United States
I’m Audrey.
I’ve worked as the news reporter for The Chippewa Herald since June of 2022, covering rural western Wisconsin from Chippewa Falls.
Chippewa County keeps me busy. I cover business and development, health care and the business of health care, public and technical education, local government, first responders, human interest stories, agriculture, economics, breaking news, regional news and enterprise reporting.
In March my coverage of 2024 campaign visits to the Chippewa Valley by former Vice President Kamala Harris and then-vice presidential candidate JD Vance earned me first-place for Localized National Story in the Wisconsin Newspaper Association's Better Newspaper Contest.
The Chippewa Herald, where I am the only reporter in the news department, secured first-place in General Excellence, a prestigious award that acknowledges outstanding quality in all facets of print and digital newspaper publishing this year and clinched first for Best Headlines.
I won first place for General News Story in 2023 on a county referendum that asked the federal government to nationalize health care, and won second-place awards for Video in 2023 and 2024.
I graduated from Wichita State University in 2019.
I taught public speaking at Wichita State University for two years as a graduate teaching instructor from 2019 to 2021.
In 2019 I was awarded a Mandela Washington Fellowship Reciprocal Exchange Award by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. I traveled to Sierra Leone in November of 2021 to complete the fellowship.
I was the founder and co-chair of the Women's Communication & Leadership Conference in Freetown which taught young women media, writing, editing, leadership and public speaking skills to advance their careers.
I spent two years preparing and planning for the trip and conference, overseeing a team of professionals across three continents in the process.
Before my professional start in Wichita I spent many years in Rhode Island. Much of that time was spent battling chronic Lyme disease which kept me ill for 13 years.
My career is proof that it is never too late to begin anew.
Emily Berge is running for the 3rd Congressional District in Wisconsin, focusing on housing, health care and water safety issues. Berge is a Democrat and City Council President of Eau Claire.
Menomonie mourns the loss of four residents who died in a single-engine plane crash in Illinois while returning to Wisconsin from Nashville on Saturday morning. The four friends leave behind six children in total.
The Executive Director of the Chippewa County Housing Authority has resigned after allegations of misconduct were made against her. The Chair of the Chippewa County Housing Authority Board of Directors also stepped down over concerns about how the department operates.
The Chippewa Valley Health Cooperative expects to hire 400 people and have a multimillion dollar economic impact once it opens its new Lake Hallie hospital.
Greg Hoffman has retired as mayor of Chippewa Falls after 17 years in office, passing the baton to Jason Hiess. Hiess was sworn in Tuesday as mayor and is confident in his ability to continue the city's growth and development.
Emily Berge filed paperwork to run for Congress in Wisconsin's Third District on Friday.
Sanford Health will be laying off 96 employees by June 10. Approximately 70 of the 96 positions impacted are in Sanford Health's Marshfield Clinic region.
Chippewa Falls High School students are learning advanced ways to grow food indoors. That produce is being used to help provide fresh vegetables to the school.
Students at Chippewa Falls High School are learning precision agricultural tech skills as part of the FarmBeats for Students program, developed in partnership with the National FFA and Microsoft.
Two police officers were taken to the hospital for non-life threatening injuries after a chase in Eau Claire which started when a call came in about a vehicle driving on a bike trail.
After months of considering scenarios for new elementary school boundaries in the Chippewa Falls school district, the school board voted down the proposed changes but will revisit the issue in November.
UW-Eau Claire English Department chair José Felipe Alvergue has been placed on leave after allegedly flipping over a table set up by College Republicans on campus. The university is conducting an investigation into the matter.
Results are in for the school board race at the Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District.
Cyclists will descend upon the Chippewa Valley for the Wisconsin Bike Fed's 10th Ride Across Wisconsin with a new looping route from Eau Claire that goes through Chippewa, Dunn and North Trempealeau counties.
A woman who was struck by a vehicle and died on the side of the road in Dunn County and the 17-year-old driver who was arrested Saturday have been identified.
17-year-old arrested for fatal hit-and-run, OWI after woman found dead on Highway Y in the town of Dunn. Investigation ongoing.
Chippewa Falls firefighters are investigating an overnight fire that caused an estimated $200,000 of damage to a duplex late Thursday night.
