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FOREST COUNTY - You might get a fine if you take video in the National Forest without a permit. However, the U.S. Forest Chief Tom Tidwell says the proposal only targets commercial filming in the wilderness.
He added that people recreating and commercial photographers won't need to get a permit.
BAYFIELD - A natural wonder appeared at the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore last winter.
Ice caves along the shore of Lake Superior drew thousands of visitors.
If it gets cold enough for the ice caves to be accessible again this winter, you might have to pay to see them.
MADISON - People pulling out their docks for the winter may find invasive species clinging to them.
Wisconsin environmental workers hope those who live on the water will check for invasive species when they remove a dock or swimming raft.
Under state law, you need to clean off any plant or animal material before transporting items from one water body to another.
BAYFIELD - Visitors to the ice caves at the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore may have to begin paying more to see the Lake Superior wonder.
The National Park Service, which operates the park in northern Wisconsin, has proposed a $5 special recreation fee to see the caves. The agency says the current $3 fee for parking at the trailhead lot amounted to $47,000 in revenue, only a fraction of what it cost to manage about 138,000 visitors last year.
LAONA - The U.S. Forest Service chief toured parts of private and public property alongside Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin) and other forestry stakeholders Wednesday.
Topics covered issues like timber supply, logging in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest (CNNF), land management and a whole range of other topics.
Many loggers want to see more timber harvested from Wisconsin's national forest. Harvest levels are lower than they were 20 years ago.
ACROSS WISCONSIN - Hunters have killed a dozen Wisconsin wolves over the first day and a half of the season.
The third annual wolf season got underway Wednesday. According to data on the state Department of Natural Resources website as of mid-afternoon Thursday showed hunters had taken 12 wolves...
MARINETTE - The U.S. Navy's newest Littoral Combat Ship could be deployed anywhere on the globe.
It will get its start Saturday from northeastern Wisconsin.
Marinette Marine Corporation, the Navy, and defense contractor Lockheed Martin will launch the future USS Detroit from the shipyard in Marinette.
ST. PAUL, MN - Gov. Mark Dayton says he's been in contact this week with federal government officials about his request that Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport be added to advance screening sites for Ebola.
Dayton said he planned to renew those conversations later Thursday. He spoke Tuesday with a White House adviser for Homeland Security. Dayton wants Minnesota's main airport to be added to the hubs where international travelers from certain countries get health screenings upon arrival.
ANTIGO - The Antigo High School Marching Band will compete at state Saturday.
The band won first place at four competitions this year.
This is the 13th year the band will compete at state.
PARK FALLS - The Wisconsin DNR wants people to help them track wolves this winter.
The Carnivore Tracking program provides valuable information for DNR biologists.
The program has been around since 1995.
WOODRUFF - Organizers hope a new indoor farmers market will make more people aware of the Lakeland Community Senior Center.
The center will begin hosting a weekly winter farmers market Friday.
The market will offer typical farmers market goods as well as crafts.
EAGLE RIVER - Trees for Tomorrow in Eagle River wants to build a statue to honor the Civilian Conservation Corps. It would be the first in the Northwoods. The statue will stand six feet tall and weigh more than four hundred pounds. The idea started with one CCC veteran that served at a camp in Troy, WI from 1937 to 1938.
"A wonderful gentleman, 92-year old Richard Chrisinger, has already donated 15,000 dollars to the statue," said Trees For Tomorrow Executive Director Libby Dorn.
The White Lake High School half of the Wolverine football team is celebrating homecoming this week.
The team, a co-op with Elcho High School, will take on the Florence Bobcats in a 7 p.m. match-up. The White Lake Marching Band will perform and the court will be announced at half-time. A bonfire will follow the game.
On Saturday, there will be a homecoming dance in the school’s small gymnasium from 8 to 10 p.m. with grand march at 10 p.m. Cost is $5 for singles and $7 for couples. A lock-in will follow until 6 a.m. on Sunday.
RHINELANDER - Local invasive species workers hope most phragmites stay right where they are - near Lake Michigan.
Last fall, we showed you this patch of phragmites on Highway 8 west of Rhinelander. It was there again this fall, but Oneida County's AIS department is treating it aggressively. It used chemical treatments in September.
LAC DU FLAMBEAU - A study found more parents in Lac du Flambeau use smartphones than traditional computers. The Lac du Flambeau School hopes its new smartphone app will make involvement easier for parents.
The app will be rolled out at parent/teacher conferences Thursday night.
MADISON - Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction figures show about half of public school districts will get more state aid this year than the previous school year.
