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Tomahawk, Northland Pines School Referendums Pass; Preliminary Results 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.

In Other News

Lincoln County Board Endorses Bertram Communication Broadband Grant Application

Published on 02/20/2025 under News There is an ongoing effort to make broadband available to more businesses and residents of the Northwoods. The Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment grant program provides Internet Service Providers with grants to bring broadband to rural areas. The Lincoln County Board recently endorsed an application from Bertram Communication. Supervisor Ken Wickham serves on the Lincoln County Broadband Commission and provided the full Lincoln County board with a brief overview ahead of their vote at Monday's meeting. He noted that there are approximately 3,000 Lincoln County locations that qualify for the program, overseen by the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin. Earlier this year, the LC Broadband Commission invited internet service providers to present expansion plans in Lincoln with Bertram Communications and Frontier Communications participating. On multiple occasions during his presentation Wickham referred to the Bertram pitch as 'very impressive.' He highlighted they are Wisconsin-based, out of Random Lake, which brings some knowledge of the area and landscape. They've also received similar endorsements for project proposals in Langlade, Marathon, and Shawano Counties. Their pitch also included some additional benefits including potential connection to municipal locations, first responder sites, and schools. While this grant focuses on unserved or underserved properties, Wickham noted a presence in Lincoln County could lead to more competition, which is typically good for consumers. The endorsement comes with no cost to Lincoln County. The grant, if awarded, would be a 75/25 split with the ISP responsible for the 25%. The endorsement vote by the supervisors was unanimous. No timeline was provided for the grant awards.

Published on 02/20/2025 under News The votes have been counted in the Tomahawk School Referendum, and preliminary results show the approval. Following the vote we heard from District Administrator Wendell Quesinberry who thanked voters for showing "support for the schools and students, and the continued investment into a high-quality education experience." The referendum will allow the district to exceed the state-mandated revenue limit through the 28-29 school year. Quesinberry says the additional $3.25 million will ensure the district can retain quality staff, maintain class sizes, preserve academic programs and extra-curriculars and make investments that will lead to more opportunities for students of all ages, all the while avoiding any additional and painful budget cuts. Levy rates vary by municipality with the school just one part of the formula, Quesinberry doesn't anticipate the school's portion of the levy to increase. That has been the case the past three years of the current referendum which expires at the end of the school year. Quesinberry says, "It's important for every resident to be able to make their voice heard when it comes to shaping education in our community, which is why we deeply appreciate all the engagement that occurred in the months leading up to election day. We heard from many of you, and your feedback will help guide Tomahawk Schools as we move forward." That communication will be sent out to district families as well.

Published on 02/20/2025 under News The state continues to invest in organizations dedicated to protecting our water ways. Earlier this week, the DNR announced they will award more than $6.5 million to non-profits, lake associations and municipalities through their Surface Water Grant Program. Overall, more than 350 recipients will share in the funding across a variety of projects. This includes the well-known Clean Boats, Clean Waters outreach which focuses on preventing the spread of aquatic invasive species. In Oneida County, the Northwoods Land Trust, Inc. will create a new staff position to conduct targeted outreach and provide technical services to landowners interested in taking steps to protect their land through conservation programs. Other examples of grant funding in this cycle include water runoff diversions, native shoreline plantings and wildlife habitat efforts. Jen Jefferson manages the program for the DNR. She says, "Grantees, partners and DNR staff are often most excited about implementation-type projects, as it is fulfilling to see ideas, many of which took years of nurturing, come to reality as the projects are initiated and completed." It was a competitive grant with more than 400 applicants. The next cycle begins in the fall.

Published on 02/20/2025 under News Downtown Eagle River has plenty of history, and now the district has an official designation. The Wisconsin Historical Society announced that the Eagle River Historic District has been added to the National Register of Historic Places. It includes a two block stretch of East Wall Street as well as a block of South Railroad St. That history dates back to the 1880's when Eagle River was established as a lumber town. Over the years, the community also became a popular tourist destination as well. According to the announcement, Eagle River focused on reinvigorating the retail district's tourist appeal by adopting a city-wide Northwoods Rustic theme back in the 1970s... They said that unique collection of commercial buildings still reflects the architectural style. The designation comes with some added benefits including what is known as 'heritage tourism' where people seek out these historic places. Property owners many also be eligible for tax credits to offset maintenance to preserve the aesthetic. Vilas County now has 19 sites listed on the National Register.

Published on 02/20/2025 under News For more than seven decades, Wisconsin Public Service and their staff have partnered with local Boy Scouts in the Samoset Council to help area scouts earn merit badges. They did so once again here in the Northern Wisconsin. WPS volunteers were in Wausau earlier this month for their annual electricity merit badge clinic, joined by boy scouts from north central Wisconsin. Leah Van Zile, local affairs leader — WPS says, "We use electricity every day, so it's neat for the Scouts to learn how it works..." Lessons include teaching scouts how electricity is generated, how to design circuits and create working electromagnets. They also focus on safety when electricity is involved and introduces scouts to the side variety of careers in the industry. The first WPS/Boy Scout program was held back in 1952, and this was the 71st edition overall. WPS hosts a similar event in Green Bay for Fox Valley Scouts as well.

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 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.

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