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Hometown Christmas Published on 12/09/2022 under News

Downtown Tomahawk will get into the holiday spirit with the return of Hometown Christmas this evening.

This is the fourth year of the revitalized community celebration known as Hometown Christmas. The volunteer group wanted to bring back some of the Christmas events of years past with some unique new ways to showcase the Tomahawk Main Street businesses

We were recently joined by organizers Roxanne Consolver & Mary Smith.

The main attraction will once again be the live mannequin displays. Inspired by large department stores of years past, they plan on having actors portraying holiday and winter scenes in the store windows. Last year they had nearly 40 participating window displays.

The festivities get underway with crowning of the 2022 Parade Princess Lilian Crass and 4:15 pm and the parade of festively decorated ATV/UTVs at 4:30 followed by the live mannequins at 5pm-6:30pm.

In Other News

Update: Victims Identified in Fatal Oneida County Crash

Published on 02/19/2025 under News One person is dead, another injured in a two vehicle collision in Oneida County. That crash happened Tuesday morning at around 8am on Highway 8 near Spring Creek Road between Tomahawk and Rhinelander. The State Patrol is investigating the crash. According to their preliminary report, they said it appears a westbound pick-up truck crossed over the center-line and struck an east bound sedan head-on. The operator of the car was pronounced dead. The State Patrol has now identified the victim as Dan Reiter, 58, of Tomahawk. The driver of the pick-up truck, a 53 year old Abbotsford woman sustained minor injuries. No other information has been provided at this time. Highway 8 was detoured for several hours. The crash remains under investigation.

Published on 02/19/2025 under News Tuesday was election day in the state of Wisconsin, and Northwoods voters came out to support a pair of school referendums. While it was a relatively light ballot overall, two area schools districts sought to extend expiring referendums. Preliminary results show that both will pass comfortably. Here in Tomahawk, the district was looking to exceed the levy limits by up to $3.25 million each of the next four years. In recent weeks, school representatives have invested time into public outreach, and those efforts succeeded. According to the preliminary results, approximately 57% of voters were in favor. Meanwhile, up in the Eagle River area, Northland Pines was also seeking to exceed the levy, asking voters to support up to $5.6 million each of the next three years. The initial tally shows a 2-1 margin in support of the additional funding. As we noted in our preview, school funding referendum questions are becoming common around the state. There were five questions on Tuesday's ballot, and in April, more than 80. Northwoods districts seeking funding this spring include Wausau, Prentice, Three Lakes, and Rhinelander.

Published on 02/19/2025 under News The greater Minocqua area is a popular travel destination, and now several neighboring communities will be teaming up as part of a re-branded tourism entity. Now known as the Minocqua Area Visitors Bureau, it will include not only Minocqua, but Arbor Vitae, Hazelhurst and Woodruff, as well. Krystal Westfahl will serve as President and CEO. She says,"Joining forces with our neighboring communities to help promote tourism to the area makes us so much stronger." Earlier this week, they unveiled the new look on their outdoor marquee which greets visitors and locals as they enter the town. Westphal says, "We want people to know as soon as they arrive that our four communities stand together to welcome them." They've also launched a new website, and people can expect to hear their new tagline 'In Minocqua' which emphasizes the letters 'IN' in the spelling of Minocqua. They plan to play on the themes of the area being fun and adventurous, yet relaxing, peaceful and calming. Westphal says, "We each have wonderful things to offer travelers, and together we can encourage people to stay longer, do more and travel further, which helps everyone in our area thrive."

Published on 02/19/2025 under News While we're typically focused on snowmobile trails at this time of the year, some seasonal ATV trails are set to open Wednesday. The Lincoln County Forestry Department announced the opening of snowmobile trails designated as Winter ATV trails. In the announcement, they also offered a few reminders. This opening is for ATVs only. While often grouped together, UTVs are not allowed due to their added width and weight. And with some mild temperatures in the forecast, they note that these winter ATV trails close whenever temperatures are above 28 degrees. And they put out their warning for all riders to observe closures, stay on marked trails and respect private lands.

Published on 02/19/2025 under News The state of Wisconsin has a rich hunting tradition, and the DNR is looking for individuals to share that knowledge with the next generation of hunters. This time of year is a bit slower as far as hunting in Wisconsin goes. The DNR recently put out a call for volunteers to help others enjoy safe and ethical hunts. The agency notes, "There are fun options to share your hunting expertise, enthusiasm and stories with novices of all ages who are interested in this activity." The most obvious example is the Hunter Safety education courses. But there are other opportunities to give back. This includes leading outdoor skills workshops which cover a wide variety of topics such as deer-processing skills or tips for cooking wild game. The DNR also highlighted their mentored hunting program which provides a one-on-one opportunity to instruct a novice hunter in the field. Those interested can visit the DNR website.

