Local Rhinelander Headlines

Foundation sues state over contraception records

MADISON - The Freedom From Religion Foundation is suing the state to obtain records related to a decision not to enforce Wisconsin's contraceptive coverage law.

Gov. Scott Walker's administration announced in July it would no longer enforce the law against employers with religious objections in the wake of a U.S. Supreme Court ruled companies with religious objections such as Hobby Lobby can avoid the contraceptive coverage requirement in the federal health care overhaul law.

According to the lawsuit filed Wednesday in Madison, the foundation filed two open record requests with the state Office of the Commissioner of Insurance for records related to the non-enforcement decision.

Full story: WJFW

Walker looking at 6 to 7 agencies for changes

MADISON - Gov. Scott Walker says he's looking at consolidating or making ``major changes'' at six or seven state agencies.

Walker talked in general about his ideas for merging state government operations on Wednesday after speaking to Senate Republicans.

Walker says he doesn't think a special session will be necessary to do that, but he does hope the Legislature will act quickly on the ideas early on. He says he learned from the creation of public-private economic development agency that it's better to have more time to transition into something new than not.

Full story: WJFW

$30 million expansion part of Phillips-Medisize growth plan

PHILLIPS - A high level employee at Phillips-Medisize Corp., based in Hudson, WI, calls the company's $30 million announced expansion part of the group's growth plan. VP/GM Global Commercial Division at Phillips-Medisize Rob Werge says the company's medical and consumer product lines are also growing.

The company has annual sales of nearly $600 million with around 75% of the total revenue coming from drug delivery, medical device and diagnostic products such as: disposable insulin pens, glucose meters, specialty inhalation drug delivery devices, single use surgical devices and consumable diagnostic components, according to company data.

Phillips-Medisize employs 285 people at its Phillips facilities, 1,400 people throughout Wisconsin, and more than 3,400 people at 14 locations throughout the United States, Europe, Mexico and China.

Full story: WJFW

Study: Lincoln County professional departments well trained in hazardous materials, volunteer departments need work

MERRILL - Would responders in Lincoln County know how to best handle a hazardous material spill in their area?

It might depend on where that spill happens.

A study for a county committee found a big gap in how prepared certain departments might be to handle hazardous materials.

Full story: WJFW

Veterans thanked for services and donations to diabetic institute

RHINELANDER - Veterans could get a good meal in Rhinelander Tuesday night. Volunteers thanked them for their service and for donating to a health institute.

"To have someone like Michelle and her volunteers to come forward and give us a dinner based on us being veterans is really special," said VFW Post 3143 Commander Jim Pederson.

37 veterans could thank a dozen volunteers for a nice home cooked meal Tuesday night, but Michelle Fenske couldn't have thanked VFW Post 3143 enough for donating to the Schulze Diabetes Institute in Minnesota.

Full story: WJFW

Business owners hopeful snow melt won't hurt business

ST. GERMAIN - Just a few weeks ago, the Northwoods seemed to have plenty of snow for snowmobiling. There was one problem: the trails weren't open. Just after trails in Vilas County opened last Friday, some of the snow melted.

"We could tell that we were losing a lot of snow. We decided to stay off the trails and just kind of see how it played out, and you know, here we are waiting for some new snow," said Hiller's Pine Haven Resort Owner Mark Hiller.

The heavy snowfall at the end of November seemed to help Hiller's business.

Full story: WJFW

Wisconsin Supreme Court to take up some Governor Walker related John Doe cases

MADISON - The Wisconsin Supreme Court has agreed to hear three cases stemming from a John Doe investigation of fundraising and spending by Gov. Scott Walker's campaign and conservative groups backing him.

The court on Tuesday accepted a legal challenge from two targets of the probe; a separate lawsuit from those two targets and another; and an action by special prosecutor Francis Schmitz to try to reinstate subpoenas that were quashed by the judge overseeing the investigation.

The court put off accepting a fourth lawsuit by a group challenging the campaign finance laws that are at the heart of the investigation.

Full story: WJFW

Study: Teens turning to e-cigs over traditional cigarettes

RHINELANDER - For the first time, a national study shows more teenagers use e-cigarettes instead of cigarettes, according to the University of Michigan Monitoring the Future study released Tuesday.

The study, in its 40th year, looks at substance trends of young Americans in 8th, 10th and 12th grade. More than 40,000 students across the U.S. participate in the survey.

E-cigarettes are relatively new to the study. The product itself is relatively new as well. It creates a vapor that you inhale. Typically, this vapor contains nicotine, although the specific contents of the vapor are proprietary and are not regulated, according to the release.

Full story: WJFW

Walker says he wants schools to have Common Core choice

MADISON - Gov. Scott Walker is backing off his call for the Legislature to repeal Common Core academic standards, saying he simply wants to insure there is no mandate they be used.

Walker in July during his re-election campaign called on the Legislature to repeal the standards covering what students should know in the subjects of math and English. Walker said then he wanted them replaced with something Wisconsin-specific.

But Walker said Tuesday his goal now is to remove ``any mandate or requirement that requires a school district to abide by Common Core standards.'' He says he wants schools to have maximum flexibility.

