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ABOVE PHOTO: Participants in the Community Action Poverty Simulation event at UW-River Falls in January 2023 discuss challenges related to trying to pay for living expenses on a limited income. This year’s poverty simulation event at the university is scheduled for March 27 and is intended to raise awareness about the growing number of people struggling to pay for basic life expenses. UWRF file photo.  Even in the St. Croix Valley, a part of Wisconsin where the population is increasing

The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire geography and anthropology department has been recognized as the top baccalaureate-level program in the nation by the American Association of Geographers. UW-Eau Claire is the recipient of the 2024 AAG Award for Bachelor Program Excellence, recognizing excellence in geography programs at U.S. colleges and universities. The award comes with $2,000 for the department and honors a non-Ph.D.-granting geography program that has “significantly enhanced the prominence and reputation of geography as a discipline and demonstrated the characteristics

The Eau Claire County Parks & Forest Department announces that the Lake Altoona water level will begin to be raised to normal summer elevation beginning on Monday, March 25, 2024. It has been determined that ice-off conditions now exist on the lake. Lake front property owners will have through March 25 to do any lake front improvements to their property before the level begins to rise on March 25. It is expected the lake level will be back to the

There are still plenty of question marks when it comes to the future of healthcare in the Chippewa Valley, but Eau Claire’s other hospitals say they are preparing for this month’s HSHS closings. Marshfield Clinic yesterday said it has re-opened its urgent care facility, and more than doubled its labor and delivery beds in Eau Claire. Mayo Clinic Health System says it too has been working to increase care in northwestern Wisconsin. Both Marshfield and Mayo say they’ve been at

Firefighters in Cadott are blaming kids and fireworks for a fire that scorched about 40 acres yesterday. No one was hurt, and not buildings caught fire, but fire crews say the fire tore through two cornfields and some woods. Firefighters say the kids were playing with the fireworks when the fire started. There’s no word if anyone will be charged in the case.

Wisconsin’s attorney general is joining the nationwide case against an alleged charity scammer. A-G Josh Kaul yesterday said Wisconsin is suing the Women’s Cancer Fund, and its leader Gregory Anderson. Kaul says Anderson and the charity took in more than 18 million dollars between 2017 and 2022 but only 190 thousand-dollars of that money actually went to helping women with cancer. Kaul says Anderson pocketed 775 thousand-dollars, and professional fundraisers took more than 15 million-dollars for themselves. Wisconsin is joining

President Biden will be back in Milwaukee today.  The White House says he’s expected to talk about the city’s complete streets project.  Complete streets are redesigned to make more room for people who walk or ride their bikes.  Critics say that leaves less room for cars and trucks.  Milwaukee used 36 million-dollars in federal money to build a section of complete street on Sixth Street, that’s where the president will visit.  This is President Biden’s latest visit to Milwaukee, once

Wisconsin’s supreme court is reopening the debate over ballot drop boxes. The liberal-majority court yesterday accepted a case that looks to overturn Wisconsin’s current ban on ballot drop boxes. The old, conservative-majority court, ruled that Wisconsin law does not allow for ballot drop boxes at any place except the election clerk’s office. But Democrats and activists argued that state law didn’t specifically ban them. Conservative Justice Rebecca Bradley wrote yesterday that the liberal-majority court is, once again, trying to ‘increase

St. Croix County is the latest to go on the record against refugee resettlement in western Wisconsin. The county board last night approved three resolutions against the plans from World Relief to resettle the rest of the 75 refugees who are headed to the Chippewa Valley area. St. Croix County leaders say they’re not against the refugees themselves, instead they are frustrated with the lack of answers, and the top down approach that is being used. One of the resolutions

The Wisconsin Senate has, once again, fired some of the governor’s appointees. Republicans in the Senate yesterday fired eight of Governor Evers’ people, including UW regents John Miller and Dana Wachs. They both voted against the compromise that cleared the way for pay raises for UW employees, as well as UW-Madison’s new engineering building. That agreement, though, came with a freeze on diversity, equity, and inclusion positions. The Senate also fired four appointees to the Wisconsin Judicial Commission. Senators say