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Travel Wisconsin Launches Fall Colors Tracker Published on 09/11/2019 under News

The leaves are just beginning to change, and with that Wisconsin's tourism arm will make it easier to plan viewing destinations.

Travel Wisconsin has launched their annual Fall Colors tracker. The online tool lets travelers view where and when the colors are peaking across the state. They base those estimates on previous year's patterns as well as more than 100 fall color reporters.

At this time, most of the Northwoods ranges from 5 to 15% color with an expected peak time in early October.

The revamped site also highlights specific attractions such as the Travel Wisconsin selfie stations and state parks that are ideal for taking in the fall colors. They also have some past video taking to the sky by drone in location's such as Timm's Hill.

You can find the Fall Color Report here.

In Other News

Lincoln County ‘Uniquely Wisconsin’ Sled Dog Segment Wins Regional Emmy Award

Published on 11/13/2025 under News A video short focused on a Lincoln County sled-dog kennel has won an Emmy award. Two years ago, Lincoln County partnered with Discover Mediaworks to produce a number of video segments for the Uniquely Wisconsin series. The goal is to tell the story of a location through it's people. It was part of a larger effort by the county to promote the County and increase interest and tourism. Among the Uniquely Wisconsin productions was an episode called 'The Heart of Wisconsin Mushing.' It follows Gleason-based Melissa Omernick and her family, both human and sled dogs. The video was released in December of last year and has received nearly 10,000 views on YouTube. The episode has now won a regional Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement for Human Interest. Josh Ostermann from Discover Mediaworks was on hand at the Lincoln County Board to discuss the award. He noted that the Chicago chapter of the Emmy Awards is among the most competitive in the country along with New York and California. Among their goals is to get people to watch, like, and react. He noted that Lincoln County has actually outpaced the state-average in growth for direct visitor spending. At Wednesday's meeting, the supervisors got to pass around the iconic, winged-angel Emmy statue. Board Chair Jesse Boyd added they'll need to figure out a display case to share the trophy with the community. Ostermann said this is the third Emmy that Discover Mediaworks has won from their Uniquely Wisconsin series. Among the previous winners was a segment on Athens-based Stoney Acres Farm and their summer Pizza Nights.

Published on 11/13/2025 under News The true story of Dr. Kate Pelham Newcomb is well-known in the Northwoods, but her tale will be further shared through a new children's book. The tales of Dr. Kate seem larger than life as a woman practicing medicine in Northern Wisconsin in the early 1900's. She regularly traveled to her patients by snowmobile or snowshoe during the winter months, and she delivered an estimated 4,000 babies during her career. And in the early1950's, she inspired local students to collect 1 million pennies to help fund a new hospital in Woodruff. The community is now home to the Dr. Kate Museum and the 10 foot tall penny statue. Award-winning author Margi Preus frequently adapts real-life heroes in her books. She inspired to write 'Snowshoe Kate and the Hospital Built for Pennies.' The book was published in late October. The Dr. Kate Museum and the Minocqua Public Library will team up this evening to celebrate. Preus will be on hand with a book signing, a reading, and a mini-penny parade. That gets underway at 4pm, Thursday, at the Minocqua Library.

Published on 11/13/2025 under News As expected, the Lincoln County Board approved their 2026 budget at a special meeting Wednesday morning. The vote was a formality after the work completed during the months-long process that began back in the spring. At their October meeting, the Board was presented with a balanced budget that included a tax levy proposed at $17.2 million. That's a $500,000 increase over the current year, or 2.9%. Finance director Heather Marheine noted that the entire property tax bill utilizes a formula that incorporates other taxing entities and equalized values that impact each township or city differently. The finance team was able to close an approximately $1.2 million gap from the first version of the budget presented in June. That included approximately $800,000 in savings from the sale of Pine Crest in both operations and maintenance. The County agreed to sell the skilled nursing facility to a private provider over the summer. With this budget largely unchanged from the October version, the supervisors had minimal discussion before ultimately approving the resolution unanimously.

Published on 11/13/2025 under News Another local nurse has been recognized with prestigious professional honor. Aspirus Rhinelander Hospital honored Kelcie LaChapelle with the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses. LaChapelle as a nurse in the birthing unit. Like many recipients, her nomination came from a patient who experienced her care and compassion first hand. The expecting mother had only recently moved to the Northwoods from California when she found herself under the care of LaChappelle. The patient wrote, in part, "A lot of nurses do their job because that is their job, but it was abundantly clear that with Kelcie, it is a calling... She will be remembered as our baby grows and also for making me feel part of my new community." As a Daisy recipient, LaChappelle received a honoree pin and a Shona Tribe sculpture known as A Healer's Touch. The staff were also treated to cinnamon rolls, another symbol from the Daisy Awards. The award is part of the DAISY Foundation's program to recognize the super-human efforts nurses perform every day.

Published on 11/13/2025 under News The Nicolet theater will head back to the 1940's for an era-style comedy. The raise the curtain tonight. For their Fall production, the Nicolet Theatre will present 'Suite Surrender'. They recently offered up a preview ahead of opening night. The setting is the Palm Beach Royale Hotel where two of Hollywood's biggest divas arrive for a benefit performance. They called the play a hilarious love note to the classic farces of the '30s and '40s. It features mistaken identities, gossip, and double entendres. The cast and crew have been busy over the past few months with rehearsals, and it's finally showtime. Tonight begins a run of six shows in nine days. Thursday, Nov. 13 at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15 at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 16 at 2 p.m. Friday, Nov. 21 at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 22 at 2:00 p.mThe Lakeside Lounge Bar opens at 6:30 p.m. for evening shows and serves beverages and small bites. Admission is free for Nicolet College students, $15 for the general public, and $12 for K-12 students and seniors. Advanced tickets can be purchased through the Nicolet Theatre website.

