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Counties Announce Snowmobile Updates: Vilas, Oneida, Price Counties Opening; Lincoln Closed Published on 03/07/2025 under News

Snowmobilers in a few Northwoods counties will get one more weekend to hit the trails, others will have to trailer their sleds to get in one more ride.

After they assessed the trails following Wednesday's snowfall, we received a number of announcements on the status of trails, and it was a mixed bag.

Starting furthest north, Vilas County's trails will re-open Friday morning at 8am. They join Iron County which opened Thursday.

Both Oneida and Price Counties will have partial re-openings for this weekend only on select trails. Oneida County's announcement listed 15 trail segments that will stay closed. (See Below) The trails scheduled to open are scheduled to close again on Monday morning.

And finally Lincoln County...the Forestry, Land and Parks Department says the trails here will remain closed. They noted in the announcement that many trails are impassable due to downed trees and brush from the snow and wind. Others segments have a thick layer of slush or several inches of standing water.

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The following Oneida County trail closures will remain in effect until further notice:
Hodag Sno-Trails:

• Corridor 12
• Corridor 13
• Corridor 15
• Trail 8
• Trail 47
• All Hodag Club Trails

Minocqua Forest Riders:

Trail 5 (southern half) from TIN 522 to TIN 509 (Lincoln County Line)
Trail 8 (western half) from TIN 522 to TIN 502 (Price County Line)

Northwoods Passage:

Corridor 17
Trail 8
Club Trail 8B
Club Trail 8C
Club Trail 51B
Club Trail 51C

Three Lakes:

Trail 45 from TIN 107 to TIN 101

In Other News

Hatchet Hockey Team Advances to State Championship Game

Published on 03/09/2025 under News Tomahawk's Hockey team clinched their first-ever state tournament win Thursday morning with a 3-2 victory over #4 seed McFarland in the WIAA Division 2 State Semifinal at Bob Suter's Legacy20 Arena in Middleton. After a scoreless first period, Tomahawk fell behind 1-0 on a power play goal from the Spartans. However, the Hatchets would respond with three goals in a five-minute span between the second and third periods. Tomahawk got goals from Brayden Lamer, Jonah Dickens, and Austin Lamer. The Hatchets outshot the Spartans, 34-9, including getting off 16 shots in the first period. The win gives Tomahawk their 24th win of the season. The Hatchets will play at Bob Suter's Legacy20 Arena in Middleton Saturday morning for the WIAA Division 2 State Championship game against the #2 seed Amery Warriors. Amery defeated #3 seed Somerset in their semifinal showdown Thursday afternoon. Tune in for the Fehrman Orthodontics Radio Pregame Show at 10:15 and opening faceoff at 11:00 with Alex Koch and Keith Hanse in the broadcast booth.

Published on 03/07/2025 under News The Tomahawk High School Musical will bring Broadway back to the Northwoods with a show based on a popular movie. The spring THS musical theater production this weekend is Legally Blonde. Vocal director Corey Colburn explained that "the musical stays faithful to the 2001 movie of the same title while adding a whole lot of fun song and dance." The original movie, starred Reese Witherspoon as Elle Woods, a California sorority girl who earns a Harvard law degree and discovers herself while defending an underdog in the court room. Colburn says the cast and crew in this production includes 31 THS students. They'll be offering a limited run this weekend in the Tomahawk School auditorium with three shows: Friday 7pm; Saturday 7pm; and Sunday 2pm. Tickets will be available at the door,$5-adults and $3-students and senior citizens.

Published on 03/07/2025 under News Daylight Savings Time begins on Sunday. When setting your clocks forward, local emergency teams are also suggesting people check off other emergency tasks around the home. Wisconsin Emergency Management Administrator Greg Engle says, "As we adjust to the time change, it's a reminder that emergencies can strike at any time and preparation is key to keeping our loved ones and property safe." Of course the most common reminder is to change out the batteries in smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. The units should also be tested as they do have recommended expiration dates. They also recommend creating a home emergency kit, or if you already have one, review the items. It should include food and water to last three days, a battery-powered radio and light source, a supply of batteries, and a first aid kit. And as we change seasons in the coming weeks, the reminder also included a quick outdoor home inspection, checking on gutters and drainage to prevent home flooding, as well as trees and branches that could become hazards during spring and summer weather events.

Published on 03/07/2025 under News A man charged with attacking a DNR warden in Forest County has been sentenced. According to a Wisconsin Department of Justice news release, Mark Szczerba of Kansasville, Wis. Pleaded guilty to battery to a law enforcement officer and attempted battery to a law enforcement officer. Judge Leon Stenz ordered the 43 year old serve 4.5 years in prison, followed by 4.5 years of extended supervision. Szczerba was arrested in July of 2022 following the incident in Forest County. Investigators say Szczerba attacked a DNR warden who had pulled over his daughter for speeding while she drove a UTV. During the altercation, the DNR warden fired their service weapon, injuring Szczerba. No charges were filed against the warden whose actions were previously determined to be justified.

Published on 03/07/2025 under News The DNR is proposing a change to the walleye regulations to an Oneida County lake. As they consider the change, they will hold a public informational meeting later this month. Their looking at Crescent Lake and the standard three fish slotted bag limit common on most lakes in our area. This includes a minimum of 15 inches, no keepers between 20 and 24 inches, and just one fish over 24. If approved, the proposed regulation would take effect with fishing opener in May. According to the announcement, this proposed regulation change comes after the Crescent Lake rehabilitation partner group detected a strong age-1 population during surveys last fall. The goal of the regulation is to minimize harvest of juvenile walleye, potentially reinvigorating walleye reproduction in the future. As for the informational meeting, that's March 18 at 6pm at the Rhinelander DNR Service Center as well as streamed online. To ensure adequate space, they do encourage an RSVP, we'll include that link.

