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The Eau Claire County Parks & Forest Department announces that all single-track mountain  bike/snowshoe (named) trails at Lowes Creek County Park are closed to all uses due to soft  ground. Soft ground makes the soil more prone to erosion with continued use at this time. The  single-track bike trails are the narrower (named) trails that include snowshoe trails, mountain  bike, and hiking trails (other than the ski trails). The wider (numbered) trails that were groomed  for cross-country skiing will remain

Almost six years after it happened, a standoff involving an Eau Claire County SWAT Team and a Clear Creek man has been settled.  The incident happened in April, 2019, when police say a man called them to say his roommate — Paul Vender Wegen — was drunk and pointed a gun at him.  Police say they arrested Vander Wegen after an hour-and-a-half standoff.  Yesterday, Vander Wegen pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 120 days in jail.  

Police say they’ve arrested three teenagers in connection with a shooting in north La Crosse this past Sunday.  One person suffered an injury but is expected to recover.  Two teens — a 13 and a 16-year-old — are in custody and a third — identified as 19-year-old Jaysen Moran — is also under arrest.  They’re charged with first degree attempted homicide. 

Wisconsin labor officials are reporting a record number of nonfarm jobs across the state.  The Department of Workforce Development recorded over three-million jobs outside of agriculture in January of this year based on numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.  Wisconsin unemployment did go up slightly to three-point-two percent for the first month of the year, still better than the national average of four-percent.  The state’s labor force participation rate held steady at nearly 66 percent.

The American Red Cross honored its local heroes from across the Chippewa Valley with a ceremony yesterday.  The Annual Heroes Breakfast honors those who have gone above and beyond to make the community better.  The ceremony also honored longtime volunteer Tom Larson, who was given the Hero of a Lifetime Award for his commitment to the Chippewa Falls Fire Department and for teaching first responder skills to thousands in northern Wisconsin for decades. CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE WITH WEAU 13

This weekend, Triple A’s Tow-to-Go program will be available across the state to help motorists over the Saint Patrick’s Day holiday.  Triple A offers car owners a ride and a free tow of their vehicle within a ten-mile radius.  The initiative begins tonight at six o’clock and runs until 6:00 Tuesday morning.  Officials with Triple A say they’re proud to offer the service but they ask motorists to consider Tow to Go as a last resort.    

The Chippewa Valley Health Cooperative is entering a purchase agreement for empty St. Joseph’s Hospital. Hospital Sisters Health System is considering selling the empty hospital, after closing it almost a year ago. The health cooperative says it’ll use the hospital while working on a new facility in Lake Hallie. They say that new hospital will be open in the fall of 2027.   Below is the press release from the Health Cooperative:  In a big step forward towards opening an interim 

Wisconsin is joining a lawsuit to try and prevent cuts to the Department of Education. Attorney General Josh Kaul and 20 other AGs in the suit. The federal government announced earlier this week that about 50-percent of ED employees will be laid off. Education Secretary Linda McMahon the layoffs are part of the department’s commitment to efficiency. The department currently oversees about 110-thousand public and private schools and tens of millions of students.

Madison and Milwaukee are among the top ten US cities with the lowest credit card debt. A new report by WalletHub compares almost 200 cities based on TransUnion finance data. Madison ranks third with an average household debt of about 96-hundred.  Milwaukee is ninth with an average of just more than 10-thousand.  Lewiston, Maine, and Toledo, Ohio, have the least debt, while Santa Clarita and Chula Vista, two California cities, have the most. CLICK HERE FOR MORE.

The two candidates for Wisconsin’s Supreme Court faced off in their only debate. Susan Crawford and Brad Schimel debated for one hour at Marquette University’s Lubar Center last night. The race is picking up national attention as both candidates are getting donations and contributions from all over the country. Over 59 million dollars has been put into this race. CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE COVERAGE WITH WEAU 13 NEWS. The spring election is on April 1st.