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This is your WFHR Daily News Roundup for locally grown radio 97.5 FM and 13.20 AM
and West Country 105.5 FM WIRI in Wisconsin Rapids.
For WFHR and WIRI News, I'm Melissa K.
Not only the sports world, but the entire state of Wisconsin is in mourning today.
Here's Lisa Hale.
We lost a true Wisconsin original.
Bob Euker has died.
The Milwaukee Brewers made the announcement yesterday morning.
After his career on the field for baseball, he became the voice of the crew back in 1971.
Euker was on the tonight show with Johnny Carson more than 100 times.
It was Carson who nicknamed him Mr. Baseball.
And he took that persona and nicknamed to the big screen when he started the movie Major League.
Euker had been battling lung cancer since 2023.
He was 90 years old.
With the dangerous cold spilling into the state this weekend, it's important to keep an eye on those pipes to make sure they don't burst.
Brittany Merlot has more.
One mistake people make is not having the heat high enough in your house.
The thermostat needs to be set in the mid-60s, at least, and even when you're not home.
Crews during the past cold snap are running at full capacity with pipes already breaking.
So it's important to be prepared.
Close gaps around doors and windows don't let drafts in.
Experts suggest pipe insulation or foam, and let small drops of water drip from your faucet.
It helps reduce the pressure and helps prevent freezing pipes.
And if you do wind up with the frozen pipe, shut the water off and thaw it out.
Space heaters aren't efficient, but it's important to use them safely and to make sure that they're monitored and away from flammable materials.
The cold temperatures will also affect outdoor activities.
Bruce Mound in Clark County will be closed on Sunday due to the bitter cold temperatures in the forecast.
The Portage County Sheriff's Office is warning of the dangerous cold starting this weekend.
They recommend staying inside when possible and knowing the signs and symptoms of hypothermia.
Students and staff and atoms have an unexpected day off school today, but many of them won't likely be enjoying it.
The atoms friendship area school district canceled school for Friday because of widespread illnesses amongst students and staff.
An increase in absences prompted this necessary yet inconvenient decision.
The district apologizes for any difficulty this temporary closure may cause.
There's a new plan to improve community health in Wood County.
Healthy people Wood County is launching the new community health improvement plan.
A coalition of our local health organizations, community residents, nonprofits, businesses and public officials are partnering together to implement this plan.
It is intended as a roadmap for improving the health of Wood County residents over the next three years by addressing health issues identified by community members in the 2024 Community Health Assessment.
These health issues include addressing mental health, substance use, housing, transportation, access to care and financial security.
You can find out more and get involved by visiting healthypeoplewoodcounty.org.
The Meryl ice drags are back. Brittany Merlot has the story.
After no races last year, competitors and fans patients will finally pay off.
With over a dozen cars expected to compete this weekend, tires studded with nails, you'll be surprised how fast they can go.
In celebrating 60 years of history, it roars attention on the town.
The season kicks off tomorrow and continues every Saturday through the middle of February.
A popular flight route from Central Wisconsin Airport to Chicago is set to expand as American Airlines brings in larger planes.
Adding about 15 seats per flight could lower ticket prices. Also changing, air Wisconsin will no longer fly from CWA.
Instead, they'll have Envoy and Piedmont.
I'm Melissa K for WFHR and WIRI News.
The Packers fire a coach.
Hi, I'm Mike Clemens with Sports NFL.
Although the Packers' defense improved the past year, there's been criticism they didn't put enough pressure on quarterbacks.
Defensive line coach Jason Rivavic.
Fired after three years in Green Bay.
Meanwhile, defensive back Jair Alexander has missed nearly half the games the past two seasons due to injury.
GM Brian Goodakensast will Jair be back.
They were at the beginning stages of just kind of gathering information as a whole, you know, before we started looking at next year and how we're going to play this thing out.
And Bob Euker has died after a two-year battle with lung cancer. Euker would have been 91 next Saturday.
You know, he beat pancreatic cancer, which nobody beats.
But he had another cancer now.
And he did the job right to the end, which is extraordinary.
And I kept trying to tell him to slow down.
There were days he would go have radiation treatment and come to the ballpark and broadcast the game. It's unbelievable.
That's Brewer's owner, Mark Antanasio, who is sports on Mike Clemens.
On your entertainment beat, I'm Peach Schwabba.
Stand up comic Bill Burr shared opinions on the catastrophic LA fires during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, like only Bill Burr can.
After saying he was tired of people on the internet sitting at home in their underwear, suddenly becoming fire experts, Burr attacked insurance companies,
saying they will keep the people's premiums and give themselves bonuses, insinuating that they are the actual looters.
John Cena's likability is off the charts with John Cena fans.
The sometime actor, sometime wrestler, will host a new talk series.
Variety reports that Cena will host a four-episode talker called What Drives You.
And will interview guests like Logan Paul, Jelly Roll, and Travis Barker in their favorite cars.
This is a really original idea that was even more original when Jerry Seinfeld came up with it.
What drives you will air January 21st on the Roku channel.
Malcolm in the middle is putting the band back together.
The crazy popular show that premiered in 2000 is ready for a reboot.
Brian Cranston and Jane Kazmeric will return as well as series creator and head writer Lin Wood Boomer.
Frankie Munez also returns as Malcolm, who is now almost 40.
During the show's 151 episode run, it pulled 33 Emmy nominations.
Disney announced they will make four episodes to start.
In, oh my gosh, it's been a few weeks since Taylor Swift has made news news, she is being a supportive girlfriend.
Travis Kelsey has decided to continue his NFL career despite falling stat lines.
And Taylor Swift says she fully supports his decision.
That's the story.
So much folks, but a little Taylor Swift news is less depressing than other news happening around the world.
Rumors are flying again that the goonies will have a sequel 40 years after its initial release.
The cast has been back and forth on said rumors, which were also in the news last September.
The original goonies said they had heard nothing concrete in regard to a remake or sequel.
The goonies follows a group of kids in a seaside town in Oregon who try to prevent developers from taking over their neighborhood.
Not sure if they will have the same mission 40 years later in the remake, but they will certainly be less cute.
Sticking with long overdue, 1980s sequels, the Gremlins franchise will have a new chapter.
Deadline.com says Warner Brothers has confirmed there will be a new film.
Christopher Columbus, director of the original Gremlins, is on board, but it is unclear in what capacity.
Fun fact, it was due to some of the violent scenes in Gremlins that Hollywood created the PG-13 rating.
For more showbiz fun, tune in to Nightlight with me, Peach Wabba, weeknights from 6 to 8 p.m. on the Civic Media radio network.
Mostly cloudy and windy, but it will be warmer today with highs of the upper 30s to near 40.
We could catch a little bit of light rain, maybe a sprinkle or a flurry here by later this afternoon.
Tonight, it's going to get much colder. It'll be windy in the single digits tomorrow.
Partly cloudy, windy with a high near 10.
I'm meteorologist Sean Cable. Right now, it's 31!
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