Law enforcement from Chippewa County showcased the county's new portable MILO training simulators at the courthouse on Wednesday which teach crisis intervention and de-escalation.
GO Riteway Transportation Group celebrated its grand opening in Chippewa Falls on Wednesday. It now serves the school district and offers motor coach tours and private rentals.
Supreme Court candidate Judge Susan Crawford campaigned in her hometown of Chippewa Falls Tuesday evening.
Child care service providers and parents from the Chippewa Valley met Monday with Gov. Tony Evers for a discussion in Chippewa Falls.
The Bridge Street Art & Gifts Co-op is a cooperative of women artists in downtown Chippewa Falls. Featured artists showcase their work and host bi-monthly receptions.
As the 60-and-older population spikes this decade in Wisconsin, aging resources are in high demand. Aging and Disability Resource Centers brace for impact with limited funds.
The Chippewa Sun solar array at the intersection of 143rd Street and 40th Avenue in the town of Hallie is now operational, providing energy for over 1,300 homes in Hallie and Lake Hallie and for subscribing partners - UW-Eau Claire, the City of Eau Claire and the Pablo Group.
See inside the L.E. Phillips-Libertas Treatment Center which closed suddenly in 2024 and find out what's in store for a new drug and alcohol recovery center at that site.
Chippewa Falls' new charter school, Veritas Classical Academy, is set to open in September. It will offer a classical curriculum in a tuition-free, public charter school, located in the former Mason Shoe building.
The Chippewa Valley Health Cooperative now has an executed purchase agreement with Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS) for the St. Joseph's Hospital in Chippewa Falls.
A new family-friendly event called the Chippewa Valley Bee Expo is coming to the Northern Wisconsin State Fairgrounds in Chippewa Falls next month, welcoming bee and honey enthusiasts, nature-lovers and gardeners.
Rebecca Cooke announced Tuesday that she is running for Congress in Wisconsin's Third District.
The Edge Pub and Eatery on Lake Wissota is set to change hands after 15 years. The new owners are planning renovations including new docks out back, upgrades inside and a new menu.
Rusty Volk is retiring as the executive director of the Northern Wisconsin State Fair in Chippewa Falls.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers and Department of Health Services Secretary Kirsten Johnson were in Chippewa Falls on Thursday talking about the fight to expand Medicaid in Wisconsin, concerns about federal Medicaid cuts, health care funding and Evers’ state budget proposal which addresses these issues.
Oktoberfest in Chippewa Falls will continue under new management by the Northern Wisconsin State Fair Association despite the closure of Leinenkugel’s brewery.
The Chippewa Valley Health Cooperative has chosen the architects for its new hospital in Lake Hallie, which is set to offer 48 beds plus emergency, surgical, cancer and labor and delivery services.
An Elk Mound business owner was sentenced to prison for failure to pay employment taxes after taking $400,000 in federal employment taxes from her employees' payroll and keeping the money.
Two people were injured in a house fire in Chippewa Falls early Sunday morning. The Chippewa Falls fire and police departments are investigating the cause of the blaze.
Packers and Notre Dame coach Dan Devine grew up in an abusive household and was sent away at age 4. Now his family tells that story for the first time while looking at Dan and his eight siblings’ lives which started in Chippewa Falls but took them across the world to find success.
Linda Roycraft has only filled out one job application in her life. As a teenager she applied to be a dishwasher at the Fill Inn Station - a restaurant that was about to open in 1979 in Chippewa Falls. Now after years as its owner Roycraft is closing the restaurant.
Aspirus Health finalized its purchase of 22.1 acres of land in Chippewa Falls on Thursday for a new hospital which it plans to break ground on this spring.
A Bloomer couple lost everything to scammers who hit multiple times using AI to mimic their daughter's voice asking for help on the phone.
Chippewa Falls Police Department investigates a series of crimes including stolen cars, property thefts and vandalism. Public assistance sought.
Wisconsin farmers and supporters addressed concerns over tariffs and economic uncertainty caused by recent state and federal changes during a town hall meeting Friday hosted by the Wisconsin Farmers Union in Chippewa Falls.
Andy Albarado recommended as new Chippewa County Administrator.
Dozens of business leaders from Chippewa Falls, Eau Claire and Menomonie will rally in Madison to discuss economic priorities and health care with officials in over 100 offices at the Capitol.
