Local Rhinelander Headlines

Johnson says he will break trend, defeat Feingold

MILWAUKEE - U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson says he intends to break the trend and become the first Republican to win election to the Senate in a presidential year in Wisconsin since 1980.

Johnson held a telephone conference call Friday in advance of his Democratic challenger Russ Feingold speaking later at the Wisconsin Democratic Party convention.

Johnson defeated Feingold in 2010 and Feingold announced last month that he intended to run again next year in a rematch. Feingold held the seat for 18 years prior to losing to Johnson.

Full story: WJFW

Mazda adds 540,000 vehicles to Takata air bag recall

DETRIOT - Mazda is recalling nearly 540,000 cars and pickup trucks in the U.S. and Canada to fix air bags that potentially can explode with too much force.

The automaker says in documents posted by safety regulators that it's recalling nearly 503,000 cars to fix driver's air bags and another 35,000 small pickup trucks to fix passenger air bags.

Mazda is recalling nearly 540,000 cars and pickup trucks in the U.S. and Canada to fix air bags that potentially can explode with too much force.

Full story: WJFW

Special Olympics competition opens in Stevens Point

STEVENS POINT - Competition for the Special Olympics Wisconsin Summer Games is getting underway in Stevens Point.

Training throughout the year culminates this weekend when more than 1,500 athletes with cognitive disabilities compete in track events, soccer, power lifting and aquatics.

It's the 36th year that the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point has hosted the games. In addition to the athletes, about 500 coaches and 800 volunteers make sure the competition Friday and Saturday runs smoothly.

Full story: WJFW

Sheriff's Captain: Martinson texted about wanting to kill stepfather prior to Oneida County homicides

RHINELANDER - Ashlee Martinson told her boyfriend that she wanted to kill Thomas Ayers on the day before Ayers' murder, an Oneida County Sheriff's Captain testified on Friday morning.

Thomas and Jennifer Ayers were found shot and stabbed to death, respectively, at a home east of Rhinelander in March. Prosecutors believe Martinson, a 17-year-old Rhinelander High School student, killed them. Thomas Ayers was her stepfather and Jennifer Ayers was her mother.

At a preliminary hearing on Friday in Oneida County Circuit Court, Judge Michael Bloom found enough evidence to allow the double-homicide case to move forward.

Full story: WJFW

A Northwoods summer tradition raises money for Tomahawk Main Street Inc

TOMAHAWK - We'll celebrate the Fourth of July before we know it. And one Northwoods community is ahead of schedule with one of their yearly traditions. A local artist in Tomahawk has already finished her design on Tomahawk's yearly North for the Fourth t-shirt.

"The t-shirt was one of those things that they started because people wanted to celebrate being here, being north for the fourth," said local artist Peggy McDowell.

Tomahawk Main Street Inc. wants to make sure visitors remember the Northwoods. They do that by raising money by selling the North for the Fourth t-shirt.

Full story: WJFW

Camping? Leave your firewood at home

RHINELANDER - With the school year wrapping up, more families will head to the forests to go camping. Following one simple rule can prevent the spread of Emerald Ash Borer, or EAB, and preserve the forests for families to enjoy in the future.

EAB is an Asian beetle that kills ash trees.

State campgrounds don't allow firewood from more than 10 miles away from the property to help prevent the spread of the invasive species. Firewood also can't be from a quarantined area unless the area campers are visiting is also quarantined.

Full story: WJFW

Higher-costs & other factors could mean double-digit premium increases for some federal marketplace insurance plans

MARSHFIELD - We might see big premium increases in 2016 for certain health insurance plans on the federal exchange. The subsidized health plans are part of President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act.

Security Health Plans of Wisconsin in Marshfield offers insurance plans on the federal exchange. The group actually offers more plans on the exchange than any other group in Wisconsin.

It's asking for an 18 percent increase for one of its two products offered, Director of Consumer Marketing Marty Anderson says people buying plans will be protected from the increases because of the subsidies they receive.

Full story: WJFW

Gov. Walker announces deal for new $500M Bucks arena

MADISON - Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has announced a deal to pay for a new arena for the Milwaukee Bucks that relies on $250 million from taxpayers and at least $250 million from current and former team owners.

The NBA has said it will buy the team and move it unless a new stadium is built by 2017. The new arena would replace the 27-year-old BMO Harris Bradley Center in downtown Milwaukee.

