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Wisconsin Public Services Hosts Students for 'Solar Olympics' Published on 05/18/2023 under News

Mother nature cooperated with area students as they displayed their renewable energy skills.

Wisconsin Public Service held their 27th annual Solar Olympics on the UW-Oshkosh campus. More than 100 students participated from 14 high schools within the WPS footprint. Local schools participating included Three Lakes, Lakeland, Marathon, Wausau West, and Tomahawk.

The friendly competition, hosted each spring, allows these students to showcase their knowledge of solar energy. This year featured 13 different events all with the common theme of solar. Just a few of the examples, solar cars, solar cookers, design work, and solar jeopardy.

Area students are bringing a few gold medals back to the Northwoods. Three Lakes won the Photovoltaic Innovation event, while Tomahawk claimed top spot in Solar T-Shirt Design. The Marathon participants scored well in a number of categories and earned a silver medal in the overall competition.

WPS created the Solar Olympics in 1997 in conjunction with districts participating in the Solarwise for Schools program. Solarwise provides renewable energy lesson plans, projects, and teacher training.

In Other News

Little Rice Fire Hosts Responders for Ice Rescue Training

Published on 01/29/2025 under News While our area waterways are frozen, they're still buzzing with activity. No ice is 100% safe, and occasionally people do break through. Emergency teams are regularly training for these calls, and around two dozen Northwoods responders recently got some hands-on training to ensure they are prepared. The Little Rice Fire Department teamed up with Nicolet College to host an intensive cold water/ice rescue training class over the weekend. Their crew was joined by members of the Pine Lake, Minocqua, and Fence Fire Departments, 25 participants in all. Little Rice Fire Chief Larry Mathein called the training crucial. He says, "With so many lakes and streams in our coverage area, ice/water rescues are a real possibility every year." He added, "It's important to stay prepared, both for our safety and for the safety of our community." They began with a three-hour classroom session covering a variety of topics related to ice rescues and the equipment and tools used in responses. Then the participants headed over to Lake Killarney where they put their training into action with a series of realistic ice rescue drills. Mathein emphasized the importance of ongoing training: "Our goal is to be as prepared as possible for any scenario, and this class is a big part of that continuing preparation." In addition to the skill-specific training, they were also able to learn about teamwork, which is especially important in rural areas where responders from different agencies often work together on emergency calls. Photos provided by Little Rice Fire and Rescue

Published on 01/29/2025 under News The red kettles and bells of the Salvation Army have been put away, but their work continues. Each holiday season, Salvation Army bell ringing campaigns raises funds to support their operations. Two Tomahawk organizers, Winn Semmler and Pat Pietila, stopped by the WJJQ studios to recap their efforts. Semmler says, "We've got a wonderful giving community that just amazes me each and every day." While they're still processing some of the mail in contributions, their total for the most recent campaign was just shy of $27,000. The Tomahawk effort included two ringing locations, Trigs and the Post Office, along with around a dozen counter-top kettles near the registers at local businesses. Semmler also highlighted those ringing volunteers, around 200 in all, during the six week campaign. It included a number of organizations and business who rang as a team effort including churches, banks, and realtors. Nearly all of the donations are kept local, 86 cents of every dollar. The funds are spent on emergency assistance and outreach programs. For the Tomahawk Salvation Army specifically, one of their most high-profile efforts is the after-school backpack program. To fight food insecurity, they fill backpacks with healthy snacks and food items that students are able to take home. Pietela says she has watched the packing, calling it a 'labor of love.' She noted, "They're also having fun doing it, and are excited to help." And while the Kettle Campaign has wrapped for a year, the Salvation Army efforts does not. People can continue to support their efforts year round. That conversation is available in the WJJQ audio center.

