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Tomahawk Chamber/Main Street Shop Small Bingo Cards Saturday Deadline Published on 01/03/2025 under News

Just a quick reminder for anyone participating in the Tomahawk Shop Small Season Bingo.

Those cards need to be returned by the weekend. The Tomahawk Chamber and Tomahawk Main Street teamed up to offer the promotion over the holiday shopping season in an effort to get people to buy from locally-owned businesses.

To participate in the Shop Small Season bingo, people need to spend $10 a participating business on the card to earn a stamp. They'll have prize drawings for both traditional bingo and black out.

To be entered, the cards need to be returned by Saturday. The drawing will be held at the January 15 Quitting Time.

In Other News

Six Tomahawk Students Selected for Midwestern Vocal Festival in Iowa

Published on 01/06/2025 under News A half dozen student vocalists from Tomahawk have been selected to participate with an all-star choir of nearly 1,000 singers. Instructor Corey Colburn announced that six Tomahawk students have been selected to participate in this year's Dorian Vocal Festival in Decorah, Iowa. The Vocal Festival has become a tradition for Tomahawk where a handful of students each year are invited to participate in the learning session and performance hosted at Luther College. In all, more than 900 student singers representing nearly 300 high schools across the Midwest will take part. From Tomahawk, that includes Julia McGovern, Dominic Boos, Damian Ramirez-Gonzales, Ryu Fuszard, Ayla Lewison, and Galen Schmidt. The students will head to Iowa next weekend for the immersive event. It will conclude with a concert a week from this evening, January 13. It will be available for streaming on the Luther College Music Department YouTube channel. Photo provided by the Tomahawk Music Department: A look at a past Dorian Music Festival. Six THS students will attend this year's Festival January 11-13.

Published on 01/06/2025 under News The Tomahawk High School Hockey team has seen plenty of success on the ice over the past few years. Over the weekend, they were among a number of groups who spent a little time going through the ice instead. As we previously covered, this weekend marked the return of the annual Tomahawk STAR Foundation STAR Splash. On Saturday afternoon, organizers cut a hole into the ice on Lake Mohawksin, with Castaways hosting the event. After 2024 offered relatively mild conditions, this year's participants dealt with some frigid temperatures Saturday, with highs in the single digits and windchills even colder. Local individuals and groups collected pledges in exchange for a quick dip into those icy waters. Half of the pledges are committed to a local non-profit of the jumpers choosing, while the other half goes to the STAR Foundation, which eventually returns it back into the community through grants. In the end, it was the Tomahawk High School Hockey team which was the top fundraiser, a third consecutive year they've led the way. As a result, they earned a $1,000 bonus to their total. Around a dozen players took the leap, collecting nearly $10,000 in pledges. Some upperclassmen have participated each of the past three years, raising more than $25,000 during that time. The hockey team wasn't the only group brave enough to jump. We'll share the rest of the teams and results as those numbers are finalized. In addition to the jumpers, they also raised money with raffles and drawings as well.

Published on 01/06/2025 under News Northwoods jobs rates ticked up slightly in November, typical during this time of year. The Department of Workforce Development released the November unemployment estimates this past week. When compared to October, 60 of the state's 72 counties increased. The other twelve were unchanged. The local figures mirrored that trend. Here in Lincoln County, the rate went from 2.2 percent in October to 2.6 percent in November. That ranks tied for 14th in the state. Oneida County saw a similar jump, from 2.3 percent in October to 2.6 percent in November. Vilas County saw a half percent increase to 3.1 percent. All three Northwoods counties were improved from November of 2023.

Published on 01/06/2025 under News Each summer, the DNR hosts a design contest for the art that appears on the wild turkey, pheasant, and waterfowl stamps. The sale of those stamps helps fund outreach, education and research for those birds. The agency is currently accepting applications for grants to be awarded in the 2026/27 cycle. Between the three bird categories around $1.4 million is being made available. ($500,000 for turkey projects, $300,000 for pheasant projects and $650,000 for waterfowl projects.) A portion of the funds are automatically assigned to game farm pheasant production and habitat projects in Canada, where many Wisconsin waterfowl are reared. These funds are available to nonprofit conservation organizations, tribes, academic institutions and government units focused on habitat management. For turkey and pheasant, funds are also available for outreach, education and research. Eric Lobner is the DNR Wildlife Management Program director. He says, ""Wisconsin's wildlife stamp programs have been a cornerstone for conservation funding and delivery in Wisconsin for over 40 years." Lobner added, "The DNR encourages conservation partners to apply and compete for funding through these grant programs to deliver quality habitat for populations of game birds and other wildlife species." They'll accept applications through mid-February.

Published on 01/06/2025 under News The Rhinelander School District and their Community Education Program are hosting a special course on personal finance to ensure local teens are better prepared when they enter the real world. The district is teaming up with My Money Camp to offer a youth financial education program later this month. The four-day course, set in the evenings, will introduce teens to real-world exercises on money and budgeting from earning and saving to investing and spending. Retired Rhinelander High School Finance instructor Patrick Kubeny will teach the course. It's scheduled on the evenings January 27-30. Space is limited, and according to the announcement, it will be free to the first 30 area students who sign up. Register by visiting the Rhinelander Community Education page and scroll down to My Money Camp.

