WJJQ Radio

Story Details

Food Safety Following Power Outages Published on 04/01/2025 under News

With thousands of people without power, and refrigerators, local health officials are reminding about food safety amid the outages.

General guidance is perhaps the simplest, "When in doubt, throw it out." They recommend throwing out any food with an unusual odor, color, or texture. Never taste food to determine if it is safe to eat.

To keep food safe, a refrigerator should maintain a temperature below 40 degrees, the freezer zero degrees. According to the CDC, perishable foods can go without refrigeration from around 4 hours. Danger items include meats, poultry, dairy and some produce.

As for freezers, that actually depends on how much food is in there at the time. A half-full freezer will last about day without power, while a full freezer may last for two days as the frozen food provides its own insulation.

Of course, to maintain the cold in your fridge or freezer, minimize opening and closing the doors while the power is out.

The Oneida County Health Department has some additional tips, graphics, and information on their Facebook page.

In Other News

Rhinelander, Prentice, Three Lakes School Referendums Pass; Wausau's Defeated

Published on 04/02/2025 under News Tuesday was Election Day in the state of Wisconsin. In addition to non-partisan local races, there were also a number of school funding questions on ballots around the Northwoods. Voters in several communities approved their school referendums, while the largest request was defeated. Starting in Rhinelander, voters were asked to increase, and then extend their current referendum. In the end, it would allow the district to exceed revenue limits by $7 million starting next school year and through the 28-29 school year. Voters approved the question with 54% of the approximately 7,000 votes cast. In Three Lakes, the district proposed two separate questions related to borrowing for campus maintenance and improvements, a combined $18.9 million. With most votes counted, two out of every three were in favor. And the Prentice School district sought a four year, $950,000 referendum which had around 57% support. Meanwhile, for the Wausau School District, it's back to the drawing board. They asked for $8 million each of the next five years. Preliminary results show voters rejecting the proposal 52% to 48% with 15,000 votes cast. Around the state, there were more than 80 school referendum questions on the ballot during the spring election.

Published on 04/02/2025 under News Last fall the city of Tomahawk stopped adding fluoride to the city's water supply. City voters apparently opposed that decision 53% to 47%. The Tomahawk City Council placed an advisory referendum on Tuesday's ballot asking voters if the City of Tomahawk should fluoridate the municipal water supply. Preliminary results show 579 votes for 'yes', and 519 'no'. The original decision to remove fluoride from the water was made by the Board of Public Works. At their meeting in September, the board heard a report on corrosion identified in a storage room where the city keeps chemical supplies including the concentrated fluoride additive. Adding fluoride to the water is a common and decades-long practice aimed at improving oral health, and cavity prevention in particular. The results won't necessarily make an immediate change. It was an advisory question meant to give the alders community feedback.

Published on 04/02/2025 under News A state of emergency has been declared for Northern Wisconsin following a weekend ice storm left tens of thousands of residents without power. Governor Evers made the declaration yesterday with the encouragement of legislators from the region including Senate President Mary Felzkowski (R-Tomahawk), Representative Rob Swearingen (R-Rhinelander), Representative Jeff Mursau (R-Crivitz), and Representative Calvin Callahan (R-Tomahawk). The declaration will help ensure state agencies, local partners, utilities, and emergency management officials can continue working together and respond quickly to damage and effects caused by recent severe weather. Governor Evers says, "As Northern Wisconsin still works to recover from severe weather over the weekend, with more storms on the way tonight, this declaration will help support local efforts to restore power where there are outages, support local efforts to clear debris, set up warming shelters, and respond to local emerging needs, and keep folks, families, and communities safe." The Administration continues to be in active communication with local community officials, utility companies, the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin, and Wisconsin Emergency Management.

Published on 04/02/2025 under News Utility crews continue to make progress on power restoration efforts around the Northwoods. Wisconsin Public Service provided another end-of-day summary Tuesday evening. As of that update, their crews had restored power to more than 140,000 customers. As of this Wednesday morning, approximately 10,000 outages remained. Forest, Langlade, and Oconto Counties have the highest outage totals remaining. WPS says their teams continue to work around the clock. They've also brought in line workers from around the Midwest to provide mutual aid. This includes repairs to snapped utility poles, downed power lines and damaged electric equipment; more than 1,600 locations in all. They hope to have most of the power restored to the Antigo area by the end of the day today, and a majority of all outages by Thursday. As they shared yesterday, WPS anticipates this will be one of the largest restoration efforts in company history.

Published on 04/02/2025 under News Local Boy Scouts are bringing back their annual spring food collection, known as Scouting for Food. That includes the Tomahawk area Troop 548 who offered up a little information on the effort. The Scouts will be focus on specific neighborhoods, leaving the instructions on the doors of those homes. Then on Saturday, April 5, the Scouts will return to those homes to collect any non-perishable food items. While the Scouts are making it easier for people to participate in the food drive by taking the collection door to door; it also provides the scouts with an awareness of food insecurity as well as ways to get involved in the community. This is part of a larger effort across the entire Samoset Council which serves scouts across the Northwoods.

