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This is your WFHR Daily News Roundup for locally grown radio 97.5 FM and 13.20 AM
West Country 105.5 FMWRI in Wisconsin Rapids.
For WFHR and WRI News, I'm Brittany Merleau.
With long winters in Wisconsin, it's not uncommon to hibernate and feel down.
The American Psychiatric Association says that about 5% of Americans experience a form of depression,
known as seasonal affective disorder, called sad.
People with sad tend to have feelings of hopelessness and decreased motivation to take part in activities that they usually enjoy.
Even those who don't technically meet the threshold for this disorder, may see spikes in anxiety and depressive symptoms.
In fact, some scientists suggest that more than 40% of Americans have these sad symptoms to some degree in the winter.
Just like some animals in a state of dormancy to survive the harsh winters, there are similarities with us.
Sad, may have its roots in its ways, we've adapted to save energy at a time of year when food was scarce.
We typically gain weight. Research says that diets are their worst in the cold months,
or we generally slap on an additional 1 to 3 pounds.
Which sounds just like animals saving up food to store fat for hibernation, doesn't it?
And our bodies also slow down.
We tend to stay inside more, which leaves hardly any exposure to sunlight, bringing our bodies lower levels of serotonin,
which that plays a key role in our moods.
So take that walk outside on sunny days, or experts say to invest in light therapy.
Using a serotonin bulb is believed to regulate feelings of happiness and anxiety.
And health experts are warning Wisconsin residents that they expect to see a spike in respiratory viruses this winter.
Lisa Hale has more.
The state has already seen an elevated number of neurovirus and whooping cough cases this year,
but the flu rate has remained steady with the last year's numbers despite declining vaccination rates.
RSV cases are also low, but they're starting to increase.
Health officials say that especially after the holidays, respiratory viruses could see spikes
after residents traveled to see friends and family while remaining mostly indoors.
The 107th Wisconsin legislative session kicked off on Monday.
Six new state senators and 31 new state representatives were sworn in as Wisconsin legislatures
during the opening session of the 2025-26 Wisconsin legislature.
The Senate has 18 Republicans and 15 Democrats.
The Assembly has 54 Republicans and 45 Democrats.
While Republicans still hold the majority, the margin is much closer than it has been in decades,
meaning more bipartisan cooperation may be seen this session than in previous ones.
In the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced its awarding over $23 million to the state for 30 projects
through the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program, all to strengthen local food systems.
Nasonville, dairy cheese plant and marsh field currently processes 510 million pounds of milk per year
from 171 central Wisconsin farms.
Their new cold milk separator system funded by the infrastructure grant will allow them
to process an estimated 25 million more pounds of milk each year.
It's a five new value added products, including sweet cream.
And the Wisconsin Food Hub Cooperative in Wapaka will build out its existing warehouse and trucking fleet.
Optimizing distribution routes to collaborate with and link together sub-hub or smaller on farm
and tribal aggregation initiatives across the state.
This improvement will benefit an estimated 250 local and regional producers.
The improved aggregation infrastructure will be used to focus distribution efforts to distrust communities,
schools and early childhood educational programs, also smaller scale grocery and food service buyers.
And as old man winter still has a tight grip on us,
Wisconsinites may find themselves paying extra for electricity and heating.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources says there's ways to keep utility bills down.
They say to lower your thermostat when leaving the house and keep shades open during the day to allow sunlight in to heat the home.
I'm Britt Emerlough for WFHR and WIRI News.
Bucks basketball tonight.
Hi, I'm Mike Clemens with sports.
It's the Bucks and the San Antonio Spurs tonight at Pfizer form.
Head coach Doc River says Yannis and Teta Kupo continues to amaze him with his style of play.
Yannis athletic ability.
He's one dribble away from a dunk when he catches it on the elbow.
If you don't come, he's going to score.
If you do come, he's going to pass.
I think it's really helped him see the floor and that's been good for us.
College hoops number 7th rank Marquette down 14 points with a comeback win over Georgetown.
74 to 66.
The Golden Eels now 14 and 2.
College football Badgers defensive bag Xavier Lucas.
In a dispute with the team, Lucas wants to enter the transfer portal.
The university claims he signed an agreement to remain at Wisconsin.
The freshman is now hired a law firm based in Miami, Florida.
NFL, the Packers installing the game plan for Sunday's matchup against the Eagles.
What's the concern after losing back to back to the Vikings and then the Bears?
Trying to make sure that everyone's still together.
We should not have lost that game.
Clean slate.
I'm moving forward.
Offense, defense.
We get a chance to go to Philly and went on their turf.
That's the fact of the matter.
That's Packers tied in Tucker craft with sports on Mike Clemens.
On your entertainment beat, I'm Paige Schwabba.
Season 2 of HBO's The Last of Us is slated for an April release.
Sony Studios confirmed the news at the consumer electronics show in Las Vegas earlier this week,
speaking of video game adaptations.
During the same press conference, Sony revealed plans for another video game adaptation of Horizon Zero Dawn
with Columbia Pictures and Sony PlayStation.
There's no timeline yet associated with Zero Dawn and a specific date was not yet given for the April release of The Last of Us.
Paul Maskell says he has an injury to thank for landing his part in Gladiator 2.
Maskell says director Ridley Scott cast him because he thought he looked similar to Richard Harris,
who played Marcus Aurelius in the first Gladiator.
Maskell plays Lucius Aurelius, Marcus's grandson, and believes he got the part because of his crooked nose,
which he broke as a kid while playing Gaelic football.
That is lucky, but to be honest, most actors would break their own nose to get a role like that.
Demi Moore is getting rave reviews regarding her acceptance speech for her best actress Golden Globe.
More one for her role in the film The Substance.
She says the Golden Globe was the first award she had ever won for acting in her 45-year career.
The actress says she was at a low point in her career when what she called an absolutely bonkers script came across her desk.
She agreed to do the role and the rest is as they say history.
The holidays continue for Zendaya and Tom Holland.
The couple who have been dating since 2021 are reported to be engaged according to TMZ.
The couple shared the screen in three Spider-Man films but typically do not walk the red carpet together.
Holland says he was not with his fiancé at the Golden Globes so she could enjoy her moment.
Zendaya was nominated in the best actress category for the film Challengers.
I think they will each make a great first spouse.
The Golden Globes kicked off award season Sunday night.
It was good news for the entertainment world as ratings were up across the board, including broadcast TV, social media, and streaming.
Despite the fact that the Globes were up against Sunday Night Football.
Network TV reported that ratings were up 50% from the broadcast in 2023.
The ceremony also produced 40 million social media impressions, which were more than the 2024 Oscars and Grammys Head combined.
Streaming ratings were up 9%.
Post Malone performed with Beyoncé during the NFL halftime show on Christmas Day in Houston.
The night before he was hanging at a bar called the Raleighard with Shibuzi.
That was a fun sentence to say.
Malone met bartender Rene Brown, a single mom, upset that she was working Christmas Eve for the first time instead of home making cookies and watching Christmas movies with her 9-year-old daughter.
Her night picked up when Malone left her a $20,000 tip.
Being more than 15% is so gauche.
For more show of his fun, tune in to Nightlight with me.
Peach Wabo.
Weeknights from 6 to 8 p.m. on the Civic Media radio network.
Mostly cloudy today, although we will see a little sun trying to poke through this afternoon.
Our high and the mid to upper teens with wind out of the west at 5 to 15.
Tonight down to 5 above tomorrow.
Some some of the morning clouds in the afternoon, 23 with light snow tomorrow night.
Snow will be a dusting to around a half inch or less.
I'm meteorologist Sean Cable.
Temperature now 6!
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