Local Rhinelander Headlines

CRANDON - President Obama's budget wants to accomplish a number of things. The president wants to end spending caps, pay for community college tuition and give the middle class more tax relief, but Obama might not get what he wants.

Republicans hold majorities in both the Senate and House of Representatives. It's the first time since 2006. Obama's proposal would raise taxes on high income households.

However, Rep. Sean Duffy (R-Wisconsin) believes it would hurt small businesses here in the Northwoods.

Full story: WJFW

WAUSAU - Enrollment for health coverage will end soon. That's why healthcare providers participated in "Super Saturday".

Bridge Clinic in Wausau welcomed people to sign up for health insurance options Saturday.

The Open Enrollment deadline is February 15th. If you don't sign up before then, it could cost you $325 or more depending on your income.

Full story: WJFW

PINE RIVER - Firefighters in Pine River had a tough day Saturday. They battled a house fire Friday night.

Crews didn't finish cleaning up the scene until 3:30 Saturday morning. Then they got called to a second fire in the afternoon.

The first fire happened at 9:12 p.m. The Lincoln County Dispatch Center got a call about a possible structure fire on County Highway WW in the Town of Pine River. That's east of Merrill, but when the Pine River Department got there, the house was in flames.

Full story: WJFW

ST. GERMAIN - Bikinis and snowmobiles don't typically mix. Except, when you're at the St. Germain Bikini Run.

The event draws a huge crowd every year and it raised thousands of dollars for charity.

"We started with six girls and maybe $8000 seven years ago. Now, we're up to 33 girls today and more than $50,000," says Mark Hiller, the St. Germain Radar Run race director. "Every year it just grows, and grows."

Full story: WJFW

NEW YORK - More than 2 million Toyota, Chrysler and Honda vehicles are being recalled for a second fix for faulty air bags that may inadvertently inflate while the car is running.

The recall includes some Acura MDX, Dodge Viper, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Honda Odyssey, Pontiac Vibe, Toyota Corolla and Toyota Avalon models made from 2002 to 2004.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says all the vehicles covered in Saturday's announcement had already been under a recall for the faulty air bags, but the carmakers' original attempts to fix the defects only worked about 85 percent of the time.

Full story: WJFW

WISCONSIN - A new study from a conservative-leaning Madison-based think tank predicts the EPA carbon emission proposal would lead to higher energy prices. Opponents of the proposal will use the study to show how much the plan could cost Wisconsinites, but clean air advocates disagree.

The Clean Power Act would require Wisconsin to cut more than a third of carbon emissions based on 2005 levels by 2030. The regulations would target coal plants in Wisconsin.

Gary Radloff is the Director of Midwest Energy Policy Analysis at UW-Madison. He published a presentation discussing the EPA's Clean Power Act in early January. Radloff says coal generated 51 percent of Wisconsin's power in 2012, compared with a national average of 37 percent.

Full story: WJFW

WAUSAU - A 41-year old Wausau man faces charges for having sex with a six-year-old girl.

Christopher Burns is charged with two felonies for sexually assaulting a child. He's also charged with Child Enticement.

Prosecutors say the man pushed the child into a bathroom and forced her to have sex with him in October.

Full story: WJFW

ST. GERMAIN - The 13th Annual St. Germain Radar Run kicked off on Friday. The event draws thousands of people to St. Germain each year.

"Who doesn't want to see a sled going 135 miles an hour down a track or 169 [miles per hour], it's a lot of excitement," said Assistant Race Director Amy Greenberg.

"So many people come into town. The motels are full. The restaurants, the pubs are all full," said Race Director Mark Hiller.

Full story: WJFW

NORTHWOODS - The U.S. Forest Service will hire thousands of temporary workers this spring. Leaders at the Chequamegon Nicolet Forest Service want to hire more than 50 temporary employees to work during summer. They're looking for people with diverse backgrounds and plenty of experience.

"There's a wide variety of positions that we have," said Chequamegon Nicolet Forest Supervisor Paul Strong. "It's everything from people that help us with our timber sale program to engineering sorts of activities, fish and wildlife, and a very large segment of these folks will work in our developed camp grounds."

Some jobs require a college education while others are based on experience specific to the jobs. Seventeen people will be return hires from last summer, with 35 new spots available. Temporary worker Rodrigo Orive Ville offered tips on how to get noticed and become a new hire.

Full story: WJFW

JANESVILLE - Mitt Romney is scheduled to return to Wisconsin this spring, but he won't come back as a Republican candidate for president.

Romney said Friday he will not run for president in 2016.

The business group Forward Janesville says Romney will keynote its annual dinner on April 7 in Janesville, hometown of his former running mate U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan.

Full story: WJFW

RHINELANDER - Super Bowl Sunday is the holy grail of football.

This time last year, more than 113 million people were preparing to watch as the Seattle Seahawks and the Denver Broncos battled for title of Super bowl champions.

But it's what happens when the game isn't on that has experts talking.

Full story: WJFW

ANTIGO - Social workers in Langlade County describe last year like a flood.

Applications for health insurance swamped Langlade County Social Services.

The county was one of many in the area facing challenges during the first-ever enrollment period after the Affordable Care Act was put in place.

Full story: WJFW

THREE LAKES - It appears Gov. Scott Walker will try to address rural broadband internet in his 2015-2017 budget.

Walker proposes adding $6 million to the state's Broadband Expansion Grant Program.

"The fact that the Governor put another $6 million into the fund that already has $5 million is huge. That's double the size of the grant funding that's going to be available to us," said Don Sidlowski of the Northwoods Broadband and Economic Development Coalition.

Full story: WJFW

MADISON - A Wisconsin appeals court says a requirement that singers in the state Capitol obtain a permit was unconstitutional.

The case involves Michael Crute was cited for joining in a daily sing-along protest in the Capitol rotunda in July 2013. State rules then prohibited anyone from participating in an unpermitted event in state buildings.

Crute argued the regulations violated his free speech rights. A Madison judge tossed out his ticket in February. The 4th District Court of Appeals upheld that decision on Thursday, ruling the regulations didn't further a significant state interest.

Full story: WJFW