We have breaking news out of Chippewa Falls. Several people are without jobs as we learned the Ford dealership on Highway 53 closed its doors today.

A Ford spokeswoman confirmed for us that effective today, Chippewa Ford Lincoln Mercury resigned its dealership status, effectively shutting it down.

The dealership would not comment on the closing, and Ford could not tell us how many employees are affected. Ford says the dealership will not take new business, but will continue to answer phone calls regarding where current customers can get service on their cars.

We spoke with someone in a management position who tells us this was not the dealership owner's choice, that it is part of a national Ford dealership closing called rightsizing. This means a company gets down to an employee force the deem "right". Our contact at the dealership says this is because Ford's National Market Share fell from a 27 to a 17 and will be closing 600 dealerships nationwide.

Former employees tell us there was a rumor floating around all morning that something big may happen but didn't expect 30 to 40 employees to be sent home. They say they were addressed by the dealership owner and representatives from Ford's corporate office and were told the dealership was closing and were being sent home. They say they received a severance package equal to about one pay check.