Bridge Collapse 

At approximately 8 a.m. on Saturday, March 23, officers were advised that a university grounds vehicle had fallen through the Putnam Drive bridge. This is the wooden bridge that connects Putnam Drive to the Phillips Lot. 

The responding officer was met by a UW-Eau Claire employee who explained he was salting the bridge for the upcoming snowstorm when he felt his vehicle, a Kubota, starting to slip.

When he exited the vehicle, the employee noticed it had fallen through the planks on the bridge. The employee said this happened around 6:30 a.m. and he was not hurt during the incident. 

Big Rig Towing, who was already on scene when the officer arrived, towed the vehicle at 9:38 a.m. and the officer noted damages to the bridge before placing caution tape on both ends to prevent pedestrian or vehicular traffic until the bridge’s repair. 

Odors in Towers Hall North

At approximately 6:20 p.m. on March 24, an officer was dispatched to the seventh floor of Towers Hall North about a drug incident. A complaint had been made because of the observed odor of marijuana near the men’s wing.

The officer made contact with an employee at the Towers front desk who told the officer that at 6:18 p.m. he had stepped off the elevator on the seventh floor of Towers North and noticed the marijuana smell. 

He said the smell was concentrated by the elevator lobby and the men’s wing and reported it to a Resident Assistant. The RA told the officer he had not been able to pinpoint the smell to a specific room. 

The officer asked if this floor had a drug history before investigating the matter and it was confirmed that the smell of marijuana had been detected on this floor in the past.

After arriving on the seventh floor, the officer checked the hallway and bathroom area for any odors. They also smelled around multiple door frames closer to the elevator lobby and were unable to detect any smells.

The officer traveled to the women’s wing and study lounge to check out the matter. After inspection, no smell was detected and the officer cleared the seventh floor. 

Elevator Malfunction 

At approximately 1:17 p.m. on Thursday, March 21, an officer was dispatched to the McPhee Physical Education Center for an elevator malfunction call. The officer was advised the emergency button had been activated but no voices were heard from the call. 

When the officer arrived on the scene, they first checked the elevator near the northernmost entrance of the McPhee Center. They pressed the call button for the elevator and could hear the elevator car move to their floor. There was no one on the elevator at the time. 

The officer then went to the Olson Addition of McPhee and called the elevator, located at the indoor track area of the building. The elevator arrived with no issues, and the officer rode the elevator and confirmed it was in proper working order before clearing the scene. 

Moris can be reached at [email protected].