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Tomahawk School District Hosts GNC All-Conference Music Festival Published on 11/08/2019 under News

Some of the top high school aged singers and musicians from the Northwoods will be in Tomahawk this weekend.

It's time once again for the Great Northern Conference 2019 Music Festival. Over 100 band and choir students from the 7 GNC schools have been selected to participate.

Tomahawk Director of Choirs Corey Colburn explained that the students will spend the day learning under the tutelage of Dr. Kristin Tjornehoj of UW-River Falls and Dr. Andrew Last of Luther College.

At the culmination of the day, those students will come together for a public performance. That's scheduled for 6:00pm tomorrow in the auditorium. Tickets will be available for $4 at the door.

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And a congratulations go out to Tomahawk's all-conference musicians this year. That includes eight singers: Hannah Davis, Lily Jahn, Allison Schmidt, Harmony Houpt, Jack McGovern, Jimmy Rau, Martin Schmidt, and Jason Nehring, and five instrumentalists:Grace Kummerfeldt, Sierra Swenson, Mckenna Roessler, Anthony Ierulli, and Seth Ploeckelman.

In Other News

New Airport Art Gallery Features Local Wildlife Painter

Published on 09/11/2026 under News Travelers passing through the Rhinelander-Oneida County Airport can enjoy some new wildlife paintings from a local artist. Through a partnership with ArtStart, the airport features a rotating gallery, with the latest exhibit showcasing work from renowned Northern Wisconsin wildlife artist Caleb Metrich of Lake Tomahawk. If the name sounds familiar, Metrich has had tremendous success in annual state bird stamp design contests. Over the years, his artwork has been selected for feature on turkey, pheasant, and waterfowl stamps on ten separate occasions—primarily right here in Wisconsin. Metrich's paintings are on display now in the airport terminal. The gallery is free to view for passengers and the general public, even without a boarding pass, and visitors can take advantage of free parking for up to four hours.

Published on 09/11/2026 under News A trial date has been officially set for a woman accused of trying to hire someone to kill her child's father in Lincoln County. At a scheduling hearing, a jury trial for Angela Volm was scheduled to begin early next year on February 17. The 45 year old faces a felony charge of solicitation to commit first-degree intentional homicide. She has entered a plea of not guilty. According to the criminal complaint, the victim alerted the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office after receiving threatening text messages from Volm. Investigators subsequently uncovered communications where Volm allegedly inquired about hiring an individual to murder the man.

Published on 09/10/2026 under Sports Tomahawk's girls swimmers would continue to struggle in Great Northern Conference dual meets Thursday night as they would lose to Rhinelander and Colby. The Hatchets' top finish in the double dual came in the 100 and 200 yard freestyles. Kami Gabrich placed third in the 100 with a time of 1:07.67, tied with Colby's Myra Hopperdietzel. Aubrey Tollefson placed third with a time of 2:26.67 in the 200 freestyle. Finishing right behind her was Kortney Busterud at 2:28.39. The Hatchets are back in the pool next Thursday for another GNC Dual against Ladysmith. Events begin at 5:30.

Published on 09/10/2026 under News It's time once again for Tomahawk residents to do a little fall cleaning with the return of Dumpster Days, an annual event offering household item disposal and electronics recycling on Saturday morning. Tomahawk Dumpster Days was originally established by a group of community minded volunteers known as the Make-A-Difference organization. After twenty years, the initial goal remains the same: to make the community a cleaner, more inviting place to live, work, and play by giving residents a convenient way to discard hard-to-dispose-of items. The City of Tomahawk has now taken over the organization of Dumpster Days working with community partners. Tomahawk Iron and Metal will host a small electronics recycling on-site, though select items may carry a small fee. Larger items can be brought to their business. And while document shredding has been offered in previous years, it is not part of this year's event. Beyond cleaning up the city, Dumpster Days serves as a fundraiser and hands-on learning experience for the local Boy Scout troop, whose members assist on-site and help with curbside pickups. The pickup service costs $25 and must be arranged through City Hall by Friday afternoon. Two decades later, Dumpster Days remains as popular as ever. A queue of vehicles typically lines up at the entrance well before the site opens on Saturday morning. Collection runs from 8:00 a.m. to noon at the city garage. Organizers remind community members that household item drop-off is strictly for city residents; while the electronics recycling is open to all

