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Hatchet Track & Field Teams Compete at Otto Bacher Invite Published on 05/08/2023 under Sports

omahawk's track and field squads competed in the Otto Bacher Invite in Merrill Friday.

The Hatchet girls placed fifth and had three top three finishes. The best came from the 800 meter relay team of Halle Derleth, Marie Gorrell, Faith Derleth, and Alicia Voermans, placing first. Voermans also placed second in the 100 meter dash, while the 3200 meter relay team of Izzy Lee, Morgan Hansmann, Alli Palmer, and Robin Schmidt placed third.

The Hatchet boys placed eighth in the meet. The Hatchet boys got two third-place finishes from Joey Reiter in shot put and Zach Hanse in the 300 meter hurdles.

Tomahawk's next meet will be their home meet Tuesday.

Alex Koch will be at Hatchet Field to bring you live updates on Northwoods 92.5 WJJQ. Fehrman Orthodontics Premeet Show begins at 3:55 and the meet begins with field events at 4:15.

In Other News

Eagle River Ice Castle Build Underway

Published on 01/09/2025 under News A frozen landmark in Eagle River is returning after a two year absence, and work got underway on Wednesday. Crews from the Eagle River Fire Department began to remove blocks of ice from Silver Lake. They'll become the frozen bricks used to build the Eagle River Ice Castle. In recent weeks, the Eagle River Fire Department had been closely monitoring the thickness of the ice. This week they got to work with removal of the ice, shaping the blocks, and transporting them to the build site. They'll eventually place around 2,000 ice blocks into the structure. The Department has been providing updates via their Facebook page and even teased this year's design with a Lego model. They hope to complete the build by the end of the weekend, perfect timing with the influx of visitors for the upcoming snowmobile derby championships. It'll be a welcome sight for both the community, and the many visitors who stop by. In addition to the ice, floodlights, trees, and other decorations help make the Eagle River Ice Castle one of the most popular winter tourist attractions in Northwoods. In the social media era, it has been a popular photo opportunity. While the tradition dates back nearly a century, construction has been sporadic in recent years. The ice castle was last constructed in 2022.

Published on 01/09/2025 under News A group in Lincoln County is working to reduce the number of fatal accidents. The Lincoln County Death Review Committee has a morbid, but accurate name as one of their tasks is to go over deaths with the county to look for patterns and solutions. The Committee had been mostly dormant until coroner Valerie Caylor took office in 2023. Caylor explained, "Our group is working hard to study trends and use our resources to stop these preventable deaths from happening." Once a trend is identified, the committee works with local stakeholders including schools, healthcare providers, law enforcement, and the Lincoln County Health and Social Services Departments. One of the first areas they identified and focused on was life-threatening falls. The committee worked with local health care providers to offer education on fall prevention both in care facilities and homes. They've also worked with schools and students on survival skills and communication with law enforcement when it comes to life-safety issues. A recent co-sleeping death prompted initiatives with new parents. Caylor said of the committee, "I'm very proud of their work and I hope it continues to make Lincoln County a safer and healthier community in which to live."

Published on 01/09/2025 under News The DoT continues to plan for future road construction projects, the latest announcement is for a bridge reconstruction in City of Merrill. According to the DoT, the Highway 64 bridge over the Wisconsin River in Merrill is nearing the end of it's service life. The bridge was built back in 1927. They currently plan to work on this project in 2028, though it could be moved up by a year based on funding availability. During construction, WisDOT is proposing closing WIS 64 to through traffic between the bridge's east approach and the intersection of WIS 64 and Valley Street. They will maintain business access and navigation of the river below. People can learn more at a public informational meeting scheduled for Tuesday January 21. It'll take place at 5pm at the Merrill City Hall. The DoT also has information on their website.

Published on 01/09/2025 under News The Tomahawk City Council gave their blessing for the return of a winter bonfire, known as Fire and Ice. Last year, the Friends of Lake Mohawksin hosted the celebration near the SARA Park boat landing. At Tuesday's meeting the Tomahawk City Council gave unanimous approval for the event to return next month. During brief discussions they confirmed their was minimal cost to the city and little work from city employees. And while it's a Friends of Lake Mohawksin event, they invite the community to attend, as well. Organizers note its a chance to meet your friends and neighbors and learn a little bit more about the organization and the work they do throughout the year. It's scheduled for February 8th from 6pm at the SARA Park Boat Landing.

Published on 01/09/2025 under News While their offices are closed Thursday, officials at the Chequamegon Nicolet National Forest announced the five fee free days in 2025. Throughout the year, National Forests offer various days when standard amenity fees and admission are waived. The first opportunity this year is later this month, January 20th in conjunction with Martin Luther King Jr. Day. There will be two opportunities in June, National Get Outdoors Day on June 14 and Juneteenth on June 19th. September 27th is National Public Lands Day and another free day. The final one planned for the year is on Veterans Day November 11. As for today's office closure, that is for the remembrance of President Jimmy Carter's death. There is also no mail delivery.

