http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/wisconsin/eau-claire-county/ Eau Claire County, WI News http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/wisconsin/eau-claire-county/content/4850634e1dbe91d86f9971c80e3c84c1.html Daniel and Sharon Anderson are attached to the little church they rent on Fay Street They can't imagine setting up their ministry anywhere elseThat's why when the owner of the building Bernice Lehew decided she was ready to sell the Andersons went into moneyraising modeThe rub: With a congregation of less than 100 most of whom are black men just out of jail or prison with little expendable money the fundraising efforts have fallen flat And even though someone else put an offer in on the church this week the black minister and his wife can't give up on the church they've worked so hard to fill They still have hopes of putting in a counteroffer and purchasing the church they've grown to loveFollowing God's leadThe Andersons who relate most closely to the Apostolic faith in which they believe in firstcentury Christianity are from Florida and lived there until missionary work brought them to Wisconsin in 2001 Initially they thought they would work to start a congregation in the Milwaukee area but they were drawn to the north on Interstate 94 We passed Milwaukee and saw signs for Eau Claire said the Rev Daniel Anderson But it wasn't an easy transition for the entire family Daniel Sharon and their six kidsThere are no black people here Sharon joked No There are some black people here a small congregationTheir goal was to lead the congregation until a permanent pastor could take over In 2002 the family moved back to Plant City Fla Most members of the Anderson family had grown homesick except for Daniel and Sharon My wife asked me if we got the opportunity could we please move back to Eau Claire Daniel said Sharon said she wanted to wait until the children got a little older before moving back to the area so they were not uprooted too much while attending schoolIn 2006 the Andersons again made the journey to Eau Claire this time in an attempt to start their own congregationDaniel not knowing where to turn once he got here connected with Tom Herro senior chaplain of The Good News Jail and Prison Ministry in Eau Claire Herro was happy to helpHe contacted me in June of 2007 and we gave him some training Herro said He's been doing oneonone biblical counseling He comes in to the Eau Claire County Jail a couple times a week to work with inmatesHerro said he put Daniel in touch with Bernice Lehew owner of the church on Fay Street She has been involved in the jail and prison ministry Herro saidLehew interviewed Daniel and began renting the church building a year ago The Andersons named their ministry Walk In The Light Church and welcome all races and ages although they admit the majority of the congregation is black Unfortunately now Lehew is ready to sell the building Daniel suggested a landcontract deal where the purchase price would be paid in installments directly to Lehew But she said Thursday that wouldn't work I am 86 years old I can't handle the responsibility anymore she said A church's pastLehew said the house that she lives in at 918 Fay St next to the church was built in the 1930s and the church is even older than the house When she and her husband Clifford moved to Fay Street in 1970 the church and house were perfect for them Three years earlier Clifford LeHew became a pastor and was eager to preach in the small church The LeHews bought it from the Evangelical Church Alliance in St Paul We weren't affiliated with any denomination at all we just started the work of the Lord LeHew saidWhen Clifford LeHew died in 1996 Bernice began renting the church to people who were interested in starting their own congregationIt was a place to start their work she said When they got big enough they would find a new place to buyUnfortunately Daniel and Sharon Anderson are not quite there yet They need more time in the church and more time to raise money More unfortunate yet is that Lehew is eager to sell And even though she appreciates the Andersons she is determined to sell the church to anyone who will pay the priceI would like to see the Andersons buy it but I can't prolong the sale she said I can't turn someone down who is willing to pay If another group is interested in it I would take the first bidAll the Andersons can do now is hope for a miracleWe don't know what else to do Sharon Anderson said The church belongs to us Our hearts and our hopes are set at that locationDaniel said they have several men who have gotten out of jail who are now going to church there and turning their lives around They're actually coming to church This is something we just do not want to end Sharon Anderson said We will not stop Daniel Anderson said God is the captain of this ship http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/wisconsin/eau-claire-county/content/a1851b5b7ba18b7aa899dda499f6362f.html A group that wants to significantly reduce growth in the Eau Claire County Jail population is scheduled to meet Thursday night http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/wisconsin/eau-claire-county/content/0c38d9ab3d3f9bbb90a54142cca02df6.html A Fall Creek High School student will spend a year on probation for threatening to turn his school into another Columbine Seventeenyearold