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The Wisconsin Elections Commission is announcing enhanced election security.  The commission this week approved a significant expansion of post-election audits to ensure voting system integrity, it said on Friday.  Audits will be required in voting equipment in five-percent of the state’s wards and will need to be completed before final results are certified.

Governor Walker says additional money is available for Wisconsinites feeling the impact of recent heavy rain and flooding.  The governor released one-million-dollars in new flood relief today which is being granted to residents of 18 counties.  Walker also announced that Vernon and Crawford counties will receive Development Block Grant Emergency Assistance to help low-income households affected by storms and

A 30-million-dollar investment is being made into revitalizing downtown Janesville.  The Blackhawk Community Credit Union announced yesterday construction of a new facility that will serve as its new headquarters and as a legacy center for General Motors.  GM closed its auto-manufacturing plant in Janesville in 2009.  The credit union plans to break ground a year from now.

Truckers and businesses in our state are getting involved in an effort to stop human trafficking.  Representatives from the trucking and bus industries met with law enforcement at Harley-Davidson in Madison yesterday to discuss ways to spot and stop trafficking in the state.  The training was part of an ongoing effort to track down more human trafficking crimes.

Have you considered being a foster parent? Now might be the time. The Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District is looking to the community for help in filling the need for foster homes.  At a meeting last night, officials talked with members of the community about how they could help children entering the system.  A social services official went over becoming a foster parent, respite placements, and making donations.

A nonprofit is making a statement at the state Capitol for Suicide Prevention Month.  Pairs of empty shoes covered the steps of the Capitol yesterday, representing a person who took their own life in 2018.  The CDC reports of suicide increased by 25-percent last year.

Authorities are investigating after a threatening note was found written on a wall inside Prentice School District.  The school was evacuated yesterday after the note was found yesterday morning.  The sheriff’s department says the note indicated there was a threat to those in the school.  Once the school was searched, it was cleared for safe return.  No one was hurt.

A  Grant from the Bureau of Transportation had local agencies amping up patrol for speeding this summer. And now we have some results. The Grant provided funding for Chippewa, Chippewa Falls, Stanley, and Cadott Police Departments to step up enforcement. Sheriff’s Deputies alone conducted 328 traffic stops resulting in 259 speed citations. Many of these citations are for speeds in excess of 80mph.

In observance of World Rabies Day, the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) reminds pet owners, those who interact with animals, and parents for how to prevent rabies. Rabies is a viral disease that affects the central nervous system. It is transmitted from infected animals to other animals and humans. The exposure is nearly always through a bite, but rabies can also be transmitted if a rabid animal scratches a person or if its saliva comes into

A former neonatal intensive care nurse is faced with multiple counts of felony child abuse and intent to abuse patients.  Christopher Kaphaem is charged with hurting ten babies born at Meriter Hospital.  The babies were treated between March of last year and February of 2018 for injuries including fractures of the wrist and skull.  Kaphaem is scheduled for another court date next month.