[Audio clip: view full post to listen]   By Haley Zblewski In January 2012, the CDC reported Wisconsin had the highest binge drinking rates in the nation, reporting that nearly 23 percent of Wisconsinites binge drink. Julia Sherman, coordinator of the Wisconsin Alcohol Policy Project, said binge drinking can cause health problems for both the [...]

By Meghan Flynn More than 50 million Americans – nearly one in six — are facing hunger, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Of that 50 million, about 17 million are children. Children, adults, and the elderly are going without the food they need. Like the rest of the country, Eau Claire faces high [...]

[Audio clip: view full post to listen] By Nicole Miller Two large windows cast moonlight into the one bedroom efficiency apartment as a 4-year-old sleeps on the top end of a bunk bed and a 6-week-old long-haired Chihuahua is curled up on a blanket on the bed below.  Katie Stelter sits three feet away in [...]

Support group fosters camaraderie among “parkies” By Nick Gourdoux Walking can be difficult for Tom Simonsen. The stiffness of his legs limits his stride. He can’t lift his feet high off the ground; and, on bad days, he shuffles across the floor. Today, he’s in a rush. His pace is hurried. As he walks, his body tilts [...]

By Nicole Miller Frustrated with rising costs of food, Erin McCarthy and Matthew Oggelsby buy generic brands at the grocery store. Oggelsby was laid off from his job eight months ago at Hutchinson Technology and now works full-time doing factory work at Presto. “We’re pretty much limited,” he said. “We have to buy the generic [...]

[Audio clip: view full post to listen] By Emily Albrent Hunger is a problem. In a big city, the hungry go through trash cans, their personal belongings in a shopping cart. Onlookers watch as they cling to what they have. You can see this in the streets of New York, in Chicago and in the [...]

  By Martha Landry Each morning Longfellow Elementary school teacher Nancy Nelson-Meinen asks her students to share something about themselves. Sometimes they cannot think of anything so she asks, ‘What did you have for supper?’ Too often, the veteran teacher says, the reply is, “Nothing.” One in five children in the United States struggle with [...]

By Kayla Peche Charles Heath and Jordyn Anderson are new parents.  To put food on the table for his growing family, Heath is working two jobs, 70 hours a week. “I would love more money,” Heath said. “Right now we just make enough to survive.” Heath is a 21-year-old new Dad, who is struggling to [...]

[Audio clip: view full post to listen] By Meghan Flynn Winters in Eau Claire can vary, the temperatures may be warmer or cooler than normal, there may be a lot of snow, there may be little. On average, according to national weather data, Eau Claire gets 46 inches of snow. This winter, according to the [...]

By Sten Ivan It is not 84 degrees outside and there is snow on the ground. Shawarma and falafel can hardly be seen while fast food menus become a daily option. Women don’t wear the hijab and there isn’t any mosque within walking distance. Kholoud Abdullah Bendera’a is an international student from Saudi Arabia who [...]