The Chippewa County District Attorney concluded that the actions of law enforcement involved in the shooting death of Matthew H. Luke in the town of Lafayette on Dec. 21 were reasonable acts of self-defense.
Bobbie Jaeger took over as the new Chippewa County Human Services Director on Monday. Jaeger has worked for the Chippewa County DHS since 2013.
The Chippewa Falls Fire and Emergency Services department in Wisconsin has achieved full staffing after a long period of operating with reduced numbers.
Hope Village has been approved for a special use permit to turn the former Indianhead Motel into affordable housing units.
The Chippewa Valley Health Cooperative has made an offer to purchase the former HSHS St. Joseph's hospital in Chippewa Falls to convert it into a temporary hospital.
The Chippewa Falls City Council voted Tuesday night to approve a special use permit allowing Lutheran Social Services to use the former L.E. Phillips Libertas building for substance use treatment services.
The temporary shutdown of TikTok left users in La Crosse, Chippewa Falls and Winona feeling anxious about the potential ban of their online community and platform. Now, the threat of a TikTok ban remains.
Hiker Coffee will celebrate its grand opening in Chippewa Falls on Saturday for the company's first ever cafe location.
A Chippewa Falls man has been charged with trafficking methamphetamine and fentanyl according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
A former Jim Falls resident was convicted Thursday for four counts of sexually assaulting a child.
Darren L. Osborne has been sentenced for hiding the corpses of four people in a cornfield in Dunn County in 2021.
Leinenkugel’s drinkers say the beer ‘won't taste the same’ as Chippewa Falls brewery shuts down
Trucks full of fresh cut trees arrived at a frozen Lake Wissota last week and are now being used to make "fish sticks" to encourage new spawning for lake fish.
One of two Family Fare Supermarkets in Chippewa Falls is set to close and lay off 45 of its employees in March, according to the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development.
More than two weeks after a person was shot dead by law enforcement in the town of Lafayette, investigators have not said who was killed or named the officers involved.
The name of the teenager accused of killing 10-year-old Lily Peters in Chippewa Falls was unsealed Thursday.
Only one candidate will be on the April ballot to be the next Chippewa Falls mayor.
The YMCA of the Chippewa Valley is hosting an ice fishing event on Jan. 18, while the Jig's UP Blugold Ice Fishing Contest is set to take place on Feb. 8. Both events were canceled in 2024 due to warm weather,
Sanford Health and Marshfield Clinic Health System have completed their merger, creating a new nonprofit integrated health system that aims to transform care delivery in the rural Midwest.
Bestselling author Nickolas Butler found inspiration for his latest book in an unlikely place - the Tomahawk Room bar in Chippewa Falls, where he witnessed a passionate kiss and heard a loving conversation between two strangers.
A person trapped 60 feet in the air inside a silo in Boyceville was rescued by firefighters and paramedics on Sunday. The person then was transported by helicopter to a trauma center.
Hope Village has begun the process of purchasing the former Indianhead Motel in Chippewa Falls with hopes of converting it into efficiency apartments with residential units.
Families in the region are heading out to local Christmas tree farms to chop down their own trees for the holidays.
The Chippewa Valley Health Cooperative has signed a letter of intent with HSHS to purchase the St. Joseph's Hospital in Chippewa Falls to provide temporary health services while the Cooperative builds its new community hospital.
Market on River, a farmer-focused collective and downtown revitalization project celebrated its official opening in Chippewa Falls Thursday.
The Chippewa Valley Health Cooperative is building a full-service, locally-governed nonprofit hospital in Lake Hallie, with a goal to open in fall 2027.
For 25 years Mary and Bill Brunstad have organized the active duty military display in Irvine Park. This is the last year the couple will do so. The YMCA will take it over in 2025.
Small Business Saturday is a crucial day for local businesses in Chippewa Falls, with shoppers showing up to make sure small business owners feel support from their community.
Health cooperative completes hospital study, gains nonprofit status in Chippewa Valley
The U.S. Navy Blue Angels visited the Chippewa Valley Regional Airport in Eau Claire Tuesday to plan for the 2025 Chippewa Valley Air Show and meet with organizers.
