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Rhinelander Church Collecting Unused Wheel Chairs for Global Distribution

Published on 10/28/2025 under News Throughout this week, a Rhinelander area church is collecting unused wheelchairs and other mobility assistance to distribute to developing nations. For those with limited mobility, a wheel chair is an important tool, but it's something that many take for granted. Wheels for the World is hoping to change that, and they're partnering with Calvary Baptist Church in Rhinelander for a local collection effort. We heard from Pastor Rod Ankrom about the mission. They take used wheel chairs and attempt to restore them to like-new conditions. They're then distributed to those in developing nations. Ankrom noted that those with limited mobility can often be excluded because they have no way of getting around. In addition to wheelchairs, they'll also be accepting crutches, canes, and wheel chair parts that may be of use in the refurbishment process. The drop off will be at Calvary Baptist Church on Lincoln Street in Rhinelander from 9am to 2pm today through Friday. They'll also have collection Saturday morning from 9-noon. If those times don't work, a drop-off can be arranged by calling the church.

Published on 10/28/2025 under News Lincoln County is home to more than 700 lakes and 650 miles of rivers and streams. At their meeting this past week, the Lincoln County Board approved a seven resolutions related to grant funding and donations to help protect these water ways. The grants include funding for Clean Boats, Clean Waters; Lake Monitoring and Protection Network, Surface Water Planning, Surface Water Restoration, and Healthy Lakes and Rivers programs. The additional dollars would be available to expand current educational and outreach programs as well as some restoration and improvement projects. In addition to the grant applications, the series of resolutions also included pledges from local stakeholders to provide the county with the match requirements. Among groups contributing: the Lake Nokomis Lake District, Friends of Lake Mohawksin, the Spirit Reservoir Association, and Trouts Unlimited. Each of the resolutions was approved by a unanimous voice vote with minimal discussion from the supervisors. If all grants are awarded to the county at the maximum amounts, more than $50,000 would be accessible for ongoing or new efforts.

Published on 10/28/2025 under News The DNR is asking the public to check fire danger before conducting any outdoor burning activities, as the fall fire season is underway. The state is typically vulnerable at this time of year, as the leaves have fallen from trees and the plants and grasses begin to go dormant ahead of winter. Crews have responded to more than 50 wildfires around the state this month. Though small in size, the agency notes that nearly all of these fires were human-caused and preventable. Debris burning is the leading cause of fire including brush and leaf piles. Other common causes: sparks from recreational equipment, campfires, and hot ashes from fireplaces and grills. Exacerbating the situation, is a relative lack of rainfall. The latest report from the US Drought Monitor shows much of northern Wisconsin in either abnormally dry or early drought classifications. The DNR will be staffing fire equipment as needed. They ask that people use caution if planning any burning, or better yet, wait until the ground is snow-covered.

Published on 10/28/2025 under News Aspirus Health has announced that their cardiology clinic in Rhinelander has moved into it's new location, now inside Aspirus Rhinelander Hospital. According to the announcement, the expanded space includes nine exam rooms, a new registration area, and convenient proximity to key hospital services such as imaging, laboratory, emergency care and urgent care. Teri Theiler, President, Aspirus Health's North Division says, "This move represents an important step forward in providing comprehensive heart care for the Northwoods community." Theiler added, "By bringing our cardiology team into the hospital, patients will benefit from a more connected experience, with immediate access to additional diagnostic and specialty resources." Dr. Michael Zevitz echoed those sentiments, adding, "That teamwork helps ensure patients receive timely, coordinated, and efficient care—all in one convenient location." This is part of a larger renovation and expansion project at Aspirus Rhinelander Hospital which also includes their Inpatient Behavioral Health Department and a new CT scanner. According to an update provided earlier this month, each is expected to be completed this fall.

Published on 10/28/2025 under News In just under a month, the west end of Tomahawk's Main Street will once again be filled with hungry hunters seeking a bite to eat before the deer season. The organizers of the event have put out their annual call for donations of venison. That tradition is, of course, the Tomahawk Venison Feed, hosted by the Tomahawk Chamber. This year marks the milestone 60th overall. During her visit to the WJJQ studios this past week week, Chamber director Charis Lau noted they are currently accepting donations of cleaned and de-boned venison. They'll once again partner with Geiss Meats who processes the 1,500 venison burgers that will be served up on Friday, November 21. Lau says the donations can be dropped off at the Chamber during their regular hours.

