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Monday Storms Cross Northwoods; Downed Trees, Power Outages, Hail

Published on 07/28/2026 under News While the Fox Valley took the brunt of the storm, severe weather swept through the Northwoods on Monday morning, causing widespread property damage and leaving thousands without power. Moving from northwest to southeast, the storm hit northern Oneida, Vilas, and Forest Counties the hardest within our listening area—affecting communities including Eagle River, Land O' Lakes, Crandon, and Three Lakes. Listeners reported skies turning as dark as night, accompanied by frequent lightning, powerful wind gusts, and torrential downpours. Severe hail was also reported, with some stones measuring several inches in diameter. The storm's destructive winds and downed trees triggered widespread power outages. Wisconsin Public Service reported roughly 8,000 customers without power across the Northwoods around midday Monday, concentrated mostly in Vilas County. Crews have been working around the clock, cutting that number down significantly. As of daybreak Tuesday, about 1,000 outages remain, split evenly between Vilas and Oneida counties. Fortunately, there have been no reports of injuries in the Northwoods.

Published on 07/28/2026 under News As Wisconsin celebrates Disability Pride Month, outdoor recreation is becoming more accessible for visitors of all abilities, and Lincoln County's Council Grounds State Park is among the state parks helping lead the way. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is highlighting accessible features available throughout the state park system, encouraging everyone to enjoy Wisconsin's public lands during July and year-round. The effort coincides with the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which was signed into law in July 1990. At Council Grounds State Park, visitors can take advantage of an accessible fishing pier on the Wisconsin River and Lake Alexander, adaptive kayaks available through the DNR's rental program, and accessible campsites and picnic areas with paved or level paths and modern amenities. Statewide, the DNR also offers amenities such as all-terrain and beach wheelchairs, accessible kayak launches, barrier-free cabins, sensory bags at select nature centers and universally accessible recreation programs. The DNR says accessible outdoor spaces benefit everyone by making it easier for families and visitors of all abilities to enjoy Wisconsin's parks together. They have an interactive map on their website with options to search for accessibility features.

Published on 07/28/2026 under News Ice Age Trail hikers have a brand-new segment to explore in the Northwoods thanks to an impressive volunteer effort, and organizers are already looking for help on their next big project right here in Lincoln County. Crews with the Ice Age Trail Alliance officially wrapped up work on the Antigo Heights Segment in Langlade County earlier this month, marking their second major volunteer project in the county this summer. Despite heat, humidity, and rain, volunteers built over a mile of fresh trail, constructed a 52-foot boardwalk, set up a new backpacker campsite, and installed scavenger-hunt boxes for kids exploring the area's ancient glacial terrain. Alliance officials say the new loop trail is designed for both long-distance hikers and local families looking for a short evening outing. Now, attention turns to Lincoln County. From August 6th through August 9th, the Alliance is hosting its next event on the Underdown Segment. The goal is to build nearly a mile of off-road trail on DNR land to replace a long-standing road walk section. The project will also add three short boardwalks and another backcountry camping area. No prior trail-building experience is required, and all necessary tools and training will be provided on-site. The deadline to sign up for next month's project is Thursday, July 30th, with registration available online through the Ice Age Trail Alliance volunteer portal.

Published on 07/28/2026 under News Ten local students pursuing careers in the medical field have received scholarships to help fund their education. The Aspirus Tomahawk Hospital Foundation recently announced the ten $1,000 awards, representing a $10,000 total investment in healthcare education in the Northwoods. This year's recipients are Caylie Swan, Jessica Wergin, Riah Petta, Taylor Repinski, Alexis Repinski, Ella Hilgendorf, Molly Mott, Sara Gebauer, Samantha Gebauer, and Courtney Theiler. The students are pursuing degrees across a wide range of medical fields, including nursing, emergency medicine, optometry, speech pathology, and psychology. To date, the foundation has provided approximately $200,000 in scholarships. Foundation leaders noted that many past recipients have returned to the area after completing their degrees, bringing valuable care back to local Northwoods communities. Pictured Left to right: Roger Schlegel-Foundation board, Carmen Viegut-Director of Nursing, Riah Petta, Caylie Swan, Alexis Repinski, Taylor Repinski, Ella Hilgendorf, Jessica Wergin and Gregg Albert-Foundation board; Not pictured: Samantha Gebauer, Sara Gebauer, Courtney Theiler and Molly Mott

Published on 07/28/2026 under News A weekend crash involving a motorcycle and a deer in Lincoln County left the rider with minor injuries. According to the Sheriff's Department, the collision occurred Sunday on County Highway X near County Highway C in the Town of Schley. The operator, a Merrill man, struck the deer, which he reported survived the impact and ran off into the woods. The man reported minor injuries but declined medical attention at the scene. This marks at least the third motorcycle-versus-deer collision on Lincoln County roadways this riding season. While total vehicle-deer accidents are down this month, deputies still responded to six reported deer strikes over the past week, along with additional collisions involving a bear and a coyote. A couple of other quick notes from the Sheriff's Report… An Irma teen sustained minor injuries following a single vehicle crash in the Town of Rock Falls on Saturday. The driver reported traveling east on North Star Drive when he drifted off the roadway, hit a culvert and struck a utility pole. The vehicle came to rest on its side. The teen refused medical treatment. And traffic stops led to three separate OWI offenses over the weekend.

