News

A Manawa man has been bound over for trial in Oneida county on charges of human trafficking, child enticement and a sex charge.

43 year old Michael W. Johnson waived a preliminary hearing before Judge Michael Bloom.

The criminal complaint alleges Johnson brought a  17 year old female he had met on the Internet to Rhinelander   in February and March to have sex, some of which was allegedly in exchange for money. The complaint alleges the underage teen had sex numerous times with the adults.

The Rhinelander city council approved a retroactive pay increase for a public employee union that had taken the city to court.

Local 1226, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees had filed suit against the city last December claiming the city backed out of an agreement reached in 2012. The matter languished in Oneida County Circuit Court until earlier this month when sources say an agreement to drop the suit was reached. At that point, both sides began negotiating, and came to an agreement.

The Northern National art show opens next week at the Nicolet College gallery.  It features almost ninety works from artists around the country, including several from Wisconsin and the Northwoods.

Lac du Flambeau artist Christine Alfery says after moving to the Northwoods from Madison…she finds national shows like this one offer important exposure…and a chance to be inspired by other artists. 

The Rhinelander city council has accepted a grant that will continue the process to demolish and clean up the former Lindey Cleaners property in downtown Rhinelander.

On June 30, the city was notified by Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation they were awarded a Site Assessment Grant of just under $110,000.

Council member Mark Pelletier says the state said to get the grant, the city had to put up more matching money...

Wisconsin Public Service is flaring natural gas in Three Lakes this week to prepare for some pipeline maintenance.

WPS Spokesperson Leah Van Zile says some parts of the pipeline are being refitted to allow for easier maintenance, and the natural gas needs to be cleared out first. 

“Basically what we’re doing is we’ve taken the pressure down as low as we possibly can in that section of the pipeline, the remaining gas is purged out of that pipeline, and burned at the one valve in the Three Lakes area.”

Wisconsin's Lieutenant Governor stopped in Rhinelander Monday with money to expand the reach of broadband in the Northwoods.

Lt. Governor Rebecca Kleefisch and the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin Broadband Director  Tithi  Chattopadhyay presented three Northwoods high speed internet providers with grants to expand broadband fiber and wirless coverage.

The head of a state teacher's union is calling for an end to additional standardized tests.. she says... that put more pressure on students, teachers and schools and might be short-changing the kids.
Betsy Kippers is President of Wisconsin Education Association Council. During a break from a recent national meeting, Kippers says teachers are concerned with the push for what she calls "high stakes" mandated tests,  that she says are not helping...

Even with our cool summer, kids will want to head to the beach for some water fun.
Marta Koelling is a Community Health Specialist at the Oneida County Health Department.
She says freelance swimming is less safe than being in a designated swim area....

".....number one rule: make sure you're not diving or swimming in unfamiliar water. That can lead to come potential dangers there. Making sure you're swimming with a buddy, especially with children and inexperienced swimmers, making sure they are supervised at all times...."

A Presque Isle resident  has called upon others to help stop a possible change in Vilas county ATV policy.

In 2004, voters in Vilas county passed  by a 63 to 37 percent margin an advisory referendum not to allow ATV's on county roads and property. The county board followed up with a resolution affirming the advisory referendum.

A new way of combating invasive smelt is meeting with mixed success – literally – at the end of a two-year study.  The Crystal Lake Mixing Project was able to get rid of most of the smelt in Crystal Lake…but not all of it.

The mixing project began two years ago at the University of Wisconsin Madison’s Trout Lake Station.  Its main goal was to stir up the layers of Crystal Lake, warming the bottom and making it inhospitable for cold-water-loving smelt, which were harming native populations of walleye and yellow perch.