Arts & Life

A group hoping to end the prison system's use of prolonged solitary confinement says the practice amounts to a form of torture.

Seven years ago, the National Religious Campaign Against Torture formed to try to end the government's use of torture in places like Iraq and Cuba. President Linda Gustitus

says the increasing use of solitary confinement in U.S. prisons leads to more problems and is becoming a costly way for budget-strapped governments to house prisoners.

Gustitus says the practice is common here..

WXPR’s Annual Fall Concert and Auction will be held Sunday, November 3rd at Holiday Acres Resort in Rhinelander.

Items from area merchants and galleries will be on display starting at 3:00 pm. At 4:00 pm the live auction and music with Jazz violinist Randy Sabien begins.

The Friends of Wabeno recently assembled a 10-year plan to revitalize the Forest county community, hit hard by weather and tough economic times.

Mary Beck is chair of the group which began in April with the idea of restoring some of the landmarks...

"...we've had a lot of misfortune over the last two years...some of our icons have been damaged...our Wabeno Bandshell...our Larry the Logroller mascot...many of the large pine trees that surrounded our Logging Museum area..."

40,000 visitors are expected this weekend in Crandon as the World Championship Off-Road Races are held.

Off-Road racing's top drivers come for a winner take all $40,000 championship on Sunday. But for Forest county, this is a big economic boost.

Forest County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Melinda Otto says they had a large turnout Friday for the annual parade downtown. But she says all the visitors spend a lot of money...

Teams of couch potato enthusiasts will race through downtown Rhinelander in the YMCA of the Northwoods' inaugural Couch Potato Race. The event will be held in conjunction with Rhinelander's PotatoFest celebration August 31. Laurie Schlitt, the Y's Interim CEO said there are 10 teams entered. WXPR is one of them.

A conversation with writer and storyteller Bill Jamerson, who will be performing in the Northwoods this weekend with a show about the Civillian Conservation Corps. 

WXPR Contributor Bill Wilkinson gave him a call to find out more about the colorful history of the CCC in northern Wisconsin.

Hear more of our conversation with Bill Jamerson:

Jamerson will perform his show “Dollar a Day Boys” at the Phelps Historical Museum Open House: Sunday September 1st in downtown Phelps.

Each summer Rhinelander gets hit with what amounts to an explosion of creativity: School of the Arts Rhinelander sets up camp for five days in a local middle school, and holds a slew of art classes for adults.  2013 marked the program's 50th anniversary.

Even though more than half of the 150 students enrolled in School of the Arts are newcomers, it’s not hard to spot the longtime attendees.  They’re wearing nametags with colored ribbons to indicate their veteran status. Lee Densmore sports a tag marking 15 years.  He’s here for a poetry class.

Your electronic waste could help build housing for the poor.

Kiwanis Club of greater Merrill and Good News Project of Wausau are holding a computer and electronics recycling event this weekend at the Lincoln County Fairgrounds.