Local Rhinelander Headlines

First Street Coffee Station serves close-knit Merrill community

MERRILL - Many of us can't start the day without a cup of coffee. Loyal customers will get their cup from the same shop every morning. Many people in the Northwoods get their morning pick-me-up from First Street Coffee Station in downtown Merrill.

When you walk into First Street Coffee station, you may expect to smell coffee. But you may not expect to see traditional train décor.

"Everybody likes the atmosphere here, the hominess of it," said owner Don Swan.

Full story: WJFW

Wausau School District and Wausau Police Department hold community discussion about social media and gangs after 13-year-old boy is stabbed and killed

WAUSAU - In February, a 13-year-old Wausau boy died after being stabbed.

Isaiah Powell was killed in a fight that may have started by an argument on social media.

The Wausau School District and the Wausau Police Department want to prevent something like this happening again.

Full story: WJFW

Northwoods Republican representative 'not super comfortable' with expanding school voucher funding

CRANDON - Governor Scott Walker's budget calls for increasing state funding for voucher schools.

The plan suggests supplying $5 million to fund school vouchers in fiscal year 2016. It would increase to more than $12 million in fiscal year 2017.

One Northwoods representative who sat on the rural schools task force told us he's not "super comfortable" with expanding voucher funding.

Full story: WJFW

Wisconsin judge declines to block new right-to-work law

MADISON - A Madison judge has declined to block Wisconsin's new right-to-work law.

Dane County Circuit Judge William Foust rejected a request by three unions to grant temporary injunction blocking the law during a hearing on Thursday. The law will remain in effect while the unions' lawsuit proceeds.

The unions, including the Wisconsin AFL-CIO, say the law amounts to an unconstitutional seizure of their property because it allows workers who don't pay union dues to still receive union benefits.

Full story: WJFW

Walker in SC pitches conservative course

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is pitching himself in South Carolina as a leader with the experience to put the U.S. on a conservative course.

In his first visit this year to the early presidential primary state, Walker got an enthusiastic reception Thursday as he recounted his 2012 recall election victory and his successful efforts to weaken labor unions for public and private workers back home. He addressed a South Carolina Republican Party fund-raising luncheon.

Full story: WJFW

Determined photographer follows her passion

WAUSAU - Many people across the country felt the pain of losing a job over the last few years. But one Wausau woman decided to start her own business to follow her passion.

After Stephanie Leopold took her special needs son in for photos one day, she didn't know her life would forever change.

"Have the camera ready, and I'll pose him and get him to look and smile. I just need you to take the picture. And we did that and it worked, " recalls Leopold. "I got a couple pictures of my son. And when we were finished, the manager basically offered me a job on the spot."

Full story: WJFW

Greenhouse in business for 30 years

RHINELANDER - One local garden business will turn 30 this year. Hanson's Garden Village in Rhinelander opened for business in the summer of 1985. The owners say that growing plants runs in the family.

"My mom runs a greenhouse in Glidden, which is in Ashland County," said Owner Brent Hanson. "I guess it must have gotten into my blood. Thirty years ago we started with some open land and put up one little Quonset greenhouse and now we have 2 acres of greenhouses."

It was just Brent Hanson and his wife at first during the first years of the business. Now they typically employ thirty people with six full-time employees.

Full story: WJFW

Wisconsin Senate leader exploring new plans for Bucks arena

MILWAUKEE - The Republican leader of the Wisconsin state Senate says he is looking at alternatives to Gov. Scott Walker's plan to help pay for a new arena for the Milwaukee Bucks basketball team.

Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald said Thursday that Walker's plan calling for issuing $220 million in bonds is ``pretty much dead.'' Fitzgerald says he is talking with Milwaukee city and county leaders about other options that may or may not include state borrowing.

Fitzgerald says he believes a deal can be reached that doesn't include state borrowing, but he'll do ``whatever gets the deal done.''

Full story: WJFW

Local naturalist enjoys teaching about the ecology of the Northwoods

NORTHWOODS - A naturalist from the North Lakeland Discovery Center helps connect people to the outdoors.

Licia Johnson initially went to college for math and auxiliary science. Then, she took a trip to Alaska and changed her major to Environmental Resource Conservation and Geography. Now, she loves teaching people about the natural world.

"The people that join in on programs and trips, they share that love but they might not necessarily have the knowledge," Johnson said. "So I love to share that and see them get excited and share it with something else."

Full story: WJFW

Honda adds 105,000 vehicles to driver's air bag recall

DETROIT - Honda is adding nearly 105,000 vehicles to its U.S. recall of driver's side air bag inflators that can explode with too much force.

The added vehicles include nearly 89,000 Pilot SUVs from the 2008 model year, as well as about 11,000 Civics from 2004 and another 5,000 Accords from the 2001 model year.

Honda says it's the first recall of Pilots for potential problems with driver's air bags made by Takata Corp. of Japan. The inflators can blow a part a metal canister and spew shrapnel into drivers and passengers. At least six people have died worldwide due to the problem.

Full story: WJFW

Wisconsin private-sector job growth lags national average

MADISON - Wisconsin's private-sector job growth is half the national average, ranking 40th in the most recent 12-month reporting period.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Thursday that private sector jobs grew 1.16 percent in Wisconsin for the 12-month period from September 2013 through September 2014. The national growth rate was twice as high at 2.3 percent.

Wisconsin has been behind the national average since July 2011.

Full story: WJFW

Wisconsin officer's family supports protests

MADISON - The sister of a white Madison Police officer who shot and killed an unarmed biracial man says his family supports what she called the ``impulse'' to protest the shooting.

