Local Rhinelander Headlines

Fired Milwaukee officer to appeal dismissal

MILWAUKEE - A Milwaukee police officer who was fired for improper procedure in the lead-up to a fatal shooting will go to court to get his job back.

Officer Christopher Manney's attorney says Manney will "certainly" appeal his dismissal in circuit court.

Manney was fired last fall after he fatally shot Dontre Hamilton in a downtown park. Manney had gone to check on Hamilton's welfare, but the check turned into a violent confrontation in which Hamilton grabbed Manney's baton and hit him with it.

Full story: WJFW

Licensing fees paid by barbers, boxing judges, nurses unchanged

MADISON - Licensing fees paid by everyone from nurses to boxing judges in Wisconsin will not change over the next two years.

The Legislature's budget committee on Wednesday voted to keep the licensing and regulation fee schedule the same over the next two years for more than 150 professions.

Democrats proposed lowering the renewal fees for audiologists and speech-language pathologists. Rep. Chris Taylor, of Madison, argued that they are paying more than necessary for their fees.

Full story: WJFW

Northern Edge figure skating wins first state title

RHINELANDER - Grace Hoger and Lauryn Cook of the Northern Edge Figure Skating Club won state this past weekend at the top level.

"It's exciting," Cook said. "We'd just kind of heard that we won and we we're just, like, 'Wow. Oh my goodness.'"

Northern Edge is a co-op between Rhinelander, Three Lakes, and Tomahawk. The two girls are the first champions from the club, just three years after its creation.

Full story: WJFW

One dead after Wausaukee bank robbery, suspect and trooper killed after exchanging fire in Fond du Lac

WAUSAUKEE - At least one person is dead after a man robbed a bank in Marinette County and started a gunfight with a Wisconsin State Patrolman on Tuesday, according to Marinette County Sheriff Jerry Sauve.

Sauve says a man entered the State Bank of Florence in Wausaukee around 1:45 p.m., pulled out a gun and fired a lone round from the handgun. No one was reported hurt at the bank, but Sauve says the suspect then proceeded to rob the bank of cash and steal a bank employee's vehicle.

Police later responded to a call about a male victim found on Jermac Road east of Wausaukee near a pick-up truck that was still running. Sauve says the officer on scene determined the man, who was believed to be in his 60s, was dead. Officers searched the area and later found the stolen vehicle from the bank.

Full story: WJFW

Marshfield unanimously suspends cell phone ban

The Marshfield Common Council unanimously decided Tuesday night to suspend its ordinance banning hand-held cell phone use while driving.

The recommendation from Marshfield City Administrator Steve Barg and Police Chief Rick Gramza came after Gramza saw an email from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT) to leaders in Waupaca County. Now the city is turning to its legal counsel to figure out if the writing of its ordinance is legal under state statute.

Waupaca County's local ordinance doesn't let drivers use hand-held cell phones while driving. The county wanted to put up signs telling drivers about its cell phone ban. According to DOT correspondence obtained by Newswatch 12, with the ordinance not being posted, the prosecutor wouldn't accept any tickets for violations in court unless they were presented through the corporate counsel.

Full story: WJFW

Northwoods Works: The Choo Choo Store finds success in niche market

THREE LAKES - Only about half of all small business start-ups survive their first five years. Dale Wolke and his wife, Janel, have cleared that hurdle. Maybe it's because they've tapped into the passion people have for model railroad trains.

"It's a long cold winter up here. Everybody needs a hobby," Janel said.

It turns out a lot of people enjoy the model train hobby.

Full story: WJFW

Hepatitis C cases on the rise in Wisconsin due to increase in injection drug use

WISCONSIN - The number of hepatitis C cases in Wisconsin keeps increasing, according to Wisconsin Department of Health Services.

An increase in the use of injection drugs such as heroin is likely the cause of the increase among young adults.

Hepatitis C spreads through contact with blood. The virus often results in liver damage.

Full stories: WJFW

California man charged with child sex assault in Langlade County

LANGLADE COUNTY - Police accuse a 23-year-old California man of having sex with a teen in Langlade County. Omar Luera allegedly met the teen online and sent the teen naked pictures.

Luera was under investigation in California for having an online sexual relationship with the teen.

Police say Luera came to Wisconsin in February and stayed in a motel in Antigo. According to court documents, he told police he stayed in the teen's home for a few days as well. He allegedly hid in the closet and bathroom.

Full story: WJFW

Antigo lawyer runs for circuit court judge position

LANGLADE COUNTY - One of the closest races this upcoming election day could be the race for circuit court judge in Langlade County. Both of the candidates running for the position are well known in the community.