Published on 11/12/2025 under News Five more local veterans will take part in a future Never Forgotten Honor Flight; and it's all thanks to students from the Tomahawk School District. As part of yesterday's Veterans Day program, the Tomahawk Elementary Student Council awarded five ceremonial Honor Flight boarding passes to veterans in attendance: Gary Hauck, Anthony Powers, James Meunier, David Hetzel, and Bill Smith. All three men served during the Vietnam era. Student Council Adviser Megan Barker explained the students raised more than $2,600 through their 'Sweet Surprise for Veterans fundraiser. Jim Campbell, founder of the local chapter of the Honor Flight, was also on hand at yesterday's program. He noted that Tomahawk students have now sponsored 67 veterans on the Honor Flight which is tops among all schools within their 13 county region. Campbell said these children have provided more than a free trip, they have profoundly changed the lives of the veterans and their families. In addition to the Honor Flight, the students also contributed to Wreaths Across America to fund the placing of 47 wreaths at the Northwoods National cemetery in Harshaw over the holiday season. The ceremony also include speeches, essays, and performances from the band and choir. Bill Burcalow paid tribute to Dan Reiter, a veteran and school counselor/advisor who tragically passed away this spring. Burcalow praised Reiter's work in connecting students with local veteran groups. The district has posted the program to their YouTube Channel.

Published on 11/12/2025 under News It's report card time in the state of Wisconsin...not for students, but for the schools and school districts. The Department of Public Instruction released the annual report cards on Tuesday. A number of districts in the Northwoods earned high marks for their performance and improvements last school year with Tomahawk among those high achievers. The district earned four stars, a mark of 'exceeds expectations.' It's a score the district has maintained over the past decade. District Director of Teaching and Learning Mark Sommer walked the school board through the scores at their meeting Tuesday. Considered a snapshot in time, the scores are based on spring testing. There are four weighted categories: student achievement, closing gaps, district growth, and post secondary readiness. The numerical scores then translate into 5 grades ranging from failure to meet expectations to significantly exceeds expectations. We'll continue to explore the report cards in the coming days, including the Tomahawk elementary, middle and high school scores, as well as a look at how some of the other districts in the Northwoods scored.

Published on 11/12/2025 under News Officials in Lincoln County are hoping to increase the awareness of mental health resources after an uptick in suicides this year. According to Lincoln County Coroner Valerie Caylor, eight Lincoln County residents who have taken their lives this year with two often challenging months still to come. In November and December, Caylor noted that the changing of seasons, holiday gatherings, and family traditions along with cold weather, shortened daylight hours and lack of social interactions can lead to a dark place. In looking for patterns among their investigations, they found seven out of the eight were male, with an average age of 39. Two were teenagers, and one a military veteran. Caylor is looking to raise awareness for those who may need help. The county has a committee that meets quarterly to discuss preventable deaths in the county. One of the items they discussed at their most recent meet was providing more resources for mental health needs at the high school level. She specifically praised the current programing at the Merrill School District and is hoping to spread that success. Other resources included 988 suicide and crisis phone and text line, and North Central Health Care emergency line 800-799-0122.

Published on 11/12/2025 under News The City of Tomahawk has a spending plan in place for next year. At their meeting Tuesday, the Tomahawk City Council unanimously passed a pair of companion ordinances approving the 2026 budget along with the tax levy to support it. The first line most property owners look to is the taxes. At $1.88 million, the city's portion of the tax levy is nearly identical to the current year. As for expenses, at $5.6 million, that's down 1.9% or $110,000. The decreases largely came in debt service payments and capital outlay projects. Most other spending categories are relatively unchanged from last year. Details of the budget were hashed out over a handful of special finance committee meetings. Finance Chair Mickey Loka praised the department heads for their contributions. He acknowledged it was a 'painful process for everyone involved'. Loka also reiterated the need to identify alternative revenue sources for the City. The Council has been looking to go to referendum. They briefly discussed the timeline. No members of the public spoke during the budget hearing. Council members had no further discussion before approval. This continues the finalization of the local budget puzzle. The next piece, the Lincoln County Board expected to approve their budget at a meeting today.

Published on 11/12/2025 under News Downtown Rhinelander is hoping to revitalize a past holiday tradition. DRI announced they are bringing back the Rhinelander Tree Lighting Ceremony. It's coming up at the end of the month and they are looking for groups and organizations to get involved. Aaron Schultz, owner of Big Daddy's is coordinating of the festivities for DRI. He says, "We do not have a Christmas parade (in Rhinelander), and in the past this event has helped residents and businesses feel the holiday spirit." In addition to the tree lighting, they've already partnered with some community groups for refreshments, a visit from Santa and some other activities. Schultz invited other nonprofit groups and community organizations to get involved. He says, "We would love to have caroling and other activities that bring holiday spirit to the event." It'll take place the Saturday after Thanksgiving on November 29.

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