Oneida county

It's a busy few days for the Oneida County Sheriff's Department with tens of thousands of visitors coming to the Rhinelander area for the Hodag Country Festival.

Sheriff Grady Hartman says the department is staffed up this weekend...

"....most of our deputies end up working out there. A lot of them are on overtime, some of them are on straight time. We leave some of the deputies back to cover the calls in the county and transport if we get any prisoners back to the jail...."

Hartman says they plan for the extra staffing required...

The Oneida County Aquatic Invasive Species team is looking for volunteers to help out with the 3rd Annual AIS Bridge Snapshot Day. Volunteers will be working in teams to look for, and identify invasive species.

The event will be held Saturday, September 10th from 9am to 1pm. Snacks and beverages will also be available for volunteers.

A first grader and a high school senior will tell adults this Friday how the Fab Lab in Three Lakes can be used as a tool for economic development. The Oneida County Economic Development Corporation is holding it's annual meeting Friday at noon at Holiday Acres.  The group works to enhance current Oneida county business and develop new businesses.

After celebrating the New Year, reality returns this month as property owners start paying their local taxes.

Oneida County Treasurer Kris Ostermann says the you need to pay at least the first half of your bill you received in December by the end of January...

"....state law requires that even if you don't receive a tax bill, you are required to pay your taxes. It is up to you to find out what they are if you don't get a bill. Those payments need to be made to the town or the city..."

  The Wisconsin Wins tobacco compliance checks show the current rate of illegal tobacco sales have decreased in Oneida County. Wisconsin Wins reports the illegal sale rate is at nearly 15%; about a 4% decrease from last year at this time. Wisconsin Wins is a program designed to keep tobacco products out of the hands of youth through the enforcement of retailers. Coordinator Maria Skubal says the biggest mistake retailers make is misreading IDs.

The woman and man found dead in Oneida County were the mother and step-father of the 17-year-old suspect arrested Sunday in Indiana.

The victims have been identified as 37-year-old Thomas Ayers and 40-year-old Jennifer Ayers.

They were found dead Sunday morning at 1625 County Highway C, after a 911 call from a juvenile female reported an emergency at her residence.

The Oneida County Sheriff's Office got the call at about 10:40 a.m. Sunday morning.  

Oneida county is conducting a staffing and services needs study for the University of Wisconsin-Extension office and for the Land and Water Departments.

North Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission is doing the study.

The number of voters coming to clerks offices to cast absentee ballots continues to be brisk.

The period to vote absentee began October 20 and clerks from around the state report many people are opting to vote before election day.

Oneida County Clerk Mary Bartelt says the town clerks have been busy with early customers...

The impact of tourism on Oneida county's economy was outlined Tuesday in a presentation to the Board of Supervisors.

Dana DeMet, who heads the Rhinelander Chamber of Commerce also is President of the Oneida County Tourism Council..

".....travelers spent $185 million dollars in Oneida county in 2013. That's more than $5,000 for every man, woman, and child within our county. It accounts for  over 2000 full-time equivalent jobs (here), and if we take it to a state level, one of every 13 jobs is tourism related..."

Two groups are asking a federal appeals court to reconsider its decision to let Wisconsin require voters to show photo I-D's at the polls on November fourth.

 The Advancement Project and the American Civil Liberties' Union were among those opposing the I-D law in lower courts.  A spokeswoman for the Advancement Project tells the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel it's asking the entire 10-member federal appellate court in Chicago to shut down the law again -- at least until the courts can rule on whether it's constitutional.