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BANCROFT - In an interview done by the Stevens Point Journal, the Portage County Sheriff said there was a report of a shooting in the town of Bancroft
The sheriff couldn't confirm that shots had been fired, but it has said the suspect is held up in a house. Negotiators are talking with the person.
Four blocks in Bancroft are shut down. Law enforcement is escorting people out of the area using an armored truck.
RHINELANDER - A Northwoods wrestling coach faces five felonies for sexually assaulting a child and giving drugs to students.
57-year-old Joseph Fitzpatrick is accused of giving students in Three Lakes drugs at school and his home.
Fitzpatrick has been out of jail on a $15,000 signature bond.
OSHKOSH - An aircraft manufacturer says the company's chief executive and a mechanic were killed in a crash in one of its planes in eastern Wisconsin.
Sonex Aircraft says CEO Jeremy Monnett and assembly mechanic Mike Clark died Tuesday when their single-engine plane crashed near Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh.
Forty-year-old Jeremy Monnett is the son of Sonex founder, John Monnett, who told staff Wednesday that the company will continue operations "despite the holes left by Jeremy and Mike's absence."
RHINELANDER - Summer weather feels like it's finally here, and that means it's a perfect time to get back out on local hiking and biking trails.
They're all over the Northwoods.
"With the spring a little bit over and heading into the warm summer months, people have the opportunity to access over hundreds of miles of trails just in Oneida County alone," says Rhinelander Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Dana DeMet.
CRANDON - The future of a four-phased, 10,000 acre off-road vehicle park in Forest County is unknown after a Forest County Forestry Committee vote Tuesday night. The park would offer trails and others things for ATVs, UTVs and other off-road vehicles.
The Forest County Forestry Committee was voting on whether send a modified 15-year comprehensive land use plan to accommodate an off-road vehicle park to the full county board. That had originally contained detailed information regarding the specific plan from Wisconsin Off-Road Vehicle Park Inc. (WORVPI) until all WORVPI related details were removed in May.
The land use plan would need to be changed to build any kind of off-road park on county land. However the committee voted 4-2 against the changes in front of a packed Forest County board room. The majority of people giving public comment at the meeting were against the land use change.
MERRILL - Three people went to the hospital after a crash near Merrill.
The call for help came in to the Lincoln County Sheriff's Department at 7:00 Tuesday night.
The crash happened at the intersection of Highway 64 and Maple Road in the town of Pine River.
ANTIGO - Kids who participate in the Boys and Girls Club of Langlade County will have a safe place to spend the long, warm days ahead.
The program offers a summer camp for kids.
The Boys and Girls Club helps kids stay healthy, do well in school, and improve character. Organizers hope the club will feel like a second home for kids.
RHINELANDER - With the weather getting warmer, a lot of students will spend those last few days of the school year outdoors. One Northwoods elementary school will try to be exceptionally productive with its time outside.
Amy Rogers' third grade class at Pelican Elementary School in Rhinelander, along with several other classes, has been hard at work on its new school garden. The school was able to plant the garden thanks to a grant from Oneida County.
"I think gardening is really awesome because you can get outside, fresh air, exercise," said Rogers. "I was reading a local newspaper, and there was an advertisement stating the L.E.A.N. grant, Linking Education, Activity, and Nutrition, through the Health Department of Oneida County, and I thought that's perfect to jump at it."
Police accuse a Wausau man of holding up a Weston business on Sunday night.
Thomas McKay, 20, made his first court appearance on Tuesday. He is charged with a felony for armed robbery with threat of force.
Everest Metro Police say a man believed to be McKay demanded money from a Sugar Shack employee who was alone in the store. Police believe McKay wore a mask and was armed with a knife and gun. They say he left with cash, although no one was injured in the robbery.
PARK FALLS - Athletes understand the importance of good equipment for their training. One gymnastics club in Park Falls is fundraising to replace some of its equipment that's falling apart.
The Eagles Gymnastics Club teams practice throughout the week. Some of their mats are worn out, so the head coach hopes to raise enough money to get new equipment.
"We've got a couple of mats that are breaking down, wearing out, and then getting to the point where they're unsafe," said Eagles Gymnastics Club Head Coach Rebecca Kasowicz. "So we're trying to fundraise at this time for new matting. And then also for the whole club, including all the youth, the high school, the little girls, get some more advanced equipment."
