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Lincoln County Board Approves Highway Commissioner Published on 07/20/2017 under News

After a several month long search, Lincoln County has found a new Highway Commissioner.

At their meeting on Tuesday evening the County Board of Supervisors approved John Hanz for the position. He'll be coming from Pepin County in Western Wisconsin where he has been serving a similar role.

During a visit to our morning forum following the meeting, county board chair Bob Lee praised Hanz's loyalty, saying that he intends to wrap up the budget work for 2018 before leaving Pepin County.

This new offer comes a few months after the Lincoln County Board approved another candidate. That man ultimately declined the position instead choosing to remain at his current job.

The Lincoln County Highway Department had been operating under Jason Lemmer serving in an interim role since earlier this year.

Speaking of the filling county vacancies, Lee also noted that the District 4 supervisor seat in Merrill remains vacant, and they are still seeking a candidate to fill the remainder of that term.

In Other News

Tomahawk High School Senior Class Completing 'Service Day' Ahead of Graduation

Published on 05/21/2025 under News Before they receive their diplomas this weekend, the Tomahawk graduating class is giving back to the community. Throughout the day, the THS seniors are set to participate in their annual Community Service Day. The project has become a pre-graduation tradition that began with the Class of 2016. Over the past decade, the students have tackled a number of projects in the Tomahawk community such as outdoor maintenance at the Senior Center, city park clean-ups, volunteering at senior living facilities, and assisting with preparations with Memorial Day ceremonies. The students will are splitting up and will be assigned to work with various community groups and organizations like Tomahawk Main Street to tackle projects that need a helping hand. The Senior Service Day has been described as a way for the students to give back and offer a thank you to the community's support during their learning years. It's also part of a busy week for those soon-to-be graduates. They've got their Senior Awards night this evening, then on Friday they'll cross the stage for the THS Commencement. We'll have our annual graduation preview coming up on Friday.

Published on 05/21/2025 under News A local organization is making sure that the next generation of voters are able to cast a ballot in the next election. The League of Women Voters of the Northwoods has been visiting high schools in Lincoln, Oneida and Vilas County in recent days to help eligible students to register to vote. They've already visited Tomahawk, Lakeland, and Rhinelander High Schools, with Northland Pines on the schedule later this week. The group says "High schools are an ideal setting to help students build civic habits that lead to lifelong participation in elections. Many students have never been inside a polling place or seen the voting process in action. These visits give students a valuable preview of what to expect on Election Day." The volunteers will guide 18 year old students through the registration process. Most choose the online option through myvote.wi.gov which provides a number of voting resources. The students can also use a traditional paper registration if they choose.

Published on 05/21/2025 under News We regularly mention the Lincoln County Economic Development Corporation, but many people aren't sure what the group does. In the coming weeks, the LCEDC will be holding a pair of informational sessions for business leaders in the county where they'll talk a bit about their efforts. The conversations have been dubbed 'Coffee and Commerce.' Executive Director Sara Guild says they're hoping to talk about how the Lincoln County Economic Development Corporation supports local business growth and collaborates with other economic partners, along with the benefits of actively investing in their mission. They're teaming up with the Park City Credit Union locations in Tomahawk and Merrill to host the conversations. The first session is coming up Thursday morning in Tomahawk from 8-9am. The event is free, but they'd appreciate registration by calling or emailing. We'll include that info in the online version of the story. The Merrill event will be held June 9.

Published on 05/21/2025 under News Memorial Day weekend typically kicks off the summer travel season, and officials are encouraging motorists to stay safe on area roadways. Here in the Northwoods, many folks use the long weekend to open up cabins and launch boats for the summer season. The means some extra cargo and trailers being transported. Officials are reminding drivers to ensure both are properly secured before hitting the road. Not only does this prevent items from being lost, it also protects those in vehicles following.For those with a trailer, check the tires and the lights, especially if the trailer has been sitting during the winter months.Ensure the ball and hitch are the same size and latched securely.Remember to use the safety chains as well, crisscrossing them underneath the trailer tongue.Securing any loose items being transported in boats, on trailers, or truck beds.In addition to trailer safety, the regular rules of the road apply as well, that means observing speed limits, wearing seat belts and avoiding distracts behind the wheel. As we previously covered, the annual Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement and campaign launched this week.

Published on 05/21/2025 under News A Minocqua man is being honored for his efforts to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species. The Wisconsin Invasive Species Council highlighted sixteen individuals and one group with their 2025 Invasive Species Action Awards. According to the DNR, that includes Kenneth Frauenhoffer of Minocqua. According to the announcement, Frauenhoffer has shown impressive leadership skills as the coordinator for the Clean Boats, Clean Waters efforts on Fence Lake in Vilas County. He educates staff, volunteers, boaters and landowners about aquatic invasive species such as Eurasian water milfoil and spiny water flea. Frauenhoffer and the other honorees have been invited to Wisconsin's 21st annual Invasive Species Action Awards event, a ceremony next month. Each winner will receive a plaque and a thank-you from the Wisconsin Invasive Species Council.