Published on 01/29/2025 under News Like many communities, Tomahawk hosts events in city parks and on city streets throughout the year. Last night much of the 2025 events calendar filled up. While community organizations operate these events, they fall under the jurisdiction of the City of Tomahawk Health and Safety Committee. At their meeting last night, the committee approved applications for eight returning events. The applications came from both Tomahawk Main Street and Tomahawk Chamber. They covered the Wine Walk; Main Street Memories Car Show; the Main Street Farmer's Market; the Fourth of July Arts, Craft, and Vendor Fair; the National Night Out; the Fall Ride Bonfire and Brat Fry; the Venison Feed; and Hometown Christmas. For most locals, those events should be quite familiar, and so too were the applications. The committee members spent little time discussing, and all eight were approved unanimously. The popular events will be largely unchanged from past years. There are still a few more events left to approve for the year, including the two biggest in Powwow Days and Fall Ride. Those should appear on the agenda in the coming months. For those that would like to mark their calendars, we'll include all of the dates in the online version of the story.

Published on 01/29/2025 under News Simulators and virtual reality can be helpful tools for education. Aspirus and North Central Technical College are working together to bring immersive reality technology into healthcare education. This partnership is giving students a chance to experience clinical scenarios like never before, helping them feel more prepared for real-world challenges. As technology evolves,they have been able to utilize grants to enhance the simulation center for students pursuing careers in the health care field. Reed Champagne is Manager of Education Technology at NTC. He says, "With immersive reality, we can create scenarios students might not encounter during traditional training. It gives students a much deeper understanding than they would get from just sitting in a classroom." He noted this even includes changing room backgrounds, adding sounds and even smells that mimic real clinical settings. Aspirus employees also benefit from this training. Nursing student Aspen Gunnlaugsson, says, "The realistic structure is so like clinical settings. It's helped me feel more confident in my skills and ready for patient care," She also noted that the immersive technology made it easier to refresh her knowledge after taking time off. Champagne says, "We can't guarantee students will see every type of case in real life, but this technology helps fill those gaps."

Published on 01/29/2025 under Sports Tomahawk's hockey team clinched a Great Northern Conference Regular Season Championship for the second consecutive season with a 6-0 victory over Northland Pines in Eagle River Tuesday night. Despite getting shut out for the first period and a half, the Hatchets got six goals in the span of 20 minutes. Jonah Dickens notched a hat trick. Sawyer Hanna had a goal and three assists on the night. Trevor Seliskar stopped all 17 shots he faced. The win puts Tomahawk at 15-4 on the season and finish the Great Northern Conference with a 7-0 record for the second consecutive year. The Hatchets will are back in action Friday night. Tomahawk will go up against Somerset in a battle of the top two teams in the state in Division 2. The Puck drops at 7:00 Friday.

Published on 01/29/2025 under Sports Tomahawk's girls' basketball squad saw their three-game winning streak come to an end at the hands of the Phillips Loggers Tuesday night, 63-38. Freya Alberg was held to her lowest scoring total of the season, notching just eight points. Claire Albert led the way in scoring with 14 points. The loss drops Tomahawk to 8-8 on the season and 4-4 in Great Northern Conference play. The Hatchets will try to get back in the win column Friday in the first half of a Hatchet basketball doubleheader against Prentice. The game will be broadcast live on Northwoods 92.5 WJJQ with the Fehrman Orthodontics Radio Pregame Show at 5:50 and tip-off at 6:15. Alex Koch and Matt Theiler will be in the broadcast booth.

Published on 01/28/2025 under News Communities across the state of Wisconsin are working to more efficiently use salt during the winter months. This week is dedicated to that cause. The last week of January means the return of Winter Salt Week, which is a joint effort of stakeholders to reduce the amount of salt being used to remove ice from roadways. Among the reasons for the campaign, excess salt can wind up in our fresh waterways or along the side of the road altering ecosystems. It can also prematurely age roads and bridges causing billions of dollars in infrastructure damage, while also damaging vehicles. Saltwise is the partner in this campaign. Throughout the week they're hosting educational videos on their YouTube channel with experts in the field. They note that every teaspoon of salt can impact 5 gallons of water, as well as the plants and creatures that call those water ways home. At a local level, street crews and highway departments look to follow smart salting practices for a number of reasons such as safety and cost. Efforts include equipment calibration, educating operators, and strategic application. According to the DoT, the practice of pre-wetting salt keeps 30% more salt on the road where it is intended, while also helping it work more quickly. And if you notice a lack of salt trucks during extreme cold, they may be waiting because salt loses effectiveness as temperatures drop. While road crews carry a larger impact, residents can make a difference right at home, by using salt more effectively on driveways and sidewalks. You can visit wisaltwise.com to learn more, and we'll have a bit more on salt usage throughout the week as well.

