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WOODRUFF - Oneida County's senior meal program makes sure hundreds of seniors get a nutritious meal to eat.
The Oneida County Department on Aging Woodruff Center has been struggling to do that. That's because they don't have enough volunteers to deliver the meals.
The Woodruff Center typically delivers about 60 meals a day to seniors' homes. They also feed about 20 seniors in their on-site cafeteria.
ARBOR VITAE - Two people from the Northwoods walked away from a plane crash without any serious injuries Sunday.
A pilot was trying to land a Piper Super Cub at the Lakeland Airport in Arbor Vitae around 11:45 a.m.
A gust of wind came along as the pilot was trying to land.
EAGLE RIVER - Some parents try really hard to make the holidays special for their kids. They help Santa Claus out and buy a lot of presents for their families, but they deserve some gifts and surprises too.
The Rock Mission Center gave kids the opportunity to shop for their parents and other family members at the First annual Children's Christmas Bazaar.
Parents were not allowed near the shopping site to help keep the gifts a surprise. Kids went around from table to table to pick out gifts they thought were perfect for each family member.
RHINELANDER - Santa might not be the only one watching you. If you're good, you might get a present from a cop.
20 Rhinelander 3rd graders got to shopping for gifts with Rhinelander officers. The experience helps kids see a happier side of the Police Department.
"We get to know the kids and they get to know us other than just law enforcement. Most of the time, they see us in bad situations. This time, they get to see us in a good situation and get to know us as people," says Officer Chad Brown of the Rhinelander Police Department.
MERCER - As we get closer to the holidays, people might be planning to head home for Christmas to spend extra time with their family, but some senior citizens don't get that opportunity. So they rely on each other.
Senior citizens in Mercer are probably used to the sound bingo balls rattling around, but what made this Christmas Party at Mercer Senior Center special was the people there.
"It's just a good get together. You hear people went to the hospital, but you didn't go to see them and when they're well they come back and then you find out how they're doing," said Mercer resident Audrey Guild. "It's a good thing. It's a caring thing."
MINOCQUA - Some people probably wanted to get their snowmobiles on the trail with the early snowfall. Soon they will, but before they do, snowmobile clubs need to make sure the trails are groomed properly.
The Minocqua Forest Riders Snowmobile Club vice president Guss Jones says the state set a guideline for trails to open December 12th, but it's up to the individual clubs.
They're hoping to have about 150 miles of trails open by December 15th, but the early snowfall has caused more work for groomers.
MADISON - Republicans who control the Wisconsin Assembly say they want to spare the state's land stewardship program from another round of cuts, but their Senate colleagues haven't committed to a plan and Gov. Scott Walker hasn't signaled how he intends to approach the issue.
The stewardship program is the Department of Natural Resources' main mechanism for purchasing land for preservation. About 1.5 million acres are currently in stewardship.
WHEATLAND - Authorities in southeastern Wisconsin say two people are dead after a pickup driving the wrong way collided head-on with a car on a highway.
Kenosha County sheriff's deputies and other emergency crews were called to the crash on state Highway 50 in Wheatland about 6 p.m. Saturday.
The sheriff's office say a pickup was traveling eastbound in the westbound lanes when it struck a westbound car.
MILWAUKEE - Marquette University is moving closer to a decision on whether to create its own private police force.
The university began exploring the possibility after the Wisconsin Legislature approved a way for creating a police force for Marquette, similar to those maintained at public schools including the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and UW-Madison.
University officials are now writing a report and recommendations to Marquette President Mike Lovell.
MADISON - The state Department of Natural Resources' board is set consider the first revisions to the Wisconsin's invasive species list since it was created five years ago.
The DNR has proposed classifying 49 more organisms as prohibited, which means people can't sell, possess or transport them and must destroy them if they discover them on their property. The agency wants to list 32 other species as restricted, which means people can't sell or move them but can possess them.
PORTAGE - Authorities are warning of the potential for flooding on the Wisconsin River due to ice dams near Portage in central Wisconsin.
The Columbia County Emergency Management Office says it doesn't know if the water will continue to rise in the Portage area, or if additional ice dams will form at other locations on the river.
Portage was experiencing flooded roads Friday in lower areas Blackhawk Park.
MILWAUKEE - Authorities say 14 protesters were arrested after they walked onto Interstate 794 and disregarded orders to leave the freeway.
The protesters were given citations for disorderly conduct and for being a pedestrian on a freeway on Saturday afternoon.
RHINELANDER - Underneath some Christmas trees, you'll find something more than presents. Model trains are an old holiday tradition.
In the Northwoods, the trains represent more than just the holiday season.
"We love to show off our trains, show what can be done, and show off a part of Rhinelander's history," says Rhinelander Railroad Association president Jim Brown.
RHINELANDER - You can find a lot of holiday activities during the weekend this season, but in Rhinelander, a youth group wants to show kids they can get creative while teaching them life lessons.
The UW Extension Onieda County 4-H Youth Development offered free workshops at the Curran Professional Building Saturday.
Kids grades five and under had to pick five out of 12 stations to participate in. The groups educator, Lynn Feldman, believes this was a good asset for their life skill decision making.
BELOIT - The Beloit College community is grappling with news that a 2008 graduate was slain in Yemen.
Luke Somers was killed Saturday as U.S. forces tried to rescue him from al-Qaida captors. He had been working as a freelance photographer in Yemen when he was kidnapped in September 2013.
Beloit College released a statement Saturday offering condolences to Somers' family, classmates and friends, and ``to the people he courageously and selflessly served in Yemen.'' The statement says: ``We are proud to be associated with Luke and so sorry the world has lost him.''