It's unclear whether the deal will have enough votes to pass the Republican-controlled Legislature, where some members have been unhappy about the public cost.

Full story: WJFW

Professors urge regents to fight to keep tenure in state law

MILWAUKEE - University of Wisconsin professors and their supporters made it clear to UW regents meeting in Milwaukee that a proposed tenure policy under consideration would still leave them vulnerable to layoffs or termination.

Some professors stood at the back of the regents meeting at UW-Milwaukee and held signs urging regents to protect tenure. Demonstrators put blue tape over their mouths to show they could be silenced without tenure protection. Dozens of other supporters in the audience offered sustained applause when UW-Madison professor David Vanness told Education Committee members that the "whole world is watching" what happens in Wisconsin in regard to tenure.

Full story: WJFW

Two local brothers bring new high-speed internet service to Northwoods

RHINELANDER - Getting fast and reliable internet service can be challenging here in the rural Northwoods. Two brothers from Rhinelander decided to make a business out of cutting the cable and letting people get high speed internet for the first time.

"A lot of the bigger companies have already voiced that they won't be coming up here. They just don't see the investment worthwhile," said Northwoods Connect CEO & Co-founder Paul Osterman.

However, Paul and Matt Osterman think expanding internet service in the Northwoods is worthwhile. They launched Northwoods Connect, their local high speed internet company, two weeks ago.

Full story: WJFW

Off-road races in Crandon expected to draw a big crowd

CRANDON - People in the Northwoods can get the chance to see off road races this weekend.

Saturday marks the start of the third annual Londerville Steel Super-Challenge Off-Road Race weekend. It takes place at the Crandon International Raceway. Organizers say that there will be something for everyone.

"This weekend event is going to be quite a deal," said Crandon Off-Road Raceway President Clifford Flannery. "It's a little bit for everybody. There's four different kinds of racing, three different kinds of sanctioning bodies in here this weekend. It's going to be pretty exciting, all around racing of all different sorts here."

Full story: WJFW

Judge sentences St. Germain woman to prison for false tax return

MADISON - A federal judge has sentenced a northern Wisconsin woman to a year and a day in prison for filing a false tax return.

U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb sentenced 58-year-old Cornelia Mutter of St. Germain on Thursday. Mutter pleaded guilty in March to filing false information on a 2008 tax return.

Prosecutors say Mutter worked for T.A. Solberg Company, Inc., in Minocqua between 2004 and 2010. During that span she used company checks to cover personal credit card bills, medical expenses and groceries. According to the IRS, Mutter embezzled more than $500,000.

Full story: WJFW

Volunteers needed for statewide bird project

WISCONSIN - You can take bird watching to the next level by taking part in the state's biggest bird survey. It's called Wisconsin Breeding Bird Atlas II. The project will let researchers know what birds are nesting in the state.

"This is a serious data-gathering project, but we don't ask professional scientists to do it, we ask regular Wisconsin citizens to go out and gather bird data for us," explained Lincoln County Atlas Coordinator Mike Worland. "We expect it's going to be the largest citizen science project in the history of Wisconsin."

The original atlas project gathered bird data from 1995 to 2000 and confirmed 226 different species nested in Wisconsin. Observations this time will be submitted using the online app called eBird. Your observations could change the way that state managers protect birds in the future.

Full story: WJFW

Local Habitat for Humanity affiliate searching for new partner family, launching new program

LANGLADE COUNTY - Habitat for Humanity of Langlade County wants to keep growing. The group is currently looking to build its ninth home for a local, deserving family.

The family needs to meet certain requirements to get the home.

"We need someone who's currently living in inadequate housing, is willing to partner with us and at the end of the project, an interest free loan," says Habitat for Humanity of Langlade County president Paul Grinde. "We make it very achievable for families to live in a nice, decent, safe home. We need someone to step up and say yes, I'll be your partner this year."

Full story: WJFW

Volunteer track coach charged with three felonies for sexual assault of a child

TOMAHAWK - Police think a track coach had sexual relations with a Tomahawk High School student.

23-year-old Colton Chase has been charged with three felonies for sexual assault of a child by someone who works with children.

Police think he had sexual relations with a 16-year-old female student three times.