Published on 01/03/2025 under News In a little more than 24 hours, some brave individuals here in Tomahawk will be taking a quick dip into Lake Mohawskin, and it's all for a good cause. The countdown is on for the 2025 edition of the Tomahawk STAR Splash. Long-time organizers Jackie Leonard, Kathy Rankin and Chad Grube recently stopped by the WJJQ studios to offer up a quick history of the event and a preview of tomorrow's festivities. The STAR Splash supports the Tomahawk STAR Foundation which in turn supports a wide range of programs, projects and organizations in the community. Leonard and Rankin offered a few examples of the many projects they've supported over the past two decades including the Dream Park project, the River Walk Trail, and supplemental projects in Tomahawk schools through the Beyond Crayons and Chromebooks program. This year's Splash participants have been busy collecting pledges which will be split between the STAR Foundation and the non-profit of the jumper's choosing. They've raised some impressive numbers in recent years, eclipsing $25,000 each of the past two. Teams can register up until the event, and Rankin expected at least ten groups to participate. Grube has participated in these types of events even before he came to Tomahawk. When he owned the Happy Snapper, they served as host. That's a tradition that has continued under the new ownership at Castaways. Last year's mild winter meant the splashers actually had to wade into the water from shore, but that's not the case this year with plenty of ice and also chilly temperatures for tomorrow's jump. Leonard is a regular and shared a few tips she's learned over the years. She recommends skipping a large meal, and leave the alcohol until after you've jumped. Counter-intuitively, less clothing is better, as it allows for a quick change out of wet gear. And she also recommends an old pair of shoes or some other type of footwear. For those that would like to support the cause but prefer to stay dry, they'll have other entertainment and activities on land including raffles and drawings. Festivities get underway at noon, jumping at 2pm at Castaways.

Published on 01/03/2025 under News Two major Midwest health care providers have now become one. After announcing their discussions this summer, Marshfield Clinic and Sioux Falls-based Sanford Health announced Thursday that they have completed their merger to become one nonprofit, integrated health system. According to that announcement, the system will operate as Sanford Health, with a Marshfield Clinic region in their previous locations.The Marshfield brand will continue to be predominant within the Marshfield Clinic region. Marshfield-native Dr. Brian Hoerneman will become as the region president after previously serving as interim president/CEO of Marshfield Clinic. He says, "I am excited about the opportunities ahead as our teams learn from each other and combine our complementary strengths, cultures and missions. Together, we will build on our shared legacy, creating a future where every person, regardless of zip code, has access to the best possible care." According to the announcement, patients will continue to receive care from their same providers and locations with no immediate changes. They do anticipate the merger will bring more resources, expertise and innovation to patient care going forward. They said Sanford Health Plan and Security Health Plan will continue current operations under common management reporting and governance structures. Three Marshfield Clinic Health System Board members have now joined the Sanford Health Board of Trustees. The combined system will feature 56 hospitals and 4,500 providers across Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Michigan's UP. It would include more than 56,000 employees.

Published on 01/03/2025 under News It's good news for a popular Northwoods winter attraction, as the Eagle River Ice Castle is set to return after a three year absence. The Eagle River Fire Department leads the build and has been busy monitoring ice conditions and announced plans to begin the project in the middle of next week if conditions hold. The Ice Castle is built almost entirely out of ice blocks harvested from Silver Lake, but they need the ice to be between 12 and 14 inches thick to create the approximately 2,000 frozen bricks. It's actually a five-day process, which could begin Wednesday if the conditions continue. And it takes a team of volunteers to remove the ice and transport it to the build site in town. They said their greatest need will be on Day Two, currently planned for next Thursday. They'll post more information on their Facebook page as they finalize the details. The Ice Castle a tradition that dates back to the 1930's however, it's been sporadic in recent years. The last build took place in 2022 and 2018 prior to that. In addition to the ice, floodlights, trees, and other decorations help make the Eagle River Ice Castle one of the most visited and photographed winter attractions in the Northwoods.

Published on 01/03/2025 under News Expect to see plenty of little Henrys and Evelyns running around the Northwoods in the coming years. Those are among the top names selected for babies born at Aspirus in 2024. Naming a newborn is a key step in welcoming the littlest and latest addition to the family. The area health care provider says, "The names reflect not only a love for classic and meaningful names but also the diversity and creativity of families throughout our region." Henry returns to the top spot by a wide margin, a spot the name also held in 2022. That was followed by Oliver and Hudson on the boy's side. On the girl's side the top three were all close with Evelyn edging out Charlotte and Violet. Oliver was the only repeat name from 2023. Over the past year, there were just over 2,900 babies born at Aspirus hospitals. That's up slightly from 2023.

Published on 01/03/2025 under News While many anglers are taking advantage of the winter to get in some ice fishing, another season is kicking off this weekend. The DNR announced that the early catch-and-release season for inland trout starts on Saturday. On designated waterways, anglers are able to target any of the state's four trout species between January 4 and May 2. Anglers are reminded to follow up on the rules including which waters are available. There are opportunities in the Northwoods including: •Langlade County-Wolf River•Lincoln County- Streams west of Highway 51 and the Prairie River downstream of County J•Oneida County-Streams west of Highway 51 and the Bearskin Creek•Vilas County-Mishonagon Creek Only artificial tackle be used, and the trout do need to be returned to the water immediately. The DNR encourages anglers to visit their catch-and-release website for tips to help ensure the fish survive. A valid fishing license and inland trout stamp are required. This particular opportunity actually occurs over the March 31 crossover and a new license and stamp will be needed on April 1.

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