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Free lantern making workshops are being held throughout December in preparation for the Light Up Eau Claire event.  The free workshops are sponsored by Visit Eau Claire and the Pablo Center at the Confluence.  The lanterns will be used during a special parade New Year’s Eve

On the Democratic side: Governor-Elect Tony Evers is holding public hearings around Wisconsin on the state’s biennial budget.  Four different hearings have been scheduled for locals to tell Evers and Lieutenant Governor-Elect Mandela Barnes exactly where their tax dollars should go.  In a statement yesterday, Evers said he wants to build a budget that reflects Wisconsin’s priorities by hearing directly from Wisconsinites.  The hearings will start this Tuesday and Wednesday and will also happen on December 18th and19th.   Meanwhile, on

A 24-year-old man will spend eleven years in prison for sexually assaulting two female students in a UW-Madison dorm.  Last year, Stephan Burton entered Witte Hall early in the morning and proceeded to look for unlocked doors. He then sexually assaulted two different women who were sleeping in their beds.  Burton will spend 13 years on extended supervision after his prison time.  

Health officials say 11 people at UW Hospital developed Legionnaires’ disease. The hospital’s hot water system is reportedly to blame for the outbreak. Four of the patients remain hospitalized and six have been discharged. One person died last week when the outbreak was first revealed.  The medical director of infection control at the hospital said the outbreak appears to be linked to a decision to reduce water flow during low demand times last month.  However, regular flow has been resumed following the outbreak. 

Toxic chemicals continue to flow within the state’s water supply and the government has reportedly done little to address it. The chemicals are fluorinated compounds more commonly referred to as PFAS (PEA- fass).  These chemicals which are contaminating the state’s drinking water and fish can apparently take years to leave the body and are spread through air and water.  High amounts of the chemical have been found in groundwater near at least six Wisconsin locations.  Infants and children are the most

A program designed to help Wisconsin seniors pay for their prescription drugs has been extended.  The Senior Care Prescription Drug Assistance Program was set to expire December 31st, but it has now been extended to January 31st.  The extension comes after the federal centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services gave Wisconsin an extra month to continue the program as they work on a long-term extension.  The federal officials are currently reviewing a 10-year extension request from the state Department of

The number of uninsured Wisconsin kids isn’t dropping,even with a healthy economy.  A report from the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families says the problems are bigger than the Wisconsin economy.  From 2016 to 2017, the number of uninsured Wisconsin children under 19 increased from 50-thousand to 53-thousand.  The report says anti-immigrant rhetoric and news of potential cuts to the Affordable Care Act are possible reasons behind the increase in uninsured children in Wisconsin and around the nation.  

The Colorado man who admitted to killing his pregnant wife and two daughters and hiding them at a nearby oil plant is now at a prison in Wisconsin.  Thirty-three-year-old Christopher Watts pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the August case and is serving three consecutive life sentences, a 48-year sentence, and a 12-year sentence.  Online records for the Wisconsin Department of Corrections show Watts was transferred to one of its prisons earlier this week for safety reasons but it’s unclear which prison he’s

Top Democrats are expected in Milwaukee next week to see if the city could host the 2020 Democratic National Convention.  Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez is expected to name the host city early next year.  Milwaukee, Miami, and Houston are all on the short list.  Perez is expected in town on Monday to look at everything from a convention space to hotels and airport capacity. 

 If you’ve ever wondered how the White House got decorated for Christmas this year, you can trace it all the way back to the Badger State.  The Wisconsin State Journal says Baraboo resident Norma Spencer got to join hundreds of other volunteers in decorating the Blue Room the week after Thanksgiving after her daughter filled out an application for her online.  A TV special documenting the decorators’ experiences is set to air on HGTV this Sunday evening.