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An Olympic alternate athlete will be returning to the slopes when he competes in the Silver Mine Invitational this weekend.  Nick Mattoon will be jumping for the first time since last March and will be joined by his brother Nate and six other jumpers from the Eau Claire Ski Club when practice starts on Wednesday.  Competition in the ski club’s 50th anniversary hosting the event at Silver Mine starts on Friday.

The 911 call from the people who helped Jayme Closs after she escaped from her kidnapper has been released.  In the call, Kristin Kasinskas [[ kuh-ZINS-kes ]] tells the dispatcher that Jayme Closs is in her home and provides her address.  Kasinskas stays on the phone with the dispatcher and can be heard offering Closs food and water in the background.  The dispatcher also spoke to the woman who was walking her dog when Closs approached her for help.  The

An Eau Claire woman is headed to trial, accused of letting men sexually assault two children for drugs and money.  Michelle Mayer appeared in court yesterday afternoon, with no agreements reached.  The criminal complaints says Mayer let men come to a home on Eddy Lane in Eau Claire over the course of nine years to sexual and physically abuse two children starting at ages six and nine-years-old.  The home’s owner says they knew nothing about the assaults until 2017.  The

A plan for a new Casey’s General Store in Eau Claire is moving forward.  The Eau Claire Plan Commission unanimously approved a site plan during yesterday’s meeting.  The business is set to be built on North Clairemont Avenue and calls for seven gas pumps with a total of 14 fueling stations. 

A criminal complaint reveals that the man accused of abducting Jayme Closs and killing her parents allegedly confessed to the crimes.  The complaint today says Jake Paterson confessed to killing James and Denise Closs in October before kidnapping 13-year-old Jayme.  Patterson reportedly told investigators he chose to kidnap Jayme at random after stopping behind a school bus on US Highway 9 and seeing her get off.  The teenager escaped her kidnapper from a cabin in Gordon on Thursday and was

Senator Tammy Baldwin says Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell needs to stop obstructing a vote in the Senate for ending the government shutdown.  The Wisconsin Democrat says today it’s past time to reopen the government and ensure federal workers finally get paid.  Baldwin says it’s outrageous that Wisconsinites and other Americans are being forced to ration medication like insulin because they’re not receiving their federal paycheck. 

A Marinette County man is in custody after allegedly admitting to shooting his wife.  Police say a man called 9-1-1 around 11:00 last night and told authorities he shot his wife earlier in the evening.  A 63-year-old woman was found dead at the home from an apparent gunshot wound.  Authorities say it’s an isolated incident and there’s no danger to the public. 

An accident in Washburn County just after 10 Monday morning leaves an 18 year old St. Paul man dead. Officers responded to a two vehicle crash on Highway 63, approximately 1/4 of a mile north of Hamilton Road. A Ram pickup truck with a lone male driver, pulling a car trailer with a car on it, was southbound on Highway 63 when it lost control and crossed into the north bound lane of Highway 63 striking a car that was

Thirteen-year-old Jayme Closs’ accused kidnapper is due in Barron County court today.  Twenty-one-year-old Jacob Patterson is expected to be charged with two counts of first-degree homicide for the murder of Closs’ parents and one count of kidnapping.  Closs was found by a woman walking her dog near Gordon last Thursday nearly three months since her parents were found murdered in their Barron home.  She has since been medically evaluated and returned to her family. 

A man who broke into a garage in rural Chippewa Falls and claimed he was on an Easter egg hunt is avoiding jail time.  Last week, 24-year-old Matthew Gensler pleaded no contest to the June 2018 burglary and was sentenced to three years probation.  Gensler was also sentenced to up to 180 days in jail, but had the sentence withheld by a judge.