The state will provide nearly $4.5 billion in general aid to schools for the 2014-2015 school year, an increase of about 2 percent. General aid is the largest source of funding for K-12 public schools. Local district can also raise money through local property taxes.
WOODRUFF - Invasive species keep finding new homes in the Northwoods.
Eurasian Water Milfoil has now been discovered in Vilas County's Brandy Lake.
A DNR Waterguard found a small patch of the invasive weed near the boat launch while making his rounds.
RHINELANDER - People of all ages can benefit from learning martial arts. A studio in Rhinelander is offering new classes for their fall session that challenge the mind, body, and spirit.
Fu-Chen Kung-Fu School has been teaching martial arts since 1977. The training can help you with coordination, health, and self-defense. They're offering a fall children's program. Many parents have started putting their kids in martial arts to help them develop confidence.
MILWAUKEE - The family of a man shot to death by a police officer in a downtown Milwaukee park says they aren't satisfied with his firing and won't rest until he's charged with a crime.
Dontre Hamilton, 31, was shot 14 times in a confrontation April 30 with Officer Christopher Manney.
Police Chief Edward Flynn announced Manney's firing Wednesday. He said Manney violated policy by trying to pat down Hamilton without reasonable suspicion.
WAUPACA - A Waupaca man is charged with killing his 2-year-old stepson in May.
Twenty-eight-year-old Joseph A. Jackson was charged Wednesday with first-degree reckless homicide.
According to the criminal complaint, Jackson said he held the boy face-down on a bed to try to get the boy to stop crying. Eventually, the boy stopped breathing.
RHINELANDER - The city of Rhinelander could get a new website soon.
City leaders want to make the site more user-friendly and informative. They think the current website is outdated.
It's not easy to post city updates on the site. Some people also have a hard time finding important documents on it.
LA CROSSE - The U.S. Department of Agriculture says corn and soybean harvests are behind schedule, and this week's wet weather is keeping Wisconsin farmers from catching up.
Crop progress data released by the department Tuesday show both corn and soybeans fall short of the five year averages. The report found that Wisconsin corn is in worse shape, with two-thirds of crops at maturity, behind an 80 percent average. The USDA says the state usually has a quarter of its corn crop harvested by mid-October, but less than 10 percent has been harvested so far.
EAGLE RIVER - People in our part of Wisconsin enjoy living here. But finding a way to make a living can be challenging. Cracked Apple Solutions is another great example of how the Northwoods Works.
If you own a smartphone, you've likely experienced that moment of terror when you drop it. Does your most prized possession have an ugly cracked screen? Those frustrating cracks mean money for Mike Duening and his business, Cracked Apple Solutions.
FOREST COUNTY - Kristopher Torgerson likely won't get out of prison for a while.
Torgerson is the man now charged with killing Stephanie Low four years ago. Low had disappeared from her Wausau apartment and remained missing for years.
Torgerson is already in state prison for another crime. Wednesday, a judge slapped a $2 million cash bond on him in Low's murder case.
MADISON - The race for governor in Wisconsin is back to a dead heat.
The latest Marquette University Law School poll released Wednesday showed Republican Gov. Scott Walker and Mary Burke tied with 47 percent support. The poll had a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points.
Walker had a 5-point lead in the last poll two weeks ago. Prior to that poll, Burke and Walker had been about even since May.
PHILLIPS - The Phillips Area Community Pool wants give everyone the chance to swim.
But their facility needs some big updates.
"One thing about this project is it has the ability to help people of all ages," said Phillips Area Aquatic Center member Kim Mess.
EAU CLAIRE - U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson says more must be done to stop the spread of Ebola, and the federal government should bar people from entering the country if they have been in African nations affected by the virus in the past 30 days.
Johnson says an alternative would be quarantining those people for 21 days before they get on a plane or once they arrive in the U.S.
MOLE LAKE - The Sokaogon Chippewa Community in Mole Lake will put a focus on preventing falls for its senior population. A new grant will help the Tribe do that.
A Mole Lake survey found Sokaogon Elders fell at a higher rate than people in other tribes and across the nation.
The new program will be called "Stepping On".
RHINELANDER - A compost pile can help clean up your yard and get a head start on spring gardening. You can use the fall leaves as well as pumpkins and old leafy vegetables to make a compost pile. Then just add a few shovelfuls of topsoil into the mix.
The secret to making a good mix is maintaining the pile.
MADISON - A group of protesters plans to shadow wolf hunters in Wisconsin.
They want to observe hunter's methods.
Wisconsin's third annual wolf hunt began today.
