Leader-Telegram: Offbeat

Recent Offbeat Stories

Dan Lyksett

60-year-old headlines give sense of déjà vu
Even casual observers of the price of gasoline in the Eau Claire metro area would not be surprised to read the following statement in a newspa…
- Updated: February 18
- Comments (0)
Christena O’Brien

Effort under way to get Altoona's K-9 officer a bigger ride
Charlie, the Altoona Police Department's first four-legged officer, has outgrown the squad car he and his human partner - Officer Matt McCoy -…
- Updated: February 15
- Comments (0)
Julian Emerson

Daughter's involvement in dance teaches dad a few lessons
When she was 7 months old, my younger daughter, Emily, learned to walk. Soon after, it seems, she began to dance.
- posted: February 11
- Comments (0)
Tom Giffey

Letters to editor keep coming in big batches
"Don't let the VOPs get you down." Those were among the parting words offered to me by our managing editor when he left the Leader-Telegram ba…
- Updated: February 04
- Comments (0)
Eric Lindquist

Off Beat: Hoops schedule pulls fans in two directions
Maybe it's the American way: Why pick one or the other when you can have it all?
- posted: January 29
- Comments (0)
Dan Lyksett

Planting practices key for corn
Big trouble, they told me. The soil organism called Bacillus thuringiensis was one of the few natural insecticides that organic farmers have i…
- Updated: January 23
- Comments (0)
Christena O’Brien

Hill-jumping tragedy forces teacher to relive his brush with death
Drew Semingson didn't realize how lucky he was until after last month's hill-jumping crash in Eau Claire County that killed three teens from t…
- posted: January 18
- Comments (1)
Julian Emerson

Eau Claire grade school holds hands high for late classmate
It's a simple gesture, forefinger and pinkie in the air, thumb to the side and the middle two fingers bent toward the palm.
- Updated: January 15
- Comments (0)
Liam Marlaire

Business startups rising in region, Wisconsin
Considering the turbulent economy and facing a fifth year of college, Gillian Mackenzie Holsinger decided it was time to step up and start her…
- posted: January 11
- Comments (1)
Tom Giffey

Vernon a humble, elusive local celebrity
Musician Justin Vernon may be the Chippewa Valley's most talked-about resident, but he's also one of its most elusive.
- posted: January 07
- Comments (0)
Eric Lindquist

New Year's resolutions focus on Pack, backers
It's that time of year when many of us resolve to take better care of ourselves by exercising more and eating less.
- posted: December 31
- Comments (0)
Dan Lyksett

Pondering personal top stories of 2011
The front page of today's Leader-Telegram features our newsroom's notion of the area's top 10 stories of 2011.
- posted: December 24
- Comments (0)
Christena O’Brien

Mondovi couple's outdoor holiday display a decadeslong effort
MONDOVI - For Marjorie and Marvin Heck, Christmas is about two things - family and the birth of Jesus Christ. Each holiday season the couple i…
- Updated: December 22
- Comments (0)
Julian Emerson

My Mondovi memories
Thunk.

The well-worn basketball bounced off of the front rim, then hit the ground and rolled slowly back toward me.
- posted: December 17
- Comments (1)
Liam Marlaire

Scrooge, stay away: We're No. 1 in holiday spirit
The standard has been set; the bar has been raised.
- posted: December 15
- Comments (0)
Tom Giffey

Off Beat: Diversity can mean the opposite of division
Christmas is but two weeks away, and for me that means one very important thing: fruitcake. I plan on spending this weekend up to my elbows in…
- posted: December 10
- Comments (0)
Eric Lindquist

Chippewa Valley efforts benefit Nicaraguan youth
The children's smiles were almost as broad as the line was long when a shipment of sought-after goods arrived recently in a poor Nicaraguan vi…
- posted: December 03
- Comments (0)
Dan Lyksett

After surviving a baseball-sized brain tumor, a local man is ... Giving thanks every day
For most of us, Thanksgiving the holiday is past, the turkey gone or dwelling in leftover land as soup or sandwich meat, the relatives scatter…
- posted: November 27
- Comments (0)
Christena O’Brien

Local procedure has baby, mom breathing easier
Kim and Nick Stary of Chippewa Falls have something more to be thankful for today. Their nearly 5-month-old daughter, Clark, is breathing easi…
- Updated: November 23
- Comments (0)
Julian Emerson

Off Beat: Friend had big beard, bigger heart
I knew as soon as I saw him.
- Updated: November 22
- Comments (0)

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Profiles

Julian Emerson

Julian Emerson is the Leader-Telegram’s Assistant Local News Editor. He enjoys uncovering the news behind the news.

Dan Lyksett

Dan is the Leader-Telegram's online new editor who comments on things online, on the street and on his mind.

Liam Marlaire

Liam Marlaire is the Leader-Telegram business editor.

Tom Giffey

Tom Giffey is the Leader-Telegram’s editorial page editor, and writes frequently about politics -- from the county courthouse to the White House – and anything else that strikes his fancy, including the local music scene, pet ownership and his Twitter addiction.

Eric Lindquist

Eric Lindquist is the Leader-Telegram’s special projects editor, meaning he doesn’t have a traditional newspaper beat and thus making anything fair game for commentary in his Off Beat columns.