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A new survey from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health shows drinking rates went up during the coronavirus pandemic.  The study says the highest increase happened during the first few months of the pandemic and in people between 21 and 40-years-old.  Twenty-three percent of respondents said they drank more from May to June of 2020.  University of Wisconsin points to added stress and anxiety brought on by the pandemic as a possible reason.

Tickets for the Great Taste of the Midwest craft beer festival go on sale this weekend.  In-person ticket sales are happening Sunday at seven different locations around Madison.  Then the lottery system starts Monday at 10:00 a.m., but this year you can enter the lottery online.  More information is available on the festival’s website, CLICK HERE TO FILL UP ON DETAILS.

Mike’s Star Market in Eau Claire, Wis., is issuing a voluntary Class I recall for packaged poultry products sold online and at retail stores. The affected products include: The product labels carry a mark of inspection with establishment No. 787. Products were sold from Amanda’s Eggs and Poultry online store and retail store near Chippewa Falls, Wis., and possibly at other retail locations in the area. The smoked turkey breast and whole cut-up chicken products may carry an Amanda’s Eggs

Wisconsin’s attorney general is due in court later today to challenge the state’s century-old abortion law. A-G Josh Kaul will argue against the law which dates back to 1849 in a Dane County courtroom. He is expected to say lawmakers showed their intent on abortion with a plan in the mid-90s to allow for some abortions. The 1849 law allows only for abortions in cases to save a mother’s life. He is suing Sheboygan County’s D.A. over the law, but

The suspected driver in one of Madison’s most recent high-speed, stolen car chases is a 13-year-old girl. The Dane County Sheriff’s Office yesterday said the girl was one of five people who ran from a stolen Kia after they tried to speed away from police in Madison and Monona. The oldest of the people arrested is just 17-years-old, the other four are younger. The sheriff says the chase started on the Beltline, and ended with a crash near Buckeye Road.

 A judge in Chippewa County wants doctors to examine the 23-year-old who police say drove to western Wisconsin to kidnap a then-15-year-old girl last fall. The judge yesterday ordered a competency hearing for Trevor Blackburn. He is facing kidnapping and sexual assault charges from the case in October of last year. The kidnapping triggered an Amber Alert in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Blackburn remains in jail on one million-dollars bond.

A three-month long investigation by the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office into the death of 51-year-old Jennifer K. Johnson has resulted in the arrest of 50-year-old Matthew J. Zarins. On May 3rd at approximately 4:00 p.m. an arrest warrant for Zarins was executed at 123 North Thomas Street in Loyal Wi. Taylor County Detective with the assistance of the Loyal Police Department and Clark County Sheriff’s Office entered the residence and ultimately located Zarins hiding in the attic to avoid detection. Zarins

The highway next to the railroad tracks where a train went off the rails last week could finally reopen soon. Wis-DOT says Highway 35 near De Soto remains closed, and will stay closed until high inspectors give it the all-clear. Crews closed the highway after a BNSF train jumped some nearby tracks. That derailment sent train cars into the Mississippi River. Four people were hurt. The highway was closed as a precaution.

Wisconsin’s new shared revenue plan is up for a hearing at the Capitol today. An Assembly panel will hear the specifics of the plan that would send as much as a half-billion dollars to local governments across Wisconsin. Some of the details are still being worked out, and Governor Evers has yet to say what he thinks of the plan. Local governments across Wisconsin have been asking for more money from the state for years, but the new plan also comes with strings

There’s a warning from the state of Wisconsin to check your Mother’s Day flowers. The state’s Department of Agriculture says online scammers will often pose as local flower shops, and charge people extra for flowers they can get them cheaper at a shop around the corner. The state says many times the scammers order the flowers from local shops, ship them to your house, and pocket a profit after charging you more. The Department of Ag says do some research before ordering