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Sports Headlines

Hatchet Football Team Wins Level One Playoff Game

Published on 10/24/2025 under Sports On Friday night, the Tomahawk Hatchet Football Team won their ninth game of the season, with a 41-14 Level One WIAA Playoff victory over Omro. Tomahawk dominated the line of scrimmage all night, as they rushed for 290 yards and had over 35 minutes of possession offensively. On the other side of the ball, Tomahawk held Omro to just 39 yards rushing. Rex Reilly had three rushing touchdowns, and carried the ball 13 times for 59 yards. Jonah Dickens also had three touchdowns, two touchdown catches, both from Jett Reilly, one from 43 yards out the other from ten. Dickens also added a nine yard touchdown run. Jett Reilly, along with those two touchdown passes and 72 yards through the air, had 76 yards on the ground. Tomahawk is now 9-1 on the season and will host Spencer/Columbus Catholic on Friday night at Hatchet Field. Spencer/Columbus defeated New Holstein 31-12. The #1 seed Hatchets and #5 seed Spencer/Columbus will play at Hatchet Field on Friday night at 7:00 pm. Northwoods 92-5 will have the Fehrman Orthodontics Kickoff Cabin at 6:10 pm, and the opening kickoff at 7:00 pm. In other scores from Level One action: In D-5: Stratford beat Richland Center 41-9 In D-4: Mosinee defeated Turner 41-7 In D-3: Merrill defeated Lakeland 38-12, Rhinelander lost to Edgewood 35-7, Wausau East lost to Mount Horeb/Barneveld, and Medford lost to Grafton 49-14

Published on 10/24/2025 under Sports The Tomahawk Hatchet boys and girls cross country teams competed in the Division Two WIAA Sectional Meet at the MARC in Merrill on Friday. The Hatchet girls will have an individual qualifier at the WIAA State Meet next Saturday at the Ridges Golf Course in Wisconsin Rapids, as Freshman Charlee Lund in fifth place overall and will competed at state. The Hatchet girls finished in fourth place overall, Abbie Rosenmeir was 18th, Lydia Shaney finished 20th, Faith Derleth was 35th, and Elise Gibeault was 38th. Wittenberg-Birnamwood finished first and Shawano was second. On the boys side, Tomahawk was fifth. Lakeland ran away with the boys race scoring 45 points and Shawano qualifies for state with their second place finish. Caiden Reichelt let Tomahawk and finished just one place out of qualifying. Reichelt was 10th overall, Connor Zorn was 37th, Jordyn Carew was 39th, Dawson Jones 42nd and Ryan Montag was 48th. The WIAA Division Two Girls State Race will be at 2:25 pm next Saturday and will feature Hatchet freshman Charlee Lund.

Published on 10/20/2025 under Sports Tomahawk's Cross Country squads competed in the Great Northern Conference meet in Rhinelander Saturday. The Hatchet girls placed second overall, ten points behind Conference champion Medford. Charlee Lund was the highest-placed Hatchet, finishing third with a time of 20:22. Abbie Rosenmeier and Lydia Shaney each finished in the Top Ten. The Hatchet boys placed fourth overall in the Conference meet. The Hatchets' top finisher was Caiden Reichelt, placing eighth with a time of 18:26. The Other Hatchet to finish in the Top 25 was Joe Zastrow. The Regular Season is officially wrapped up for Cross Country. The WIAA Division 2 Sectional Meet is Friday in Merrill.

Published on 10/20/2025 under Sports Tomahawk's football squad wrapped up the 2025 regular season with a come-from-behind victory over Great Northern Conference rival Lakeland at Incredible Bank Field in Minocqua Friday night, 28-13. The Hatchets overcame two first-half turnovers and 12 total penalties to defeat the T-Birds for the third time in the last four tries. The Hatchets ran for a season-high 323 yards on 63 carries. Tiegan Sarazin rushed for a career-high 124 yards and three touchdowns, all coming in the second half. Tomahawk also got 99 rushing yards from Jett Reilly and 95 yards rushing from Max Larson. The Hatchets forced three Lakeland turnovers, including a scoop and score from Jonah Dickens in the first half. The win gives Tomahawk a record of 8-1 and 6-1 in Great Northern Conference play. The eight wins by Tomahawk are the most in a regular season since 1999. The Hatchets also clinch a share of the Great Northern Conference championship with Mosinee, their first conference title since 1989. The Hatchets are the #1 seed in the WIAA Division 5 playoffs and will be playing host to #8 seed Omro in the first round at Hatchet Field. It is also the first time Tomahawk has hosted a playoff game since 2007. Tune in for the broadcast on Northwoods 92.5 WJJQ with the Fehrman Orthodontics Kickoff Cabin at 6:10 and opening kick at 7:00. Tim Albert and Jon Long will be in the broadcast booth. If Tomahawk wins, it will be their first playoff victory since 2015. The Hatchets would then play either #4 seed New Holstein or #5 seed Spencer/Columbus Catholic.

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