Published on 03/07/2025 under News A Lincoln County Sheriff's Deputy was recently recognized for contributions to drug influence evaluations. According to the Sheriff's Office, Deputy Bradley Weeks is specially trained in drug and intoxicant evaluations. Last summer, he was part of an investigation into a crash, where they driver had allegedly used nitrous oxide. As part of that investigation, Deputy Weeks obtained a blood sample, but the Sheriff's Office says the state testing lab believed it may have been collected outside of the short window for nitrous oxide testing. Working with the national lab in Pennsylvaniaas well, they found that detection window may be longer than previously known. The Sheriff's Office says Deputy Weeks efforts during this investigation including detection, collection, and specimen handling provided valuable information to the scientific and law enforcement communities, adding to previous knowledge on nitrous oxide detection in the blood, As a result of those efforts, Deputy Weeks was presented with a DRE Outstanding Performance state award.

Published on 03/06/2025 under News While winter sports enthusiasts were hoping Wednesday's snow would re-open trails, it may have come a little too late. A widespread winter weather system dumped between 6 inches and a foot of snow across Northern Wisconsin. That's typically good news for snowmobile and cross country ski trails, but early reports from the groups that maintain these trail systems are less optimistic. The Northwoods Passage Snowmobile Club posted their initial assessment to their Facebook page Wednesday evening. They said they found a lot of downed trees and branches on the trail systems. Another challenge they highlighted, early-week rain pooled in low spots and turned to slush with the snow. They also referenced the forecast with warming temperatures on the horizon. Those hoping for one last ride can trailer up to Iron County which did re-open their trails Thursday morning. As for the silent sports, it looks like local trails will also stay closed. Rhinelander Area Silent Trails Association maintains ski, snowshoe, and fat-tire bike trails in Oneida County. They also mentioned fallen trees and branches, and said it would take several days of clean up. While they originally intended to groom their ski trails, they said, "As we are late in the season, and mild temperatures around the corner; we reluctantly decided to end grooming operations for the season."

Published on 03/06/2025 under News The blanket of heavy snow and gusty winds kept utility crews busy throughout the day on Wednesday. As anticipated, the winter weather system led to power outages across the region. According to an update provided by Wisconsin Public Service last night, their teams were able to restore power to more than 8,000 customers throughout the day. The comprised approximately 90-95% of the outages overall, restored by last night. As of daybreak, there were approximately 300 customers remaining without power, primarily in Oneida County. By mid-day, it was fewer than 200. According to the update, they expected the hardest-hit areas would have power restored by early Thursday afternoon.

Published on 03/06/2025 under News As the calendar flips to March, the Rhinelander Area Food Pantry brought back their annual Spring Challenge. Thanks to some generous donors, contributions to the food pantry over the next two months will be doubled. That's because two local families, who wish to remain anonymous, have once again agreed to make a partial match which began this week and runs through the end of April. They said the match aspect of the collection is an excellent way to make your donation go farther and provide even more help to area families in need. It also comes at a time when their donations typically slow down. This year's campaign coincides with the special 20th anniversary of the food pantry. During that time, they've distributed more than 9 million pounds of food. They currently serve more than 1,000 households in and around the Rhinelander area. In addition to monetary contributions, food items will also be assigned a dollar value to be matched as well.

Published on 03/06/2025 under News Northwoods Scouts got together this past weekend for a day of competition, learning, and of course fun. Tomahawk played host to the Samoset Council's 2nd Annual Northwoods District Summit on Saturday, and the local scout leaders provided an update. Troops/Packs from nearly a dozen local communities stretching from Wausau in the south to Ironwood in the North. They had more than 70 attendees in all. For the scouts, they had opportunities to earn several merit badges, break-out learning sessions and wrapped up their Pinewood Derby with the district competition. A special congratulations goes out to race-winner Ben Schultz and Best-in-Show recipient Jax Noeske. Any scouts that needed to, also completed swimming requirements to attend summer camp. Even the scout leaders got some training with campfire programs and supporting scouts working towards their Eagle rank. To cap off the event, the scouts also got to enjoy an impressive 40 foot long banana split. The treat was served up in a rain gutter. All winners- The top three Northwood District racers of the day were: 1st – Ben Schultz, 2nd – Jonah Raith, and 3rd – Theo Heier. Best gas mileage car was registered to Luca Kaehne. Kid-voted car awards were presented to: Jonah Raith (Best Paint Job), Hayden Barney (Most Original), Nathan Schultz (Most Patriotic), and Theo Heier (Best Scout Theme). Tomahawk VFW representatives-voted Best in Show Car, which was awarded to Jax Noeske, for his tiger car. VFW representatives presented the Best in Show Car and Fastest Car with a Challenge Coin. Adult leader awards from around the district were announced. Local Troop and Pack leaders receiving recognition included: Forest VanAsten, Northwoods District Award of Merit; Maya Sigl, Firestarter; Jeremy Wendorf, Committee Chair of the Year; James Schultz, Scouter of the Year; Laura Heier, Den Leader of the Year; and Christina Schultz, Scouting Champion.

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