Local Rhinelander Headlines

Republican Senate leader renews call for right-to-work law during budget process

MADISON - The Republican leader of the Wisconsin state Senate is renewing his call for passage of a right-to-work bill.

Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald issued a statement Thursday saying debate of right-to-work needs to occur along with consideration of the state budget. Walker will release his budget plan on Tuesday.

Walker has repeatedly said he doesn't want the Legislature to act early in the session on right-to-work, but he also is a longtime supporter of the idea. Walker has also never said he would veto such a bill should it pass.

Full story: WJFW

Supermarkets prepare for Superbowl

RHINELANDER - Northwoods supermarkets want to be prepared for the Superbowl this Sunday. Some local stores have ordered a lot more food for this week to make sure they don't run out of Superbowl staples.

The assistant store director of Trig's in Rhinelander has ordered extra shipments of soda, pizza, and snack food. The store wants to be prepared but it doesn't expect food to sell as quickly as it does during other times of the year.

"It's a big weekend, but it's not like a holiday weekend such as the Fourth of July or Thanksgiving," says Mike Nabberfeld, the assistant store director of Trig's in Rhinelander. "It's big for a short period of time."

Full story: WJFW

Pedestrian struck, killed in western Wisconsin

TURTLE LAKE - Authorities in western Wisconsin are trying to find the vehicle that struck and killed a pedestrian on a highway.

The crash was reported just before 7:30 a.m. Thursday on Highway 8 near Upper Turtle Lake, between Almena and Turtle Lake. The pedestrian, identified as 26-year-old Logan Paulson, died at the scene.

The Barron County Sheriff's Department says Paulson, who lived in the area, was talking along Highway 8 when the vehicle struck him and left the scene sometime during the night.

Full story: WJFW

Legendary snowman makes a comeback in Minocqua

MINOCQUA - People in Minocqua brought back a Northwoods tradition this year when they rebuilt the city's giant snowman.

For a few years, the giant snowman didn't get built, because of poor weather conditions.

"Who doesn't love to build a snowman?" asked Minocqua Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Krystal Westfahl. "And to have the opportunity to build a 30-foot snowman brings out every kid in us."

Full story: WJFW

Xcel Energy, railroads settle Ashland contamination lawsuit

ASHLAND - Xcel Energy and two railroads have settled a lawsuit over contamination at the lakefront in Ashland.

Xcel says the Soo Line and Wisconsin Central have agreed to pay $10 million to help cleanup contamination caused, in part, by a gas plant that operated near Chequamegon Bay from the late 1800s to the 1940s.

The Daily Press (http://bit.ly/1A1CGWW ) says Soo Line owned the land and operated a railroad corridor at the site from at least the 1870s through 1987 when it was acquired by Wisconsin Central. Xcel subsidiary, Northern States Power, says the settlement money is only a fraction of the total cleanup cost, estimated at $100 million.

Full story: WJFW

Berlin Area School District will keep indian mascot

BERLIN - Berlin Area School District officials have decided the high school mascot will remain the same amid criticism that it's racially insensitive.

The school board voted Monday night to retain the Indian mascot at Berlin High School after survey results were announced.

About 92 percent of more than 1,300 community members surveyed voted in favor of keeping the mascot.

Full story: WJFW

Governor Scott Walker releases proposal with focus on rural school transportation funding

ANTIGO - A new budget proposal released by Gov. Scott Walker Wednesday would increase state funding for a number of programs that focus on rural school transportation.

The "Grow the Economy in Rural Wisconsin" proposal focused on a number of economic topics, but most of the education section focused on transportation funding.

Under the proposal, funding for Sparsity, High-Cost Pupil Transportation, and other pupil transportation aid would increase.

Full story: WJFW

Prep your trees this winter

NORTHWOODS - Caring for your trees now could help keep forest healthier this spring and summer. Tree experts say that pruning during the winter poses less risk to your trees than during spring or summer. It will also help the tree maintain growth come spring.

"Folks are going to prune trees, it should be restricted to that period in which trees are dormant," said Steigerwaldt Analysis Operations Director Forrest Gibeault. "That dormancy period essentially is the same time when insects are very inactive and fungal disease is not going to spread."

Pruning oak trees can help to slow the spread of oak wilt disease into northern Wisconsin. The DNR has confirmed isolated cases of oak wilt in Lincoln, Oneida, and Vilas County. Scientists have a plans in place to contain any new outbreaks of oak wilt.

Full story: WJFW

Northwoods sweepstakes prize increases when more snow falls

More snow might not be the first item on your wish list. But it could get you a weekend getaway. As the snow piles up, so do your chances of winning a Northwoods sweepstakes.

Rhinelander's Chamber of Commerce is running the Snow Day Sweepstakes. Executive Director of Rhinelander Area Chamber of Commerce, Dana DeMet, said the chamber hopes the sweepstakes will offer another way for people to enjoy winter in the Northwoods. It could also help people stay excited about getting more snow this time of year.

"The prize packages will increase based upon the amount of snow that's fallen between January 1st and February 27th here in Rhinelander," said DeMet. "So for example, since that date we've already accumulated over six inches of snow, so we're up to our second level of prize package, which will include at least a two night stay at a number of different lodges here in the Rhinelander area."

Full story: WJFW

Railways want to use fines to stop people from walking on, along train tracks

TOMAHAWK - Railroads across Wisconsin could start fining people who walk along railroad tracks. It's an effort to save lives after one of the most deadly years in the state's travel history.

Eight people died in train-involved deaths in 2014. 2015 also became a deadly year for trains in Wisconsin just two days into the new year. A Milwaukee man was hit and killed by a train on January 2nd.

Railroad experts say many accidents happen because trains can't stop fast enough.

