      |
EAGLE RIVER - The Northland Pines School District built a brand new high school in 2006.
The school has about 150 fewer students now than they did when it first opened.
That's left many empty classrooms.
ARBOR VITAE - The Lakeland Airport could see big changes in the next few years. That could include a make-over to their entire runway. The airport managers finished building their new maintenance building two weeks ago. The building cost more than $500,000 and that cost could mean fewer projects in the near future.
"Every year the airport receives $150,000 in federal money in what's called our entitlement money," explained Lakeland Airport Administrator Jon Schmitz. "So we used up every cent we had up to 2014 for the maintenance building. You can only retain it for three years, so you use it or lose it."
RHINELANDER - The roads in the Northwoods can get slippery and dangerous in the winter. If you're not careful driving in the snow, you can get into an accident.
Recently, a Wisconsin State Trooper in Winnebago County was hit while he was investigating a different accident on the road. Some people use snow tires to prevent accidents like that in the winter.
"The snow tires will keep you on the road," says Tom Moritz. "The snow tires will stop you maybe just before you hit the car in front of you, if you don't see them in time."
RHINELANDER - The pet supply company Petco will buy one of the Northwoods' largest employers.
There's an announcement on Petco's website saying it will buy Doctors Foster and Smith in Rhinelander. It says the sale will unite one of the largest pet specialty stores and one of the largest online pet stores. The sale should be done by 2015.
WASHINGTON - House Republican leaders have chosen Paul Ryan to head the powerful House Ways and Means Committee for the next two years.
The new post could give the Wisconsin Republican a high-profile platform if he decides to run for president in 2016 or beyond.
Ryan was the party's vice presidential nominee two years ago. He has sidestepped questions about his plans for 2016.
RICE LAKE - A man in western Wisconsin has been sentenced to probation on animal abuse charges after 26 cows were found dead on his farm.
John Nelson was arrested in September after a tip led authorities to search his Rice Lake property. Investigators say they found the decomposed cows still chained in their manure-filled stalls.
LA CROSSE - Firefighters in La Crosse have contained a blaze that erupted from an explosion at a fuels plant.
Officials say the explosion and fire erupted in an above-ground tank containing an unknown amount of diesel fuel and asphalt at Midwest Fuels Wednesday about 7:00 a.m.
La Crosse Fire Capt. Dan Skiles says one person was transported to the hospital with an injury.
MADISON - Wisconsin consumer protection workers warn people to be on the lookout for a government imposter phone scam.
The state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection says residents around the state have been getting pre-recorded calls from a Steven Martin from the U.S. Treasury.
The recording warns that the treasury has launched an enforcement action against the person who answers.
RHINELANDER - Community members and Oneida County Fair organizers agree that changes need to be made for the fair to survive. The county helps pays a little more than $14,000 for a part of the fair budget right now, but fair organizers eventually expect to get no money from the county.
That was part of the plan in 2009 when the fair moved to Pioneer Park in Rhinelander. The county would give the fair $25,000 dollars for the first few years with the expectation of the fair becoming self-sufficient. That's why organizers met to brainstorm at a strategy meeting Tuesday night. They say the last two fairs have been great, with attendance and weather.
LAND O' LAKES - You can find a lot of artists in Land O' Lakes area. Some might credit the Land O' Lakes Area Artisan for helping. Tuesday night some community members honored the man who had the vision for the center.
"In this town we love the arts, we love our artisans, we love our children," said Land O' Lakes Area Artisan past president Robert Ivancevich.
You might say that's how Land O' Lakes Area Artisan began five years ago, love and passion for arts.
WHITE LAKE - If the White Lake School District can't fix its budget deficit they could close within three years.
The district's second referendum in the past year failed in November.
The district now has two options, go to referendum for a third time, or cut every extracurricular.
PARK FALLS - A Park Falls food pantry won't get all the food it needs in time to help families before Thanksgiving.
They won't get a donation in time because of last week's snow.
The Lord's Cupboard in Park Falls serves hundreds of families.
MILWAUKEE - A Milwaukee man has been charged with sexual assault of a 101-year-old woman in her home.
Police said Antoine Devon Pettis, 20, was identified as a suspect through DNA evidence. He was charged Tuesday with burglary, aggravated battery and second-degree sexual assault.
A criminal complaint said the woman went to bed the night of Aug. 31 and was awakened by a man in her room. She told police the man slapped her in the face and eventually raped her.
PRICE COUNTY - A grant will help Price County expand its Project Lifesaver program.
The program helps find people with cognitive disorders who go missing. The program helps search for lost individuals with conditions like Alzheimer's and Autism.
Price County has 9 people in their program. They attach personal locators to a person's arm or ankle. If the person goes missing, a signal goes out to help police find which direction they've gone.
MILWAUKEE - Wisconsin is home to an estimated 85,000 people who immigrated illegally, three-fourths of them from Mexico.
That's according to a new study released Tuesday by the Pew Research Center. It focuses on illegal immigration from 2009 to 2012.
The study says illegal immigration has been largely stable nationwide since 2009. It had declined during the recession after peaking in 2007 at 12.2 million people.