Published on 01/09/2025 under News A Milwaukee man received a two year prison sentence following a sixth offense of operating under the influence in Northern Wisconsin. According to court records, 42 year old Joshua Groth appeared in Vilas County Court Wednesday via video for the hearing. Groth was arrested May 28 after a trooper with the Wisconsin State Patrol observed a vehicle driven by Groth cross over the center-line on Highway 51 in Boulder Junction. As a result, Groth was arrested for operating under the influence 6th offense. He pleaded guilty to that charge at yesterday's hearing. According to sentencing records, Groth received two years of prison followed by three years of extended supervision. He is already serving time from a separate charge, and this sentence will run concurrently. He was also ordered to pay more than $2,700, will have his driver's license revoked for 3 years and 3 years with an ignition interlock device.

Published on 01/09/2025 under News The Merrill School district confirmed the candidates that submitted nomination papers for their school board ahead of Tuesday's deadline. There are four candidates running for three at-large seats on the board. That includes incumbents Jacqueline Gremler, Paul Proulx, and Jon Smith, along with challenger Brady Loos. That race will appear on the April Ballot.

Published on 01/08/2025 under News The deadline for candidates to file nomination papers for the upcoming spring election came and went on Tuesday. Here in Tomahawk, there won't be many decisions to make when it comes to local races. The spring election features non-partisan offices such as school board and City Council. At Tomahawk City Hall, Clerk Amanda Bartz confirmed it was only the three incumbent candidates who filed papers for City Council. That means Jeff Kahle, Mickey Loka, and Tadd Wegener will all appear on the ballot unopposed. The current 9 member Council has been in place for the past 6 years. As for the Tomahawk School Board, a reapportionment was approved last fall adjusting the representation of the board to better reflect current population distribution within the district. That transition will take place over the next three years. As part of the process, the representation for the City of Tomahawk will drop from four seats to three. That will be accomplished this year with two expiring terms, though neither of the current representatives will appear on the ballot. Dick Huseby isn't seeking re-election, while Bob Skubal passed away last month. That seat will now be determined by write-in. The removal of a city seat is coupled with the addition of a seat representing Towns of Tomahawk, Bradley, Birch, Skanawan, and Rock Falls. Newcomer Steve Heinrich is the only candidate who submitted papers And Ann Swenty will seek another term representing Nokomis, Little Rice, Wilson Harrison and King. Beyond the elections, both the Tomahawk City Council and School Board have upcoming referendum questions. On the February primary the school district is seeking to extend their funding referendum. In April, city of Tomahawk voters will weigh in on fluoridation of the city water.

Published on 01/08/2025 under News The Wisconsin Department of Transportation is considering several options for a busy and occasionally dangerous intersection in the Northwoods. That intersection is located just north of Tomahawk on Highway 51 and County K/ Swamp Lake Road. Over the years there have been a number of serious crashes at that intersection. As part of a construction project planned for 2027, the DoT is looking at several different intersection alignments to help reduce the number and severity of crashes. They shared those options ahead of a public involvement meeting planned later this month. Perhaps the most drastic proposal is a multi-lane roundabout. The busier north/south directions would have two approach lanes, and single lane approaches for crossing County K and Swamp Lake Road. The other two options are variants that would add additional turn lanes off of Highway 51. That meeting will be held on Wednesday January 22, at Northwoods Community Elementary, which is just down the road from that intersection on County K in Harshaw. They'll have a short presentation at 5pm followed by an open house format. The project design is available for review on the DoT website. Comments on the proposed project are being accepted through Feb. 19.

Published on 01/08/2025 under News The Tomahawk Fire Department will be getting a new engine, though it likely won't arrive for a few more years. At their meetings last night, the Tomahawk City Council and Finance Committee gave approval for the department to go forward with the order. The decision came after a brief overview from Fire Chief Paul Winter. Winter explained that Engine #3 is aging and needed increasing maintenance and some costly repair. Their leadership began exploring the lengthy process more than a year ago, communicating with two Wisconsin-based manufacturers. That includes Pierce out of Appleton and Custom Fire in Osceola. Winter highlighted two concerns during his presentation: rising costs and lengthy wait times. Costs have already trended upwards since the last engine they purchased. Both proposals came back in the similar $1.2-$1.3 million. The Pierce contract, however, could potentially increase based on costs during the build. As for the wait, a Pierce order would be 50-52 months; Custom Fire 20-24 months. With a lower price and shorter wait time, the Council unanimously approved the Custom Fire proposal. Winter explained there would be two payments, when the chassis is delivered to Custom Fire at the end of the year, and when they complete the truck. The city will likely borrow to cover the cost. Following the vote Mayor Steve Taskay, a retired EMT, commended the Fire Chief adding "I know first hand how it is to spec and buy an emergency vehicle, so kudos to you guys."

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