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The bell ringers are out, and the red kettles are up. The Salvation Army of Dane County is asking for donations again this holiday season. The Salvation Army says it hopes to raise 500 thousand-dollars this year. A lot of that will be pocket change collected outside stores, but they are also asking for larger gifts. The Salvation Army is also giving people a chance to donate without needing cash or change. This year’s red kettles will once again feature

Children’s Hospital Wisconsin says there is a desperate need for foster families. The hospital this week said there are about 700 kids who need foster care each year in southern Wisconsin, but there are just seven homes for them outside of Dane County. Children’s Maria McDermott says they are facing a dire need for treatment-level foster homes in particular. There are some requirements to become a foster parent, but Children’s says the opportunity is there for most people. CLICK HERE

Downtown Eau Claire, Inc. (DECI) announced the next cycle of the Jump-Start Downtown, a competition for local entrepreneurs, startups, and small businesses to showcase their innovative ideas and bring their vision to life in the downtown Eau Claire community. The Jump Start Downtown competition is designed to provide a platform for individuals and businesses who are ready to take the next step in building and growing their ventures and make a lasting impact on the local economy.  About Jump-Start Downtown 

Eau Claire Police say their latest meth bust took 10 pounds of drugs off the streets. City police, along with the West Central Drug Task Force this week arrested three people who they said had a large drug shipment in Eau Claire. The meth has a street value of over 360 thousand-dollars. All three are looking at a possible life sentence if convicted.

The sheriff in Green Lake County is not saying why that missing kayaker faked his own death and fled the country, but the charges against Ryan Borgwardt suggest it was because of a woman. Borgwardt made his first appearance in court yesterday after he disappeared in August. Prosecutors say he spent time with a woman in the country of Georgia, but agreed to come back home on his own. Borgwardt told the judge in the case he only has 20

Chippewa County says the area needs a psychiatric hospital now that Sacred Heart and St. Joe’s have closed. The county board this week passed a resolution asking either the state legislature or Congress to provide more money to treat people who need to spend the night, or more than one night, in a psychiatric facility. Right now those people are usually taken to Winnebago, and the county is billed for their stay. But Chippewa County Human Services director Tim Easker

Wisconsin’s Republican U.S. Senator is not going to be ambassador to Mexico under President-elect Trump. A different Ron Johnson will be. The new president yesterday named Johnson, who is a former ambassador to El Salvador, to the Mexican ambassadorship in his second term. Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson had to take to Twitter to say it’s not him, and explain that there are a lot of Ron Johnsons in the country.

The Wisconsin man accused of faking his own death came back to the state willingly. Ryan Borgwardt is accused of staging his death with an overturned kayak, biking to Madison, and taking a bus and flight to flee the U.S. in August.  The Green Lake County Sheriff continued to search for him for almost two months, but investigators say they believe he was actually in eastern Europe.  The Green Lake County Sheriff Mark Podoll says the case is in the District

Latest numbers show five times more air quality advisories than average in Wisconsin in a single year due to Canadian wildfires.  The Department of Natural Resources says there were 15 PM advisories during 2023.  The warnings are issued when air is deemed unhealthy for sensitive groups.  Last year historic wildfires burned areas of land in Canada, about two-million acres more than the area of the state of Wisconsin.

Wisconsin is ranked the best U.S. state for elder abuse protections. A new report by Wallet Hub compared all 50 states based on the number of elder abuse claims and laws protecting older people from financial abuse.  WalletHub analysts say Wisconsin was put at the top of the list since it has the third-most elder care organizations in the country.  It’s also one of 22 states with shelters to help elder abuse victims get out of their situations.  Wisconsin was