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PRENTICE - Some Northwoods high school students want to ensure that teen dating violence is no longer invisible.
"The whole goal is to get people to feel that way, that they can come to somebody if they're in trouble," said Prentice High School junior Sierra Ulrich.
Radio listeners in Price and Rusk Counties can now hear PSAs made by Ulrich and other Prentice High School students.
ANTIGO - More people in Langlade County will die from heart disease than any other cause of death. Death rates due to heart disease in the county are 50 percent higher than the state average.
Langlade Hospital and the Langlade County Health Coalition want to change those trends. The groups launched "The Beat Goes On" campaign Tuesday morning. It's a year-long educational campaign that will raise awareness about heart disease, promote healthy lifestyles, and teach people to make positive changes.
"One of the things people told us is [that they] want to learn more about prevention and wellness," says Dave Schneider, CEO of Langlade Hospital. "You think you can get on the computer, pull up the screen, and read all about heart disease. But people want education. They want interaction with professionals and experts."
MADISON - Gov. Scott Walker's administration says nearly 27,500 private-sector jobs have been added in Wisconsin over the 12-month period that ended in September.
Walker's Department of Workforce Development released the preliminary numbers Tuesday in advance of them being published officially by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on March 19. By releasing them early, Wisconsin's numbers can't be compared with job growth in other states.
Walker has been releasing the numbers ahead of the BLS routinely now for years.
MADISON - The sponsor of Wisconsin's right-to-work bill says it is about worker freedom.
Republican Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald was the first to testify Tuesday before the Senate Labor Committee on the bill that makes it a crime to require private-sector workers to pay union dues.
Committee chairman Sen. Steve Nass says experts on both sides of the issue will testify for two to three hours before members of the public will get a chance.
BAYFIELD - A winter wonder that drew thousands of visitors may be open again soon.
Workers at Apostle Islands National Lakeshore think the popular ice caves could be opened to the public this weekend.
Lakeshore planning chief Julie Van Stappen says they'll check the ice Wednesday, then make the decision.
EAGLE RIVER - One Northwoods middle school student hopes his trail design will help serve a local community.
A Land O' Lakes group teamed up with Matthew Molter to plan the trail. The trail would be on town owned property. The Land O' Lakes Planning and Beautification Committee wanted to build an in-town walking, activity and learning trail. Matthew Molter now leads the project.
He plans on winding the trail around the Town Park, tennis courts, pavillion and other landmarks. The Land O'Lake Beautification Committee also wanted various activites on the trail.
MADISON - A group that advocates for spending on transportation and other infrastructure projects says it is launching a series of radio and television ads to stop a right-to-work proposal.
Wisconsin Infrastructure Investment Now announced Monday that it was running the ads in an attempt to stop the Republican-backed bill that is on a fast track in the Legislature. A public hearing was set for Tuesday with the full Senate taking it up on Wednesday.
The group's spokesman is former Republican Assembly Speaker John Gard.
MILWAUKEE - The Milwaukee County executive says a loaded handgun that was smuggled into the county jail was found in a load of dirty laundry.
County Executive Chris Abele (AY'-blee) says the gun was discovered Monday in laundry that was taken to the Milwaukee County House of Correction for cleaning.
Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. says the gun was brought into the jail in a ``walking boot-type cast'' worn by an inmate who had been arrested by Milwaukee police.
NORTHWOODS - We saw many water main breaks throughout north central Wisconsin last year. We haven't seen as many this year, but with the continued cold temperatures, cities are watching pipes closely.
Only a couple of people in Tomahawk need to run a small stream of water. That was put into effect Monday, but with temperatures dropping below zero, the public works director isn't ruling out more water main breaks. That could mean the whole community would need to run water.
Tomahawk Public Works Department had a couple of people on Fourth Street between West Leather Avenue and Mohawk Drive run their water. They're also keeping an eye on customers south of the Wisconsin River.
HAWKINS - A Rusk County man believes the U.S Department of Justice (DOJ) stepped on his constitutional rights. It's the reason the gun store owner is advocating against a DOJ program called Operation Choke Point that he thinks pressured his credit union, and others around the country, to stop doing business with gun stores.
Mike Schuetz runs Hawkins Guns in Rusk County. He also does private investigator work and was a former parole agent. Schuetz sells guns at his store and online because he believed there was demand in the area after a different store in the area closed.
"I think this area needed a gun store," Schuetz said.
WAUSAU - Some high school girls turn to Hollywood for prom dress inspiration. Now that the red carpet season is done, many girls will start buying their own gowns.
"Just to get ideas, I watch the different television shows to see who's wearing what," says Jill Nezworski, owner of With This Ring. "Styles change so I keep my eyes open year round."
Some dress shop owners know which dresses and colors to order every year.
THREE LAKES - We often think of going to the library for books, but you can go to one Northwoods library for health tips.
The Demmer Memorial Library in Three Lakes hosts a health and wellness "Lunch and Learn" series every Tuesday.
The staff started it in January to bring more people into the library.
ANTIGO - Buying and owning a home in Antigo might be less expensive than just about anywhere else in the state.
But the trend in the area may be moving away from homeownership and toward renting.
A New York-based company called SmartAsset ranked Antigo as the no. 3 most affordable city in Wisconsin.
ANTIGO - Families needing housing assistance will soon have a new living option in Antigo.
We first told you about the plans for Pebble Ridge Apartments last summer.
It's an apartment complex for up to 50 families who fall under certain income guidelines.
BLOOMINGTON, MN - Shoppers at the Mall of America seem undeterred after hearing about a video purportedly made by al-Qaida-linked rebels that urges Muslims to attack shopping malls. The video specifically mentions the Bloomington shopping mall.
