Local Antigo Headlines

Downtown meeting Wednesday draws a crowd, interest is high

A spirited group turned out at a meeting Wednesday evening to discuss and plan for the future of downtown Antigo. “We’ve got a group to collaborate and get things going,” Langlade County’s economic development director Chris Berry said after the session held at the Antigo Library. The meeting was designed to test the interest in promoting and sparking action in the downtown sector, and it drew a crowd of 42, which was unexpected. Full Story: Antigo Daily Journal

City rejects financing law enforcement study

Early this month, the Langlade County Board of Supervisors voted to participate in a study with the city of Antigo for possible consolidation of the police and sheriff’s department.

No one apparently asked the city.

At Tuesday’s meeting of the city’s Finance, Personnel and Legislative Committee, aldermen voted against participating financially with the county in the study.

Full Story: Antigo Daily Journal



Related Post: County Board supports study that may lead to police-sheriff merger
Related Post: County Board Tuesday: Police, sheriff merger brewing

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Panel tables plan to cut banners from downtown

Antigo’s downtown banners may survive to fly another day.

A month after the city’s Public Works Committee voted to eliminate the banners as a cost and labor-saving measure, the panel revisited the issue, deciding instead to get estimates for new banners and to develop an overall plan for their display.

Full Story: Antigo Daily Journal

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Need a quick decision: School board rethinks consolidation

The Antigo school board got another earful from voters Tuesday, and decided to take a new look at long-standing plans to consolidate the district’s four rural elementary schools into city facilities. At its regular monthly meeting, the board voted to reconsider its resolution from September, 2011 that stated the rural facilities would be folded into city schools in the event of a failed building referendum. That resolution had been designed to assure voters what would happen if the building referendum failed—which it did—but it also tied the board to one specific consolidation plan without the option to consider other alternatives. Full Story: Antigo Daily Journal

County deer harvest gains

Langlade County hunters harvested 9 percent more whitetails during the just-completed gun deer season, due largely to a surge in the number of does shot. According to preliminary numbers collected by the Department of Natural Resources’ Antigo Service Center, hunters shot 3,191 animals over the nine-day season. That includes 1,569 bucks, a tally that is down 3.74 percent, and 1,622 does, or antlerless, deer, up 25.06 percent. Full Story: Antigo Daily Journal

Downtown banners add personality, we urge city to keep them

With the holiday season bringing an influx of shoppers to the community, we urge the Antigo city council to take a careful look at a plan to discontinue the downtown banner program. The Public Works Committee voted unanimously on Oct. 30 to discontinue the long-standing practice of having decorative banners displayed on poles in the downtown region, citing the aging of the pennants and the necessary labor needed to erect them on a recurring basis. Full Story: Antigo Daily Journal

Machine tool program on Antigo's NTC campus a success, jobs waiting

One of the most successful programs at Antigo’s Northcentral Technical College—in fact an offering that almost guarantees a well-paying job for enrollees—will kick off its spring term within weeks. The college is taking applications for the January start-up of the machine tool operation technical diploma program, where students learn the skills to operate the various type of machine tools that are in high demand in today’s job market. Full Story: Antigo Daily Journal

Meeting set Wednesday on future of downtown

The future of downtowns and central commercial districts—the backbone of any community—will be discussed on Wednesday. “Connect Communities” will be held on at the Antigo Public Library beginning at 6 p.m. All downtown and surrounding area businesses, public officials or anyone interested in Antigo’s core area are encouraged to attend. Full Story: Antigo Daily Journal

Stefanie Mach begins new chapter

When Stefanie Mach takes the oath of office in the Arizona State Legislature as District 10 representative in January, she will have taken another step on a journey of over 6,000 days filled with a lifetime of challenges. Mach, 32, daughter of Mike and Sharon Mach of Antigo, was involved in a brutal automobile accident on June 14, 1997 that left a companion, a 19-year-old Elcho man, dead and her with life-altering injuries. Full Story: Antigo Daily Journal

Board to meet: Consolidation tops agenda

The Antigo school board, which got an earful from voters at a special meeting held just after its failed elementary building referendum, will review possible options for elementary consolidation on Tuesday. The board will convene for its regular November session at 7 p.m. in the Middle School library. A closed meeting to conduct a student expulsion hearing will be held at 6:15 p.m. At a special meeting held Nov. 13—one week after an elementary building program was defeated by almost 60 percent of voters... Full Story: Antigo Daily Journal

Antigo prepares for chili cookoff, Santa welcome coming up on Dec. 5

With Thanksgiving just a memory and a pile of leftovers, thoughts are turning to Christmas and Antigo’s giant welcome to the season now just 11 days away. Antigo will welcome Santa to town on Wednesday, Dec. 5 with the annual chili cookoff along Fifth Avenue followed by the huge nighttime parade. The two events are a community highlight, drawing thousands to the downtown core. Full Story: Antigo Daily Journal

