Eau Claire

Eaux Claires, the music festival, returned to Wisconsin after an eight-year hiatus. Organizers, including Bon Iver frontman Justin Vernon, pulled together national artists, some with deep ties to the Chippewa Valley.

Participatory budgeting started in Porto Alegre, Brazil and has expanded to cities such as Chicago and Seattle. But what does it look like in practice? Eau Claire is the first city in Wisconsin to incorporate participatory budgeting.

If these have seemed like stressful times, relief – according to a recent study – could be found nearby. Wisconsin was the only state in the country with…