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Have you considered being a foster parent? Now might be the time. The Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District is looking to the community for help in filling the need for foster homes.  At a meeting last night, officials talked with members of the community about how they could help children entering the system.  A social services official went over becoming a foster parent, respite placements, and making donations.

A nonprofit is making a statement at the state Capitol for Suicide Prevention Month.  Pairs of empty shoes covered the steps of the Capitol yesterday, representing a person who took their own life in 2018.  The CDC reports of suicide increased by 25-percent last year.

Authorities are investigating after a threatening note was found written on a wall inside Prentice School District.  The school was evacuated yesterday after the note was found yesterday morning.  The sheriff’s department says the note indicated there was a threat to those in the school.  Once the school was searched, it was cleared for safe return.  No one was hurt.

A  Grant from the Bureau of Transportation had local agencies amping up patrol for speeding this summer. And now we have some results. The Grant provided funding for Chippewa, Chippewa Falls, Stanley, and Cadott Police Departments to step up enforcement. Sheriff’s Deputies alone conducted 328 traffic stops resulting in 259 speed citations. Many of these citations are for speeds in excess of 80mph.

In observance of World Rabies Day, the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) reminds pet owners, those who interact with animals, and parents for how to prevent rabies. Rabies is a viral disease that affects the central nervous system. It is transmitted from infected animals to other animals and humans. The exposure is nearly always through a bite, but rabies can also be transmitted if a rabid animal scratches a person or if its saliva comes into

A former neonatal intensive care nurse is faced with multiple counts of felony child abuse and intent to abuse patients.  Christopher Kaphaem is charged with hurting ten babies born at Meriter Hospital.  The babies were treated between March of last year and February of 2018 for injuries including fractures of the wrist and skull.  Kaphaem is scheduled for another court date next month.

A human case of West Nile Virus is confirmed in Brown County.  It’s the county’s first confirmed human case this year.  Most human cases occur in late summer and early fall and most people experience mild symptoms.  Those who do get sick may suffer fever, headache and a rash that may take three to 15 days to become visible.

A change could be coming in the City of Eau Claire’s public intoxication law.  A Neighborhood Safety and Relations Task Force was appointed earlier this spring to look at the issue and we have the results: The task force has concluded that alcohol misuse and substance abuse is a problem for the Eau Claire community.  The want to address the issue by giving officers tools through new ordinances and a diversion program.

La Crosse police say a missing woman and her baby have been found.  Authorities posted a plea on Facebook yesterday morning for help finding Jennifer Krumenauer and her nine-month-old baby boy.  They said she was actively avoiding police because she had an active warrant, but there was concern for the baby because he needed critical medical attention. 

Eau Claire and Trempealeau counties are two of more than a dozen counties where U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested over 80 people this week.  Four people each were arrested in Eau Claire and Trempealeau counties.  The arrests happened between Friday and Monday and outraged immigrant advocates.  A board member from a non-profit organization in Chippewa Valley says she’s been in contact with some local families impacted by the operation.