Published on 01/28/2025 under News Downtown Rhinelander will be playing the role of Willy Wonka with the return of their popular chocolate bar promotion. Monday marks the start of Downtown Rhinelander's annual Taste of Chocolate fundraiser. The Fun Factory Sweet Shoppe produced 1,200 bars of chocolate in 12 specialty flavors for the promotion. Just a few examples include chocolate waffle cone, sea salt caramel, and dark chocolate amaretto. They're being sold at more than two dozen downtown businesses. And just like the Willy Wonka books and movies, some of the chocolate bars have golden tickets. Twelve lucky people will be entered into a a grand prize drawings for $500 in Downtown Rhinelander Bucks, the district's promotional currency. Other bars include coupons, discounts, and other prizes for participating businesses. Even if you don't receive a prize, the consolation is still a tasty bar of chocolate. Bob Lueder, DRI president, noted that Taste of Chocolate is one of their larger fundraising events. Plus it also get people out into the community and perhaps explore some stores in the district that they may not otherwise visit. While the contest runs through February 14th, it is while supplies last. With just 1,200 bars, they'll like go quickly. Additional information including participating businesses are found on the Downtown Rhinelander Facebook.

Published on 01/28/2025 under News Nicolet College continues to take steps to help those interested in aviation potentially pursue careers in the field. That includes their upcoming private pilot ground school course, which is supported through an Aviation Career Pathways Grant, a competitive grant awarded to Nicolet College by the Wisconsin Technical College System. The ten-week course covers flight, what it takes to become a pilot, and the many other aviation-related careers. According to the school, more than 200 companies have ties to Wisconsin's aerospace sector. Nicolet College is building collaborative relationships in these industries while introducing local students to these opportunities. Through the Aviation Career Pathways Grant, Nicolet will be able to acquire an FAA-approved flight simulator and several drones, allowing students hands-on learning. The flight simulator will give student pilots basic flight experience before moving on to actual flight training. Drones will feature in a new program for FAA Drone Certification. In addition to this Nicolet program, they are also partnering with Fox Valley Technical College, UW-Oshkosh, and Purdue Global for transfer opportunities. The course is scheduled from March 11 to May 13. Nicolet has additional information on their website.

Published on 01/28/2025 under News The Tomahawk-area Cub Scouts got to show off their designs skills for both cars and cakes during a pair of competitions over the weekend. First up, it was the classic Pinewood Derby. This year they had 31 scouts craft their small, wooden cars which were judged on both design and racing. The top three finishers for racing were Nathan Schultz (1st), Theo Heier (2nd), and Owen Heier (3rd). The participants were also judged on their car designs. Hayden Barney won the best-in-show for his tank car. Winners received a challenge coin from the local VFW. Other winners include: Solomon Alberg (Best Paint Job), Jax Noeske (Most Original), Nathan Schultz (Most Patriotic), and Hayden Barney (Best Scout Theme). In addition to the races, seventeen scouts also hit the kitchen with mentors to bake and decorate cakes. Ben Schultz, and his giant s'more cake, won Best-in-Show. Kid-voted cake awards were presented to: William Wendorf (Best Scout Theme), Max Heier (Most Original), Jax Noeske (Tallest), Gabe Lobermeier and Gideon Lobermeier (Most Patriotic), and Nathan Schultz (Most Colorful). The competitions offered a fun opportunity for the students to show off their skills. Organizers wanted to thank all involved for making it a special day for the scouts and their families.

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