Dylan Henning pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct Monday in Eau Claire County Court http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/wisconsin/eau-claire-county/content/f184c2913ba5705f833e86de14d81d45.html A special jail committee is proposing that any construction be based on the incarcerated population growing only as fast as Eau Claire County's general populaceBy approving a jail inmate growth rate of just 1 percent per year the committee hopes it will pressure county officials and the justice system to use more alternatives to incarceration That 1 percent growth rate is less than prior projections made by consultants and the trend indicated by recent actual jail numbersThat's the risk we're taking said Will Fantle vice chairman of the Special Committee to Resolve Jail Space and Site NeedsTwo prior studies of the jail done by consultants The Durrant Group and Venture Architects proposed annual increases of 25 percent to 34 percent respectively to the population in the secure cellblocks not including those on work releaseWhile the jail population has grown by about 3 percent or more in recent years Fantle said the county's entire population is increasing only by about 1 percent annuallyThat's not sustainable forever or else we'd all be in jail in the future he saidThe County Board allocated 200000 in its 2009 budget to pay for new programs to divert offenders from jail Fantle notedJail Administrator Dan Bresina said he's OK with the 1 percent growth figure but only if a jail is built with large enough booking cooking holding cells and other core spaces to accommodate future additionsThe committee ultimately is headed toward a building project but Fantle said it has not yet decided if it will be a remodeling addition or new buildingBefore discussing a new building Fantle said he's interested in a presentation from Ayres Associates on the structural capabilities of the current courthouse and potential for remodeling the jailIn its meeting two weeks ago the committee heard from La Crosse County Administrator Steve O'Malley on his experiences closing a Huber Work Release Center three years ago in favor of electronic monitoring and day reporting programs However space from the former work release center now is being razed for a 30 million addition to the jailTheir demand on the secure side of the fence continues to grow Eau Claire County Administrator J Thomas McCarty saidThough alternatives to incarceration programs can decrease the number of work release inmates McCarty said they are unlikely to curb the amount of inmates spending their days in jail In addition the increasing population and potential changes to law resulting in more jail time for criminals are two ways the county cannot control rising jail numbers he saidWhile the county will do everything it can to develop alternatives McCarty said that doesn't change the fact that something has to be done with the current jailOur jail has severe structural issues that have to be rectified he said mentioning problems with safety and security small booking and holding areas and aging infrastructureIn August the county's plan to build a 591 million jail were stopped when a landowner petition prevented the land east of the courthouse to be rezoned for the new facilityThe special committee began meeting in late September and is charged with making a recommendation on the jail to the County Board in midJanuaryDowd can be reached at 8339204 8002367077 or andrewdowdecpccom http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/wisconsin/eau-claire-county/content/cbc8e0e839a6f897421ada5dbc66ed36.html A Fall Creek High School student who authorities say threatened to turn the school into another Columbine High just before next spring's graduation will spend a year on probationDylan J Henning 17 1832 11th St pleaded no contest Monday in Eau Claire County Court to a misdemeanor count of disorderly conductHenning was fined 80 and given the option of spending five days in jail or performing 40 hours of community serviceAs conditions of probation Henning cannot possess firearms and have no contact with Fall Creek High School except online or at his home with facultyJudge Lisa Stark gave Henning a 9 pm curfew unless it conflicts with employment He must write a letter of apology to the school district and seek any counseling required by his probation agentHenning's record will be expunged if he successfully completes probationAccording to the criminal complaint:Henning made the threats Oct 16 in front of other students at the schoolOne student told police Henning said he was going to take out the principal and the dean of studentsHenning told police the Columbine thing was a joke and that he didn't mean what he saidAn officer told Henning that students and school staff were concerned about the threatHenning said he made the comments because he was having problems and didn't like the way he was being treated at school http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/wisconsin/eau-claire-county/content/d5ee305c9e7ef15ed9106046aaa6e7ad.html A significantly smaller projection for prisoner population growth over the next 30 years will a key item of discussion when Eau Claire County's Committee to Resolve Jail Space and Site Needs meets ThursdayThe latest projection plans to limit the growth in jail population to 1 percent per