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RHINELANDER - The National Retail Federation expected Americans to spend nearly $620 billion on holiday retail sales this year.
Shoppers will put many of the gifts they buy in boxes or wrap them in paper.
Local landfills will see a lot of those boxes and paper come in after the holidays.
MADISON - Police arrested a Rhinelander man last night for failing to register as a sex offender.
The U.S. Attorney for western Wisconsin tells us 58 year old Gregory Porter was indicted by a federal grand jury earlier this month.
They accuse Porter of traveling between several states over the last couple of years, without updating his sex offender registration.
MADISON - Unemployment rates decreased in most major Wisconsin cities last month, but increased in most counties.
Numbers from the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development were released Tuesday.
Unemployment rates for November went down or remained the same in 23 of the state's 32 largest cities.
WESTON - A Central Wisconsin hospital can say it was the first in Wisconsin to provide a new heart treatment.
The One Heart Team from Marshfield Clinic and Ministry Health Care at Ministry Saint Clare's Hospital in Weston performed its first treatment earlier this month.
About 2.7 million people in the United States have a condition called atrial fibrillation.
RHINELANDER - Nordic skiing leaders in Rhinelander feel good about the amount of interest in the area's skiing teams. According to Rhinelander High School Nordic Ski Team Charil Reis, the group has formed an 18 person middle school ski team, and had more skiers come out for the Rhinelander High School Nordic Ski team than expected, since an informational meeting in November.
The group also formed a youth ski team, the Sno-Dags, to encourage more kids to start the sport. More than 40 are registered and showed up at the Rhinelander High School Tuesday night for their first practice.
Reis said she takes a different approach when teaching young kids.
RHINELANDER - Snowmobilers can now enjoy the trails in Oneida County.
Trails opened at 5 o'clock Friday evening.
The Hiawatha Trail from Tomahawk to Minocqua also is now open.
RHINELANDER - Some people in the Northwoods don't have a place to go for Christmas this year.
That's one reason the Rhinelander Lions Club has a free Christmas dinner every year.
"Especially those that come in, that come in because they don't have a meal at home; they don't have family at home where they can get a real good turkey type dinner. And we'll also deliver for people who are shut-ins or live in a community that would like to have a meal delivered," says Rhinelander Lions Club member Harry Helwig.
CASS CO., IOWA - An Iowa State Trooper pulled over two Northwoods men last Friday.
Instead of going home with a traffic ticket, 29-year-old Matthew Maulson and 34-year-old Thomas Maulson, both of Lac du Flambeau, got a free ride to jail.
The trooper found about five pounds of marijuana in their car.
MERRILL - Typewriters may look like foreign tools to young people born in the last few decades.
But many older people in northern Wisconsin grew up using them or started typing later in life.
The T.B. Scott Free Library in Merrill is now full of those artifacts of days gone by.
RHINELANDER - Virginia Roberts hopes to make some improvements to the Rhinelander District Library.
She became the library's new director at the end of October.
She was director of the Chippewa Falls Public Library before that.
RHINELANDER - Christmas will be here in two days. For some, that means two more days spent getting last minute Christmas shopping done. For others, it means getting ready to have some fun with family and friends. Here is what some people in the Northwoods said they'd be up to this holiday season:
"Everything is ready except some of the food," said Robert Duerwachter of Elcho. "My wife and I will be at our place all by ourselves for Christmas this year; first time ever. We make our church visit and that's basically it."
"We usually have ham and cheese potatoes," said Teresa Jensen of Rhinelander. "However the family's gotten a little bit smaller lately with people moving away and my mother recently passing away. So we pretty much really spend the holidays thinking of family and past Christmases."
MOSINEE - Christmas Eve can be a crazy day for people who travel for the holidays.
Even though we live near small airports, you still need to be cautious when preparing for your travel plans.
The weather seems to be the biggest concern right now. Workers at the Central Wisconsin Airport have been continuously clearing the runways so they don't have to cancel flights.
RHINELANDER - Snowmobilers looking to ride in Oneida County can finally hit the trails Tuesday night.
Oneida County trails open for the season at 5:00 p.m. Tuesday.
Plenty of snow in November had people dreaming of an early open.
MINNEAPOLIS - Some wolf experts think the animals don't need special protection anymore.
A federal judge in Washington put the wolf back on the endangered species list on Friday.
The judge's decision affects Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota.
MERRILL - Three people in Lincoln County face a handful of drug charges after getting arrested Friday in Merrill, according to The Lincoln County Sheriff's Office.
Randy Degner, 30, of Merrill, Crystal Dean, 26, of Tomahawk, and Danielle Zietlow, 24, of Tomahawk all face drug related charges.
They made their first court appearance Monday.
MINOCQUA - When we think of the holidays, we often think of giving gifts and sharing big meals with our loved ones.
Buying gifts can put a big dent in your bank account, but hosting a Christmas dinner doesn't need to be costly.
There are a few things you can do to save money.
RHINELANDER - A 23-year-old Wausau woman faces three charges for allegedly stealing a purse and using a stolen credit card in Rhinelander. Those charges include burglary, theft and credit card fraud.
