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TOWN OF NEWBOLD - A Minocqua man died on Monday following a snowmobile crash last Wednesday.
The Oneida County Sheriff's Office says 45-year-old Jesse Wiesendanger was found lying in the middle of a snowmobile trail near Highway 70 in the Town of Newbold.
First responders found the snowmobile in the trees.
MADISON - Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker plans to attend a weekend meeting organized by the political arm of billionaire conservative brothers David and Charles Koch.
Walker's campaign spokesman Tom Evenson confirmed Tuesday that the second term Republican will be going to the annual winter meeting of the Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce in Palm Springs, California.
That nonprofit group serves as the central hub for the Koch brothers-backed network of advocacy organizations.
EWEN, MI - Authorities say a 38-year-old Indiana man has died following a snowmobile crash in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
Michigan State Police say Chad E. Kiefer of Lafayette failed to negotiate a curve on Monday in Ontonagon County near the community of Ewen.
The crash happened on Trail No. 8. WLUC-TV reports (http://bit.ly/1J3jTvu ) the snowmobile crossed a roadway before crashing.
BAYFIELD - Last winter, the Apostle Island ice caves drew thousands of people to that area.
But conditions have been different this winter, and there's little hope for an early ice cave season.
Thick ice is needed for people to make it to the site.
RHINELANDER - At least one person will be charged in the death of a man in Rhinelander in 2003.
Kenneth Wells was found in the summer of 2003 in the Wisconsin River in Rhinelander.
Latoya Wolf is now charged with a felony in the death of Wells.
RHINELANDER - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. dreamed of equality. We look closer to that then 50 years ago, but some believe we need to do more. Civil Rights Activist Judy Goldsmith wants people to not only honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., but fully understand his dream.
She wanted a large group to understand that people can live in peace. She spoke at St. Augustine's Episcopal Church in Rhinelander Monday afternoon.
She also wanted that when she became president of the National Organization for Women. She even co-chaired the 1986 march on Washington with Civil Rights leader Coretta Scott King.
WISCONSIN - You may not see powdered alcohol, or Palcohol, at Wisconsin liquor stores any time soon. Wisconsin lawmakers want to block its sale, which is supposed to happen this spring.
Dawn Klink, a public health nurse at the Oneida County Health Department, says its ease of use and portability distinguishes powdered alcohol from its liquid form.
Wisconsin lawmakers are afraid of those features.
MADISON - A pair of Wisconsin Republicans is taking aim at the tiny plastic beads in soaps, toothpastes and facial scrubs.
The so-called microbeads have cropped up in lakes, rivers and inside fish. Environmentalist group Clean Wisconsin is hoping to join the states pursuing a ban.
Rep. Mary Czaja and Sen. Rob Cowles are working on a measure to ban the manufacture of products with microbeads after 2017. Their sale would be illegal after 2018.
BELOIT - One man is dead and two other people have been hospitalized in a Beloit shooting.
Beloit police responded to reports of shots fired at 1:45 p.m. Monday. Two men found at the scene were taken to the hospital with gunshot wounds.
A third man ran from the scene but was found several blocks away. He was also hospitalized.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is headed to the nation's capital next month for a Conservative Political Action Conference that is attracting other potential 2016 Republican presidential candidates.
Walker's campaign spokesman Tom Evenson confirmed Monday that Walker will be at the event which runs from Feb. 25 to Feb. 28 in Washington, D.C. It is hosted by the American Conservative Union.
Others scheduled to attend the vent include potential White House hopefuls Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky and former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania.
MADISON - The Republican leader of Wisconsin State Senate, Sen. Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) seems to be backing off his plans to pass right-to-work legislation.
Or at least he's backing off his effort to pass the legislation quickly.
A right-to-work bill would make it illegal to force private workers to join a union or pay dues.
WESTON - Police believe two Antigo men robbed a Weston bank on January 13th, now officers say the pair was arrested on Saturday, according to an Everest Metro Police Department press release.
Police think 29-year-old Kevin Calhoun actually robbed the US Bank on January 13th.
Officers say 21-year-old Andrew Gibney drove the getaway car after the robbery. Both men are in jail.
EAGLE RIVER - The Northland Pines School Board will decide tonight whether to move 7th and 8th graders over to the high school. It's a move that would create space in the middle school, and use empty classrooms in the high school building. However, the move is controversial.
Proponents of the plan say it not only makes sense, but will also improve educational opportunities for students. Those opposed to it say there are other options. They're concerned about 7th and 8th graders interacting with high school students. They think the committee that looked into the plan had tunnel vision.
"I think this gives them a big advantage over other districts if we can allow our 7th and 8th graders to take classes over in this high school building," said Northland Pines District Administrator Dr. Mike Richie.
CRANDON - A visit to the school in Crandon would reveal teachers tucking little slips of red paper into students' hands.
They're called Cardinal Cash, and they're part of a program that has won Crandon state recognition.
The Wisconsin RtI (Response to Intervention) Center singled out Crandon's elementary, middle, and high schools for major improvements in academics and behavior among students.
RHINELANDER - "Can my boss do that?"
The new Northern Wisconsin Center for Working People wants to help people answer that question.
The Rhinelander-based center focuses on workers' rights.
MADISON - Gov. Scott Walker isn't saying whether he will propose breaking the Madison campus off from the rest of the University of Wisconsin System in his new budget, due Feb. 3.
Walker was asked about the issue on Monday. He says his plans for the budget remain in flux.
