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Madison and Milwaukee are among the Top-50 cities with the worst traffic congestion.  The 2018 Global Traffic Scorecard released by data analysis company, INRIX this week ranks Madison 35th and Milwaukee 37th for traffic congestion.  Criteria included hours lost sitting in traffic and the cost to drivers.  The price of congestion for drivers in Madison is 67 hours and over 900-dollars lost per driver each year.  Milwaukee drivers lose 61 hours and about 850-dollars a year to traffic congestion. 

Local restaurants around Chippewa Falls are raising money to help employees of The View after it caught on fire earlier this week.  The fire completely destroyed the Wissota Lake restaurant on Tuesday, leaving employees out of work with no timetable for when the restaurant will be rebuilt.  Restaurants in Chippewa Falls and in Altoona have raised about two-thousand dollars since yesterday.  Another restaurant in Chippewa Falls is offering free meals to The View employees.

A home near Sparta is completely destroyed after a fire.  The Sparta Area Fire District says the home on County Highway 6 caught on fire early Monday evening.  It was difficult to get to the house because of snow and it took over five hours to put the fire out.  One firefighter injured his leg but was treated at the scene. 

An Eau Claire Firefighter is no longer with the fire department.  If you were paging through a copy of The Leader Telegram, you likely saw the reports that Brian Mero was fired by the Police and Fire Commission yesterday on claims of misconduct, dishonesty, and false reporting.  According to the termination order, Mero claims that two of his supervisors were out to get him.  He filed charges of misconduct against them but the charges were dismissed. 

A popular Eau Claire restaurant is closing its doors for good soon.  Bug Eyed Betty’s recently posted on Facebook that it would no longer be open within the next week.  Its owners didn’t give a reason as to why the restaurant is closing-but they have a history of being involved in our community and a lot of people are bummed that they’re closing doors.

We’re going to have to wait and see just how much Governor Tony Evers wants to raise Wisconsin’s gas tax.  The governor yesterday said he’s just waiting for a final report from a state transportation committee before adding a gas tax increase to his budget proposal. Evers is due to deliver his budget to lawmakers at the end of the month.   TAX CUT FACING EVERS VETO:Republicans in Madison hope their tax cut proposal isn’t dead on arrival, but it likely is. 

Love isn’t the only thing in the air on this Valentine’s Day.  Consumer advocates warn that romance scams are soaring.  The Federal Trade Commission reports hoaxes shot up to more than 21-thousand last year, compared to just under 17-thousand in 2017.  Losses went from 88-million dollars in 2017 to 143-million last year.  The median loss to a romance scam last year was 26-hundred dollars. The FTC says that’s seven times more than any other type of consumer fraud.  Romance scammers

The Eau Claire School Board is set to discuss make-up days for cancellations due to inclement weather.  Board members will discuss proposals to schedule make-up days on February 22nd, 25th, and June 7th.  The Board may also consider options such as lengthening each school day or extending the school year past June 6th. 

Pop-up pantries in Eau Claire are helping those in need this winter.  Feed May People Food Bank is sponsoring the pantries, including one inside Banbury Building number two on Wisconsin Street.  Groceries and produce have been available to those affect by the government shutdown and the tough winter.  Extra funding has made the pantries possible. 

The community of Milwaukee is celebrating the life of fallen police officer Matthew Rittner.  Funeral services for Rittner were held yesterday at Oak Creek Assembly of God.  Rittner is the third officer to be killed in the line of duty in Milwaukee in the last eight months.  Thousands came to the service and participated in a procession to remember and honor Rittner.