou put the plan back on track.  Reports this week said the Taiwanese tech company was shifting strategy away from hiring 13-thousand manufacturing workers to focus on research and engineering which would require far fewer jobs.  The