Local Rhinelander Headlines

Wisconsin state trooper dragged by car, injured

LAKE MILLS - A Wisconsin state trooper was injured while being dragged by a car.

The Wisconsin State Patrol says the trooper responded to a call around 11:30 p.m. Friday about a speeding vehicle that nearly crashed. The trooper spotted the car on Interstate 94 near Lake Mills and pulled it over.

The trooper asked the driver, a 32-year-old Milwaukee man, to perform field sobriety tests, then let him back in his car because of the weather. The driver put the car into gear. The trooper tried to stop him, and was dragged about 100 feet.

Full story: WJFW

Police ID man who died in Oshkosh apartment fire

OSHKOSH - Police have identified an Oshkosh man who was died in a fire that investigators say was caused by smoking near an oxygen tank.

Police say 64-year-old Stephen ``Dallas'' West died at a Madison burn unit of burns and smoke inhalation he suffered during the fire early Friday.

Police and firefighters arrived to find heavy smoke and flames coming from the upstairs of the duplex and a 57-year-old Kandi West leaning out a second-floor window.

Full story: WJFW

Snowmobile breaks through ice

LINCOLN COUNTY - The Lincoln County Sheriff's Office wants snowmobilers to check local trail conditions before they take their snowmobiles onto waterways. They believe the recent warm weather combined with new snow has made unsafe ice conditions.

On Saturday, a snowmobile in Lincoln County went through the ice on the Wisconsin River north of Lake Alexander, according to the Sheriff's Office. Deputies say they got a phone call around 10:45 p.m. saying two people were in the water.

According to the Sheriff's Office, the two women had already crawled back up onto the ice before emergency crews got to the scene.

Full story: WJFW

People take a freezing plunge for terminally ill children

MINOCQUA - We got a lot of snow in the Northwoods Saturday. But that didn't stop people in Minocqua from jumping into a freezing lake this afternoon.

A first timer explains why he made the freezing jump to make a difference.

"It's getting close to crunch time here and I'm getting a little nervous," said first time jumper Ryan Jacobi.

Full story: WJFW

UPDATE: Montello man found safe

MONTELLO - The Wisconsin Department of Justice says 73-year-old Joseph Neis has been found safe and sound.
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12/27/14
2:27
The Marquette County Sheriff's Office and Wisconsin Department of Justice need your help finding a missing Montello man.

They say 73-year-old Joseph Neis went missing between 6 and 7 Saturday morning.

Full story: WJFW

Holiday season, snow boost sales for some Northwoods businesses

RHINELANDER - The holiday season can boost sales for some Northwoods businesses. But this year the snow may have helped boost business more than holidays.

The early snow fall had many people shopping for new winter clothes and boots. Some business owners think sales have been high this year because there's a lot of snow but it's not too cold.

They believe that inspires more people to want to do outdoor activities.

Full story: WJFW

DNR looking to lease private land for turkey hunt

MADISON - The state Department of Natural Resources is looking to lease private land in southeastern Wisconsin to give turkey hunters more room to roam this spring.

Under the DNR's pilot Turkey Hunting Access program, leases are good until May 29, 2016. The rates are $5 per acre per year with an upfront lump sum payment from the state. Spring turkey hunters can use the leased land as if it were public from March 1 through May 29.

The program is in place across turkey management zone two, which encompasses much of the southeastern side of the state.

Full story: WJFW

Marquette Co. Sheriff's Office looking for missing Montello man

MONTELLO - The Marquette County Sheriff's Office and Wisconsin Department of Justice need your help finding a missing Montello man.

They say 73-year-old Joseph Neis went missing between 6 and 7 Saturday morning. They believe he left on foot from his residence on Cedar Lane in Montello. Deputies think he is suffering from Dementia or some other cognitive impairment.

Deputies say he recently spoke about visiting relatives in Fond du Lac and Beaver Dam. He also frequents two restaurants in the Portage area, The Golden Cup 2 Cafe and Red Apple. Both places have been checked and he was at neither location.

Full story: WJFW

Man dies in Oshkosh apartment fire

OSHKOSH - Police in Oshkosh say a 64-year-old man is dead after his duplex caught fire.

Sgt. Eric Stenson said in a statement that firefighters got a call of a man on fire in an apartment about 1:15 a.m. Friday. Police and firefighters arrived to find heavy smoke and flames coming from the upstairs section of the duplex and a 57-year-old woman named Kandi West leaning out a second-floor window.

Firefighters rescued West while police evacuated the lower-level tenants.

Full story: WJFW

Sunday target to release 14 young whooping cranes into marsh

NEW ORLEANS, LA - Biologists with the state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries hope to release 14 young endangered whooping cranes into a southwest Louisiana swamp on Sunday.

Possible reasons for delaying it could be too much wind for a first flight, too much fog to see or so much rain that it would drench the baggy costumes worn to keep the cranes from getting used to people.

A fourth possible reason: too many aggressive adult cranes in the neighborhood.

Full story: WJFW

Shawano County deputies help Crandon woman with car crash

CRANDON - Deputies in Shawano County wants to know why a Crandon woman crashed her car Friday.

It happened in the town of Seneca a little after 3 p.m. The Shawano County Sheriff's Office says a Crandon woman entered the median westbound on Highway 29. She then hit a culvert and exited the median in the east bound lanes.

