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The heat is being blamed for a road buckle I-94 in Eau Claire County. Wis-DOT yesterday closed the right lane near Foster exit just before 7 p.m. last night. Crews say the heat baked the road, and caused a buckle. No one is saying just how long the lane will be closed, or when crews will be able to get to that stretch of the interstate.

Marshfield Clinic is once again looking at a merger. Marshfield yesterday announced plans to join South Dakota-based Sanford Health. The two hospitals say their merger talks are only just beginning, but they are both hopeful. Both Marshfield and Sanford have tried to merge with other companies. Marshfield was in talks to merge with Minnesota-based Essentia Health last year, but that fell through. Sanford has tried to merge with several other healthcare providers over the past five years, but has been

Wisconsin’s public health managers want to know what moms and babies in the state need. The state’s Department of Health Services yesterday launched its Maternal and Child Health Survey. The idea is to see what moms and their babies need, so DHS can focus its public health efforts. DHS says it is looking for feedback about prenatal care, access to health care services, maternal mental health, child and infant health, birth outcomes, and community resources. The survey can be found

New Wisconsin AARP survey results show former President Donald Trump ahead of President Joe Biden for the 2024 election by six points. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. came in with nine percent. The survey asks voters who they’re most likely to vote for in the Senate and Presidential races. Results show Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin leading against Republican Eric Hovde by five points.

The Madison Police Chief is formally inducted into a national hall of fame. Chief Shon Barnes is now in the Evidence-Based Policing Hall of Fame which honors law enforcement looking at crime from a scientific perspective. Barnes has been with the Madison Police Department since February 2021. He was one of eight to be inducted this year.

Almost all of Wisconsin’s public water systems met all quality standards last year. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources says 99 percent of systems were up to code in the 2023 Annual Drinking Water Report. Funding from the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law gave Wisconsin water systems 155-million last year, and ten-million additional dollars in funding were given by the state, to go toward ensuring healthy drinking water.

More than 260 arrests were made by US Marshals within a three-month period in Southeast Wisconsin. The Eastern Wisconsin Fugitive Task Force says operation Big Top targeted violent criminals between April 1st and June 30. Twenty-nine arrests were for homicide, and more than 430 total warrants were cleared. U-S Marshals say they aim to help local law enforcement agencies reduce violent crime.

The Chippewa Valley Museum is looking for volunteers for the U-S Open Chainsaw Sculpture Championship. The event will go from August 1st until the 4th. Eleven carvers from around the world will take three and a half days to create sculptures at the museum. Volunteers will help move logs and artworks, clean up, and run ticket sales. They’ll also get a free t-shirt and admission, along with free food for volunteers working more than four hours. The museum says 150

Throw a dart at a balloon, eat cheese curds for lunch, see the exhibits and animals, and go home with a goldfish! It can only happen at the fair and it’s that time of year again! The 2024 Northern Wisconsin State Fair is July 10-14 and will include a packed schedule of free family-friendly activities, national act musical concerts, impressive exhibits, a large selection of food and vendor options, and more! The Northern Wisconsin State Fairgrounds is in Chippewa Falls

It’s 25 years in prison for a local man in a Dunn County child sexual assault case. A judge yesterday sentenced Derek Johnson to two-and-a-half decades in prison for the 2021 assault of a nine-year-old girl. Prosecutors say the abuse started years earlier. A jury convicted Johnson of first degree sexual assault of a child back in January. Once Johnson is released, he will have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.