Local Rhinelander Headlines

Central Wisconsin Sports Show expects big turn-out

ROTHSCHILD - People in Northcentral Wisconsin can't get enough of fishing and boating. That's why the Central Wisconsin Sports Show in Rothschild always gets a great turnout.

The fishing and boating show will run all weekend. The show is in its fifth year. Organizers expect more than 5,000 people this weekend.

"I've done several seminars, several shows over the years. This show is by far the nicest show that I've done in the last several years," said Viper Tackle's Joe Mans. "They've got everything in here from really from soup to nuts. Fishing tackle, musky tackle, the multi-species fisherman, this is heaven for them."

Full story: WJFW

Antigo bowling teams heading to state

ANTIGO - You can see some winter sports already in playoff mode this time of year.
Antigo's bowling teams are among those.

They are heading back to state in early March, but this year, their expectations are higher than ever before.

"It's very important, because as hard as we work and we practice here, we all put a lot of time into it that I think we can win," says senior bowler Rebecca Duchac.

Full story: WJFW

Right-to-work protests planned in Madison

MADISON - The Wisconsin AFL-CIO plans rallies Tuesday and Wednesday in Madison to protest a bill that would make Wisconsin a right-to-work state.

On Friday, Gov. Scott Walker backed a surprise move by Republican legislators to quickly vote on the bill, an action the likely 2016 presidential candidate initially said should be delayed to avoid re-igniting massive pro-union protests.

Walker rose to prominence in 2011, when he pushed through a law that effectively ended collective bargaining for most public workers. That led to protests with as many as 100,000 people and a 2012 recall election that Walker won.

Full story: WJFW

Federal aid for Wisconsin highways dropped by 3.6 percent over five years

WISCONSIN - Federal aid for Wisconsin highways has dropped by 3.6 percent, nearly $28 million, over the five years ending in 2013.

That's according to data obtained by The Associated Press. It shows a declining money stream that is worsening the state's woes in paying for road projects.

Wisconsin's loss wasn't as large as some neighboring states. Minnesota saw a nearly 33 percent drop because of unique circumstances, Michigan an 8 percent decline and Illinois a 6.4 percent dip.

Full story: WJFW

Wisconsin DOJ will collect and dispose of unused prescriptions

WISCONSIN - The state will take the lead in collecting and disposing of unused prescription drugs, now that the federal program has ended.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice says it will provide personnel and logistics for disposing of the excess drugs. Attorney General Brad Schimel says unused prescription opioids need to be collected and destroyed, in part to keep them from polluting the environment.

The federal Drug Enforcement Administration began to conduct take-back events in 2010, but ended that practice late in 2014.

Full story: WJFW

Update: Fire crews still investigating cause of house fire near Rhinelander

NEAR RHINELANDER - Fire crews are still investigating what started a house fire west of Rhinelander Thursday night.

The fire started around 8:15 p.m. on Highway K just west of Rhinelander. Seven fire departments responded to the fire. Four men living there, including the homeowner, got out safely.

The homeowner said he had just stepped out when outlets started smoking. He also said there was a fire in the fireplace.

Full story: WJFW

UPDATE: Name released in deadly Lake Tomahawk snowmobile crash

LAKE TOMAHAWK - We now know more about a deadly snowmobile crash in Lake Tomahawk Thursday night.

Fifty-five-year-old Douglas Groy of Deforest was riding a snowmobile off of Birch Road in Lake Tomahawk when he went off the trail and struck a tree.

The Oneida County Sheriff's Office tells us Groy was the last person traveling in a group. Investigators aren't sure if alcohol or speed were factors in the crash.

Full story: WJFW

Expert: Impact of Right-to-Work difficult to accurately track

RHINELANDER - Lawmakers in the Wisconsin State Senate will start focusing on a right to work bill proposal next week.

Republican Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald said Friday that a public hearing will be held Tuesday on the measure by the Senate Labor Committee. Debate will begin Wednesday in the Senate and continue until there's a vote.

The legislation would make it illegal for a business to require an employee to pay union dues or join a union to work, giving a worker the "right to work" without having to join a union. Meanwhile, economists look at Right-to-Work legislation from a different angle.

Full story: WJFW

Kids discuss environmental issues at public speaking competition

RHINELANDER - Children from fifth grade to high school spoke their minds at this year's regional Wisconsin Land and Water speaking contest for Northcentral Wisconsin. Four counties were represented.

"To hear these students talk about issues that you know are meaningful to us in the Northwoods is really great to hear," said the Oneida County Land and Water Conservation Department Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinator Michele Sadauskas.

