Local Rhinelander Headlines

Local beekeepers see drop in honey bees

RHINELANDER - More honey bees will find a home in the Northwoods this spring. Workers at Hansen Honey Farm based out of Rhinelander made three extra trips to California to bring millions of bees to Wisconsin. This will help alleviate the losses beekeepers have seen the past two years.

"This last winter itself wasn't so bad, but summertime was a very poor time for honey production in Wisconsin," said Hansen Honey Farm Co-Owner Jody Hansen. "So that caused bees not to have a great build-up and to not be very healthy going into winter."

Some local beekeepers lost all of their hives this winter. The Hansens hope they can entice more people to take up beekeeping. Hansen reccomends against using harsh pesticides to keep bees safe during summer. Keeping them insulated and well fed will help the bees survive the winter.

Full story: WJFW

Member of Police and Fire Commission accused of sexually assaulting a 17 year old girl.

LINCOLN COUNTY - Prosecutors think a member of the Merrill Police and Fire Commission sexually assaulted a 17 year old girl.

David Hayes is charged with a felony and a misdemeanor for the alleged assault. According to court documents, it happened in August 2012.

Hayes and the girl were at a picnic. Hayes said he would drive the girl home. He allegedly stopped the car and sexually assaulted her.

Full story: WJFW

Online renewal of Wisconsin driver's licenses scaled back

MADISON - Gov. Scott Walker's proposal allowing Wisconsin driver's licenses to be renewed online one time has been scaled back by the Legislature's budget committee.

The Joint Finance Committee voted Wednesday to allow online renewal only for new drivers moving from an instructional permit to a probationary license and then to a regular license.

Walker wanted to allow any driver to renew online one time. But that elicited concerns from law enforcement about drivers going as long as 16 years without a new picture being taken.

Full story: WJFW

3 bodies in vehicle identified in Upper Peninsula

DOYLE TOWNSHIP, MI - State police have identified the bodies of a man and two women found in a burned-out vehicle in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

They are 42-year-old Jody Hutchinson and two sisters, 31-year-old Carrie Nelson and 25-year-old Heather Aldrich. All three are from the unincorporated Mackinac County community of Gould City.

The vehicle was found on a gravel road last Friday in Schoolcraft County's Doyle Township, about 70 miles southeast of Marquette.

Full story: WJFW

Budget committee approves funding for dead deer removal

MADISON - The state Department of Natural Resources would continue to get funding to pay for removal of deer struck by motorists on Wisconsin roadways under a vote by the Legislature's budget committee.

The Republican-controlled Joint Finance Committee voted against Gov. Scott Walker's recommendation to shift the cost to local governments.

The DNR spends about $700,000 a year contracting with local governments to remove the dead deer.

Full story: WJFW

School bus and pickup truck collide on County Highway K.

RHINELANDER - A school bus and a pickup truck crashed Wednesday morning on County Highway K just south of North Rifle Road.

The crash happened around 7:00 Wednesday morning .

The assistant chief with the Newbold Fire Department told Newswatch 12 that the children were transferred to a new bus.

http://wjfw.com/stories.html?sku=20150422103458" title="School bus and pickup truck collide on County Highway K.

Wisconsin Senate OKs eliminating gun waiting period

MADISON - The state Senate has approved a Republican bill that would eliminate Wisconsin's decades-old 48-hour waiting period for handgun purchases.

The Senate passed the bill on a voice vote Tuesday. The proposal now goes to the state Assembly. Republican Gov. Scott Walker, a likely 2016 presidential candidate, supports the bill.

The waiting period was enacted in the mid-1970s. The bill's chief sponsor, Sen. Van Wanggaard, a Racine Republican, says the waiting period was meant to allow time for background checks but the checks now can be done far more quickly with computers and law-abiding citizens shouldn't have to wait for their guns.

Full story: WJFW

Around 1/4 of Americans have little retirement savings

RHINELANDER - A new survey shows 28 percent of Americans haven't really saved anything for retirement. The data also shows Americans shouldn't count on working longer into their lives to fix the issue.

The Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) and Greenwald and Associates conducted the survey. It says 28 percent of working Americans surveyed have fewer than $1,000 in retirement savings. The survey didn't include the value of a home or work pension.

Dave Mannikko, financial planner at Boyd Financial Services in Rhinelander, believes many Americans don't save as much as they could.

Full story: WJFW

Dark Sky Week produces stunning sky photos in Upper Peninsula park

CRYSTAL FALLS - Loons called and spring peepers chimed in brightly at Bewabic State Park. In the pitch dark, the stars sparkled brightly.

"The night sort of brings out a different side of the park that you don't normally see," said Kasey Mahoney, the park supervisor.

Bewabic, located between Iron River and Crystal Falls in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, played host to part of International Dark Sky Week last week.

Full story: WJFW

Judge declines to block chief justice selection change

MADISON - The Wisconsin Supreme Court could have a new chief justice soon, after a federal judge on Tuesday refused to block a voter-approved change in how the head of the court is selected.

Current Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson filed the federal lawsuit one day after voters on April 7 approved the constitutional amendment changing the selection process. U.S. District Judge James Peterson on Tuesday refused to block the law's implementation while Abrahamson's lawsuit is pending, saying there would be no irreparable harm if she were temporarily removed from the post she's held since 1996.

The amendment allows the seven justices on the court to choose who is chief justice, changing the 126-year practice of having it go to the most senior justice. The four-justice conservative majority is expected to vote Abrahamson out after the state elections board certifies the vote on April 29.

Full story: WJFW

Gardening expert offers advice on keeping plants safe in cold temperatures

RHINELANDER - Some gardeners may have gotten a jump start on their planting with last week's warm temperatures, but the return to snow and cooler temperatures the last few days could cause some concern.