Published on 02/19/2025 under News Students in both Tomahawk and Merrill competed in an fun and friendly art competition while getting an education on the region's environment. The Lincoln County Conservation Program recently announced the winners of their annual poster contest. Each year has a theme; this year it's "Home is Where the Habitat Is". Wisconsin has no shortage of unique environments that provide shelter and resources to plants and animals including Northwoods forests, the Great Lakes shorelines, and the Mississippi and Wisconsin Rivers. The science and environmental topics are often incorporated into the classroom curriculum. Top 3 students will advance to a 9 county regional competition with a chance for state and national contests as well. Grades K-1 category winners include: Faith Schwartz, Rowe Voermans, and Caleb Fedrowitz. Grades 2-3 category winners include: Kinsley Hein, Novalee Kimmons, and James Taylor.

Published on 02/19/2025 under News While the results of the Tuesday's elections are still being finalized, the Rhinelander School District is already looking towards the April. That's because they have a referendum on spring ballot. As we've seen time after time, communication is key, often through public information sessions and community presentations. The Rhinelander School District will be hosting their first on Wednesday morning. It's scheduled to take place at 10:00 am in the Hodag Dome. A second public info meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March 12 from 6:00 - 7:00 pm in the Rhinelander High School Commons. The district is seeking to increase their existing referendum ,while extending it. In the end, it would allow the district to exceed revenue limits by $7 million starting next school year and through the 28-29 school year. The district has created a website to provide further information.

Published on 02/18/2025 under News It's Primary Day in the state of Wisconsin, and two Northwoods school districts will be watching results closely this evening. Voters in both the Tomahawk and the Northland Pines School District will weigh in school funding referendum questions. Both districts are looking to extend previous referendums that are expiring at the end of the school year. For Tomahawk, they're requesting up to $3.25 million each of the next four years. School representatives have been focused on public information in recent weeks, highlighting what they've described as sound fiscal management. This includes under-levying, or not taxing the maximum allowed over the past two years. Meanwhile, Northland Pines is asking for up to $5.6 million annually over the next three years. School funding referendum questions are becoming common around Wisconsin. While there are just five referendums around the state today, more 80 will appear on the April ballot. Locally, that includes Wausau, Prentice, Three Lakes, and Rhinelander. It's an otherwise light ballot here in the Northwoods. The spring election is non-partisan and depending on voter location may include municipal and school board primaries. In Tomahawk specifically, city council and school board candidates are all running unopposed. Today's ballot features one state-wide primary for state school superintendent.

Published on 02/18/2025 under News With a growing list of capital needs, the Lincoln County Board will complete an expansive review of county- owned facilities. That work will be completed by a new Ad-hoc Facilities Committee. The supervisors approved the creation of the committee at their meeting Monday evening. According to the resolution, there is a several thousand dollar deficit between the capital projects scheduled this year and the CIP/Forestry funds available. Dealing with an ever-tightening budget the resolution reads, "the county no longer generates revenue as historically accustomed to commit to the CIP fund, and this process is no longer sustainable for addressing capital improvement projects." Board Chair Jesse Boyd explained the goal is to look at Lincoln County, as a whole, and create a comprehensive plan to attack the facility needs of the county. They outlined four areas of focus: 1) Review facilities structural needs, 2) review facility usage, 3) review consolidation or shared resource opportunities and 4) provide recommendations to the board for consideration. As for the make-up of the committee, Boyd appointed the supervisors representing Finance (Ashbeck); Public Properties (Wickham); Highway (Simon); Forestry (Bialecki); and Public Safety (Hartwig). Department heads may serve as non-voting members at the request of the Chair. The Committee will have a year to complete their work, with a deadline next February to present their findings.

Published on 02/18/2025 under News Lincoln County is joining a growing push for the state to provide more funding to operate the local court system. At their meeting Monday evening, the Lincoln County Board approved a resolution requesting state leaders increase the amount of support they provide for the circuit court system. According to the resolution, the circuit courts are intended to be a state-county partnership, yet they said the state funding covers just 12 percent of the overall cost. The resolution further says these court costs have been on the rise over the past decade, outpacing the increase in appropriations six fold. The provided examples of additional court costs beyond staff. That includes trial expenses, jury costs, technology, postal fees, and date storage. Other counties have been taking up similar resolutions that will be forwarded to Governor Evers and state legislators. It comes as leaders in Madison begin to work on the biennial budget. They're asking for the state to include an additional $70 million to be distributed to counties to cover growing court costs. After a brief overview, the Lincoln County Board approved the resolution by unanimous vote.

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