Published on 05/21/2025 under News The Lincoln County Board is encouraging the state to increase the amount of funding they provide for local conservation staffing. The supervisors took up the resolution at their meeting last night. They're requesting the state increase funding they provide for Land and Water Conservation Departments to $20.2 million. This amounts to an approximately $11 million increase. According to the resolution, the state has outlined the role of the Land and Water Conservation Department in state statute, but has not kept up with the state funding of county staff. This is 100% of the first employee 70% of a second employee and, 50% of a third. According to the Lincoln County Conservation Program Manager Tom Boisvert, 12 counties had already approved a similar request, while 11 additional counties were in the process of doing so. This resolution led to a larger discussion of the Lincoln County Board on state mandates without the state providing resources for local government to fund the requirements. Addressing Land and Water specifically, Supervisors highlighted Lincoln County's recent investment into it's outdoor recreation options, improvements, and promotion. After a lengthy discussion, the resolution was approved unanimously. A few other quick notes from last night's County Board meeting... As part of the county's ongoing participation in nationwide opioid litigation, supervisors approved a resolution that would allow the addition of additional defendants to the lawsuits.Supervisors approved a resolution allowing county administration to apply for a zoning amendment with the city of Merrill related to Pine Crest. With the county exploring a potential sale, a zoning change would be required for the transaction to be completed.They approved a resolution that would allow the Lincoln County Administration to apply for a zoning amendment of Pine Crest which would be necessary for any potential sale in the future.The Board also approved two zoning requests with minimal discussion.After approving an ad-hoc committee to review county board rules at their meeting last month, the supervisors elected the members of the committee. After two rounds of votes it was Joe Dorava, Ken Wickham, Angela Cummings, Jim Meunier, and Marguerite Lyskawa.The Board also observed the passing of former Supervisor Judy Woeller.

Published on 05/21/2025 under Sports Tomahawk's baseball squad notched their fourth straight win with a dominating triumph over the Chequamegon Screamin' Eagles Tuesday, 11-1. The win wraps up the 2025 non-conference season for the Hatchets, and improve their record to 9-10 on the season. Tomahawk will wrap up their regular season Thursday with their final Great Northern Conference game against Northland Pines at Tyler Kahle Memorial Field. First pitch is at 5:00. After the season, the Hatchets will play in the WIAA Division 3 Regional Playoffs as the #8 seed against #9-seed Chetek-Weyerhauser next Thursday.

Published on 05/21/2025 under Sports Tomahawk's softball squad wrapped up the 2025 season with a dominating win over Northland Pines Tuesday, emerging victorious, 29-11. The 29 runs put up by Tomahawk is the most they put up in a game this season, surpassing the 23 runs scored in their first win of the season against Chequamegon. The Hatchets took advantage of 20 walks issued and eight errors by Northland Pines. Averi Petta went three for four with two triples, two RBIs, and six runs scored. Sophie Olsen had three hits, five RBIs, and five runs scored. Camryn Kraklow picked up the win on the mound, giving up just three earned runs on eight hits. The Hatchet regular season wraps up with an 8-12 record and a 4-8 record in Great Northern Conference play. Tomahawk is the #5 seed in the WIAA Division 3 Regional Playoffs and will be playing at #4 seed Xavier next Tuesday. Tune in for the broadcast on Sports Talk 810 AM and 97.7 FM WJJQ from St. Francis Xavier High School in Appleton. The Fehrman Orthodontics Radio Pregame Show is at 4:35 and first pitch is at 5:00. Alex Koch and Matt Theiler will be in the broadcast booth.

Published on 05/20/2025 under News Tomahawk Kinship recently received a significant contribution to boost their fundraising efforts to help purchase a new building to call home. The local youth mentorship program announced they have been awarded a $150,000 grant from Our Way Inc. Foundation. They said in last week's announcement, "With this generous gift and the incredible support from our community so far, we've reached 57% of our Phase One goal of $300,000." As we shared last month, Tomahawk Kinship reached a preliminary agreement to purchase the historic Bradley Bank building on Main Street. That purchase sales agreement with the current owner Associated Bank, is contingent on reaching that initial fundraising goal by early July. In addition to the purchase price, the building will need some interior renovations to better suit the needs of Kinship. They noted in the announcement, "This is a huge step forward—but we're not there yet. Let's keep the momentum going!" For those interested in donating to the cause, you can reach out to Tomahawk Kinship. They've also created a GoFundMe.

Published on 05/20/2025 under News Today is a celebration of one the most iconic and important insects on the planet. It's World Bee Day. It's actually an initiative brought together by the United Nations to bring awareness to declining bee populations around the world. Wisconsin is home to a number of bee species from the iconic bumble bee and honey bee to lesser known, but equally important leafcutter and mason bees. Bees are among our most prolific pollinators. Living up to the phrase 'busy as a bee', the average honey bee will visit 7,000 flowers in a single day. People are encouraged to take some simple steps around their home to become a little more bee friendly. Most of the focus is on bee habitat. 'No Mow May' is becoming more popular, or simply leaving a natural area in your yard all year long. Aim to plant native wildflowers and plants, and consider a bee oasis by leaving out a dish of water with some small rocks or sticks for bees to land. Many of these activities will help other pollinator species as well. For those that would like to get more involved, there are a number of citizen science programs in the state focused on bees such as the Wisconsin Bumble Bee Brigade.

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