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The River Prairie project in Altoona, WI won the Economic Development Initiative award at the annual Community and Economic Development Awards (CEDA) ceremony, held September 11, at The Edgewater Hotel in Madison. The CEDA Awards program was established by the Wisconsin Economic Development Association (WEDA) to recognize businesses, projects, and organizations that are making significant contributions to Wisconsin’s economy. The Economic Development Initiative award honors innovative community and economic development efforts that successfully promote growth and prosperity in Wisconsin communities.

Senator Tammy Baldwin wants the CDC to support local partners on the public health threat posed by vaping.  The Wisconsin Democrat wants see the department activate an Emergency Operations Center to address the lung disease connected to vaping.  No deaths have been reported in Wisconsin, but 30 of the 450 possible cases nationwide have been identified in the Badger State.  The exact cause for symptoms like chest pain, shortness of breath, intestinal issues and a cough and fever has not been identified. 

A Trempealeau County man is pleading to guilty to charges relating to a planned kidnapping and murder.  Court records show Ryan Gunderson taped a conversation he had with Chad Anderson last year where they planned to kidnap, rape, and kill a woman.  Gunderson was shot by the Strum police chief last October, ending their plan.  Now Anderson is pleading guilty to amended charges of first-degree recklessly endangering safety, stalking, and false imprisonment.  He faces 22 years in prison and will

Three people accused of lying about a Barron man’s disappearance are taking plea deals in the case.  Chris Etchison went missing back in April and was later found dead in a cabin in Minnesota from drinking too much.  Jesse Scribner, Levi Mattila, and Marcella Hill are all accused of lying about what happened to Etchison and using his debit card to buy gas.  They’ve all pleaded guilty to obstructing an officer and are waiting to be sentenced.

A Chippewa Falls manufacturing company is closing its doors this fall.  Reports say Hubbard Scientific will close on October 30th and over 20 employees will lose their jobs.  Hubbard is known for making educational products for K-through-12 schools.

A former downtown Eau Claire church is set to be demolished.  Employees at Indian Head Electronic Supply say Superior Auto Body bought the building at the corner of North Farwell and Madison Streets several years ago to create more parking.  The building was originally Belfry House of Gifts but it’s currently working as a collectibles shop.  It will need to be cleared out by October 9th.

Sixty-percent of school kids in Wisconsin cannot read or do math at grade level, and in some schools it’s worse than that.  The state’s Department of Public Instruction is releasing the scores for the state’s standardized tests today.  The numbers show that 60-percent of students are behind in reading and math. That’s down from last year. That’s also the statewide average. Some individual schools did better, while some did much worse.

It’s that time of year.  Wisconsin’s Department of Health Services is reporting the state’s first human case of West Nile. DHS says the person is from northeast Wisconsin, but they are not getting any more specific than that. Human West Nile cases tend to peak in August and September as more people head outside. Last year, 33 people were confirmed sick with West Nile in Wisconsin.

Harley Davidson is dealing with more pink slips.  The company yesterday said it laid off 40 people in its general merchandise division.  All of them work in Milwaukee.  Harley didn’t offer any other specifics about the layoffs.

Prosecutors in Chippewa County may be able to use some of the evidence in the other case against the young man accused of killing three Girl Scouts last fall.  A judge yesterday said some of the evidence from a Rusk County case against Colten Treu may be admissible in his trial in Chippewa Falls. Treu was arrested with meth and marijuana about a month before the hit and run of a local Girl Scout Troup picking up litter along side