MADISON - Snowmobilers in Dane County are asking the Department of Natural Resources to grant them access to Blue Mound State Park. But opponents say the park should remain open for those who participate in silent sports, such as cross-country skiing.
The Natural Resource Board will consider whether the park should be open to snowmobilers at a Wednesday meeting. If the idea goes forward, there will be public hearings before a final decision is made.
MILWAUKEE - Authorities have identified two men found shot to death in a car on Milwaukee's west side, but are still searching for a suspect and a motive.
Lt. Mark Stanmeyer says a newspaper carrier discovered 19-year-old Deshea T. Willis and 25-year-old Jonathan B. Ivory seated in the parked car in a neighborhood near Miller Park about 4 a.m. Thursday.
MADISON - Dozens of protesters have marched through Madison to protest the decisions by grand juries in Missouri and New York against indicting police officers involved in the deaths of unarmed black men.
Organizers of Friday's protest stressed that their grievances go beyond those two cases, and involve broader concerns about what they consider police brutality against African-Americans.
GREEN BAY - At least 24 residents of assisted living homes in Wisconsin's 15 largest counties have died after mistakes or mistreatment by caregivers in a two-year period.
A review of data from 2012 and 2013 also found that 94 residents were hospitalized or treated in emergency rooms for broken bones, debilitating bed sores and other injuries.
Assisted living providers say accidental deaths and injuries are rare, and positioning those numbers as representative of the community is a disservice.
MADISON - The Ho-Chunk Nation will finally receive nearly 1,600 acres at the closed Badger Army Ammunition Plant.
U.S. Sen Tammy Baldwin announced the land transfer Friday. She's been pushing to return the land to the tribe since she was first elected to Congress in 1988.
Baldwin held up the nomination of a top Interior Department appointee until he agreed to work with the Defense Department to resolve the matter.
AUSTIN, TEXAS - Three more states have joined a Texas-led multistate coalition suing over the Obama administration's recently announced executive actions on immigration.
The addition of Arizona, Florida and Ohio brings to 20 the number of states fighting the order in a federal district court in Brownsville.
Many top Republicans have denounced the president's unilateral move designed to spare as many as 5 million people living illegally in the United States from deportation.
PORTAGE - Authorities are warning of the potential for flooding on the Wisconsin River due to ice dams near Portage in central Wisconsin.
The Columbia County Emergency Management Office says it doesn't know if the water will continue to rise in the Portage area, or if additional ice dams will form at other locations on the river.
Portage was experiencing flooded roads Friday in lower areas Blackhawk Park.
FOUNTAIN CITY - Police say a food elevator at a Fountain City restaurant where a college student was found dead was functioning properly.
Fountain City Police Chief Jason Mork says in a news release that the elevator system at WingDam Saloon and Grill was not damaged in Monday's incident that left Brooke Baures dead.
Mork says he and state elevator inspectors tested the food elevator's speed, electrical system and motor. Mork says in his view, "the food elevator functioned as it was designed to.
RHINELANDER - A school bus carrying School District of Rhinelander Students hit another school bus near Rhinelander High School Thursday. The accident was minor and no one was hurt.
Some concerned parents are upset Bowen's Bus Service and the school district didn't immediately call them.
The manager at Bowen's Bus Service says she was getting calls from parents before she even had all the details about the accident. That's because some kids quickly texted their parents to let them know what happened.
NEAR THREE LAKES - Northwoods loggers blame a wet summer and an early snowfall for difficult logging conditions. The combination has put some loggers behind schedule.
The wet ground makes it difficult for heavy logging machinery to move. Then the snow insulates marshy areas, so they freeze slower.
The mix is causing some problems for loggers.
RHINELANDER - An 11-year-old Rhinelander boy got a huge surprise Friday. Sarec Trudeau will head to Wausau Saturday to compete for the first time in the State Special Olympics, but he didn't leave without a warm goodbye.
"Today we are here to honor one of our very own Special Olympics athletes from Central Intermediate. Sarec Trudeau," said elementary student at Central School in Rhinelander.
NORTHWOODS - Your opinion could help shape the future of the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. Forest managers are asking for feedback on the condition of the roads within the forest. They say it will help them properly maintain the roads people use the most.
"So we really want to gather their comments on the use the national forest system roads as a whole," said Chequamegon-Nicolet Public Relations Officer Hilary Markin. "We're looking across the entire forest, you know 'Do they use one side versus the other?'. We really want those specific comments, so if there's a specific road you use to access one of your favorite spots."
MINOCQUA - Wisconsin's DNR Secretary believes proposed federal rules to reduce greenhouse gas emissions would be unfair to the state.
We interviewed Cathy Stepp Thursday in Minocqua, where she was attending the Governor's Northern Wisconsin Economic Development Summit.
Stepp heads the DNR, which protects Wisconsin's natural resources and environment.
PHILLIPS - Prosecutors think a Phillips man sexually assaulted a young girl multiple times.
41-year-old Douglas Makovsky is charged with four felonies for sexually assaulting a child younger than 13.
Makovsky was in Price County court on Friday.
MADISON - A newly formed group pushing for a right-to-work law in Wisconsin has launched a statewide radio ad a day after the Republican Senate leader said he wants quick action on a bill.
Wisconsin Right to Work announced it was airing the ads beginning Friday in Green Bay, Eau Claire, Madison, Milwaukee and Wausau media markets.
The ads argue that a right-to-work law will make Wisconsin more competitive and improve the economy. The law would bar private unions from forcing workers to join or pay dues.