Experts suggest covering plants to prevent them from freezing. However, that might not save tropical plants like Coleus.

Some annual plants like pansies, however, should be able to bounce back. Trees and shrubs should also be okay in the cooler temperatures.

Full story: WJFW

Wellness programs at work could benefit employers and workers

NORTHWOODS - 24% of people living in the Northwoods say they don't do any physical activity.

One organization is teaching employers why they should have wellness programs in the workplace.

Northwoods LEAN hosted a Wellness Seminar Tuesday to teach employees how to start or add to wellness programs at their business. Organizers say people here in the Northwoods need wellness programs to promote healthier lifestyles.

Full story: WJFW

Wisconsin Senate OKs ride-hailing regulations

MADISON - The Wisconsin Senate has approved a bill that would create statewide regulations on ride-hailing companies such as Uber and Lyft.

The measure would prohibit any local ordinances governing ride-hailing companies. Instead, the companies would have to purchase a $5,000 state license, conduct driver background checks and maintain liability insurance.

Drivers would be prohibited from discriminating against passengers based on their race, religion, sex or disability.

Full story: WJFW

County denies dog park near airport; advocates remain hopeful for future options

RHINELANDER - Oneida County won't allow a temporary dog park to be built on an empty piece of land near Rhinelander's airport.

Instead, business experts want to use the 21-acre lot to attract a new business to the community. They think the land is just too valuable to temporarily use as a park.

"[The] 21 acres of land is zoned light-industrial," says Roger Luce, the Executive Director of Oneida County's Economic Development Corporation. "It is fully serviced with city sewer, city water. It has natural gas running past it, and its fiber optic is right out front on the street."

< href="http://wjfw.com/stories.html?sku=20150421154226" title="County denies dog park near airport; advocates remain hopeful for future options">Full story: WJFW

Favre's number to be retired on Thanksgiving Day

GREEN BAY - It appears Thanksgiving Day will be an even more special day for Packers fans. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports the Packers will retire Brett Favre's number that day. The number four will be placed on the wall of Lambeau Field.

The Packers will reportedly play the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field that day. The NFL schedule will be released later tonight.

Full story: WJFW

Nygren open to raising fees on out-of-state hunters

MADISON - The co-chair of the Legislature's budget-writing Joint Finance Committee says he is open to raising hunting and fishing permit fees for people outside of Wisconsin.

Rep. John Nygren said Tuesday that option will be considered by the committee on Wednesday as it votes on parts of the Department of Natural Resources budget.

Gov. Scott Walker did not call for any increase in hunting or fishing fees over the next two years in his budget. The nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau has prepared an alternative showing how much money would be raised by increasing fees $2 per license.

Full story: WJFW

State Senate to consider eliminating handgun purchase waiting period

MADISON - The state Senate will consider eliminating Wisconsin's 48-hour waiting period to buy a handgun.

The waiting period has been in place since the mid-1970s.

The Republican sponsor of the bill to eliminate the waiting period says the law was intended to allow gun dealers time to perform background checks.

Full story: WJFW

Ice cave fee raises money for Apostle Islands National Lakeshore

BAYFIELD - People needed to pay to see a natural wonder in Wisconsin this winter.

A $5 fee was put in place for those who wanted to hike out to the ice caves at Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.

The park collected $140,000 from the fees and shared a small portion of the proceeds with the National Parks Service, leaving the Apostle Islands with $135,000.

Full story: WJFW

Northwoods Attraction Still A Huge Success After Implementing Fee

People needed to pay to see a natural wonder in Wisconsin this winter.

A $5 fee was put in place for those who wanted to hike out to the ice caves at Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.

The park collected $140,000 from the fees and shared a small portion of the proceeds with the National Parks Service, leaving the Apostle Islands with $135,000.

Read more: WACD

Wisconsin budget group offers alternatives to avoid possible budget cuts

MADISON - The Wisconsin Budget Project argues state lawmakers can avoid budget cuts without raising taxes. Wisconsin Budget Project Director Jon Peacock says some cuts, like the ones to the UW System, can easily be avoided.

The group's policy paper argues that the state needs to accept federal money to expand the state's BadgerCare program. They argue that would help avoid budget cuts.

"We can cover more [people] in BadgerCare, avoid some cuts to BadgerCare that the governor has proposed, and still have a net increase of more than $345 million," Peacock said.

Full story: WJFW

Harvest event shows students the anchors of their forestry-based communities

GOODMAN - Without its veneer mill, the community of Goodman would likely decline and lose its school. The mill employs a large proportion of people in town. That reliance on the forest products industry makes education about sustainable forestry a must for students in Goodman.

"Well, I would describe it as loud, of course," said Goodman-Armstrong Creek sixth grader Mia Schaller after seeing a harvester fell tall trees, then take off their branches and cut them into even-length logs.

Schaller was one of hundreds of students learning about the forestry industry in a unique way on Monday.

Full story: WJFW

Budget committee tweaks Walker request, but increases broadband funds in budget

GOODMAN - Many Northwoods communities keep pushing for better broadband internet. Last year, a $90,000 grant from the state Public Service Commission helped the Lakeland area improve broadband. Now, the state pot of money for similar grants could grow.

The legislature's budget committee voted to approve a plan last week. It would make an extra $1.5 million available for grants over the next four years.

"(Broadband) has a huge importance," said Sen. Tom Tiffany (R-Hazelhurst), who sits on the Joint Finance Committee. "We need to roll more out. If we could, I would have liked to have put more money toward broadband grants."

Full story: WJFW

Pages