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RHINELANDER - Many people will grill burgers, hotdogs and other Independence Day staples this weekend. Some local supermarkets have been restocking food around the clock to keep up with the demand.
Trig's in Rhinelander was expecting a large crowd.
MINOCQUA - Drivers in Minocqua finally feel relief passing through the town on Highway 51. Crews opened all lanes of Highway 51 and Wisconsin 70 Wednesday.
The Department of Transportation wanted all four lanes to be open for the weekend of July 4th.
BELOIT - Police in southeastern Wisconsin have arrested a man wanted in connection to two homicides in northern Illinois.
Beloit police say they arrested the 36-year-old Friday morning after a high-speed chase in Rock County.
ANTIGO - Strawberries need a lot of sunshine and warm weather to ripen. Farmers were worried the berries wouldn't be ready on time this year because of the long winter we had, but two weeks of warm weather was just enough to start the picking season on time.
RHINELANDER - People in Rhinelander lined the streets of the downtown to celebrate our independence. There were well more than 1,000 people there.
The parade started at 11. The kiddie parade was at 10.
LAC DU FLAMBEAU - Leaders hope a new program, called YouthBuild, in Lac du Flambeau will make a difference in the lives of at-risk young adults. It offers an alternative to regular school for 18 to 24-year-olds.
"I didn't really know what I wanted to do," said YouthBuild student Jeff Allen. "I was sitting at home and barely getting by."
WAUKESHA - The attorney of a 12-year-old girl accused in the near-fatal stabbing of a classmate is arguing that she shouldn't have to submit to a psychiatric exam.
A Milwaukee Journal Sentinel report (http://bit.ly/TI7x7l ) says attorney Anthony Cotton made the argument in a motion Thursday.
EAGLE RIVER - A summer-time staple in Eagle River, Watermelon Days won't return this year.
Mac McCallin, the event's coordinator and promoter, says it's because they didn't have enough vendors. Mac usually gets between 75-110 vendors to take part in the event.
LAND O' LAKES - While the sun still shines brightly on a July 3 afternoon in Land O' Lakes, dozens of men pound stakes, connect wires, and unload trailers.
In just hours, that sun will disappear beyond the horizon, and these pyromaniacs will be in heaven.
MINNEAPOLIS - Minneapolis authorities are cleaning up after a Metro Transit bus lost control and drove onto the sidewalk in downtown Minneapolis, damaging garbage cans and smashing into light posts.
WHITE LAKE - The USDA considers White Lake a "food desert".
That means it doesn't have easy access to fresh and healthy foods.
But a motivated community group is trying to change that.
MERRILL - A Lincoln County man convicted of killing his wife and hiding her body will spend at least 35 years in prison.
Thursday, a judge told 50-year-old Mark Bucki he could petition the court for release with extended supervision after serving 35 years in prison.
NORTHWOODS - Below is a list of some of the Independence Day festivities going on in our area.
ANTIGO
July 4
7 p.m. parade starting at Antigo Middle School through Antigo High School
9 p.m. fireworks at Antigo High School
NATIONWIDE - More types of craft beers are becoming available in your favorite grocery stores than ever before.
That's because the number of breweries in the United States has almost tripled since 2007.
MADISON - The American Civil Liberties Union wants a federal judge to lift a stay on gay marriages in Wisconsin.
U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb declared the state's gay marriage ban unconstitutional in an ACLU lawsuit June 6.
RHINELANDER - A 50-year-old Rhinelander man faces charges stemming from a June 24th standoff at a Rhinelander home.
Mathew Carlson kept the police special response team busy for six hours as they tried to get him out of a building on Pelican Street.
RHINELANDER - A former office manager at a Northwoods veterinary clinic will face trial for stealing money from her employer.
47-year-old Brenda Wigglesworth allegedly embezzled more than $30,000 from Northwoods Animal Hospital in Minocqua.
NORTHWOODS - Roads in the Northwoods will get much more crowded than usual this weekend.
That's thanks to a large number of tourists coming to the area for Independence Day weekend. More than 10,000 people are expected to visit the Northwoods just for July 4th alone.
MADISON - State officials say a fire in a Madison government building in May caused about $15 million in damage.
The Madison Fire Department initially estimated the damage at $350,000. But the state Department of Administration released a statement Thursday saying the damage estimate grew as the agency spoke with the state's insurance provider.
JANESVILLE - Authorities say a four-month investigation into an alleged breeding site for cockfighting roosters in Rock County has led to the discovery of 61 caged roosters _ and 16 pounds of pot.
Authorities arrested a 37-year-old man Tuesday on tentative charges of instigating fights between animals, possessing marijuana with intent to deliver, and maintaining a drug trafficking house.
LINCOLN COUNTY - A Lincoln County man convicted of killing his wife and hiding her body will learn his sentence today.
A jury found 50-year-old Mark Bucki ((Buck-eye)) guilty earlier this year for the death of his wife Anita.
RHINELANDER - An Independence Day celebration wouldn't be the same without the sparkle and shine of fireworks.
But some types of fireworks aren't allowed in Wisconsin. Using those illegal fireworks in spite of the law can be very dangerous, especially, around children.
SHAWANO COUNTY - We now know the name of the man killed when he got hit by a pickup truck south of Shawano.
20 year old Alex Mastey of Shawano died after being hit Wednesday afternoon around 4:30 p.m.
ACROSS THE NORTHWOODS - New funding numbers released by the Wisconsin Department of Instruction released Tuesday show most schools in the Northwoods will see a reduction in state funding for the 2014-15 school year.
School districts in Rhinelander, Wabeno, Minocqua, Mercer, Phelps, White Lake, Elcho, Tomahawk and Three Lakes will lose more than 15 percent of their state funding compared to 2013-14 funding.
MADISON - President Barack Obama is stepping up pressure on states that have refused to expand Medicaid eligibility.
The White House Council of Economic Advisers has released a report saying expansion here would mean health coverage for an additional 120,000 people in 2016.
EAGLE RIVER - The City of Eagle River wants to reduce its involvement with the Olson Memorial Library.
The city council, on Monday, voted unanimously to give the library property to another local town if it wants it.
RHINELANDER - Gov. Scott Walker (R) says he wouldn't oppose involvement by the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) during the state permitting process for a proposed iron ore mine in the Penokee Hills.
Northern Wisconsin's six Chippewa tribes want to go around the state's mining regulation process and turn to the EPA.
TOMAHAWK - You will soon be able to bike your way from Tomahawk to Minocqua using just a single trail.
The Bearskin and Hiawatha Trails in Tomahawk are merging.
TOMAHAWK - Hundreds of people in Tomahawk could turn to unique music along one of the area's beautiful rivers Wednesday night.
It was the seventh annual Music on the River at Veterans Memorial Park.
TOWN OF PELICAN - The human remains found Tuesday morning in the woods south of Rhinelander are that of a 54-year-old Hazelhurst man.
The remains of Steven J. Boron were found in the Town of Pelican near Lake Julia.