Antigo Attorney John Rhode has worked in different types of law for the past 20 years. He ran for the judgeship because he thinks his varied experience will help him understand all the different cases a judge must deal with.

Rhode also thinks he has two important qualities necessary in a good judge: fairness and honesty.

Full story: WJFW

Antigo woman faces child sex assault charges

ANTIGO - An Antigo woman could spend more than 80 years in prison for allegedly having sex with two teens. Carissa Drake, 31, faces two felony charges of child sexual assault and two felony charges of showing intimate body parts.

According to court documents, Drake had a party in December 2014 where she bought alcohol for underage kids. Drake allegedly took two teens, ages 14 and 13, upstairs to a bedroom and took turns having sex with them.

Full story: WJFW

New hair salon opens in Crandon

CRANDON - Opening a new business can be hard for anyone. But that didn't scare one Crandon woman from following her passion.

Lori Lockridge, owner of Luscious Locks, moved to Crandon from Tennessee in 2007. She's had a love for styling hair since she was a little girl. She worked as a hair stylist in Rhinelander for eight years before deciding to go out on her own. She says she's grateful to the community.

"I'm excited and happy that everybody thinks it's great that I'm opening a new shop in Crandon, and they're coming to visit me," said Lockridge.

Full story: WJFW

DOT program helps counties maintain forest roads

WISCONSIN - They don't get used as much as paved expressways, but county forest roads need to be kept in good shape for recreation, timber harvest, and forest health.

Counties in northern Wisconsin got money from the state earlier this month to help do just that.

The state Department of Transportation gives out hundreds of thousands of dollars to counties.

Full story: WJFW

Family from Butternut names son after Badgers Head Coach Bo Ryan

BUTTERNUT - Bo Ryan Martinovich, named after Wisconsin's Bo Ryan, was born on March 15th, 2015. The day the Badgers won the Big Ten Tournament Championship.

"I was a pretty nervous wreck watching the Badger game on my phone at the hospital," Bo's Father Jeffrey Martinovich said. "I think he was born two hours after the game was done. It was pretty exciting."

Both Jeffrey and Gabrielle were born and raised in Wisconsin. Now they live in Butternut. They love the Badger state. Picking the names Bo Ryan for their baby in March seemed to go along with Wisconsin culture.

Full story: WJFW

Wisconsin's new voter ID requirements won't affect April 7 election

WASHINGTON D.C. - The U.S. Supreme Court announced Monday it refused to hear a case challenging Wisconsin's new voter ID law. The decision disappointed opponents of the proposal, who see it as a unconstitutional restriction on voting rights.

The law requires voters to provide proof of their identity when they show up to the polls on election day. However, the new law will not take effect until after the upcoming April 7 election.

Election officials, such as Lincoln County Clerk Christopher Marlowe, have already sent out many absentee ballots for that election, ballots that don't require the voter to provide any proof of identity.

Full story: WJFW

Authors say GPS anti-tracking bill would protect privacy

MADISON - The authors of a bill that would outlaw using GPS to track someone without their consent are telling a legislative committee the proposal would protect people's privacy.

Rep. Adam Neylon and Sen. Jerry Petrowski, both Republicans, told the state Senate's judiciary committee that legislators must watch how technology is used and their bill will help prevent stalking.

Thomas Fischer, Vice President of the Professional Association of Wisconsin Licensed Investigators, told the committee the bill would drive private investigators out of business.

Full story: WJFW

Shipping season begins at Twin Ports

DULUTH, MINN - Although there's snow in the forecast, one sure sign of spring is the start to the shipping season in the Twin Ports of Duluth, Minnesota and Superior, Wisconsin. The first laker, the John G. Munson, made its way through the harbor Monday evening.

Three record high temperatures were broken in Duluth this month, but port spokesman Adele Yorde says the shipping season will still have a slow start. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 60 percent of Lake Superior is still covered with ice.

Full story: WJFW

Man accused of stabbing his Wisconsin wife in Illinois hospital bathroom

ELK GROVE VILLAGE, ILL. - A man accused of stabbing his wife to death with a screwdriver inside a locked bathroom at a northern Illinois hospital has been charged with first-degree murder.

Prosecutors say 43-year-old Javier Bahena killed his wife because he believed she was having an affair. The victim, 42-year-old Francisca Quintero of Wisconsin, was attacked Sunday just hours after her brother died of a heart attack at Alexian Brothers Medical Center in Elk Grove Village.

In a Monday hearing, prosecutors said the couple was married for more than 20 years but had been separated over the last year.

Full story: WJFW

Impact of U.S. Supreme Court decision not to hear WI voter ID case

WASHINGTON D.C. - The U.S. Supreme Court announced Monday it would not hear a case challenging Wisconsin's voter ID law, dealing a blow to opponents who see the law as restricting voting rights.

