1st Place: Smoking ban
2nd Place: Jail expansion
3rd Place: Bon Iver

Have you heard? The hottest topic of local conversation in the last year has folks fired up. Eau Claire’s recent smoking ban graced the lips of locals more than any other topic this year. Before it affected last July, heated discussions on the rights of bar owners and their patrons occurred nightly, over frantically smoked cigarettes. If you’re still yearning to express your views, the smoking debates have reconvened on Water Street sidewalks. Advancements on the jail expansion plan, like Eau Claire County’s purchase of riverfront properties, sparked equally heated dialogue. Petitioners against the jail expansion combed the city for support, bringing the years-old issue directly into daily life. Unlike the smoking ban, all that yakking did make a difference on the jail issue, which is now being reconsidered. Music quells the intensity of these topics, as indie sensation Bon Iver gained notoriety on its last two international tours. The Eau Claire band became the object of much gab and local pride. No surprise, really that the Chippewa Valley can’t get enough. How often is a Midwestern, flannel-wearing man on Late Night with Conan O’Brien? – Carrie A. Weiss