NORTHWOODS - It can be difficult to go to school in a foreign country. Students need to adjust to new languages, different traditions, and even unfamiliar foods.
Newswatch 12's Kaitlyn Howe spoke with five foreign exchange students who've spent the school year in northern Wisconsin.
This week, we're learning about the students' experiences. Today, we'll hear about the biggest differences between the students' hometowns and the Northwoods.
PLOVER - Golden County Foods has notified the state it plans to terminate more than 400 workers as part of its bankruptcy proceedings, but that there's a good chance those employees will be rehired by a new owner.
The Plover company recently reached a preliminary agreement to sell its assets to Monogram Appetizers. The sale must be approved by a bankruptcy judge.
In a letter to the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, the company says it believes the sale will preserve the jobs of its 432 employees.
SHAWANO - A teen driver has been ordered to stand trial on charges resulting from a crash that killed three young passengers in Shawano County.
Eighteen-year-old Ryan Swadner is facing 11 charges, including eight felonies.
Prosecutors say the Clintonville teen was under the influence of a controlled substance when he lost control of his vehicle in Belle Plaine and collided with an SUV in October 2014. Fifteen-year-old Paige Brunette, 17-year-old Cody Borsche and 18-year-old Tyler Welch were passengers in Swadner's vehicle and died in the crash.
MERRILL - The Merrill High School wrestling team might look a little different going forward.
That's because Head Coach Scott Arneson stepped down last month.
Brian Suchocki, the team's long-time assistant, will take over starting next year.
TOMAHAWK - Handmade soaps and cosmetics can be a luxurious item. One woman in Tomahawk developed a business from her passion for fragrance.
"I was always looking for a lotion that didn't leave me too greasy or just dry after I rubbed it in," said owner of Scentability and Friends in Tomahawk Tricia Samundsen.
Tricia Samundsen left the army in 2001. She began making homemade lotion after spending time as a labor and delivery nurse. She made lotion and soaps for friends. The rest is history.
WESTON - Police think they caught the man who held up a Weston business.
Officers were called to the Sugar Shack ice cream parlor on Ross Avenue Sunday night.
A man came through the back door of the business just after 9:30.
TOMAHAWK - Train engineers see risky behavior around railroad tracks often in Wisconsin. The state has more than 4,000 active crossings.
Cars ignore signs and signals at many of them. On other stretches of rail, people trespass to walk along tracks or fish from bridges. That's a major safety concern, especially with more and more trains rumbling across Wisconsin.
"We just want to make sure that everybody is safe and aware that rail traffic is increasing in the state of Wisconsin, all over the state," said Wisconsin Operation Lifesaver State Coordinator Susie Klinger. Klinger oversees Tomahawk Railway.
EAGLE RIVER - The sexual assault case against a 31-year-old Vilas County man will move forward after waiving his preliminary hearing in Court on Monday.
Curtis Wiggins is accused of assaulting two children younger than 13. Wiggins faces six felony charges.
Prosecutors believe he sexually assaulted a child in 2013. He's also charged for allegedly touching another child inappropriately. Investigators think that happened last May.
RHINELANDER - Students who graduate from Nicolet College can now easily transfer to a new four year school. Northland College in Ashland, Wisconsin will now accept students who transfer with an associate's degree from Nicolet College. Nicolet wants its students to easily transfer to four year schools.
Northland College is now recognizing credits that Nicolet gives for a handful of their degrees including Business Management, Graphic Design, Early Childhood Education, and University Transfer Liberal Arts Associate of Science-Natural Resources Emphasis programs. Staff members at Nicolet say this deal is very clear-cut for students looking to pursue these degrees.
"We have put a lot of institutional resources into building these articulation agreements," said the Dean of University Transfer/Liberal Arts program Emily Stuckenbruck. "So it's very clear to students from the get-go; if you take this list of courses, or you have selected from these courses available, they will transfer to these institutions."
ST. GERMAIN - At least two people were hurt after a semi-truck and SUV collided in St. Germain Monday morning, according to the Vilas County Sheriff's Office.