Full story: WJFW

Wisconsin ranked as 12th highest taxed

MADISON - A new analysis finds that Wisconsin is the 12th highest taxed state in the country and third highest in the upper Midwest.

The nonpartisan Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance said that was based on Census data on tax collections Tuesday. It analyzed the tax data as a percentage of personal income.

The data shows that Wisconsin moved from 13th worst in 2011 up one spot to 12th in 2012, the most recent year available.

Full story: WJFW

Northwoods ice arena assures clean air at its facility

RHINELANDER - Dozens of people got carbon monoxide poisoning at a Wisconsin ice rink last weekend. The ice rink in Lake Delton was filled with carbon monoxide because of an ice resurfacing machine.

That won't happen at one Northwoods ice rink. That's because Rhinelander Ice Arena has a battery powered ice resurfacer.

"We've been running a battery powered machine since 2003," said Brett Aylesworth, manager of the Rhinelander Ice Arena. "We actually upgraded to a different one about three years ago. It emits no carbon monoxide or other fumes into the air. It's all battery powered, and, you know there's no fumes, nothing to worry about."

Full story: WJFW

Northwoods Community Secondary School working on improving attendance, reading, and math scores

RHINELANDER - Every year school districts in Wisconsin get report cards.

They use them to see how well they're doing compared to others in the state.

The School District of Rhinelander met expectations last year, but the district's charter school didn't do as well.

Full story: WJFW

Evidence to be reused against Wisconsin convict

STEVENS POINT - Evidence that helped convict a Wisconsin Rapids man of a 2008 homicide will come into play when he goes on trial for the 1984 shooting death of his wife.

Joseph Reinwand is serving a life sentence after being convicted in October of first-degree intentional homicide in the shooting death of Dale Meister. He's also charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of Pamela Reinwand and is scheduled go to trial in July.

Vincent Biskupic prosecuted the Wood County case and will serve as a special prosecutor in the Portage County case. Daily Tribune Media (http://bit.ly/1qWbpkX ) reports he filed a notice Monday saying he intends to use statements made by Meister before he died as evidence during the upcoming trial.

Full story: WJFW

Baraboo adopts transgender athletic policy

BARABOO - The Baraboo School Board has amended its athletic and co-curricular activities policy to prohibit discrimination against transgender students.

The change adopted by board members on a vote of 4-3 Monday night includes ``gender expression'' and ``gender identity'' in the district's anti-discrimination policy. School board members in favor of the policy amendment say it's necessary to comply with federal guidelines and those from the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.

Full story: WJFW

Shawano County Sheriff's Office releases names in 2 car crash

SHAWANO COUNTY - The Shawano County Sheriff's Office released names of the victims from a two car accident Sunday afternoon. They believe thick fog caused the accident on Highway 29, near Highway 45. That's near the village of Wittenberg.

The sheriff's office received a call just before 4:30 in the afternoon.

42-year-old Matthew Olson, who was driving the truck westbound, crossed the median near the Grand Avenue over pass. That's when he collided head on with 41-year-old Rebecca Wescott. She was traveling eastbound in a minivan.

Full story: WJFW

Fog affects flights at airports across the Northcentral Wisconsin

NORTHCENTRAL WISCONSIN - The dense fog made it difficult for drivers the past few days. Airports across the Northwoods barely saw any flights coming in or taking off.

The airport directors in Merrill and Eagle River say they haven't seen any planes in a couple of days.

The ceiling and visibility is too low for planes to take off or land. Central Wisconsin Airport Director Tony Yaron says visibility needs to be at least half a mile for pilots to take off.

Full story: WJFW

Overnight parking could be offered for Safe Ride Home Program users in Rhinelander

RHINELANDER - If you decide to go out and have a few drinks, there could soon be a safe place to leave your car.

Overnight spaces might be available for Safe Ride Home program users.

The Tavern League of Wisconsin and Rhinelander Parking advisory board want to provide the parking spots.

Full story: WJFW

Local Boy with Cerebral Palsy Recieves Lots of Love

SUGAR CAMP - About 10,000 babies born each year will end up living with cerebral palsy. It's the most common of all childhood disabilities. One family here in Sugar Camp is doing everything they can to help their son who has been affected by this disability since he was seven months old.

"We found out slowly because he had some eye issues," says Katie Pitlik, mother of Lucas Pitlik; a local boy diagnosed with spastic quadriplegia cerebral palsy. "His eye was turning in, so we went to get his glasses, and from there it just kind of snowballed and we got the diagnosis at seven months."

Lucas Pitlik will turn three-years-old in March. But for him and his family, it's been a long time since Lucas's diagnosis. There are three types of Spastic Cerebral Palsy; the form Lucas has, Spastic Quadriplegia, is the most serious.

Full story: WJFW

Survey: Restaurants should improve lighting, offer locally sourced foods

RHINELANDER - Some Northwoods communities struggle to keep drawing people to local businesses.

Leaders in Rhinelander hope the results of a new study will make the city's restaurants more appealing to people living in the area.

Oneida County UW-Extension and Downtown Rhinelander Inc. just finished up a study of diners' opinions of restaurant options in Rhinelander.

Full story: WJFW

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