year significantly less than the 6 percent per year increase Eau Claire County has experienced over the last decade or more according to Mel Erickson of the county's Department of Planning and Development The adopted projection will be used to plan the size of the future jail To reach that reduced figure the county will have to aggressively implement alternative to incarceration programsAlso Thursday the committee will discuss jail siting criteria Discussion and adoption of siting criteria is expected to continue into the next committee meeting giving the committee and the public an opportunity to consider criteria between meetingsTo promote public participation in the jail planning process a 15 minute comment period is provided at the start of each committee meetingColleen Bates chairwoman of the committee and Will Fantle committee vice chairman will hold a press conference at noon Wednesday at the county courthouse to review the progress of the committee discuss important issues on the agenda for the Thursday meeting and review a time line for future jail planning decisions http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/wisconsin/eau-claire-county/content/5e6b2a73ad0b6a4edfb23fed7dfb9dcd.html Confined to Luther Hospital since last week a 65yearold Eau Claire man with active infectious tuberculosis will remain there until he no longer is a threat to public healthEau Claire County Judge Benjamin Proctor on Monday granted a petition from Eau Claire CityCounty Health Department Director Richard Thoune for the courtordered confinement of Karl Pha 3212 Gary Lane who was diagnosed with the disease in AugustBecause Pha refused to take his tuberculosis medication as prescribed Thoune out of concern for the health of the man's family and the general public issued a temporary order Wednesday confining Pha to Luther HospitalTuberculosis is a bacterial disease that usually attacks the lungs but can attack any part of the body according to the Centers for Disease Control If not treated properly TB can be fatalProctor approved the temporary detention and the monitoring of the man's other conditions chronic renal failure diabetes and a liver transplant which complicate his treatmentProctor ruled after hearing from a public health nurse Pha's doctor and Pha who participated in the hearing by telephone from Luther HospitalI'm satisfied that his chances of recovery are better in confinement but the main basis for my decision to order this temporary confinement is because continued nontreatment or inconsistent treatment may increase his infectiousness Proctor saidSince his diagnosis Pha has started and stopped treatment several timesHis confinement will be reviewed in 30 days but may last up to six months before a formal court hearing Proctor saidDuring the court hearing Pha through his son who translated for him said he is willing to take anything to keep him aliveHowever Pha complained of side effects from medication including severe itching and expressed concern for the care of his family while he is confined for treatment Pha and his wife have five children ranging in age from 8 months to 16Proctor ordered officials from the Eau Claire CityCounty Health and Eau Claire County Human Services departments to sit down with Hmong leaders and Pha's family to work out a plan to meet the family's needs while he is confinedDr Robert Noyce an infectious disease physician at Luther Midelfort said it could be two to four weeks before Pha is no longer infectious However because of Pha's transplant medication and his multiple health problems it'll likely be longer Noyce saidO'Brien can be reached at 8305838 8002367077 or christenaobrienecpccom http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/wisconsin/eau-claire-county/content/db351477ef2631c810e79ac717776d1e.html An Eau Claire man convicted by a jury in January of sexually assaulting an 85yearold woman with dementia will not be granted a new trial based on the performance of his former attorneyEau Claire County Judge William Gabler ruled Monday morning that Bradley S Gallentine 50 1118 N Eddy St could not blame his former attorney John Bachman for the jury's guilty verdictMr Bachman did what he could do when crossexamining an eyewitness and scrutinizing the significance of incomplete DNA evidence Gabler saidGallentine's current attorney Jay Heit argued that Bachman did not try to suppress inconclusive testimony from an eyewitness or get weak DNA evidence excluded Heit claimed the vague information shown to a jury implied Gallentine was definitively identified at the exact scene of the crimeThat just throws a cloud over the whole proceeding Heit saidHowever Assistant District Attorney Meri Larson said the DNA evidence was used just to prove that a man had sexual contact with the victim While it did not specify it was Gallentine it did not exclude him Larson added that multiple witnesses not just the one in question were used to connect Gallentine to the crimeWhen you put all the evidence together it was a very strong case Larson saidGallentine began serving a fouryear prison sentence in March for this crimeIn an unrelated case a jury found Gallentine guilty in July of repeatedly sexually assaulting a girl who was 4 at the time Judge Michael Schumacher ordered a sevenyear prison sentence begin after Gallentine finishes his time for assaulting the 85yearold woman