Matt Kenny shot 19-year-old Tony Robinson in an apartment house on March 6 after responding to calls that Robinson had attacked two people and was running in traffic. The incident has spurred the city's black community to mount multiple protests. Some demonstrators have called for Kenny to be charged with homicide but the rallies have been peaceful thus far.

Full story: WJFW

WisconsinEye won't agree to broadcast delay in Doe arguments

MADISON - Wisconsin's version of C-SPAN won't agree to delay broadcasts of oral arguments before the Supreme Court in a lawsuit challenging an investigation into Gov. Scott Walker's recall campaign.

Eight unnamed petitioners are trying to halt the so-called John Doe probe. The high court is expected to hear oral arguments April 17 and April 20.

John Doe probes are secret, which can make the arguments awkward. The petitioners' attorneys want WisconsinEye to broadcast the arguments with a slight delay, allowing for editing out of any names or material that's secret.

Full story: WJFW

Parents, school officials oppose cuts under Walker budget

BRILLION - Parents and school administrators are speaking out against proposed reductions in aid to public schools included in Gov. Scott Walker's two-year spending plan.

The Wisconsin Legislature's budget committee held the first of four public hearings on Walker's budget proposal Wednesday in Brillion.

Educators, parents and school board members told the committee to fund public schools and stop the expansion of vouchers.

Full story: WJFW

Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest starts stewardship agreement

LAONA - A local timber business started cutting trees in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest earlier in March as part of a new stewardship agreement between the National Forest and Sustainable Resources Institute, Inc., a non-profit organization.

SRI has sold some timber from the National Forest to Connor Forest Management, LLC, and SRI will use money made from the sale to fund National Forest maintenance.

This agreement is a result of the 2014 Farm Bill, which provides permanent stewardship authority to the USDA Forest Service. Basically, agreement allows forest services to sell timber and use the money to help preserve their forest.

Full story: WJFW

Merrill common council approves annexation petition for heavy equipment dealership along HWY 51

MERRILL - Merrill could expect to see a new heavy machinery dealership along Highway 51 soon after the Merrill Common Council approved an annexation petition from Nortrax Inc.

The council unanimously approved an annexation petition from the Florida-based company, which sells John Deere heavy farming and forestry equipment.

Merrill Mayor Bill Bialecki says Nortrax will employ 15 full-time workers in functional parts, service and sales. He also says the company will merge its two facilities from Mosinee and Monico into one location in Merrill.

Full story: WJFW

Longtime classmate of homicide victim sets up donation page to help surviving children

RHINELANDER - A longtime classmate of a homicide victim hopes an online donation page will help the three surviving children after a double homicide in Oneida County.

Brad Rohr lives in California but attended elementary through high school with 40-year-old Jennifer Ayers.

Ayers and her 37-year-old husband Thomas Ayers were killed in the Town of Piehl on March 7. Jennifer's daughter, 17-year-old Ashlee Martinson faces two homicide charges for allegedly killing her parents. She's in Indiana jail awaiting her extradition hearing in court.

Full story: WJFW

UPDATE:Cattle Rescue group struggles to buy grain for sick, mistreated animals

IRMA - Bill Blemke uses his own money to pay for the animals' food and medical expenses, but he can't do that anymore. Blemke lost five fingers due to frostbite while rescuing animals.

Community donations have helped Blemke buy enough hay to last until summer, but many of the animals Blemke takes in need additional nutrients from grain.

"People say they don't need grain. Just give them hay and water," says Blemke. "That's for healthy animals. [When] their immune system is built up, they can handle that. However, the animals we pick up aren't healthy. They need the protein. They need the nutrients and everything that's in the feed. We need to do our best to get [the grain]."

Full story: WJFW

Mother accused of driving drunk in crash that killed baby

MILWAUKEE - Police say a woman was driving drunk when she crashed her car in Milwaukee, killing her 7-month-old son.

Authorities say the 22-year-old mother was driving at a high rate of speed when she lost control of the car about 1:30 a.m. Wednesday and it rolled over. Investigators say the baby was in infant carrier that was not secured in the vehicle.

Full story: WJFW

UW Fraternity chapter terminated after alleged hazing

The Chi Phi fraternity chapter at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has been terminated as a student organization after a university investigation found the organization hazed members.

University spokesman Eric Knueve said in a statement Wednesday that the investigation concluded that the chapter forced underage members to drink excessively, engaged in food deprivation and violated a student organization provision against humiliating, degrading and sexualized conduct.

Knueve says the dean of students received reports of hazing in January and placed the chapter on interim suspension.

Full story: WJFW

USDA, Minnesota agree to provide $220K for wolf control; Wisconsin and Michigan may follow

MINNEAPOLIS - The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the state of Minnesota have agreed on a plan to provide $220,000 to control gray wolves that prey on livestock.

The announcement came Wednesday from U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson. The Minnesota Democrat calls it welcome news for farmers and ranchers who haven't been allowed to shoot or trap wolves that threaten their livestock since a federal judge in December put wolves in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan back on the endangered list.

Under the agreement, the USDA and state will each provide $110,000 to fund wolf damage management work through Sept. 30.

Full story: WJFW

Police: Woman fatally struck by vehicle was driver's wife

MEQUON - Authorities say the elderly woman struck and killed in the parking lot of a suburban Milwaukee grocery store was hit by her own husband.

Mequon police say 87-year-old Henry Winter likely suffered a medical episode when his van struck several parked vehicles before striking his wife who was walking in the Sendik's parking lot. Eighty-five-year-old Lorraine Winter was pronounced dead at the scene Monday afternoon in Mequon.

Full story: WJFW

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