Published on 07/27/2026 under News While Christmas is still six months away, the officers across the Northwoods are getting a head start on the holiday season by trading their badges for aprons at Culver's Tuesday. During today's lunch and dinner rushes, police officers at participating locations will be serving guests and delivering meals as part of the annual "Cops at Culver's" event. Culver's is donating a percentage of sales from the day plus all tip donations to the officers. All funds raised by the departments will benefit Police Lights of Christmas, a statewide charity that provides officers with gift cards to hand out to community members facing unexpected hardships during the winter holidays. Locally that includes: Antigo, Medford, Merrill, Minocqua, and Rhinelander. In Rhinelander specifically, adding to the festive atmosphere, Santa Claus will be taking a brief hiatus from the North Pole to visit the restaurant from 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Children are encouraged to stop by, say hello, and hand off their Christmas wish lists a few months early. Free face painting will also be available for kids during the evening hours.

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Sports Headlines

Gibeault Places 3rd in 400 meter dash

Published on 06/06/2026 under Sports In the WIAA Division 2 State Track & Field Meet at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse this weekend. Elise Gibeault and Ellie Micke competed in three separate events. Gibeault's top finish came in the 400 meter dash, placing third with a time of 56.7 seconds. Gibeault would finish 2.26 seconds behind state champion Harper Sheehan of Hayward. In her final event, the Hatchet Junior would set a brand new school record in the 200 meter dash with a time of 25.38 seconds, a full second behind Sheehan. As for Micke, her season would end in the High Jump Preliminaries. Micke would finish tied for 12th with Martin Luther's Dynasty Fancher. This concludes the Tomahawk Track & Field Season.

Published on 06/03/2026 under Sports The Hatchet golfing season would end in the WIAA Division 2 Sectional Meet at Spooner Wednesday, placing ninth at the Spooner Golf Club. Tomahawk would finish with a 345, 13 strokes behind St. Croix Central. The top Hatchet golfer in the Sectional meet was Jake Albert, who placed 28th overall with an 82. Rounding out the top three were Rocco Carew with an 83 and Oliver Childers with an 87. Jaxon Kaiser finish with a 93 and Brayden Lamer finished with 100. This concludes the Tomahawk golfing season.

Published on 05/29/2026 under Sports Junior Athlete Elise Gibeault and Sophomore Athlete Ellie Micke would become the only Hatchets to qualify for the WIAA Division 2 State Track & Field Meet at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse next weekend. Gibeault would finish second in both the 200 and 400 meter dashes. Gibeault would re-set personal bests and school records in both events. The Junior finished with a run of 25.74 seconds in the 200 meter dash and a run of 56.39 seconds in the 400 meter dash. Gibeault would place behind only Hayward's Harper Sheehan in both events. As for Micke, she was the last qualifier in the field in the High Jump. Micke tied for the 4th spot in the sectional and would advance by way of tiebreaker. Micke's leap in the High Jump was 5'3". Gibeault and Micke will compete in the WIAA Division 2 State Meet in La Crosse Friday. Field Events begin at 3:00 PM. Running events begin at 3:30 PM.

Published on 05/28/2026 under Sports Despite coming back from down four runs in the fifth inning, Tomahawk's baseball squad would fall in extra innings in the WIAA Division 3 Regional Quarterfinal at Tyler Kahle Memorial Field to the Crandon Cardinals, 8-5. The Hatchets trailed 5-1 heading into the bottom of the fifth inning before tying the game up behind two-run hits from Nick Arndt and Max Larson. After the Hatchets stranded the winning run on third in the seventh, Crandon rolled off three runs off Hatchet pitcher Logan Norman to take the lead. Tomahawk would bring the tying run to the plate, but Arndt flew out to center to end the game and the season. Arndt finished two for five with a triple and two RBIs. Max Larson finished one for five with a double and two RBIs. Despite pitching five scoreless innings and retiring ten straight, Norman absorbed the loss on the mound. The Hatchets finish the 2026 season with a 9-11 record and a 7-7 Great Northern Conference record. Tomahawk graduates Norman, Arndt, Jonah Dickens, Wally Horabik, Colton Seslar, and Brody Hilgendorf.

Published on 05/27/2026 under Sports The Marawood Conference Champion Prentice Golf Team won the WIAA Regional Championship on Tuesday at the Inshalla Country Club. The Bucs set a school scoring record with a 297. Ladysmith finished 30 strokes behind Prentice. Eliah Harding led the way with an even par 70, Matti Heikkinen shot a 74, Hagan Isaacson a 76, Evan Lord a 78 and Jackson Isaacson shot a 79. Prentice will compete in the WIAA Sectional Meet on Tuesday at Big Fish Golf Club in Hayward. The first tee times are at 9:00 am.

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