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It’s raining, it’s pouring…but we cannot be snoring…as there is damage around our state after heavy rains. Douglas County is under a state of emergency, the area has received between seven and 12 inches of rain yesterday. The counties with the most damage include Douglas, Ashland, Bayfield, Price, Iron, and Sawyer Counties.  A number of roads and sections of U.S. Highways in those areas are closed because of flooding.

Here locally, severe weather is responsible for causing significant damage to a Lake Hallie cemetery.  Strong winds and heavy rain uprooted seven trees in the Prairie View Cemetery yesterday afternoon and today parts of that will be closed to visitors while debris is cleaned up.

EYE care, and that’s why I have news I can SEE you using! 1 …2….one, or two… Stare straight ahead at the gigantic “E”…after that things get a little fuzzy.  From smart phones to tablets, we live in a world saturated by screens and doctors say that’s hurting our eyes.  Ophthalmologists report seeing more dry eye, fatigue, irritation and eye strain in patients, especially in young people.   A survey of one-thousand adults shows nearly one in three say they use

The first lawsuit is being filed in Wisconsin against Kwik Trip and Del Monte Fresh Produce by someone who alleges they got sick from eating from a vegetable tray. The suit was filed in Eau Claire County Court on Thursday.  The Wisconsin Department of Health Services says at least 11 people in the state have gotten sick from eating from the veggie trays, which have since been pulled from stores.

As we head towards Father’s Day, mental health experts say it’s important to recognize that postpartum depression is not just for women.  A study published in the medical journal “Pediatrics” shows depression among new dads increased 68-percent during the first five years of their children’s lives. The peak is between three and six months and is caused by hormonal fluctuations, sleep deprivation and anxiety over new responsibilities.  Experts say men can combat postpartum depression by bonding early with their newborns

A local company is heading up a new project- Eau Claire-born and Minneapolis-based Jamf is partnering with global nonprofit MATTER on a compact classroom.  The “Innovation Pod” uses the inside of a shipping container to create a mobile education center packed with technology.  The first pod will be placed in Haiti.

Hang to your cherry bombs! The Eau Claire Police Department is stepping up patrols for the use of illegal fireworks in the weeks ahead of Independence Day.  Very few fireworks are legal in the city limits.  Last year, officers handled nearly 160 fireworks complaints in the two weeks before and two weeks after the Fourth…which we are creeping up on fast.

Today is Flag Day.  A quick history lesson so you can sound like a smarty pants today: The idea of setting aside a day to celebrate the American flag was suggested in 1885 by Wisconsin school teacher B.J. Cigrand.  He wanted June 14th to be that date because the Stars and Stripes were adopted as the official design of the U.S. flag on June 14th of 1777. The idea grew in popularity until in 1916 when President Woodrow Wilson released

We’ll start with the feathered birds…A new eagle viewing area in La Crosse is officially open for use. The viewing area opened yesterday for visitors and is an idea first brought up more than a decade ago.  The viewing area is located along the north side of Highway 53 at what local officials call “The Gateway to La Crosse.”

If you had to navigate around some road closures yesterday,  it was because The EC Police Department was investigating a suspicious object found at the intersection of Hastings Way and Highland Avenue, but we know those that there is no threat. Those two roads were closed yesterday while police investigated the situation and later determined that the object was safe and reopened the roads.