Local Rhinelander Headlines

PEARSON - Most pet owners describe dogs as mans best friend, but to a group of sledders, dogs are their companion in competition. Dogs pulled sled drivers through trails in Pearson Saturday morning. Trainers like Beth Castaldi say it's usually not cold enough to train dogs in the fall. Full Story: WJFW

MADISON - Newly released bills show that Wisconsin's legal battle over redrawing voting boundaries to favor Republicans has cost taxpayers $2.1 million. That's $200,000 more than previously reported. A Milwaukee Journal Sentinel report (http://bit.ly/HBiT72 ) says the state paid a legal firm $1 million to help defend the maps in court. Full Story: WJFW

ACROSS WISCONSIN - Wisconsinites who rely on help from the Wisconsin FoodShare assistance program will see reductions starting Friday. The cuts will reduce food assistance in Wisconsin by $89 million over the 2014 fiscal year which runs from November 2013- September 2014, according to the Wisconsin Budget Project. Full Story: WJFW

LAC DU FLAMBEAU - You see most businesses go online. Casinos are no different. Lake of the Torches Casino in Lac du Flambeau made online games available on its website in September. Full Story: WJFW

RHINELANDER - Sometimes you might feel like going for a walk. But a Rhinelander man took it just a few steps further. 71 year-old Gerald Anderson spent six months hiking the entire Appalachian Trail. Full Story: WJFW

MADISON - A bill to require the showing of photo identification at the polls in Wisconsin is set to move quickly through the Republican-controlled Assembly. Sponsors of the new bill circulated it Thursday. A spokeswoman for Assembly Speaker Robin Vos says the measure will be up for a public hearing next week, with a vote by the full Assembly the second week in November. Full Story: WJFW

THREE LAKES - Most of us go downtown to shop, but in Three Lakes you can go to school to do your shopping. The Three Lakes Elementary School runs a thrift shop called Jay's Nest. It's open to the public to come and shop. Full Story: WJFW

RHINELANDER - Big events like Hodag Country Fest need police there. But when police need to work longer hours, they get paid overtime. It costs taxpayers more. Full Story: WJFW

MERRILL - Most kids use Halloween to dress like their favorite superhero and bag a lot of candy,but kids in Merrill use their Halloween to help kids in Syria. The three year civil war there has put families and children in danger. Full Story: WJFW

MINOCQUA - Minocqua will no longer call Andy Gee its police chief. Gee resigned Wednesday. That was after he was involved in a workplace dispute. Full Story: WJFW

RHINELANDER - Most of us decorate for Halloween with cobwebs and spiders, but in other cultures, this time of year means flowers and food. ArtStart in Rhinelander has a decorated altar on display. It's a custom of the Latin American holiday Day of the Dead. Full Story: WJFW

MONICO - We introduced you to a family whose vacation home was destroyed by vandals last January. The teenagers responsible will be sentenced in December. While those court cases are going through the system, the Wierzbicki's in Monico are still cleaning up the mess. Full Story: WJFW

MADISON - 17 year olds who get in trouble may soon be back in juvenile court. A bipartisan bill that would reverse a law requiring all 17-year-old offenders to be treated like adults is moving quickly. Full Story: WJFW

LAC DU FLAMBEAU - Police have taken an escaped prisoner into custody. The Vilas County Sheriff's Department says yesterday 18 year old Jeffery J. Bauman Jr. walked away from St. Joseph’s Hospital in Marshfield. Full Story: WJFW