Antigo native gets state peace award

Mary Jo Berner and Many Ways of Peace, a resource center for peace and nonviolence in downtown Eagle River were honored by the Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice at its annual awards event recently in Milwaukee. Berner, an Antigo native, is the founder and president of the MJ Berner Foundation for Peace and Justice, Inc., the nonprofit organization that operates Many Ways of Peace... Full Story: Antigo Daily Journal

Rev. Jack LaMar, active Elcho pastor, community leader, dies

Jack LaMar, Elcho’s “community parson,” who in July announced a difficult decision to retire as pastor of the United Church of Christ congregations in Elcho and Kempster next spring, died today, Nov. 23, 2012 at Langlade Hospital. He was 76 years old. The pastor was taken to Langlade Hospital on Sunday after he failed to arrive for the usual worship service in Kempster. At the time of his death, his family was with him and he was under the care of the LeRoyer Hospice. Full Story: Antigo Daily Journal

Potato industry offers helping hand in storm

Hurricane Sandy victims have a healthy meal coming their way thanks to the Wisconsin potato industry. Four growers and one shipping company are donating a total of 80,000 pounds of potatoes to the East Coast to those who still have limited and non-existent resources. The two semi-trucks both hold 20 pallets of potatoes that weigh about 2,000 pounds each. Both trucks carry a market value of $40,000. After leaving Wisconsin, the trucks will travel to a warehouse called City Harvest in Long Island City, N.Y. From there, volunteers from the food rescue organization give out the potatoes to many who are still without power and need help. Full Story: Antigo Daily Journal

FFA members help bring brighter holiday

Members of the Antigo High School FFA chapter are ensuring that Thanksgiving is a bit more cheery for several families affected by domestic violence. At they have done for several years, FFA officers loaded up a pick-up truck with all the fixings for 10 Thanksgiving dinners—including turkey, dressing, vegetables, cranberries, rolls, potatoes donated by Dan Kakes, and pies—and delivered them to the AVAIL Inc. domestic violence shelter on Tuesday. Full Story: Antigo Daily Journal

Antigo man pleads not guilty to 50 felony drug counts

An Antigo man has pleaded not guilty to charges linking him to a massive drug investigation involving the local distribution and use of cocaine and marijuana. John M. Hunter, 34, of 336 Watson St. entered the pleas after waiving a preliminary hearing set Monday before Langlade County Judge Fred Kawalski. With representation by Attorney Steven Kohn of Milwaukee, Hunter is charged with 50 felony counts — 26 for the manufacture or delivery of cocaine and 24 similar acts involving marijuana. Full Story: Antigo Daily Journal

Antigo man denies guilt to selling heroin

Bond was reduced from $5,000 to $2,000 cash in Langlade County Circuit Court today for an Antigo man who law officers allege was involved in the local sale of heroin. Randy L. Aiuppy Sr., 58, of 313 Superior St., waived his preliminary hearing and entered pleas of not guilty to five criminal counts — four for the manufacture or delivery of heroin as a second or subsequent offenses and one for possession of drug paraphernalia. Full Story: Antigo Daily Journal

Area churches plan services to mark Thanksgiving Wednesday, Thursday

Churches across the region will celebrate Thanksgiving with special services Wednesday and Thursday. The Antigo Area Ecumenical Thanksgiving prayer service will be held on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church. Rev. Louise Sanford from First Baptist Church will share the message. Full Story: Antigo Daily Journal

White Lake celebrates 'Laker Pride'

Capping a day of “Laker pride” in the community, White Lake inaugurated its new college-style gymnasium with a win Monday evening. District officials had vowed following the successful November, 2011 referendum that the new recreation center and gymnasium would be ready for the first Laker home basketball game, and they easily made the deadline after an unprecedented year of work that shined a positive light on the school and entire community. Full Story: Antigo Daily Journal

State deer harvest up 19 percent, 134,772 registered during weekend

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources says the statewide deer harvest during opening weekend was up more than 19 percent from last year. Hunters harvested and registered 134,772 deer during opening weekend of Wisconsin’s nine-day deer gun season. That tally is based on preliminary call-in numbers collected from registration tables by DNR staff. DNR wildlife management program director Tom Hauge says the final opening weekend tally will likely be larger, after all the registration stubs are entered into the database over the next couple of months. Full Story: Antigo Daily Journal

Antigo man gets jail terms for area thefts

An Antigo man was sentenced here Friday to serve 90 days in jail for his involvement in a collection of crimes, including a pair of break-ins to storage buildings earlier this year. Patrick M. Arrowood, 24, of 434 Elm St. pleaded guilty to seven charges — burglary and bail jumping involving a break-in to a South Dorr Street building in July; theft, causing criminal damage to property and bail jumping for a theft miscellaneous items from a garage owned by an acquaintance between March and April of this year; and disorderly conduct and bail jumping for a family disturbance earlier this month. Full Story: Antigo Daily Journal

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