Like a 'funeral wake': Dick and Jake Leinenkugel lament loss of historic Chippewa Falls brewery
Molson Coors will cease operations at its historic Leinenkugel’s Chippewa Falls brewery and the company’s Tenth Street Brewery in Milwaukee on Jan. 17, according to Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co. President Tony Bugher.
W.S. Darley and Co. in Chippewa Falls manufactures a range of fire pumps, systems and vehicles for first responders, U.S. military and allies. It is committed to saving lives.
Two dozen people, including children, injured in collision of farm wagons at Bushel and a Peck apple orchard in Chippewa Falls. No fatalities reported.
Despite traffic snarls, heat and lack of food and water Kamala Harris rally-goers say Eau Claire campaign stop was inspiring, unifying and worth the effort.
Chippewa County officials will partially fund a hospital feasibility study alongside the Chippewa Valley Health Cooperative, which plans to build a new community hospital in the Chippewa Valley.
Chippewa County’s sole 911 Dispatch Center is feeling the effects of the St. Joseph’s Hospital closure. Being short-staffed is making the situation more trying.
Chippewa Valley Health Cooperative plans to build a community hospital in Eau Claire or Chippewa counties that will cost roughly $200 million and open in three years.
Chippewa Valley Health Cooperative plans to build a new community hospital and expand services to fill healthcare gaps in western Wisconsin.
The Chippewa Area History Center has received a donation of dozens of historical items from HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital, including the large statue of St. Joseph which sat in the hospital entrance.
HSHS St. Joseph's Community Garden is seeking a new home to continue its mission of growing and donating fresh produce to local food pantries despite the HSHS hospital closures.
2010 federal law limits options for OakLeaf's involvement in new hospitals for Chippewa Falls, Eau Claire
The last week: photos from HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital in Chippewa Falls
On Friday HSHS St. Joseph’s and HSHS Sacred Heart closed their doors permanently but not before first responders and residents gave them a public farewell.
HSHS St. Joseph's leaves behind a legacy of caring for body, mind and spirit, with a staff that worked like a close-knit family to support patients and each other.
Joseph Biedermann, Rick Flynn and Rod Stetzer express gratitude for the lifesaving care they received at HSHS hospitals in Chippewa Falls and Eau Claire.
The leaders of the HSHS/Prevea Recovery Task Force are deeply disappointed and concerned that St. Joseph's Hospital and Sacred Heart Hospital will be closing on March 22, a whole month earlier than initially planned.
HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire to permanently close on March 22
OakLeaf Medical Network has been unsuccessful in acquiring HSHS hospitals for community ownership in Chippewa Valley.
OakLeaf Medical Network is considering building a community hospital to meet the region's healthcare needs.
Seven prominent community and business leaders have formed the Chippewa Valley Health Cooperative to address critical healthcare gaps in the region.
Chippewa Falls city council approved the purchase of a medication safe and IV pumps for city ambulances to help first responders cope with the hospital closures.
Chippewa Valley Orthopedics & Sports Medicine fails in its attempt to force a delay in the closure of Hospital Sisters Health System's hospitals in Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls.
Parents demanded answers and accountability in Chippewa Falls school threat situations during the district's school board meeting Tuesday night.
Gov. Tony Evers said the handling of the HSHS hospitals and Prevea Health closures in western Wisconsin was "just wrong" and that his administration is establishing a collaborative to address the fallout.
Shock and grief hung heavy in the air Friday at L.E. Phillips-Libertas Treatment Center for substance abuse in Chippewa Falls as the center closed for good.
OakLeaf Medical Network has added services, expanded capacity and increased availability to meet urgent healthcare needs created by the closures of HSHS hospitals.
The announcement that HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire, HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital in Chippewa Falls will close left some Roman Catholics feeling frustrated.
The lawsuit, filed by Chippewa Valley Orthopedics and Sports Medicine in Eau Claire County Circuit Court, states HSHS breached an agreement between the organizations.
Republican state legislators from across the Chippewa Valley introduced a measure Friday that would reallocate $15 million in unused funds to support emergency departments in Chippewa and Eau Claire counties.
Chippewa County Sheriff Travis Hakes says he has made mistakes during his time as the county's top cop but denied a multitude of allegations levied against him by county supervisors and reiterated he believes the investigation to be a "witch hunt."
