Home

Investigators are saying they’ve finally closed one of southeast Wisconsin’s oldest cold cases.  Prosecutors yesterday charged 78-year-old John Bayerl for the murder of his wife back in 1979.  Authorities in Florida arrested Bayerl, he’s being held there until he can be brought back to Wisconsin to face the charges.  Bayerl initially told police his wife left.  But, over the years, prosecutors say he admitted to abusing her, and alluded to the fact that she’s no longer alive. 

An Eau Claire church is offering free oil changes for those in need.  Valleybrook Church will be providing oil change services March 2nd.  Appointments are necessary and can be made by calling the church.     

Money from a holiday fundraiser is providing support to the members of Chippewa Falls Girl Scout Troop 3055.  Lasker Jewelers sold cardinal ornaments during the holidays, matching each donation 100 percent.  Three members and one parent of the troop were killed in November while participating in community service along County Highway P in Lake Hallie. 

Governor Tony Evers says his budget will include millions of dollars for women’s and children’s healthcare.  The ‘Healthy Women, Healthy Babies’ initiative announced today would expand the Well Woman Program and create an Infant Mortality Prevention Program.  The plan provides for cancer screenings, health exams and STI testing for women.  The cost of the governor’s proposal is about 28-million-dollars. 

A new report is painting Jake Patterson as still obsessed with Jayme Closs.  Radar Online has a copy of a letter that Patterson wrote from jail to someone who wrote him.  In the letter, he drew hearts around Closs’ name, and talked about how they cooked stuff together.  Patterson also said that he went from committing no crimes to doing the worst thing imaginable. 

A Blair man with over a dozen previous felony charges is in custody on suspicion of drug possession.  The Blair Police Department says 51-year-old Thomas Fuselier was arrested earlier this week after a traffic stop in Taylor.  Police say Fuselier tried to hide drug paraphernalia and refused to leave his car.  A K-9 later found meth, hydrocodone, and more drug paraphernalia inside.  Police say Fuselier had been in jail less than 24 hours earlier. 

Two more deer are being reported with chronic wasting disease in west central Wisconsin.  The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources says the two deer were harvested in Eau Claire County late last year.  They are the second and third deer with the deadly disease found in Eau Claire County.  Because of this, a three-year baiting and feeding ban in the county will be renewed. 

No one is hurt after a school bus carrying students went into a ditch in Kronenwetter.  You may have seen the images on television as WEAU reports the bus went off of Martin Road near County Highway J around 8:30 yesterday morning.  A second bus was called in to transport the students and a tow truck had to come remove the bus. 

Gordy’s Market is being forced to sell its store in Ladysmith.  During a motion hearing yesterday morning, a judge approved a motion filed by Gordy’s receiver to sell the Ladysmith store.  Gordy’s is also scheduled to auction off many of its stores next month.  However, the Eau Claire store is not one of them and is not involved in the lawsuit. 

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers is not going to convince the Republicans who control the State Assembly to expand BadgerCare, so he says he’s going to go around them.  The governor yesterday promised to make his case to the people.  Evers says it will be a good deal for the state to add 80-thousand people to the government healthcare rolls.  A new report says that’d actually cost Wisconsin taxpayers about 600-million-dollars.  Democratic Governor Tony Evers is vetoing a GOP tax cut bill.  The bill