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A judge says a man accused of punching the Chippewa County Sheriff is not competent to stand trial.  Ryan Denning was in the Chippewa County Jail on a number of charges in September 2017 when video shows he punched Sheriff Jim Kowalczyk several times during a prisoner transfer.  A judge has ordered him to be committed to an institution to receive treatment. 

Eau Claire’s new Economic Development Manager is on the job.  Aaron White was appointed to the position in November.  He has 17 years of experience and recently served as the executive director of the Ellis County Coalition for Economic Development in Kansas.  The department promotes growth and development for area businesses. 

On the political scene, Governor Scott Walker says he is likely to veto some measures passed in the lame-duck session, but is indicating that he supports the package overall.  Walker said yesterday that he doesn’t agree with criticism that some of the legislation shifts powers from the governor’s and attorney general’s offices to the Legislature. 

And Bucky hits another high note, as our music talent continues to be recognized. A UW-Madison professor is nominated for a Grammy for his folk music descriptions.  Jim Leary is a professor emeritus of folklore and Scandinavian Studies and was nominated for writing the album notes for Alpine Dreaming: The Hevetia Records Story, 1920-1924.  The album of folk tunes was recorded by a Wisconsin label. This is Leary’s second Grammy nomination for Best Album Notes. 

Barron native Chris Kroeze will be competing against three other performers in next week’s finale of The Voice.  Kroeze performed Can’t You See by The Marshall Tucker Band as part of the final eight on Monday night’s show. 

Medical professionals in Eau Claire are being trained to recognize human sex trafficking victims they encounter during health care visits.  HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital hosted a training session yesterday afternoon for its staff.  The training was a joint effort between the Wisconsin Department of Justice, the Eau Claire Police Department, and non-profit Fierce Freedom.  The session taught employees about signs to look for, who to contact, and what local resources are available for human trafficking victims. 

Governor Scott Walker says he’s setting the record straight regarding the powers of the new governor outlined in recent bills passed.  The governor posted today that the incoming governor will still have some of the strongest powers of any governor in the nation, including the power to veto legislation.  Democrats oppose the measures passed last week by the Republican-dominated legislature saying the bills undermine and reduce the power of Governor-elect Tony Evers and incoming Attorney General Josh Kaul. 

The Better Business Bureau says anyone looking for a puppy or kitten this holiday season need to be aware of a popular scheme.  Officials in Wisconsin say the BBB Scam Tracker has seen an increase in people losing money to pet scams this year.  Sometimes scammers claim to be breeders and many times they have a website with pictures and videos of adorable puppies and kittens for sale, but that don’t really exist. The BBB advises to never buy a pet without

Rice Lake man is facing several charges out of Chippewa County including second-degree child sexual assault.  A criminal complaint claims 36-year-old Brandon Geigerforced an eleven-year-old girl to smoke marijuana with him and that he held her against her will.  A witness claims that Geiger also physically and sexually abused the girl.  He’s facing over 65 years in prison on the charges. 

A Lake Hallie man is in custody after police say he led them on a chase while intoxicated.  The Lake Hallie Police Department says officers tried to pull over 36-year-old Scott Weidler for not stopping at a stop sign around 1:30 Saturday morning but he fled.  Police say Weidler then left his vehicle and ran into his home where he was arrested.  He is facing charges relating to the chase, plus a drug and battery charge from separate cases.