Walker proposed giving the flagship Madison campus more autonomy in his first budget in 2011, but the idea failed under bipartisan opposition.
MANAWA - One person has died in a snowmobile accident in Waupaca County.
Sheriff's officials say the driver of a snowmobile was killed Sunday after he struck a fallen tree on the Manawa Mill pond.
MADISON - Gov. Scott Walker says he's still trying to work out a deal before a Feb. 19 deadline that would allow the Menominee Tribe to open a new casino in Kenosha.
Walker was asked Monday about WISN-TV report that said the state and Menominee Tribe are close to reaching agreement on a new gambling compact.
Walker says "That's just one more step in terms of what may or may not happen."
MADISON - State Assembly Republicans hope the Senate's new members will help pass a bill raising the speed limit to 70 mph in Wisconsin.
The Assembly approved the 5 mph hike last year, but the measure died when senators declined to back it.
Both houses were controlled by Republicans, as they are now.
NORTHWOODS - If you weren't in Eagle River for the snowmobile derby this weekend, some might have been on the lakes or rivers. People had the chance to fish for free.
The state's Department of Natural Resources offered free fishing this weekend. That means Anglers can fish without a license or Great Lakes salmon stamp anywhere in the state.
The DNR loaned equipment out at some sites.
EAGLE RIVER - Cardell Potter was named the champion of the 52nd Annual AMSOIL World Championship Snowmobile Derby on Sunday.
"It feels good," said Potter, who is from Camp Douglas, Wis. "We're able to keep the trophy in Wisconsin now, and this is a dream come true for me."
Hundreds of racers and thousands of spectators passed through the derby track over the weekend. Fan spirit seemed elevated, which may have had something to do with elevated temperatures.
NEWBOLD - You could probably find the Green Bay Packers spirit at just about any bar or home Sunday.
Some probably sported their best packers gear, but a family in Newbold created a unique snowman showing the Packers spirit.
The Fairfield family made the snowman not to long ago, but spray painted it Saturday. The mom, two boys and father wanted to show their Packer spirit pride.
RHINELANDER - Here in Rhinelander, if you can believe it or not, a family decided to show their support for the Seattle Seahawks.
They wrote "Go Hawks" in their front lawn. There daughter even sported a Seahawks shirt.
At first the snow covered the writing, but a family member says they have to keep remaking their creation today because people continue to stomp on it.
RHINELANDER - You may have been preparing to watch the Packer game this morning, but some Northwoods residents hit the slopes before kickoff.
Oneida Couny 4-H Club hosted its first Family Ski Day at Camp 10 Ski and Snowboard in Rhinelander. Instead of the monthly meeting, the organization decided to get together outside.
"This is the first year we thought hey, we really want to get some new and exciting activities for the 4-H club so we thought we'd lead a ski day," said 4-H volunteer Shonda King.
SEATTLE - Russell Wilson hit Jermaine Kearse for a 35-yard touchdown 3:19 into overtime to lift the Seattle Seahawks to an improbable 28-22 victory over Green Bay in the NFC championship game.
The Seahawks became the first defending champion to make the Super Bowl in 10 years, and will play the winner of the AFC title game between Indianapolis and New England.
Outplayed much of Sunday and plagued by five turnovers, the Seahawks (14-4) trailed 19-7 with 2:09 remaining. That's when Wilson ran 1 yard for a TD.
MADISON - A bipartisan bill may ban powdered alcohol before the product even hits shelves in Wisconsin.
Following the lead of eight other states, Sen. Tim Carpenter, a Democrat from Milwaukee, said he hopes to ban Palcohol before it becomes available this spring. Carpenter says he fears people would abuse the product by snorting it or sneaking it into events.
Mark Phillips, owner of the Arizona-based company Palcohol, said he created the product to avoid lugging liquor bottles on hiking trips. The product's website says 1-ounce powder packets can be mixed with water to create a shot of liquor or a cocktail.
ST. IGNACE, MI - State and county law enforcement agencies have taken part in a campaign to reduce snowmobile injuries in northern Michigan, arresting two drunken drivers and giving out nine tickets.
Michigan State Police say that nine officers from four agencies participated in the effort Saturday in the eastern Upper Peninsula. The officers are with the Schoolcraft and Luce County sheriff's departments, state police and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
State police at the St. Ignace post say that the officers who took part in the snowmobile safety patrols made 450 contacts and conducted 46 stops.
PELICAN - A snowmobiler will get a citation after an accident involving a car Sunday afternoon.
The Oneida County Sheriff's Office says the accident happened a little before 1:30 p.m. It happened along highway 8 east on a private driveway in the town of Pelican.
The snowmobiler was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
MADISON - A Madison police officer suffered minor injuries when her squad car was rear ended by a pickup truck.
Police say the driver of the pickup truck fled on foot, and was picked up later on suspicion of drunken driving and other charges.
Police say the officer was assisting a motorist on the Beltline early Sunday and was in her squad car when she was hit from behind.
WAUSAU - The Hmong population in Wisconsin didn't really begin to grow until the early 1980s. And when it did, no one really understood who these people were. A former history teacher in Wausau wanted to find out more about their culture.
"The first students came just before I resigned in 1983," said former Wausau West history teacher Rick Lohr. "And I found them to be very good students. And I was very interested in them, and I knew that a lot of them were coming over. And so it'd be a benefit to the community and to the schools if I went over and got some background."
In 1989, Lohr traveled to a refugee camp in Thailand. He wanted to know more about the new group of people that was beginning to make its way to central Wisconsin in the late 1970s.