The car ended up on the right shoulder of the east bound lane.

Full story: WJFW

Northwoods aiport gets new snow removal gear

ANTIGO - The Langlade County Airport can keep up with snow removal better this year. The airport used a grant to buy a new snow removal machine.

The new machine has several attachments like a plow, blower, and loader. The airport needed to get rid of outdated equipment to buy the new piece.

"It's a big difference. We got rid of three older pieces of equipment. The newest one was from 1982," says airport manager, Josh Walker. "We got rid of a tractor, a plow, and an older in-loader. We upgraded with one unit with several attachments."

Full story: WJFW

Court rules landlord not liable in dog attack

MADISON - The Wisconsin Supreme Court says a landlord can't be held liable as the owner of his tenants' dogs for multiple injuries they inflicted on a woman.

According to court documents, George Kontos allowed his daughter and her family to live on his Winnebago County property with their dogs. In June 2010 the dogs attacked Julie Augsburger.

Augsburger sued, alleging Kontos was liable for her injuries. A judge ruled Kontos was the dogs' owner under state law and could be held liable. An appeals court affirmed that ruling.

Full story: WJFW

Local theater showing controversial comedy "The Interview"

EAGLE RIVER - Movie-goers can now watch "The Interview". After initially canceling the movie because of terror threats, some movie theaters decided to show the comedy.

One Northwoods theater will be one of the few places people can go to see the movie.

The movie is based on two producers landing an interview with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. Then the CIA recruites them to turn their trip into an assassination mission.

Full story: WJFW

Racine man held in fatal hit-and-run, bail jumping

RACINE - A 31-year-old Racine man has been charged in a fatal hit-and-run accident that left a pedestrian dead.

Charges filed Friday against Bradley Hayek allege he was at the wheel of a car that struck a man Thursday night in Racine and fled the scene. The victim, 45-year-old Robert Castaneda, died at a nearby emergency room.

Hayek was arrested a few blocks away. He faces multiple charges, including homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle. Hayek is also facing bail jumping charges, according to police.

Full story: WJFW

Antigo Firemen enjoy working on Christmas

ANTIGO - Many people spend Christmas away from work and with their families, but some have to work on the holidays to keep people safe.

Fireman may have to work on Christmas, but they don't seem to complain.

"This is like the holiday I mean for us we don't have to do much," said Antigo Fireman and Paramedic Brian Baginski. "There ain't very much open to inspect or do inspections. Basically it's just a day when we get calls we go on, we do our normal duties around the station."

Full story: WJFW

Wausau man celebrates 40 Christmases with 1 tree

WAUSAU - Neil Olson put up a Christmas tree in 1974 when two of his boys went off to war, vowing not to take it down until all six children came home for Christmas.

The same tree is still standing in his living room, needles intact. Olson, 89, calls his 40-year-old tree ``supernatural.''

Olson's oldest son was injured in the Vietnam War. His disability has stopped him from returning Wausau for Christmas. Five of his other children live nearby in Wausau.

Full story: WJFW

Antigo Firemen enjoy working on Christmas

ANTIGO - Many people spend Christmas away from work and with their families, but some have to work on the holidays to keep people safe.

Fireman may have to work on Christmas, but they don't seem to complain.

"This is like the holiday I mean for us we don't have to do much," said Antigo Fireman and Paramedic Brian Baginski. "There ain't very much open to inspect or do inspections. Basically it's just a day when we get calls we go on, we do our normal duties around the station."

Full story: WJFW

Rhinelander Lions Club gives free dinners Christmas Day

RHINELANDER - A local Lions Club hosted a free Christmas dinner Thursday.

The Rhinelander Lions Club has been putting on the dinner for about 30 years. The club starts preparing the dinner in November with help from Trigs.

"They deliver their stuff to us on Christmas Eve here," said Christmas Not Alone Co-Chairman Thomas O'Rourke. "They bake their turkeys for us in their bakery. That's a big help because this year we baked 30 20lbs turkeys."

More than 180 people ate at the Rhinelander Armory Thursday. They also delivered more than 117 meals to people who couldn't leave their house.

Full story: WJFW

Deadly 2 car crash leaves one dead

THREE LAKES - A Three Lakes man died from a two car accident in Three Lakes Tuesday.

Three Lakes Police Chief Scott Lea says 75-year-old Glenn Hoffmann was driving a pickup truck northbound on Highway 45. Lea says he lost control crossing the centerline into oncoming traffic.

It happened around 1 p.m. at the intersection of Highway 45 and Big Lake Road. Maribeth Carroll of Watersmeet, Michigan couldn't avoid the crash in the southbound lane.

Full story: WJFW

Pantry distributes more food for the holidays

ANTIGO - Volunteers at the Antigo Area Community Food Pantry want to make sure everyone in Langlade County has enough food for a holiday meal. The pantry spent weeks preparing for its big holiday food distribution Wednesday.

The pantry never knows what donations its going to get. But volunteers always expect more donations this time of the year.

"The community wants to donate," says pantry volunteer, Kathie Baginski. "We've been getting donations from places that don't typically [donate] the rest of the year but they hold little [food] drives for Christmas."

Full story: WJFW

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