OakLeaf Medical Network is working to acquire HSHS hospitals with the intent of creating an independent community hospital.
Chippewa Falls residents and city officials are reeling from the news that two hospitals and all Prevea Health locations in western Wisconsin will close months from now.
HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire, HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital in Chippewa Falls and all Prevea locations in the Chippewa Valley will permanently close.
Chippewa County Sheriff Travis Hakes has failed to cooperate with an investigation into him for a slew of infractions related to his time in office, according to a report from the Chippewa County Board.
A group of campers are so dedicated to a camp that they bought it from the Girl Scouts because of its significance in their lives. They want to preserve it
As the Chippewa County Board investigated sheriff Travis Hakes for alleged misconduct, the sheriff was working on his own document to counter the findings of a report prepared for the commissioners. Hakes presented what he called a "counter investigation" to the board Tuesday before it voted to continue its investigation into the sheriff.
The Chippewa County Board voted unanimously during Tuesday's meeting to continue its investigation into county sheriff Travis Hakes for alleged misconduct.
A county investigation into Chippewa County Sheriff Travis Hakes that began with allegations of sexual harassment of a subordinate quickly expanded as concerns about other behavior and unprofessional conduct came to light, according to an investigation report.
Text messages that were "unequivocally sexual in nature" were inappropriately sent by Chippewa County Sheriff Travis Hakes to a member of his department, according to an investigation report released Tuesday.
Last year, 55-year-old Merrill Grimes of Menomonie got a $971 bill for an ambulance ride. He was astounded.
Wichita-area Black leaders pushed for help fighting the pandemic. County officials then empowered the community to communicate the dangers.
The Sunflower News Podcast covers recent news and events - on and around campus. The weekly episodes also bring you original content and coverage through interviews, and analysis of important issues at Wichita State University.
I expected things to change by now. In the 90s, it seemed like anything was possible for smart and hard-working go-getter women. Two decades later, my faith that the need for glass-ceiling breakers would no longer be necessary in my lifetime is not dead - but it's on life-support.
30-year old widow and mother of four, Mary B Fofanah living in Makeni, northern Sierra Leone, didn't believe in COVID-19 at first. She thought it was a money-making scheme.
Brandon Whipple speaks to local news reporters during his mayoral watch party on Tuesday, Nov. 5 at Headshots Bar and Grill.
The Kansas Health Foundation gave Wichita State a quarter of a million dollars to use on community engagement with Fairmount after the brutal rape and murder of Letitia Davis. For three years, WSU went full steam ahead on community development and research, but that grant money ran out in 2018.
Students from Africa and members of the Wichita State community packed the Marcus Welcome Center Friday night for the Taste of Africa. The event, which was hosted by the African Student Association, boasted live music and a DJ, a flag show, two fashion shows, dance performances, and Caribbean and African cuisine.
Wichita State has been a cornerstone of Bobby and Trish Gandu's relationship. "A lot of our momentous occasions have ties to WSU," said Director of Admissions Bobby Gandu. "We met on campus. We also were coincidentally engaged on campus." They also were married on campus. But long before their wedding day, Bobby and Trish were...
Standing on the porch of Dreena Reed's house, you see a row of small houses surrounding Fairmount Park - a place to gather and the focal point of the northeast Wichita community. Reed looks out at her neighborhood, pointing to homes and describing the people who live in them.
Wichita City Council member Brandon Johnson wants Evergy to replace new metal electric poles in some neighborhoods with wooden ones. Johnson represents District 1, where many of the transmission poles that top 100 feet were recently installed. "To see 2.8 miles of neighborhood having these industrial poles ...
Study sessions, paper deadlines, and exams make for a busy week. But for Muslim students observing Ramadan this year, finals week entails an added challenge - strict fasting from sunrise to sunset. For the first time in about a decade, the 30-day-long Islamic holiday of Ramadan includes the last week of classes and finals.
Mike Pompeo, U.S. Secretary of State and former Kansas congressman from Wichita, spoke with The Sunflower and several other student publications Monday - addressing public-private partnerships in higher education, immigration, and the role of student media in our democracy. Pompeo, who was in Overland Park for the Global Entrepreneurship Summit with the Dutch trade secretary,...