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The wildfire at Fort McCoy burned for another full day yesterday. The state’s Department of Natural Resources says the fire has burned nearly three thousand acres so far, and is still burning. DNR teams called-in the National Guard, and fire departments from across the area have been working to contain the fire. As of about 7 p.m. last night, DNR said the fire was 50 percent contained. The fire threatened a number of buildings at the fort yesterday, promoting the

The water continues to rise on the Chippewa River in Eau Claire. City leaders yesterday said the Chippewa River measured 774 feet, which is minor flooding. Eau Claire has already closed several parks and trails, and the city says those will remain closed until the flood threat is gone. Forecasters say the river should start to fall later this weekend, but any new rains across the area could actually push the river higher.

There is a new warning about two new phone scams in Wisconsin. The Better Business Bureau says scammers are pretending to be with Best Buy and PayPal, and are trying to steal banking information. The scam starts with an email from Best Buy’s Geek Squad or PayPal asking about a charge or a new subscription. The BBB says when people call, the scammers get personal and banking information, then take money out of people’s accounts. The BBB says never give out

The next, and final public hearing on the proposed state budget will be April 26th in Minoqua in far North Central Wisconsin.   The Joint Committee on Finance has been holding hearings across the state, including Eau Claire, the Wisconsin Dells, and Waukesha to get input from the public.  In the Dells Wednesday some of the priorities mentioned include school lunches and broadband access.  The committee is already targeting K-12 education funding as a top priority.   The new Wisconsin biennial budget will run from 2023 through

Roughly the southern two-thirds of Wisconsin is under a Red Flag Warning today for high wildfire risk.  The Warning area stops just short of Eau Claire in Western Wisconsin, and Green Bay in the east.  The National Weather Service says the warning is due to the low humidity, dry vegetation, strong winds, and above normal temperatures.   The combination of conditions could lead to critical and erratic wildfires in Wisconsin today.  The Red Flag Warning is in effect until eight tonight. Firefighters and the DNR are

The next, and final public hearing on the proposed state budget will be April 26th in Minoqua, in far North Central Wisconsin.   The Joint Committee on Finance has been holding hearings across the state, including Eau Claire, the Wisconsin Dells, and Waukesha to get input from the public.  In the Dells Wednesday some of the priorities mentioned include school lunches and broadband access.  The committee is already targeting K-12 education funding as a top priority.   The new Wisconsin biennial budget will run from 2023 through

“Wisconsin’s meat processors are a key component of a resilient supply chain, supporting our local communities, serving area farmers, connecting with consumers, and bolstering our economy, and the past few years have only underscored their importance,” -Gov. Evers The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) today announced that 70 applications were submitted for the 2023 Meat Processor Infrastructure Grant Program. These grants aim to grow and improve the long-term viability of the Wisconsin’s meat and livestock industries.

Eau Claire is moving ahead with the plan to spend coronavirus stimulus money on free bus rides for the homeless. The city council last night unanimously approved the idea, which will spend 12 thousand-dollars in stimulus money to provide vouchers so the city’s homeless can ride the bus for free. City councilor Kate Felton says the vouchers help homeless people get to work or find housing. The vouchers will be available at Sojourner House or Eau Claire’s public library.

It’s a sign of just how bad Wisconsin’s fire conditions are this week. Firefighters at Fort McCoy say a wildfire closed I-94 for hours yesterday. Reports say crews were working on a controlled burn at the fort, though no one is saying that is what started the fire. Wis-DOT says heavy smoke forced them to close the interstate near Highway 27. Wis-DOT’s website had I-94 closed as late as 7:45 last night. The wildfire at Fort McCoy was one of several