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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. 

Gas prices in northwest Wisconsin are continuing to plummet as the holidays approach.  The average price for regular unleaded in the state is two-dollars-26-cents per gallon, 15-cents lower than the national average.  Gas in Eau Claire and Chippewa Counties are just a tick higher than that at two-dollars-33-cents and two-dollars-37-cents per gallon, but that’s much lower than it was a month ago.  However up in Washburn County,gas is more expensive than the national average at two-dollars-54-cents per gallon. 

Yes, there is a bobcat in Whitefish Bay.  But the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources says, no, it’s not a monster.  DNR yesterday confirmed that the cat spotted by neighbors is indeed a bobcat.  Milwaukee County Wildlife Biologist Dianne Robinson says the bobcat is maybe two-feet tall,which is large for a cat, but not out of the question.  Robinson says the cat could be a threat to small dogs and cats. 

The Mayo Clinic is donating more than 100-thousand-dollars for the construction of the All Abilities Trane Park in La Crosse.  Yesterday, Mayo announced the 125-thousand-dollar donation, helping organizers get more than halfway to their six-million-dollar fundraising goal.  The park broke ground in October and is scheduled to open next July. 

Barron native Chris Kroeze is facing elimination on tonight’s episode of NBC’s The Voice.  Last night with his family in the audience, Kroeze performed Can’t You See by the Marshal Tucker Band and a mash up of Jumpin’ Jack Flash and Chain of Fools with the rest of the contestants.  Kroeze had an optimistic take on the situation, saying that no one is going to have a bad outcome at this point.  He will hear his fate at 7:00 tonight

Police are identifying the man whose body was found in a home on Seymour Road in Eau Claire.  Authorities say the missing man, Toby Cleasby, was found last Thursday and an autopsy shows he didn’t suffer any traumatic brain injury. A full toxicology exam is being completed to determine the cause of death. Police say the death is not suspicious, but the circumstances of Cleasby’s death are still being investigated.  

A Chippewa Falls 17-year-old is charged with sexually assaulting a child younger than 16.  Reece Swan was charged yesterday with four counts of sexual assault of a child.  Authorities say Swan raped the victim twice last month in a garage in Chippewa Falls.  He is due back in court next week. 

Plans for a new bus transfer center in Eau Claire are rolling forward.  Officials say they are still working on final federal approval, but the funds for the 23-million dollar project are secure.  The center will be built where the current center is located.  It will be seven stories high and will include parking, housing, and commercial space.