Judges evaluated the students' ability to speak clearly, their body language, and how well they delivered their messages.

Full story: WJFW

Marshfield School District and UW System hope to team up for exchange student program

MARSHFIELD - The Marshfield School District and the UW System hope to start a new exchange program at the district.

The two groups want to work together to bring as many as four students from China to Marshfield next school year.

It's different than exchange programs the school district has done in the past.

Full story: WJFW

Bar hosts ice walk benefit

MERRILL - You can do more than just fish on the ice Saturday. Bev and Tom's Bar and Grill in Merrill will host its 3rd Ice Walk benefit. For $20, you can walk to benefit cancer research. They're hoping to double the number of attendees for their 2015 benefit.

"This year we are going to donate the money to child cancer research," said Bev and Tom's Bar and Grill Owner Bev Godleske. "We're hoping to have more than forty, fifty, or sixty people this year, which would really be great."

The benefit includes raffles, prizes, and a costume contest. People will walk a path from Bev and Tom's to the Merrill Council Grounds on Lake Alexander. The bar owners say they have the ice cleared and ready for the walk.

Full story: WJFW

Delta will fly out of Rhinelander for another two years.

RHINELANDER - Delta will keep flying out of Rhinelander-Oneida County Airport for another two years. The commercial airline signed on to continue service in January.

A federal program makes sure small communities are served by air carriers like Delta. Skywest Airlines began service with Rhinelander in January of 2013.

Airport director Joe Brauer says it's important for airlines to service small communities.

Full story: WJFW

Marshfield Clinic Minocqua's Team Care Program hopes to improve health care in the Northwoods

MINOCQUA - The Team Care Program is helping Marshfield Clinic in Minocqua offer better health care. Marshfield Clinic in Minocqua hopes the Team Care Program will help doctors treat more patients.

Many doctors spend a lot of time on paperwork, which meant some doctors couldn't see new patients for years. Dr. Richard Fossen at Marshfield Clinic Minocqua Center said he's been able to see new patients every day since they started the program.

"A lot of us got to a point where we couldn't take any new patients in our practice, we couldn't even see the patients we had when they got sick and needed to be seen," said Dr. Fossen. "So it was a really undesirable method of healthcare. We were frustrated, we had all this extra work to do, patients couldn't get in. So we decided to do something different."

Full story: WJFW

SPASH basketball coach says fundamentals key to program's success

STEVENS POINT - One high school team excels on the basketball court here in central Wisconsin.
Stevens Point has been ranked number one in Wisconsin for most of the year.

They also have players getting attention from some top college programs.

Basketball looks different in Stevens Point after a one win season in 2009. Coach Scott Anderson took over in 2009. The team is 19-1 this year. Anderson says he's built the team on a strong foundation.

Full story: WJFW

SPASH starts top two rated Wisconsin juniors but focus is on teamwork

STEVENS POINT - You'll see plenty of gifted high school basketball court players if you go to game in Stevens Point.

According to recruiting sites, Stevens Point has the number one and two rated juniors in the state.

Recruiting sites call, Sam Hauser, the top junior basketball player in Wisconsin. He's received scholarship offers from division one schools like Marquette. His teammate and the second rated junior is, Trevor Anderson. He's received offers from Drake and other division one programs. But their rankings aren't the talk of the team.

Full story: WJFW

More people use pantry

EAGLE RIVER - The Vilas Food Pantry needs more donations this winter. The pantry got more than 4,000 pounds of food over the holidays, but those donations won't last long. Filling the shelves is a year-round challenge for the non-profit group.

"We have a number of new families that are coming and applying to be able to use the pantry," said Vilas Pantry Food Manager Jerry Wykoff. "We are getting to where the shelves get cleaned off pretty quickly. with the amount of people and families that we have."

Organizers recently added nearly 75 families, or about 200 people. The Vilas Food Pantry is made up of about 20 volunteers that help during distribution days. Wyckoff says more volunteers are needed to keep up with high demand.

Full story: WJFW

Local Priest Donates Liver

TOMAHAWK - More than a month has passed since Tomahawk residents Ginny Bablick and the Very Rev. John Anderson underwent surgery for Anderson's liver donation to Ginny.

Now Ginny Bablick says she is doing better thanks to the Very Rev. Anderson, the pastor of three Catholic churches in northern Wisconsin: St. Mary, St. Francis of Assisi and St. Augustine.

"I just felt she needed it," the Very Rev. Anderson said. "I was able to give life."

Full story: WJFW

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