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One person is dead after a two-vehicle crash in Polk County.  Police say a car was on Highway 35 in Saint Croix Township yesterday morning when it crossed the center line and hit another car. Kenneth Jones was driving one of those cars and was pronounced dead at the scene while the other driver was taken to the hospital with serious injuries. 

A public official in Bloomer is being cited with three hunting violations.  The Chippewa Herald says Police Chief and Chippewa County Board of Supervisors Member Jared Zwiefelhofer was cited in Burnett County about a month ago for driving an ATV with a loaded weapon, baiting, and killing a deer on an archery tag without a bow.  Zwiefelhofer is pleading not guilty and is due in court in January. 

Grace Lutheran Communities is doing its part to give back to the community this holiday season.  WEAU reports more than 250 people were served a Christmas meal at River Pines and Prairie Point in Altoona yesterday.  The non-profit says the goal of these events is too make sure people in the community don’t have to worry about where money for their next meal is going to come from. 

Barron native Chris Kroeze is celebrating his second place finish on NBC’s The Voice.  The 27-year-old came up short of the top spot after the total votes were revealed on last night’s season finale.  Kroeze performed three songs on the final show of the season, including a new gospel-flavored song.  We can plan to see Chris take stage at COUNTRY JAM 2019!

Some potential jurors are being eliminated in a high-profile Eau Claire County case. Michelle Mayer is accused of letting people sexually assault two young children in exchange for money and drugs over the course of nine years.  An informant also told authorities that Mayer allegedly injected the children with meth to keep them awake in order for the assaults to continue.  Mayer has pleaded not guilty to all charges against her. 

A Chippewa Falls man is facing new charges related to a vehicle chase.  Girard Jones is facing three counts of second-degree recklessly endangering safety and three counts of attempting to flee an officer.  Jones was originally wanted in connection with a domestic violence incident in Eau Claire County in August.  Officials say a review of squad footage led to the new charges. 

Local representatives of the Republican and Democratic parties are weighing in on a new law restricting early voting.  The law would limit early voting to just two weeks before an election day.  Local Republicans say the move is a fairway to standardize voting.  Democrats say the law infringes on voters’rights.  The provision is likely headed for litigation in federal court. 

The impact of youth vaping is being felt in Eau Claire.  A local Youth Risk Behavior Study completed in 2017 shows that nearly a quarter of high schoolers admitted to vaping, more than those who had admitted to drinking alcohol in a 30-day period.  The results track with new data from the University of Michigan that shows a record increase in vaping among teens in the United States. 

The number of cases of Legionnaires’ disease connected with UW Hospital is up to 14, with three deaths.  The outbreak is linked to a decision to reduce water flow at the hospital during low-demand times.  Regular flow has been resumed and the hospital has chlorinated the water system.  A hospital spokeswoman says the patients who died had other serious, life-limiting health conditions.  One patient remains hospitalized. 

A former Wisconsin sheriff’s detective is suing Netflix and the filmmakers of the docuseries Making a Murderer.  In a lawsuit filed Monday, former Manitowoc County Sheriff’s Detective Andrew Colborn claims the series defamed him.  Colborn says the production was edited to make it appear he and other law enforcement officers planted evidence to frame Steven Avery and his 16-year-old nephew, Brendan Dassey.  Avery and Dassey were convicted of the 2005 murder of freelance photographer Teresa Halbach.