The sheriff's office says one person was airlifted to Wausau while the other person was transported to Howard Young Medical Center in Woodruff.
The crash happened on Highway 70 and County Highway C in St. Germain around 8:45 a.m.
WISCONSIN - Officials at the Wisconsin Department of Transportation want drivers to stay attentive for deer on the road in June.
June ranks as one of the worst months for injuries from crashes involving deer because does will look for places to give birth, and young deer will also begin to separate from their mothers.
The DOT says there are a couple of steps drivers can take to reduce the risk of an accident.
ANTIGO - The Antigo Police Department thinks a K-9 police dog could help keep drugs out of the city.
The department currently borrows other cities' K-9 dogs for some cases, but now police in Antigo want their own dog.
"It's a good presence within the community and it makes a good stand," says Police Chief Eric Roller. "It keeps us proactive, and that's what we're really trying to do."
NORTHWOODS - Every year, students from all over the world go to high school in the Northwoods.
Those students get the chance to learn what life is like in the United States.
Newswatch 12's Kaitlyn Howe spoke with five foreign exchange students who've spent the school year in northern Wisconsin.
TOMAHAWK - Pastor Carolyn Rauschert is no stranger to the Tomahawk community. She spent her summers at her grandparents' home on Manson Lake. Rauschert, a mother of six children, worked at a Dunkin Donuts before setting off for her new career.
"The cops came in and they said 'Why don't you be a police officer?'" said Rauschert. "And I thought, 'Well, I need a job...' so I did that for about seven years."
She married another police officer, but he passed away a few years later. The single mother decided to leave the police force and go back to school. She taught music for ten years, but little did she know her life would take her back to Tomahawk one day.
DELAVAN - Gov. Scott Walker says he intends to keep his campaign promise not to raise the gas tax or vehicle registration fees to pay for transportation projects in Wisconsin.
Walker said Monday that despite his position, he still believes a deal can be reached with the Legislature's budget-writing committee this week on how to pay for highways and other roads projects.
The transportation budget is one of the last pending issues before the Legislature's Joint Finance Committee. Lawmakers have been unable to reach a deal with Walker.
TOWN OF EDGEWATER - Sheriff's officials say the adult son of a couple in Sawyer County killed his parents and took his own life outside their rural home.
Chief Deputy Brigette Kornbroke says 41-year-old Eric Werachowski shot his father in the abdomen Saturday at the Town of Edgewater home he shared with his parents, then set fire to the house.
Authorities say 60-year-old Marilyn Werachowski called sheriff's dispatchers about 11 a.m. reporting that her son had shot her husband and set the house on fire. Dispatchers then lost contact with the woman.
NORTHWOODS - Lincoln County Deputies assisted Deputies from Rusk and Price County after a pursuit that started in Rusk County came through Lincoln County.
A Lincoln County Deputy tried to deploy a tire deflation device to stop the chase as the vehicle traveled east on US Hwy 8, but the driver was able to avoid them.
Oneida County Deputies helped later and were able to deflate the car's tires on US Hwy 8 near County Rd N in Woodboro.
NECEDAH - Wildlife experts say it could be a record year for efforts to reintroduce a critically endangered bird in Wisconsin.
An aerial survey has counted 37 whooping crane nests, with 13 chicks hatched so far this year. Nine of the young birds were still living as of late last week, and another eight pairs still were brooding eggs.
More than 20 chicks will be hatched this season if all the active sites are successful.
ST. GERMAIN - You can see artwork from artists across Wisconsin this weekend. The St. Germain Chamber of Commerce will host the 8th Walk in the Woods Art Fair.
You can look at different art, taste wine, and sample cheese while strolling through the woods behind the chamber.
The high end art fair offers a different experience.
MILWAUKEE - Nursing homes in Wisconsin are rated higher than the national average when it comes to quality care, but roughly one-fourth of the state's nursing homes are still getting the lowest ratings.
The Kaiser Family Foundation recently analyzed ratings for the state's nursing homes. While the methodology used to rate nursing homes is imperfect, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports (http://bit.ly/1SOxKMe) the ratings can help consumers, and prod some facilities to improve.
Overall, 55 percent of the state's nursing homes received the two highest ratings from the federal government, compared with the national average of 42 percent.
