The Durand-Arkansaw School Board has approved the 2026-2027 School Calendar. Durand-Arkansaw School Superintendent Ryan Nelson says the first day of school for 2026-2027 will be September 1st. Nelson says spring break will be the week before Easter Sunday in 2027.
The City of Durand has approved a new certified survey map of some Xcel Energy Property by the wastewater treatment plant. Durand Mayor Patrick Milliren says the plan buy the Arkansaw Sanitary District was one of the drivers of mapping out the property. The City also approved another map for Xcel land near Alcivia’s Grain Storage facility.
A Tennessee man accused of sexually assaulting a Holcombe teenager is pleading no contest to charges. Investigators say that -- in 2022 -- Trevor Blackburn drove to Wisconsin and kidnapped the then-15-year-old girl from her home. Blackburn pleaded no contest this week to charges of kidnapping and 1st degree child sexual assault. He will be sentenced at a later date.
A former funeral director faces charges after investigators and DNA testing solved a 23-year-old cold case in Western Wisconsin. In 2002, a human skull was found at a Boy Scout Camp in St. Croix County. Authorities say recent DNA testing connected the remains with a 91-year-old Minnesota woman who died of natural causes in 2001 and was cremated. The sheriff’s department says 57-year-old Benjamin Hanson, of Minnesota, was the funeral director for her cremation, and said he fraudulently charged the woman’s family more than $2,700 for hair styling. Witnesses at the funeral home said Hanson was not acting normal at the time and he was eventually fired from the funeral home. Hanson faces charges of theft and hiding a corpse.
An
Eau Claire Paper Company is receiving state tax credits for
expanding. Cascade Paper will invest $6 million for the installation
of a state of the art converting line to enable the company to
increase capacity and introduce new products. The expansion will
lead to 36 new jobs. The WEDC is providing up to $200,000 in
performance-based state income tax credits.
A La Crosse-area resident is pleading no contest to sexual assault charges. Seventeen-year-old Jonah Larson is considered a crocheting phenom whose skills once earned him an appearance on Good Morning America. On Thursday, he pleaded no contest to a charge of second-degree sexual assault of a child. He is being allowed to enter a diversion program which -- if he completes it successfully -- will knock a conviction off of his record.
Winners are being revealed for this year's Sustainable Eau Claire Awards. The awards recognize individuals, businesses, and organizations that are committed to creating a more sustainable Eau Claire. Community beautification stalwart Mari Jackson is being recognized as this year's Outstanding Individual. The Riverflow Refillery home goods store is being recognized as Outstanding Business and Prairie Partners of Eau Claire is being celebrated as Outstanding Organization.
An escaped inmate from Columbia County is back in custody after being captured in Tomah. Authorities say Matthew William Mahoney was identified following a tip from Columbia County officials. Mahoney was found this morning near a Walmart and initially gave a false name when encountered by law enforcement. Tomah police are recommending charges against Mahoney, including identity theft and obstructing an officer.
The Wisconsin State Patrol wants people to be safe on the state's roadways this holiday season. The patrol is launching their "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" campaign -- an effort get impaired drivers off the roads. The patrol is stepping up education and enforcement of impaired driving laws through New Year's Day.
The University of Wisconsin-Platteville is adding programs for students looking to get into the cannabis field. The school announced this week the launch of six new Cannabis Career Certificate programs in partnership with Green Flower, a cannabis education leader. This includes areas such as cultivation, retail, and product development. All except one of the programs is 16 weeks long, with the other one being half that length. All of the programs will be online and will begin January 13th.
Eric Hovde won’t be running for Wisconsin governor. The former U.S. Senate candidate made the announcement on a video posted to X on Wednesday. Hovde said he wants to spend more time with his family following his narrow election loss run last year to incumbent Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin. His decision leaves U.S. Congressman Tom Tiffany and Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann as the major Republicans in the August 2026 primary.
An assailant in the 2014 Slender Man stabbing won’t contest a revocation of her conditional release from a state mental hospital. Morgan Geyser cut her ankle bracelet off and escaped her group home in Madison last month. She and a 43-year-old friend were found and arrested in Illinois. Her attorney filed a letter in Waukesha County Court this week saying Geyser won’t contest her release revocation. That will return her to the Winnebago Mental Health Institute where she’d been for over a decade. Geyser had been in the and Waukesha County jail before being moved to an undisclosed location last week. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services filed a petition last month to revoke Geyser’s release. A hearing is scheduled for February.
Former conservative State Supreme Court Justice Michale Gableman has another recusal request denied. Liberal state Supreme Court Justice Janet Protasiewicz has again rejected Gableman’s request that she remove herself from an upcoming decision on whether to suspend his law license. Gableman faces a three-year suspension for his oversight of an investigation into Wisconsin's 2020 presidential election. Protasiewicz already rejected Gableman's first recusal request earlier this month, and Gableman filed a request last week asking her to reconsider. The review will go before the state Supreme Court, which currently has a 4-3 liberal majority.
Weather is considered a contributing factor in Green County's deadly plane crash last month. The NTSB released its preliminary report showing foggy and overcast conditions led to reduced visibility for the small aircraft ahead of the crash near Monroe Municipal Airport on November 24th. Two people were killed in the crash including the pilot and a pilot-rated passenger. Officials identified the men as being from Oshkosh and Omro.
The
American Civil Liberties Union is suing ICE on behalf of six
Minnesotans who say their First Amendment rights were violated. ACLU
lawyers say the alleged abuses involving immigration agents from
Operation Metro Surge are following a pattern seen in Los Angeles,
Chicago, and Portland. The suit names several federal officials,
including Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and ICE Director
Todd Lyons.
Eau Claire health officials are offering tips to help folks avoid getting sick and spreading illnesses this holiday season. The Eau Claire City County Health Department recommends that folks wash their hands frequently and that they cover their mouth when they cough. Tops among recommendations from health officials is for people to get vaccinated for influenza and COVID.
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