Published on 09/10/2026 under News With bow deer season just a few days away, Tomahawk will once again hold a nuisance deer hunt within city limits. The Common Council formally approved the resolution during a special meeting Wednesday. This does not mean hunters will be walking down Main Street this fall. The city designates specific zones where the nuisance hunt is and isn't permitted, with most allowed areas located along rural stretches of land within city boundaries. While participation and harvest numbers vary each year, a typical season yields fewer than ten registered deer. Following the season's conclusion, the Nuisance Animal Committee plans to reconvene to review the data. Twenty-five tags are available, and participants must register with the Tomahawk Police Department while following standard Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) regulations. The nuisance hunt runs concurrently with the statewide archery season, which opens Saturday and extends into early January.

Published on 09/10/2026 under News Civil War buffs will test their marksmanship in the Rhinelander area this weekend during a unique regional shooting event. The American Civil War Shooting Association (ACWSA) is hosting the Rhinelander Memorial Skirmish on Saturday and Sunday in Pelican Lake. The ACWSA brings historical reenactors together to compete in timed team events and individual marksmanship matches. Participants, many dressed in period-appropriate uniforms, will use Civil War–era firearms including revolvers and muskets to shoot at breakable targets and paper bullseyes, competing for top honors. Beyond the friendly competition, the association aims to preserve Civil War history and educate the public on the era's weaponry and tactics. Several local shooters are slated to participate in this weekend's skirmish, one of the final matches of the season. The public is invited to attend, admission is free. Organizers advise spectators to bring ear and eye protection. A schedule and additional details can be found on their website.

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Published on 09/10/2026 under News A planned live debate between candidates for Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District will not take place. WJFW Newswatch 12 announced the cancellation of its September 29 forum featuring Democratic nominee Fred Clark and Republican nominee Michael Alfonso. According to the station, Clark agreed to participate, but Alfonso declined. Because the event was designed as a head-to-head forum, station management decided not to move forward. "We believe voters deserve the opportunity to hear directly from the candidates seeking to represent them in Congress," said WJFW News Director Geoff Weller. "We appreciate Fred Clark's willingness to participate and regret that we will not be able to provide viewers with the debate we had planned."

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Published on 09/09/2026 under News The Town of Nokomis is considering expanding its fire station to provide living quarters for the 24/7 ambulance crew housed at the facility. Coming up on Thursday, they'll be hosting another public information meeting. Earlier this week, we had Firefighter Russ Berg and Town Supervisor Bette Stillman on the Morning Conversation to provide some background and status. Built in 2002, the Nokomis Fire Station expanded to include EMS services in 2009. In recent years, paramedic shift rotations shifted from 12-hour to 24-hour schedules. Currently, the Medic 4 crew relies on cots or air mattresses in a non-code-compliant area. Due to safety regulations, at least one crew member must remain awake at all times under the current setup. To provide suitable accommodations, a town committee recommended building a station addition that would feature dedicated bedrooms, office space, and a shared living area. While the 24/7 staffing model has successfully reduced local ambulance response times, some residents have voiced concerns regarding the project's overall cost. If approved, the town plans to offset expenses by pursuing USDA Rural Development loans, grants, and community fundraising. Thursday's session marks the town's second public information meeting following an initial gathering last month. The meeting begins at 6:00 p.m. at the Nokomis Fire Station and will feature a formal presentation followed by a Q&A segment for residents. No official decisions or votes will take place during the meeting. And we've got that conversation with Russ and Bette posted in the WJJQ Audio Center.

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