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A fire causes about $100,000 dollars in damage. Below are the details from ECFD: At approximately 10:11 a.m. on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, the Eau Claire Fire Department was dispatched to 801 W Shorewood Drive for reports of smoke and flames coming from a storage unit.  Responding units included Battalion 1, Chief 2, Engines 9, 10, and 2, Medics 9 and 10, Trucks 5 and 8, along with support from the Eau Claire Police Department. Police officers arrived first and

Authorities are sharing the name of a person who lost their life in a Tuesday afternoon crash in Polk County.  The accident happened in Apple River.  Seventy-year-old John Smith of Balsam Lake was operating an ATV when he hit a deer.  Smith died at the scene.

A Chippewa Falls educator is being recognized as the 2025 Wisconsin History Teacher of the Year.  Alisha Neinfeldt teaches at Chippewa Falls Middle School and will receive a one-thousand dollar honorarium along with the distinction announced by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.  Neinfeldt is now in the running to be named National History Teacher of the Year.  That winner will be announced later this year. CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE WITH WEAU 13 NEWS.

Chippewa Falls City Council is now accepting applications from folks interested in representing District Five.  An alderperson vacancy will soon be filled with the term expiring in April of 2027.    Letters of application can be emailed and must be received by September 11th. CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE WITH WEAU 13 NEWS.

Western Wisconsin may be home to an underrated city according to one publication.  USA Today is ranking Eau Claire at number two in their list of hidden gems that should be explored.  The article says the city is vibrant, especially for music lovers.  Cities were judged based on the number of restaurants, museums, landmarks, safety and cleanliness. CLICK HERE FOR MORE FROM VISIT EAU CLAIRE!

The SS Badger is offering Packers fans a ride to the season opener on September 7th.  Attendees of the Packers-Lions matchup can ride on a four hour cruise across Lake Michigan the day of.  The boat leaves Ludington at 9 a.m. Eastern time and is expected to arrive in Manitowoc at noon Central time.  People boarding the SS Badger will be treated to food, drinks and entertainment.  Travel time from Manitowoc to Lambeau Field is 45 minutes by car. 

The current Wisconsin Secretary of State is announcing her run for lieutenant governor.  Sarah Godlewski, a Democrat, announced her campaign today at the Madison Labor Temple.  She previously served as the State treasurer.  Current Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez is running for Governor.

A Wisconsin man accused of faking his own death and fleeing the country is set to enter a plea next week.  Prosecutors say Ryan Borgwardt staged his own disappearance using an overturned kayak on Big Green Lake in Green Lake County, made his way to Canada, flew to Asia, and eventually started living in the Republic of Georgia.  Investigators say he moved to be with a woman he met on a dating app, leaving his wife and children behind in

 Authorities report they’ve identified a human skull found nearly 23 years ago in St. Croix County.  The remains were found inside a plastic bag and in a wooded area of Houlton by a group of Boy Scouts in October of 2002.  DNA evidence has helped investigators to identify the skull as belonging to 92-year-old Alyce Peterson who had died of natural causes in Minnesota in 2001.  There is no word on how her skull found its way to St. Croix

The father of the Abundant Life Christian School shooter last year is asking a Dane County judge to dismiss the charges again him.  Jeffrey Rupnow and his lawyer filed a motion this week arguing that he didn’t allow his daughter, Natalie Rupnow, to access the family’s gun safe, even though she did.  Natalie Rupnow opened fire at the school last December, killing two and injuring six others before taking her own life.  Her father is charged with two counts of