Shopper David Modrynski says he talked with his wife and son about whether to visit the mall after hearing about the video, but concluded they can't stop living their lives because somebody says they're going to do something.
Mary Lamminen, of St. Paul, said while shopping Sunday that she's more afraid of the cold weather.
WISCONSIN - The American Red Cross needs more blood.
Cold temperatures, snow storms, and illness have forced the cancellation of more than 350 blood drives across the country. The Red Cross has an urgent need to collect blood.
"We do see a decline in donors, and especially O negative blood," said American Red Cross External Communications Manager Katie Gaynor. "And that's just a really important blood type that we really want to try to get as many donors as possible with that blood type through the door."
EAGLE RIVER - A Northwoods community could host a pre-season NHL game if it wins the Kraft Hockeyville USA Competition.
The essay competition awards the most passionate hockey community in the U.S.
NBC Sports Network will host a live broadcast of the pre-season game.
NORTHWOODS - Nearly half a million Walmart employees will get a pay raise. The company has faced criticism over the years for paying low wages.
Full and part-time employees will start to see this raise in April.
We learned last week the store will now pay its starting employees $9 an hour. This raise is $1.75 above minimum wage.
MADISON - University of Wisconsin students are warning Gov. Scott Walker's budget plan would lead to fee and tuition increases.
The United Council of University of Wisconsin Students held a news conference in the state Capitol on Monday to lament Walker's plan to cut $300 million from the UW System, continue a current tuition freeze for another two years and free the system from state oversight.
Students led by the council's executive director, Nneka Akubeze, predicted the cuts coupled with the tuition freeze would force schools to raise student fees.
MADISON - The organizational committee for the Wisconsin state Senate has approved calling an extraordinary session to consider a right-to-work bill.
The Senate Organization Committee voted 3-2 along party lines via paper ballot Monday to both call the Senate into session and introduce the bill.
Republican Sens. Scott Fitzgerald, Mary Lazich and Paul Farrow voted in favor, with Democratic Sen. Jen Shilling and Dave Hansen against.
CRANDON - Some people in the Northwoods took a step back in time this weekend. The Crandon Public Library held the fundraiser that celebrated the Hotel Crandon's 85th anniversary on Saturday. People who went got to enjoy 1930s music, food and drinks. They also got to tour the hotel.
The hotel was built during Prohibition. The original owner, Arthur McMillion, made his money as a rum-runner. The current owner of the Crandon Hotel, Mark Gatton says that moonshining was a big industry around Forest County.
Many people in the community have ties to the hotel. Members of the Crandon Drama Club wanted to honor those ties by portraying hotel employees and owners of the time period.
MERRILL - The Merrill Historical Society held their first big fundraiser in their remodeled building Sunday.
The building was once a church, but Sunday it was a dancefloor. The historical society hosted Dancing Through the Decades.
Merrill Historical Society's Jane Francoeur, was a big part of the event's success.
"The idea that brought this all on was we came across in our collection a bunch of slides from Merrill junior and senior high school. They go all the way from 1912 up until the 1990s," said Froncoeur. "I know, and we thought what can we do so that we can show these slides, I mean how boring would that be, so we though we'll put them together with the music from that time, and have an event."
WISCONSIN - Advisory committees in nearly 10 counties want to grow or maintain their local deer herds even though chronic wasting disease has been found within their borders or nearby.
The Department of Natural Resources asked panels in every Wisconsin county for recommendations to increase, maintain or decrease the county's herd. The committees have submitted their recommendations to the DNR and the agency's board is set to vote on them Wednesday.
MARSHFIELD - A Northcentral Wisconsin city hoped to bring more people to its downtown businesses.
Marshfield started a Downtown Façade Program in 2008 to do that.
The program created grants for downtown businesses to improve the outside of their buildings.
MADISON - Authorities have released the name of a worker killed in a construction accident in Madison last week.
The Dane County medical examiner's office identifies the victim as 58-year-old John Stoll of Fitchburg.
Stoll was fatally injured when a wall collapsed and trapped him just after 7:30 a.m. Friday. Fire Department spokeswoman Lori Wirth says he had been working near a stairwell at the rear of the building.
RACINE - A Racine lawmaker wants to repeal Wisconsin's 48-hour waiting period to buy handguns.
Republican state Sen. Van Wanggaard says the original intent of the waiting period was to give gun dealers enough time to complete a background check. Now that information is digitized and background checks can be done nearly instantly, Wanggaard says a 48-hour waiting period amounts to a ``time tax.''
MADISON - Madison Mayor Paul Soglin is criticizing Wisconsin Republican lawmakers for putting a right-to-work bill on a fast track.
Soglin held a news conference Saturday to condemn the bill. Soglin said by fast-tracking the bill, Republicans are giving the public ``little opportunity'' to get involved.
The Senate Labor Committee holds a public hearing Tuesday, with debate beginning Wednesday in the Senate.
RHINELANDER/ANTIGO - Hockey teams from all around the area will soon be in full playoff mode.
For the Northern Edge girls' team, that mentality has already started, and it won't stop until they reach the State tournament.
"My expectations were blown out of the water," says co-head coach Nicole Bunce. "I'm very impressed with the girls and I'm really happy to be here."
RHINELANDER - Wisconsin seniors could have to pay a lot more for prescriptions.
That's under Governor Scott Walker's budget proposal.
Right now, nearly 85,000 Wisconsin seniors are enrolled in a state prescription drug assistance program called SeniorCare.
LAKE TOMAHAWK - A lot of riders have been working on their snowmobiles for many years. All of the vintage snowmobiles were fully working. Six awards were given out to some of the best snowmobiles.
One man got best in show for his three snowmobiles.
"My son he painted the hoods, polished the tunnels, the belly pan, the seats are all original. So I mean he's done a lot, most of the work you know," said best in show winner Tony Skinner.
