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It’s a sure sign of spring…the Spring Makers Market this Saturday, May 6 th at Banbury Place! The marketfeatures over 40 artists and shops filled with original artwork—paintings, pottery, fiber arts, jewelry,furniture, woodworking, and more! Artists are in buildings 10 and 13 as well as outdoors. Enjoy livelocal music, food, and fun! Admission is always free. From downtown, follow Wisconsin or Galloway streets to Banbury Place. There is plenty of free parking—just follow the signs. For more information: Julie Pangallo

It’s 18 years in prison for a St. Croix County man who committed arson back in 2018. A judge yesterday sentenced 71-year-old Kevin Grant to prison for the fire he started at the Cubby Hole bar in December of 2018. Prosecutors say he lit the bar on fire as part of an insurance scheme. No one was in the bar, and no one was hurt. A jury convicted Grant back in February.

Eight men in Milwaukee are looking at charges as part of an organized mail theft ring. Two of those men, Abdi Abdi and Darrion Allison, were in court yesterday. The Milwaukee County D.A.’s Office says the two were part of the ring responsible for at least nine armed robberies of mailmen dating back to October of last year. Investigators say the goal was to get the keys that mailmen carry for blue mailboxes. Some of the men are also facing

Eau Claire will have a fireworks show this Fourth of July, but no one knows where. The city council yesterday agreed to have a show, but council members have not yet agreed where it will be. City Manager Stephanie Hirsch is suggesting the High Bridge, the Grand Avenue pedestrian bridge, or Plank Hill. Councilman Larry Mboga continues to insist the show be held at Carson Park. The city wants to move away from Carson Park because of safety concerns, but

 We’re getting a better sense of just how many strings are attached to the new shared revenue plan from Republican lawmakers. In addition to a focus on public safety, local governments would be required to spend their new money on police, fire, and EMS, the Republican plan would ban local governments from proposing advisory referendums and would ban local health departments from closing businesses for more than two weeks during an outbreak. Republican lawmakers also want to force the Department

Folks in western Wisconsin could soon be paying more for electricity and natural gas. Xcel Energy last week asked regulators in Madison for permission to raise rates. The plan would hike electric rates by more than nine dollars a month, and would increase natural gas prices by about four-dollars and 50-cents per-month. Xcel says the company needs more money to update their energy infrastructure. A decision is expected by the end of the year.

Some restaurants in Wisconsin like the idea of allowing teenagers to serve drinks. A new plan at the Wisconsin Capitol would allow teens as young as 14 to serve alcohol, as long as it’s not at the bar. The idea is allow teens in high school to work as waiters at places where alcohol is served. Many restaurants say they either have to hire only people over 18, or they have to have the bartender serve the drinks themselves. A number of groups, including

Wisconsin is once again a Top Ten State according to U.S. News & World Report. The magazine came out with its list of Best Overall States yesterday, and Wisconsin is ranked eighth. Wisconsin gets high marks for healthcare, economic stability and infrastructure. U,S. News ranks Wisconsin sixth for education in America. This is the second year in a row that Wisconsin has grabbed the eighth best state title. Utah, Washington state, Idaho, Nebraska, and Minnesota make-up U.S. News’ top five. West Virginia, New Mexico, Mississippi, Alaska, and Louisiana make-up

University of Wisconsin Health and UnityPoint Health Meriter are ending their mask requirements.  The two health systems say masks are no longer required at most of their clinics and hospitals, but they’re still recommended.  UnityPoint says the decision was made because of the improving public health environment surrounding coronavirus.

Photo caption: Dr. Tayo Sanders, a UW-Eau Claire graduate who was selected for the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship program, returned to his alma mater this spring to talk about how his faculty mentors and undergraduate research experiences continue to shape his life and career. (Photos by Bill Hoepner) “I actually assumed I was spelling it wrong, so I tried it different ways before calling her back to say I think she made a mistake…” -Sanders Tayo Sanders II was a University of