Prosecutors accuse Brienna Persike and Andrew Washburn, 25, of Wasuau, of stealing a purse from an unlocked home on South Rifle Road in Rhinelander. The criminal complaint shows that Persike told investigators they broke into the home. She said it was after visiting Washburn's grandmother early on December 17th.
The two then went to Wal-Mart and spent more than $500 using the stolen credit card. The criminal complaint shows that the two bought a car installation kit, a car amplifier, a black BB gun, cat food, ice fishing equipment and other items just hours after the reported burglary.
RHINELANDER - You can't find public radio stations as easily as you can find commercial radio stations in the Northwoods. That's because they're funded mostly by donations. However, one Rhinelander radio station has found a way to make it work for more than 30 years.
"The station came about as the result of a dream, really, of a fella named Peter Nordgrin who came from northern Minnesota at a station very similar to this one," said Ken Krall, news director and interim station manager at 91.7 WXPR in Rhinelander. "He realized that there was a hole in northern Wisconsin for public radio."
WXPR went on the air in 1983. They fundraised for years in the late 1970's to get an FCC license. Founders wanted a public radio station with content put on the air completely by volunteers.
PARK FALLS - Some cities in Wisconsin don't regulate where sex offenders can live.
Park Falls is one of those cities, but some people are working to change that.
The Park Falls Common Council could pass an ordinance to prohibit sex offenders from living near places for children.
IRMA - The Lincoln County landfill began construction on a new landfill almost two years ago.
The $11.5 million dollar project is destined to hold 1.2 million cubic yards of waste.
The new landfill construction was completed in November 2013.
MILWAUKEE - Federal officials say they'll review the shooting of a black man by a white police officer in Milwaukee for a possible civil rights violation.
Dontre Hamilton, a 31-year-old man whose family said he was mentally ill, was shot to death last April in a downtown park after he struggled with Officer Christopher Manney. The Milwaukee County prosecutor announced Monday that Manney's use of force was justified self-defense, and he wouldn't be charged in the case.
Hamilton's family immediately requested a federal review. The U.S. attorney for Milwaukee announced just a few hours later that the Department of Justice would do so.
RHINELANDER - Tim Brown will soon leave his job at Oneida County's UW-Extension.
He doesn't know where he'll be going, but it will be to one of more than 270 embassies and consulates worldwide.
"It's always been a dream," Brown said.
MILWAUKEE - The Milwaukee County district attorney says he's confident the public will see he made a fair decision in not charging a white Milwaukee police officer in the shooting death of a black man.
John Chisholm said the officer, Christopher Manney, was justified in using deadly force when his encounter with Dontre Hamilton turned into a fight last April. Manney shot Hamilton 14 times after Hamilton got control of the officer's baton.
Chisholm said the release of the full investigative file will help people understand what went into the decision.
IRMA - Prosecutors will consider charges against two Lincoln County men accused of duct taping a child to a door.
A Lincoln County deputy investigated the child abuse complaint in Irma this past week.
Witnesses said the child's hands and feet were bound.
SUGAR CAMP - The number of dogs euthanized a year dropped dramatically. The Humane Society of the United States estimates the number of dogs and cats euthanized decreased from 12-20 million to 3-4 million per year, but about 2.7 million healthy sheltered animals aren't adopted.
That's why people in Sugar Camp wanted to keep a rescue organization running.
"It Matters to One" saves dogs from high-kill shelters who are on the euthanasia list. One of the founders of the organization travels to California to rescue the dogs.
PINE LAKE - Santa normally gets help from elves to make Christmas presents for kids, but in Pine Lake he had help from a local volunteer fire department Sunday.
The Pine Lake Fire Department normally puts its sirens on in an emergency, but this time it was to help Santa bring joy to families who need it the most.
"It is really neat to see the kids when we come pulling into their driveway and they see Santa Claus getting off the fire truck with a big bag of presents. It is really neat to see their faces," said Operation Ho Ho Ho organizer Lynn Larson.
MARATHON COUNTY - Marathon County Sheriff's deputies think A 39-year-old Antigo man set the building he worked at on fire early this morning.
They say he then led deputies on a car chase.
A lieutenant from the Marathon County Sheriff's Department says they got a call around 8p.m. Saturday.
LINCOLN COUNTY - The Lincoln County Sheriff's Office found the body of a missing Merrill man yesterday afternoon.
Jeffrey Maruska has been missing since early November.
The sheriff's office found his body with the help of cadaver dogs.
LAKE TOMAHAWK - Riding a snowmobile can be dangerous if you don't know the rules of the trails.
That's why some people went through a snowmobile safety course on Saturday and Sunday.
The course was held at the Sloan Community Center in Lake Tomahawk.
RHINELANDER - Some pet owners view their furry friends as their kids. Like some parents, they want their furry child to get a picture with Santa.
That's exactly what pet owners did Saturday. Pawz and Clawz in Rhinelander put together their second Pet Pictures With Santa event.
Store owner Dan Gallagher says he put this together for a local dog organization.