The law requires a voter to show an identification card to prove who they are to vote in an election. However, you won't need an ID to vote in the spring elections this April.

Absentee ballots for the upcoming election would have been an issue for election workers like Lincoln County Clerk Christopher Marlowe. Many had already been sent out to voters without any type of ID needed.

Full story: WJFW

UPDATE: Firing of Milwaukee police officer who shot man upheld

MILWAUKEE - A panel of police commissioners in Milwaukee has upheld the firing of a white officer who fatally shot a black man last year.

The three-commissioner panel ruled Monday night that firing Christopher Manney was the proper punishment. The panel earlier found that Manney violated department protocol when he tried to search the man moments before they began fighting.

Full story: WJFW

Panel says fired Milwaukee officer violated policy

MILWAUKEE - A panel of police commissioners in Milwaukee has concluded that a white officer violated department protocol before shooting a black man last year.

Christopher Manney shot and killed Dontre Hamilton in a downtown park last April. According to Manney, Hamilton grabbed the officer's baton and attacked him with it.

Hamilton had paranoid schizophrenia, but his family has said he wasn't dangerous.

Full story: WJFW

Former teacher accused of possessing child pornography reaches plea deal

WAUSAU - A former teacher and soccer coach at Newman Catholic High School in Wausau pled guilty Monday to 10 counts of possessing child pornography after police found DVDs and nearly 100 pictures of naked underage boys at his home a year ago.

Fifty-year-old Michael Switalski took a plea deal in Marathon County court after prosecutors charged him with 32 felony counts of possessing child porn.

Full story: WJFW

Wisconsin scientists doing liquid biopsy research could play a big role in the fight against cancer

WISCONSIN - Liquid biopsies need only a small blood sample to check for cancer. The sample is tested for a variety of genetic markers that could indicate cancer.

Researchers think doctors will soon use the technique to monitor and detects the disease.

Associate Professor of Pathology at Medical College of Wisconsin, and cancer researcher Dr. Liang Wang thinks it's a technique that doctors will use in the next year or two.

Full story: WJFW

South Park School gets new life as Bethesda's Rhinelander Community Life Center

RHINELANDER - The building in Rhinelander sat vacant for about three years. The School District of Rhinelander sold the building to Bethesda Lutheran Communities late last year. Now the building has a new life.

"I just think everybody is happy to see some life back in an area that was pretty silent for a while," said Bethesda Learning Communities Area Director Kathy Todd.

The old South Park School building doesn't sit silent anymore. It's a busy Community Life Center for Bethesda. Bethesda is a national support provider for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Full story: WJFW

Over-the-road businesses concerned about proposal to raise speed limits on Wisconsin roads

MERRILL - Many drivers like the idea of being able to legally go 70 miles per hour on some Wisconsin freeways and expressways.

But some businesses whose employees drive a lot have concerns.

The state Assembly has already passed a bill that would let the state Department of Transportation raise the speed limit from 65 to 70 miles per hour on many Wisconsin roads.

Full story: WJFW

Warmer weather allows area golf courses to open early

MERRILL - Merrill Golf Club didn't open until late April last year after a long and cold winter, but this year golfers hit the course in Merrill starting last Friday.

Warmer weather and an early thaw let many central Wisconsin courses open a month earlier than last year.

Most Northwoods courses remain closed, but courses like Rib Mountain, Maple Hills in Wittenberg, Pine Valley in Marathon, Indianhead in Mosinee, and Black River in Medford are now open.

Full story: WJFW

First business incubator in Oneida County set to help new businesses adjust to local economy

RHINELANDER - A new business tool in Rhinelander can help small-business owners get started in the community. Downtown Rhinelander Inc. is opening up the first business incubator in Oneida County.

The incubator will house offices for people who want to see if their business can work in the area. It'll have four temporary offices up for short-term rent. There will also be a short-stay office for people who need a place to work for the day.

"We're providing the first step," says Downtown Rhinelander Business Recruiter Sally Latimer. "Then they would be able to see that they're comfortable, successful. Then we have very nice offices available downtown, and they would be able to move into that, so it's a nice stepping stone."

Full story: WJFW

Stop Running Water in Rhinelander on March 31st

RHINELANDER - Rhinelander residents who kept their water running to prevent freezing pipes will get some good news. Warmer weather means it's almost time to turn any running water off.

It can be costly for residents to keep their water running through the winter. It's also expensive for the Water Utility Department. Residents can shut their running water off next Tuesday.

"March 31st, that'll be the end of the running water," said Rhinelander Water Superintendent Tom Roeser. "The frost is releasing from the ground so we're confident that we won't have any more freeze-ups."

Full story: WJFW

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