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The Chippewa Falls Chamber of Commerce has a new board chair.  The Chippewa Herald reports lawyer and small claims court commissioner Ben Lane officially took over as board chair during the 108th annual luncheon on Monday to celebrate the previous year.  Lane took over for former board chair Neil Mathwig, who touted an increase in tourism in 2018.  Lane says one of his top priorities will be workforce development. 

The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire is offering free small business training starting this month.  The Dunn County News reports two different ten-week courses will be available through the Wisconsin Small Business Development Center aimed at helping entrepreneurs get their businesses started.  The first session will be on Tuesday evenings from January 29th to April 6th and the second will be on Thursdays from February 21st to April 18th.  Anyone who’s interested should contact the university. 

A plea hearing is scheduled in an Eau Claire County murder case.  Wayne Price is charged in the 2017 shooting deaths of his sister and her boyfriend.  A plea hearing was requested last week and will take place tomorrow.      

A Chippewa County worker is out of a job after losing the election for the clerk of court’s seat held by his boss.  Nate Liedl was fired earlier this month along with two other workers, including a woman who actively campaigned for Liedl.  Liedl says he was fired because he ran for office against his boss.  He filed a grievance letter last week with the Chippewa County human resources department.  Karen Hepfler has served as clerk of court since 2001. 

The Pablo Center at the Confluence is announcing a performance by The Voice runner-up Chris Kroeze.  Kroeze will perform at the center on Saturday, March 30th.  He gained national attention for his performances on NBC’s The Voice, where he was coached by country singer Blake Shelton.  His single Human reached the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 and the top five on iTunes Top 100. 

Eau Claire community members are reflecting on the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  A remembrance event was held yesterday at St. James the Greater Catholic Church.  The annual gathering brought out community leaders and the public to embrace the values of the civil rights leader who would have turned 90-years-old last week. Athletes at UW-Eau Claire are giving back to the community in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  The university’s AmeriCorps ECLIPSE program recruited 60 students

A Portage woman’s condition is not known after she was pulled from the Baraboo River.  Firefighters arrived on the scene in Portage after the woman’s car went into the river around 7:30 this morning.  Two firefighters went into the water to attach chains to tow the car out and the woman was rescued and taken to the hospital.  Columbia County deputies are investigating. 

The Eau Claire School Board is considering a proposal for upgrades to the athletic facilities at Memorial High School.  The board heard plans last night for the nearly two-and-a-half million dollar project.  The changes would include synthetic turf for the soccer and football field, resurfacing the track, a new decorative plaza, bathrooms, and upgraded lights. 

Barron residents and officials are working to move forward following the safe return of Jayme Closs.  After learning more of the horrifying details of the night of her disappearance, residents of the normally quiet and peaceful town finally are beginning to settle down.  The mayor says preliminary plans are in the works for a community celebration, which is something he thinks will help the community move on.  School officials also hope bringing in outside resources who are equipped to deal

A familiar ice cream shop is coming to Eau Claire and everyone has the chance to win free ice cream for a year.  Olson’s Ice Cream recently announced it would be expanding into Eau Claire and started a contest on Facebook for people to guess where the new location will be.  Anyone who guesses right will be entered into a drawing to win a free half-gallon of ice cream every month for a year.  The new location will be announced