News

Earlier this month, the Oneida County Board went through a 10 hour session to determine whether Veteran Service Officer Tammy Walters should be dismissed. Following the marathon session, Walters was not dismissed for  eight allegations, but will face possible discipline on two of them.
But the lingering effects of that tension-filled day came to the surface again Tuesday when the board met in regular session. The board considered a new pay grade for the county lawyer and Human Resources Director, as recommended by a study done last year.

It’s common to find artwork created by children in the schools, but how often do students have the chance to create music? As Emily Bright found out, a program at the SOAR Charter School in Land O’Lakes allows students to do just that.The SOAR charter school is one of four schools in the country to take part in Very Young Composers, a week-long program that offers middle school students the chance to compose their own music. Students pair with local professional musicians. Northland Pines Band Director Forrest Mann says no formal music training is required. 

An arts organization in Land O’Lakes is planning some renovations.

After purchasing the building it’s been housed in, Land O Lakes Area Artisans or LOLA is revamping its classroom space, called the Sandra Hardy Brown Classroom.

Spokesperson Beth Brown Anderson explains that classroom was formerly a coffee shop, so their first project is to renovate it this spring to be more flexible. 

“So we are opening it up, and we are putting in storage and lighting.  So that it can do everything from cooking classes to watercolor, to you name it.” 

A Minocqua man has died in a town of Newbold snowmobile crash.

The Oneida County Sheriff's Department reports last Wednesday they investigated a snowmobile crash near Highway 70. The caller told the dispatcher the man was injured on the trail and his snowmobile was in the woods.

The operator of the snowmobile, 45 year old Jesse Wiesendanger of Minocqua, died Monday from injuries sustained in the crash. The Sheriff's Department says it appears alcohol was a factor in the crash.

A woman attacked by her former husband on Sutliff Avenue in Rhinelander has now been charged as party to the death of her uncle in 2003.  

Latoya Wolf made an initial appearance in court Tuesday.

In 2003, Kenneth Wells' body was found in the the Wisconsin River. Wells death was labeled as a drowning and the manner of death undetermined.

But as Rhinelander Police Chief Mike Steffes explains, new information has come forward.

Veterans living in rural areas should have a slightly easier time getting health care, thanks to a new initiative called the Veterans Choice Card. 

Veterans can use the card to access non-VA health care providers if they live more than 40 miles from a VA health facility, or if they can’t get a desired appointment within 30 days. 

Spokesperson Brad Nelson says the cards are being mailed to everyone enrolled with the Veterans Administration, but not everyone can qualifies to use it. 

Later this month, volunteers in the Northwoods will join a statewide effort to find out how many people here are homeless.

The Northern Wisconsin Initiative To Stop Homelessness Continuum of Care's Lori Hallas says they will be checking persons in shelters,  under bridges or other locations...

"....we have teams that will be going out in the areas of Crandon, Antigo, Eagle River, Minocqua and Rhinelander, just to see if there's anyone on the street..."

Oneida County authorities say a snowmobiler escaped serious injuries in a collision with a car.  The crash happened in the Town of Pelican, southeast of Rhinelander, about 1:20 Sunday afternoon.  

Lieutenant Terri Hook says the snowmobiler failed to stop at a stop sign and was hit at low impact by a homeowner backing out of the driveway.  

The snowmobiler was cited for failing to stop.  The rider’s name wasn’t released.
The person had injuries which were not life-threatening and was taken to a hospital for treatment.

December wasn’t a great month for home sales in northern Wisconsin, but the region still managed to exceed its total sales volume from the previous year. 

Sales in northern Wisconsin dropped by more than 7 percent in December compared to that month in 2013.  But this part of the state came out ahead when looking at the year as a whole, with sales up about one percent according to the Wisconsin Realtors Association. 

Those gains are the strongest of any region in Wisconsin.

Rhinelander will be home to northern Wisconsin’s only workers’ rights center after Monday.

The Northern Wisconsin Center for Working People opens today in the ArtStart building downtown.

President Jackie Cody says workers need advocates and access to information throughout the state, not just in cities.