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A company that donated 25-thousand dollars as a reward for the return of Barron teen Jayme Closs says the 13-year-old will receive the money now that she’s been found.  Hormel Foods is the parent company of the Jennie-O Turkey Store that employed Jayme’s parents, James and Denise Closs.  Jayme escaped from her captor nearly three months after she went missing in October.  The teen had been missing 88 days when she approached a woman for help who was walking her

A man accused of burglarizing the Closs home in Barron while Jayme Closs was still missing is being considered not competent to stand trial.  Police say Kyle Jaenke-Annis entered the home in November.  A judge agreed yesterday with a doctor that found Jaenke-Annis not competent to stand trial on burglary charges.  Authorities say he took things he didn’t think people would miss, including clothing that belonged to Jayme.  The man will be put on medication and a judge will review

Western Dairyland Economic Opportunity Council will be conducting a second homeless count.  Volunteers didn’t find any homeless people in public places during its twice-yearly survey Wednesday night into yesterday morning.  Officials said a new survey would be done Monday night in hopes of getting a more accurate count of Eau Claire’s homeless population. 

A line of credit is in place for Milwaukee’s bid for the 2020 Democratic National Convention.  Organizers say the third-party financing was the last major hurdle in the city’s quest to host the event.  Mayor Tom Barrett won’t say what the total amount of the guarantee is or the names of individuals or groups providing it.  The city is competing with Miami Beach and Houston for the opportunity to host the event. 

The Eau Claire Community Foundation is giving out a record number of grants.  Officials say the organization received nearly five-million dollars in donations last year.  The foundation provided over 500 grants to area organizations, for a total of nearly three million dollars.  Nonprofits receiving grants of more than ten thousand dollars include the Boys and Girls Club of the Greater Chippewa Valley, Feed My People Food Bank, and Western Dairyland. 

The Eau Claire Police Department is working to overcome language barriers they often encounter when working with suspects or victims who don’t speak English.  The department is using a service called Language Line that gives them access to a translator for every language.  The service provides interpretation services over the phone.  The tool has been used by the department since 2007.  

Democratic Governor Tony Evers is reversing course on a commitment he made in his first State of the State address to withdraw from the ACA lawsuit.  Evers changes his position after a memo was released yesterday from the nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau that stated there is no legal way for the governor to fulfill his promise.  A spokeswoman for Evers said yesterday that the governor hasn’t directed the attorney general to take a specific course of action.  The U.S. Senators

The day after delivering his first State-of-the-State Address, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers visited Chippewa Valley Technical College in Eau Claire to follow up on his message and the role education plays in his agenda. “Last night I talked a lot about education in the State-of-the-State address,” Evers said during his CVTC visit on Wednesday, Jan. 23. “It’s good to be here at CVTC and to see the programs that are great for your communities and the country, and ensure that

The Tomah School Board is considering banning displays of the Confederate flag.  Madison-dot-com says the board spent time during its meeting Monday looking at whether to join the rest of the Mississippi Valley Conference in banning displays of the flag.  Tomah High School principal Robert Joyce says displays of the flag have triggered disruptions at the school.  Joyce says no other school in the Mississippi Valley allows the display of Confederate flag. 

A 22-year-old man is in custody on suspicion he stole a car and caused a standoff near Eau Claire.  Police say they chased the car driven by Corey Gilbert into Seymour early Monday morning before it stopped in the 77-hundred block of Burnell Drive.  Gilbert allegedly barricaded himself inside the car and caused an hours-long standoff before a SWAT unit arrested him.  He’s facing four charges related to the incident.