Full story: WJFW

UPDATE: Bancroft standoff: one dead, one in custody awaiting homicide charges

BANCROFT - A 55-year-old Portage County man sits in jail awaiting homicide charges after a nearly four-hour standoff with law enforcement Wednesday. Larry Sanchez of Bancroft is accused of killing his wife, 44-year old Lisa Sanchez.

The Portage County Sheriff's Office received a call at 10:52 a.m. on Wednesday indicating a possible shooting in the 8300 block of Division Street in Bancroft. Deputies and paramedics determined that Lisa Sanchez was dead at the scene after a gunshot wound.

Larry Sanchez, who's accused of shooting his wife, had then barricaded himself in the home next door.

Full story: WJFW

WI Assembly Speaker: Maybe there should be no new borrowing for roads

MADISON - Assembly Speaker Robin Vos says Republicans are discussing delaying $1.3 billion worth of highway construction and other roads projects across Wisconsin since Gov. Scott Walker is unwilling to raises taxes or fees to pay for it.

Vos said Wednesday that Republicans are talking about not doing any of the additional borrowing Walker asked for in his budget to pay for roads projects.

Other Republicans have talked about lowering the amount of bonding by between $300 million and $800 million.

Full story: WJFW

Students graduate from program aimed to curb youth drug use

EAGLE RIVER - More than eight percent of eighth graders nationwide used illicit drugs in the past year, according to a recent report from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. That statistic about triples for high school seniors.

Law enforcement across the country and right here in the Northwoods aim to lower that statistic by educating younger students.

About 60 fifth graders at Eagle River Elementary graduated from the Drug Abuse Resistance Education [D.A.R.E.] program on Wednesday.

Full story: WJFW

UPDATE: Names of suspect and victim in Portage County shooting released, victim died at scene

The Portage County Sheriff's office released the names of the suspect and victim in a shooting in Bancroft on Wednesday.

55-year-old Larry Sanchez is suspected of shooting his wife 44-year-old Lisa Sanchez.

Lisa Sanchez was found dead when law enforcement got to the scene.

Full story: WJFW

Foreign Exchange Students in the Northwoods: students share their favorite memories of life up north

NORTHWOODS - Many exchange students spent an entire year going to school in the Northwoods.

Those students will go home soon with many memories of life up north.

Newswatch 12s Kaitlyn Howe spoke with five foreign exchange students who've spent the school year in northern Wisconsin.

Full story: WJFW

City changes rules for storm sirens

RHINELANDER - People in Rhinelander will see a change to severe weather alerts this summer. Sirens will no longer go off for every Severe Thunderstorm Warning in place for Rhinelander. It's part of an effort to make sure sirens blare only during severe weather.

"It seems like when we set those sirens off, the storm would skirt to the north or south of Rhinelander, and people wonder 'Why did we even set the sirens off?'," said Rhinelander Fire Chief Terry Williams. "We've kind of got the 'Cry Wolf Syndrome' going, where when the sirens did go off, people really didn't pay too much attention to them."

Now, the sirens will only be used when Rhinelander is under a Tornado Warning. The sirens could be used in special cases for life-threatening thunderstorms. For that to happen, the Rhinelander Fire Department, Oneida County Emergency Management, and Weather Watch 12 meteorologists will all weigh in on the decision. People in Rhinelander have different opinions on how effective the sirens are for them.

Full story: WJFW

Local mothers donate breast milk, give premature babies fighting chance at life

RHINELANDER - Doctors think breast milk can give premature or sick babies a fighting chance at life. However, not all moms can produce their own milk. That's where the Milk Bank comes into the picture. It gives hundreds of babies breast milk donated by mothers across the country.

One of the Milk Bank's very successful donation centers is in the Northwoods.

All breast milk donations from the Northwoods end up in the milk depot at Aspirus Wausau Hospital. It's rarely empty thanks to mothers like Amy Bormann.

Full story: WJFW

Wisconsin police officer cleared in shooting of biracial man

MADISON - A white Wisconsin police officer has been cleared of wrongdoing in an internal investigation of his fatal shooting of an unarmed 19-year-old biracial man.

The Madison Police Department on Wednesday issued a summary of its finding that Officer Matt Kenny did not violate its deadly force policies in the March 6 shooting death of 19-year-old Tony Robinson.

The internal finding follows the decision last month by Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne that Kenny would not be charged in the case.

Full story: WJFW

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