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DNR Accepting Grant Applications from Turkey, Pheasant, Waterfowl Stamps Funding Program 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.

In Other News

Tomahawk Considers Adding 'Main Street' Signage to West Wisconsin Avenue

Published on 01/07/2025 under News Most Tomahawk locals already refer to the business district on Wisconsin Avenue as Main Street. A new sign project could acknowledge both names in the future. The City of Tomahawk Board of Public Works took up the request at their meeting Monday. It was made by the Tomahawk Main Street organization on behalf of their business district. Main Street Director Jennifer Turkiewicz explained that they would like to have West Wisconsin Avenue between Railway Street and North 4th Street honorarily recognized as Main Street, as well. The official street name and mailing addresses would not change under the proposal. It would simply add a companion sign underneath the existing street signs indicating the four blocks as 'Historic Main Street.' Many cities have similar signs that indicate alternate street names or designated districts within their communities. Merrill uses similar signs for street segments they've dedicated in honor of notable members of their community. The Board was receptive to the proposal and spent most of their discussion on what the signs would look like...more specifically if they would be blue or brown. Board members were split, some preferring blue based on aesthetics, others brown to match other way-finding signs in the community. In the end, the Board voted in favor of the project which will be undertaken and funded by Tomahawk Main Street. As for the color, that decision will likely be made at a future meeting once renderings of the signs can be reviewed.

Published on 01/07/2025 under News An effort to bring a Wisconsin State Historical Marker to the Downtown Tomahawk district is ongoing. Tomahawk Main Street and the Tomahawk Area Historical Society began the process last spring, and requested approval from the City to go forward with the application process. The Board of Public Works revisited the request Monday, giving their blessing once some previous concerns were addressed. If recognized by the State Historical Society, the sign and marker would be placed in the North Tomahawk Avenue boulevard. The sign would include a brief history of notable events that occurred in the Downtown District including a 1932 Bradley Bank robbery, a 1929 fire that engulfed more than a dozen buildings, and a 1914 plane crash, along with various attractions over the years including the informational log cabin, a WWII bond sale tracker and city band concerts. The location is also adjacent to the William Bradley mural painted on the side of the Standard Mercantile building. They plan to once again work with artist Andy Goretski to maintain a similar aesthetic throughout the district. Main Street Director Jennifer Turkiewicz said in the request, "The information and placement with the Bradley Mural will enhance the education of our history to not only our community members, but to visitors to our downtown district as well." In addition to awaiting approval from the State Historical Society, the organizers will also look to raise funds for the project with a goal of around $9,000.

Published on 01/07/2025 under News People are reminded to use a little caution when heading out onto frozen waterways. There were two incidents involving off-road vehicles breaking through the ice in Lincoln County this past week. According to the Sheriff's Report, the first incident happened New Year's Day on the Somo. Deputies were sent to Loop Road near Red Cloud Landing Road in the Town of Wilson after a report that an ATV had broken through the ice. The operator told the deputy he had just gotten off the machine to check the thickness of the ice. He heard a crack, and the ATV fell into the water. The second incident happened Friday on Lake Nokomis. Deputies were called to Rapel Road for a UTV that broke through. Dive teams were initially dispatched, through they later confirmed there was no one in the water. Both owners were responsible for the removal of their respective machines from the water.

Published on 01/07/2025 under News While not necessarily road construction season, the Department of Transportation will be doing some preparation work in the coming weeks for some upcoming projects. According to the DoT, crews will be completing some tree clearing across nine counties in Northern and Central Wisconsin ahead of work this summer. Over the next two months, motorists may encounter some temporary lane closures at times. Among the roads affected in our listening area...•In Lincoln County, the west end of Highway 8 from County L to North McCord Road. •In Vilas County, Highway 17 between Highway 45 and the UP border.Work will begin next week(January 13). A specific timeline wasn't provided of when they'll get to each segment. The work should be wrapped up by mid-March, and site restoration by mid-April. Full list of area roads impacted by tree clearing over next two months:•Forest County, where work is planned on US 8 from WIS 55 South in Crandon to WIS 32 South in Laona. •Green Lake County, where work is planned on WIS 44 from the Grand River Bridge in Markesan and the Fond du Lac County line. •Lincoln County, where work is planned on US 8 between North McCord Road at the north county line and County L southeast of Lake Nokomis. •Marathon County, where work is planned on WIS 29 from Purple Martin Lane west of Marathon City east to the Little Rib River in Wausau. •Menominee County, where work is planned on two segments of WIS 47 between the Langlade County line and WIS 55 and on WIS 55 between WIS 47 and the Langlade County line. •Shawano County, where work is planned on WIS 29 from Shawano exit 227 to Rose Brook Road west of Shawano and on WIS 156 from WIS 47 south of Bonduel east to WIS 55. •Shawano and Waupaca counties, where work is planned on US 45 from Gollnow Road in Marion to County C in Clintonville. •Vilas County, where work is planned on WIS 17 between US 45 north of Eagle River and the Wisconsin-Michigan border. •Waupaca County, where work is planned on WIS 54 from the Portage County line east to Foxfire Drive in Waupaca. •Wood County, where work is planned on WIS 173 from WIS 80 North in Babcock to the Cranberry Bridge west of Nekoosa.

Published on 01/07/2025 under News We should know a bit more this week about local candidates that will appear on the spring ballot. The non-partisan spring elections are still a few months away, but today is the deadline for most candidates to file their paperwork to appear on the ballot. These races include seats such as school board, town boards, city council, and mayor. Looking locally, both the Tomahawk School Board and the Tomahawk City Council will have three expiring races among respective nine members. This is the off-cycle year for the Lincoln County Board, which means those seats won't be on the ballot again until next spring. We'll pass along the qualified candidate lists as we receive them. Any necessary primaries will be in February with the general election in April.

Published on 01/07/2025 under News A Tripoli woman was arrested after allegedly firing a gun inside a residence during an argument. According to the Lincoln County Sheriff's Report, that incident happened Friday in the Town of Tomahawk. Deputies learned the two individuals were involved in an argument. A 33 year old woman allegedly fired a handgun inside the home, walked outside and fired at least one additional shot towards the home. The other individual was able to collect all the firearms and left the location. No injuries were reported. According to the report, deputies arrived at the scene and attempted to make contact with the woman. They reported the woman was verbally argumentative and accused deputies of trespassing. As they attempted to place the woman under arrest, deputies said she initially resisted. The woman was eventually brought to the jail on several charges including: 1st degree recklessly endangering safety, reckless use of a firearm and disorderly conduct. At the time of the report, the woman's name had not been released as she hadn't made an initial court appearance. A few other quick notes from the Sheriff's Report...•A 21 year old River Falls man was arrested for a second offense OWI following an investigation into a parking lot collision and subsequent traffic stop near Tomahawk. •Following a single vehicle rollover, a 16 year old Tomahawk girl will be charged with violating absolute sobriety. •A 21 year old Janesville man was cited for speeding after being recorded traveling 105 miles per hour on Highway 51 in 65 zone. •The number of vehicle/deer collisions is lower with 3 reported this past week.

Published on 01/06/2025 under News A Lincoln County woman was reported as missing and then located overnight. A statewide Silver Alert was issued at shortly before 11pm Monday for an 83 year old Tomahawk woman who had last been seen at around noon on Monday. Officials believed she may have been traveling to the Wausau area. Her vehicle was last known to be in Shawano County. Fortunately within an hour of the Silver Alert being issued, it was canceled. The woman was located safe in Oneida County.

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.

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