Full story: WJFW

Library adds video games

ANTIGO - Gamers in Antigo can now head to the library to find video games. The Antigo Public Library added 30 video games to their shelves for the first time this month. Library managers say the games will help get teens through their doors.

"They've improved artistically in the last few years quite a bit," explained Library Business Clerk Betsy Pilecky. "It might make them check out more books and do more research if they come in to look for the video games. They'll see the other books and it'll introduce them to check out more. "

The library doesn't plan to carry Mature-rated games intended for adults.

Full story: WJFW

Update: Walker won't reconsider rejection of Kenosha casino; says state will lose too much money to Potawatomi

Gov. Scott Walker says he is not going to reconsider his decision to reject a new casino in Kenosha.

Walker commented Wednesday after a bipartisan group of lawmakers, including Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, urged Walker to change his mind.

Walker reiterated that he believed approving the $800-million casino would put the state on the hook for hundreds of millions of dollars in losses due to terms of a compact with the Forest County Potawatomi Tribe.

Full story: WJFW

Parents charged with 2006 kidnapping arrested in Illinois

LAKE COUNTY, IL - Authorities say a man and a woman have been arrested in Illinois for allegedly kidnapping their children from Las Vegas nine years ago.

According to the Lake County Sheriff's Office, 40-year old Marie Rosaline Malagon-Castillo and 39-year old Manuel Ruiz-Garcia fled Nevada to avoid an investigation of Malagon-Castillo's alleged drug use during pregnancy. The couple did not have custody of the children.

They were arrested late Tuesday when a sheriff's deputy spotted suspicious activity at a truck stop near the Illinois-Wisconsin border.

Full story: WJFW

Tomah VA director says overmedication already addressed

WASHINGTON, DC - The director of the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Tomah says he had already taken steps to address reports of overmedication of patients before federal officials announced a review of prescription practices at the Wisconsin facility.

Tomah VA director Mario DeSanctis says his staff began looking into the unusually high rate of opiate prescriptions in 2012. In an interview with the La Crosse Tribune (http://bit.ly/1BxJtoY ) this week, DeSanctis says steps to institute solutions to the problem have already been taken.

Full story: WJFW

Ford recalls 220,000 vehicles

NATIONWIDE - Ford announced on Wednesday it's recalling 220,000 cars for safety reasons.

But one local dealer Newswatch 12 spoke with says car owners likely won't be able to get their cars fixed until March.

That's because Ford needs to make the part to fix one of the issues and then send it to the dealers. Ford told the dealer Newswatch 12 spoke with that the parts won't be delivered until March.

Full story: WJFW

Walker says trips to South Carolina, Florida, Nevada coming

RACINE - Gov. Scott Walker says he's planning trips soon to important 2016 presidential primary states of South Carolina, Nevada and Florida.

Walker told reporters in Racine on Wednesday that he wants to see if his message is resonating with voters around the country before he decides on whether to run for president.

Walker on Tuesday took the first formal step in a presidential run by creating a tax-exempt group that can raise unlimited amounts of money to help boost his effort.

Full story: WJFW

Rhinelander police take steps to get drugs off the streets

RHINELANDER - Police in one Northwoods community feel like they've dealt with a lot of drug bust lately. It's after 5 people were arrested in Rhinelander in January. The group faces meth related charges. But police say there are still people who know how to make the drugs on the street.

The number one question is where police should start. Some police leaders believe they should target the people making the drugs. Rhinelander investigators say they are working hard to keep drugs off our streets.

Rhinelander Police Chief Mike Steffes says communication is a key factor in stopping drug abuse, but stopping it at the source is what they're trying to tackle right now.

Full story: WJFW

Walker asked to reconsider decision blocking casino plan

MADISON - A bipartisan group of lawmakers is urging Republican Gov. Scott Walker to reconsider his decision to reject a Menominee Tribe casino in Kenosha.

Ten lawmakers, including Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, sent Walker the letter Wednesday.

Walker said Friday he was not going to approve the $800 million casino, citing concerns over potential losses to the state due to terms of a compact with the Forest County Potawatomi Tribe.

Full story: WJFW

Prosecutors: 20-year-old man kissed his baby daughter, apologized and then killed her

MILWAUKEE - A Milwaukee man is charged with fatally stabbing his infant daughter and another man during a domestic violence attack last week.

Twenty-year-old Ruben Garcia was charged Tuesday with first-degree intentional homicide in the deaths of his daughter, 5-month-old Kairii Dailey, and 39-year-old Paul Kucharczyk, a family friend.

Garcia also is charged with attempted homicide in the stabbings of 19-year-old Alexia Dailey _ the baby's mother and Garcia's ex-girlfriend _ and Dailey's current boyfriend, 22-year-old Christopher Hamilton.

Full story: WJFW

Shepard could face additional felony charges

CRANDON - Prosecutors think a Forest County woman protected her boyfriend after he threw the woman's young son across a room in 2013.

Jennifer Shepard is charged with three felonies for abuse, neglect, and helping a felon. Her boyfriend Brandon Brunette was sentenced to fifteen years in prison in October for throwing the boy.

Shepard was in court today. She could face another felony.

Full story: WJFW

Laona Fire Department got a new fire truck this month with many updated features

LAONA - The department thinks it will be able to protect its community better after the major upgrade.

The department has a few trucks that are getting old. They hope to slowly get rid of the old trucks, and replace them with newer equipment. Laona Fire Chief David Rosio said the department had some help getting the new truck.

"We worked really close with Thomson's Fire Chief, [He] kind of set us up with this guy and the truck and all that. We went on the webpage and went down and looked at it, and everyone just loved it," said Rosio.

Full story: WJFW

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