RHINELANDER - A Rhinelander retail store will close at the end of the year. Golden Karat Jewelers has been in the city for more than 25 years. The company's Minocqua store will stay open. Golden Karat's owners say the jewelry business, and Northwoods retail in general, has changed over the years.
"We walked into a local banker, right here in town here. Told him our idea. And they loaned us the money," said Golden Karat Jewelers Co-owner Tom Michaels.
Michaels and Phil Root's idea was to open a gift shop in downtown Rhinelander. It opened in 1976.
BROOKLYN CENTER, MN - Police in Brooklyn Center are investigating a double shooting that left two men injured in a commercial area.
The Star Tribune reports (http://strib.mn/1uMS9WJ ) one man was shot in the face Tuesday afternoon near Checkers Drive In. The other was found shot outside the nearby Super America gas station.
LINCOLN COUNTY - Police blame a wood stove for a storage shed fire in Lincoln County this afternoon.
The fire happened in the town of Schley on Westview Road. The fire destroyed the shed and damaged a 1999 Dodge pickup truck.
MADISON - Wisconsin's gun deer license sales are lagging dramatically behind last year's pace.
Department of Natural Resources data shows hunters had purchased 565,663 licenses as of Monday.
That's down about 11,175 licenses from the same point last year.
GREEN BAY - A new survey shows adults in Brown County binge drink more than those in any other parts of the state, which was ranked highest in the nation for alcohol gorging and intensity of drinking.
The 2014 Brown County Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance Survey found 38 percent of Brown County adults said they have participated in binge drinking in the past 30 days.
Comparable studies conducted last year determined 35 percent of adults in Wisconsin and 32 percent of adults nationwide binged at least once.
RHINELANDER - Current and former School District of Rhinelander students who allegedly shared nude photos on their cellphones won't face charges.
On Monday, the School District and the Oneida County Sheriff's Office announced that they have finished a nearly month-long investigation.
"A decision was made to stop the investigation and focus on education," said Lt. Lloyd Gauthier of the Oneida County Sheriff's Office.
OSHKOSH - A judge didn't throw out charges against a Northwoods sex offender today. The 32-year-old man faces 23 felonies.
Prosecutors believe Albert Chagnon made a booklet filled with photos of young Northwoods girls. He's charged for having the photos without permission from the girls' parents.
MOSINEE - A 55-year-old worker was killed when he fell from a hydraulic bucket while installing insulation at a Mosinee paper mill.
Mosinee Police Chief Ken Muelling says the man was working for Taylor Insulation of Merrill when the accident happened about 9:15 a.m. Monday at Expera Specialty Solutions, the former Wausau Paper mill.
RHINELANDER - Researchers found Emerald Ash Borer's in Oneida County for the first time in early October. The county is now under quarantine. Organizers for the Wisconsin Headwaters Invasives Partnership wanted people to understand why Monday night.
The quarantine means you shouldn't move firewood out of the county.
Wisconsin DNR Forest Health Specialists Linda Williams spoke at James Williams Middle School Monday night. She says there are signs to look for on trees. The beetle is a given, but you'll most likely never see them.
MADISON - The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation will use a new ad campaign to promote Wisconsin's business climate. WEDC will market in Chicago, Minneapolis and across the county.
The group will spend $1.58 million on radio, online and print advertising. The radio ads will run in Minneapolis and Chicago through May 2015.
TOMAHAWK - Elementary schoolers in Tomahawk will send three local veterans to Washington, DC, on a Never Forgotten Honor Flight this spring.
They raised $1,500 to help the group see their memorials next spring.
"A shock. A good shock," said veteran John Taskay. "Now I can't wait, because I'm getting more excited."
RHINELANDER - It can be difficult to spot thin ice and for your pets, thin ice can be dangerous.
The cold and snow has made lakes look safe to walk across for pets, but many lakes have thin spots that pets can easily fall through. Some local veterinarians have already had pets come in after falling through thin ice.
"We've had two clients' animals here that have gone through the ice and they've lost their animals. Please be careful. Please watch your animals. If you live on a lake, live near water, just don't let them venture out where they can get in trouble," said Dr. Brian Buchberger, Animal Health Care Center Owner.
TOMAHAWK - Bob Lussow's phone rings often - sometimes even during Packer games.
People in Lincoln County complain to him.
He's the County Board chairman.
MADISON - Wisconsin would join five other states that impose special fees on electric and hybrid vehicles if the proposed $50 annual charge put forward by the Department of Transportation becomes law.
The proposal must win approval in the Legislature and be signed by Gov. Scott Walker before becoming law. The new fee would take effect in 2016.
Steve Hiniker, executive director of the environmental group 1000 Friends of Wisconsin, said Monday that the fee would penalize people for doing the right thing by purchasing fuel-efficient vehicles.
MILWAUKEE - Wisconsin health officials blame raw milk for making 38 people sick in Western Wisconsin.
Everyone who got ill drank raw milk served at a potluck dinner for the Durand High School football team.
The Department of Health Services says tests confirmed that 26 illnesses were caused by a harmful bacterial that is sometimes found in unpasteurized milk.