Published on 04/02/2025 under News The Rhinelander School District was set to host their Family Night this evening in the Hodag Dome. With storm damage to the facility; it will go on, albeit at a new location. Organizers of the Rhinelander Family Night (which include: UW-Stevens Point, Nicolet College, Oneida County Human Services, and Rhinelander High School's FCCLA and Educators Rising Clubs) had to make a quick pivot, and they've moved the event to the Rhinelander High School Gym. Family Night is meant to celebrate the 'Week of the Young Child', a nationwide movement highlighting the importance of early childhood education and family engagement in a child's development. Organizer said children and families can enjoy a variety of engaging crafts, activities, and hands-on experiences, all aimed at fostering creativity, learning, and family connections. Teacher Melissa Hasselberger says, "We are excited to bring families together for an evening of fun, learning, and community. This collaborative event is a great opportunity to celebrate young children and the important role families play in their growth and development." Once again, the Rhinelander Family Night event is now at the Rhinelander HS Gym from 4pm to 6pm.

Published on 04/01/2025 under News Restoration efforts continue across the Northwoods following a weekend ice storm which left tens of thousands without power. Wisconsin Public Service provided another update Monday evening. In that report, they said they had restored power to more than 108,000 customers across their region. As of Tuesday morning, their outage tracker showed approximately 30,000 customers without power, and that number has been dropping through the morning hours. Crews are working around the clock, and the company has also brought in line workers from elsewhere in Wisconsin and neighboring states to help in the massive effort to repair snapped utility poles, downed power lines and damaged electric equipment. According to the report, there have been more than 1,600 outage locations. While final details are still being gathered, WPS believes this response will be one of the largest restoration efforts in company history. As for restoration timelines, their goal is to restore power to more than 90% of affected customers by the end of Tuesday.

Published on 04/01/2025 under News It's Election Day in the state of Wisconsin, with voters heading to the polls on a variety of races and questions. There are a pair of high-profile state races including Supreme Court Justice and State Superintendent, and an amendment related to the state constitution related to voter ID. But the spring election also includes non-partisan local races like school boards, town boards, city councils and mayoral races. Ballots will differ based on where you live. Voters can visit myvote.wi.gov to preview their ballot. Here in Tomahawk specifically, the school board race features just two candidates for three seats, meaning a write-in will determine the third. Tomahawk City Council; three incumbents run unopposed. The City of Tomahawk has also placed an advisory question on the ballot related to the fluoridation of the city's water supply. Around the state, there are more than 85 school funding referendum questions on the ballot. Here in Northern Wisconsin, that includes voters in the Rhinelander, Elcho, Three Lakes and Wausau school districts. A quick reminder for voters up in Rhinelander. Due to storm damage at the Hodag Dome, they have moved their polls to James Williams Middle School, right across the parking lot.

Published on 04/01/2025 under News The Lincoln County Sheriff's Office is seeking information on a hit and run crash over the weekend. Deputies were dispatched to an area of Highway 64/107 and County E in the Town of Scott on Saturday. The reporting party, a 64 year old Merrill man, said another vehicle struck his vehicle from behind. He said the suspect was traveling at a high rate of speed prior to the collision, and left the scene traveling north on County E. Deputies searched the area, but were unable to locate the suspected vehicle. It is described as red, possibly a Nissan, with Illinois tags. The Sheriff's Office says it would have sustained substantial front end damage. No other information was provided. Anyone with information about the crash or the that vehicle are encouraged to call the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office at 715-536-6272.

Published on 04/01/2025 under News Today marks the official start of the new Wisconsin fishing season. Before casting a line, anglers are reminded to review any new rules that may affect their favorite fishing spots and grab a new license. Although Wisconsin's general inland fishing season doesn't open until May 3, the DNR notes there are still some outstanding angling opportunities available throughout the state. That includes catch and release fishing for largemouth and smallmouth bass, open year round on most inland waters. A number of other locations have species specific opportunities for fish as well. This includes portions of the Wisconsin River starting near Tomahawk, as well as the five lakes that comprise the Northern Highlands Fishery Research Area up in Vilas County. Anglers can check out the DNR regulation guide or the DNR website to see which waters are open. It's also time to purchase a new fishing license, which runs from April 1 to March 31 of the following year. A single license for a Wisconsin resident will run $20; spouses get a discount when purchased together at $31. And anglers are also encourages to do a preseason check on fishing gear, boats, and trailers to ensure aquatic invasive species aren't being spread.

+ Read More