Home

One of the women who brought the dragon boat races to Eau Claire is looking at charges after investigators say she spent cancer donations on herself.  Prosecutors yesterday charged Renelle Laffe [[ lay-ff ]] with embezzlement.  Laffe is accused of spending thousands of dollars that were supposed to go to cancer research on herself.  Eau Claire police say a tip started their investigation.  Laffe is due in court today for her first appearance. 

It’s not the heat that’s worrying folks in western Wisconsin, it’s the rain.  The National Weather Service says folks from La Crosse all the way up to Ashland could see bouts of heavy rain today, that could lead to flooding.  Forecasters say they expect a couple of rounds of showers and storms heading into tonight. 

Democrats in Madison say they’re picking-up support in their plan to change how the state draws its political maps.  State Senator Dave Hansen yesterday said Republican Rep. Loren Oldenburg and Republican Rep. Joel Kitchens signed on to their proposal.  Hansen’s plan would take the power to draw Wisconsin’s political map away from elected lawmakers, and hand it over to the Legislative Reference Bureau.  Hansen is one of many Democrats in the state who don’t like how Republican lawmakers drew the state’s

Wisconsin has a Good Samaritan Law for dogs in hot cars, but police across the state say that doesn’t mean you can start smashing windows.   Wisconsin’s law requires people to call the authorities if they see a dog or a baby inside a hot car.  If the police believe there is an emergency, then people can act.  If you break the window without permission, you can face charges for damage to property. 

Two Eau Claire massage parlors are shut down because of suspicion of human trafficking.  Police say multiple law enforcement agencies recently investigated Angel Massage and Lucky Massage on Menomonie Street and North Hastings Way for three months.  The license holder of both businesses was arrested and search warrants were executed at the businesses yesterday.  The investigation continues.

Crews at St. Norbert College are getting ready for the Packers to open training camp.  Longer than average twin-size mattresses are being moved in as are individual air conditioning units.  Green Bay players will report to the De Pere campus on Sunday and will call that home until they break camp in August.  Training camp kicks off Thursday July 25th. 

State Troopers from across Wisconsin are looking to win votes for the Best Looking Trooper Cruiser in the nation.  The winning cruiser will be featured on the State Trooper’s 2020 calendar.  The American Association of State Troopers have posted photos of cruisers from every state.  The pictures and a ballot are posted on SurveyMonkey-dot-com. 

The National Weather Service confirms a tornado touched down in Rusk County yesterday evening.  The NWS says the twister touched down near Bruce and Ladysmith around 7:20. No damage has been reported but the NWS is in Rusk looking for damage today. 

A Marathon County woman convicted of murder is being released from prison today.  Lori Esker was convicted of strangling Lisa Cihaski to death in 1989 when Esker was 21-years-old.  The Department of Corrections says Esker was recommended for a discretionary release last month and it was approved a week later. 

Attendance is up for another year at the Northern Wisconsin State Fair.  The fair’s executive director says he doesn’t have exact numbers but this year’s attendance was more than last year’s 92-thousand people.  He says good weather was a big factor in this year’s turnout.