WJJQ Radio

Story Details

Cancellations & Closings Due to Covid-19 Published on 04/05/2020 under News

Covid-19 has caused cancellations in the Northwoods area. Stay up-to-date with our listings:

Tomahawk Schools and St. Mary's School are now closed until further notice.

The Tomahawk Public Library will be suspending all operations and cancelling all programs and events.

T.B. SCOTT Free Library in Merrill is closed until further notice.

The Rhinelander District Library will be closed until further notice.

The Demmer Library in Three Lakes will closed until further notice.

The WIAA announces all school spring sports activities are postponed until further notice.

Tomahawk City Hall will be closed to the public until further notice.

Merrill City Hall will be closed to public walk-ins.

Tomahawk Senior Center will be closed to non-essential public gatherings to prevent the spread of the virus among our most vulnerable population. This closure is until further notice.

The YMCA of the Northwoods will temporarily suspend all operations outside of licensed child care.

The Oneida County Sheriff's Office lobby will not be open to the public and there will no longer be video visitation in the front lobby vestibule.

The Tomahawk Police Department is closing their lobby to walk-ins until further notice. They are also temporarily discontinuing drug take backs and syringe disposal.

The Merrill / Tomahawk Municipal Court Clerk's Office is closed to walk-in business until further notice.

The Town of Bradley town hall is closed to the public until further notice.

The Town of King Recycling Site is closed until further notice.

The Kinship House in Tomahawk is closed until further notice.

The Tomahawk Chamber of Commerce will closed until further notice. They will be checking email and voicemail.

All public Masses are cancelled at St. Mary - Tomahawk, St. Augustine - Harrison and St. Francis - Pier Willow. Please refer to St. Mary's website to read the most recent letter from the Bishop.

Grace Lutheran Church has cancelled all services, soup meals and events until further notice. Their worship services can be streamed on Sunday at 9:00 am. The link is at www.gracelutherantomahawk.org

The Tomahawk and Spirit United Methodist Churches are cancelling services until further notice.

St. Paul Lutheran Church in downtown Tomahawk is cancelling all regular scheduled services, activities and events until further notice.

Redeemer Ev. Lutheran Church has cancelled all services until further notice.

Northland Bible Church has cancelled all worship services until further notice. Visit the church's website for further information.

Northwoods Vineyard Church has cancelled all worship services until further notices. Services are available on their website.

All masses at Holy Family Catholic Church in Woodruff are cancelled until further notice.

Eagle Summit Healing Rooms are temporarily closed and the Thursday evening prayer sessions will continue as soon as possible.

The Wednesday Night Cribbage at VFW Post is Tomahawk is cancelled until Fall.

St. Mary's Thrift Cellar of Tomahawk is now closed until further notice. No donations will be accepted.

The Tomahawk Community Thrift Shop will not be accepting donations and will be closed until further notice.

The Merrill-Go-Round has suspended transit services until further notice.

All dance classes at the Terry Bucaro Dance Studio are cancelled until further notice.

All StrongBodies Classes in Tomahawk and Merrill are cancelled until further notice.

The Monday evening Yoga Class held at the Corpus Christi Center in Tomahawk are cancelled until further notice.

The Open Arms Community Soup Kitchen at the Corpus Christi Center on Tuesdays is cancelled until further notice.

AARP Foundation Tax-Aide Sites Service Suspended Until Further Notice in Marathon, Lincoln, Portage, Wood, Taylor and Langlade counties.

Effective immediately, the Oneida County Veterans Service Office is suspending service on the Oneida County DAV van that takes veterans to medical appointments at the Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center in Iron Mountain, MI until further notice.

All events that were scheduled in April at the Rock Garden Tavern and FoFS Studio at the Wisconsin Concrete Park have been cancelled.

The City of Merrill Park and Recreation Department has cancelled their Easter Egg Hunt that was scheduled for April 11.

The annual Easter Egg Hunt at the Nokomis Fire Department has been cancelled.

St. Paul Lutheran Church has cancelled the free Community Easter Dinner that was scheduled for Sunday, April 12 at Rodeway Inn & Suites in Tomahawk.

The Tomahawk Cornhole League Meeting that was scheduled for April 16 at Lisa's Pub & Grub has been postponed.

The Tomahawk Area Interfaith Volunteers Spring Event, "Magical Night of Comedy for a Cause" that was scheduled for April 18 has been cancelled.

The Tomahawk Food Pantry Meeting scheduled for April 27 has been cancelled.

The Knight Owls snowmobile club fundraiser originally scheduled for May 2 at Inshalla Country Club has been rescheduled to November 7.

The Journeys Half Marathon in Eagle River on May 9 has been cancelled.

The Tomahawk Chamber of Commerce has postponed the Taste of Tomahawk to Saturday, May 16.

The Red, White and Blue Day program that was scheduled for May 21 at the Tomahawk School District Fieldhouse has been cancelled.

In Other News

Hatchet Spring Sports Recap 5/8/26

Published on 05/08/2026 under Sports Hatchet Baseball Mercy-Ruled For Second Straight Game Tomahawk's baseball team were the first victims of the Lakeland Thunderbirds in Minocqua Friday night, losing, 14-1. The Hatchets tied a season-high with six errors committed in the field, resulting in eight unearned runs. The lone run scored by Tomahawk was a solo home run from Sophomore Cash Olsen in the third inning. The pitching combination of Olsen, Wally Horabik, and Hunter Hilgendorf allowed eight runs in the fourth inning. The loss drops Tomahawk to 5-8 on the season and 4-6 in Great Northern Conference play. The Hatchets are back on the diamond Monday afternoon for another GNC showdown with Medford. Alex Koch and Keith Hanse will have the broadcast on Sports Talk 810 AM/97.7 FM WJJQ. The Fehrman Orthodontics Radio Pregame Show gets underway at 4:35 and First Pitch is at 5:00. Tomahawk Golf Stays at 5th in GNC Meet at Eagle River Up at the Eagle River Golf Course, the Hatchet golfers would place fifth again in their Great Northern Conference meet Friday afternoon. Tomahawk would finish with a score of 346, six strokes behind fourth-place Merrill. The top golfer for the Hatchets was sophomore Jaxon Kaiser, who finished with an 83. Oliver Childers would finish one stroke behind Kaiser. The Hatchets have their next Great Northern Conference Meet Monday at Black River Golf Course in Medford. Tee-off is at 3:00. Elise Gibeault Dominates, Hatchet Runners Finish in Top Four At the Otto Bacher Invite in Merrill Friday night, the Hatchet track and field athletes came away with top-four team finishes. Tomahawk's girls placed second overall, placing behind only Great Northern Conference foe Rhinelander. The meet was dominated Junior runner Elise Gibeault. The Hatchet athlete placed first in the 100, 200, and 400 meter dashes. She also placed first in the high jump. Gibeault's 400 time of 58.36 seconds set a meet record. Also placing first in the meet was the 4x200 meter relay squad of Siennah Calkins, Alicia Voermans, Lauren Reibe, and Aliyah Nelson. As for the Hatchet boys, they would place fourth in the invite, behind Rhinelander, Lakeland, and Wausau East. Tomahawk's boys had two third-place finishes in the invite. Connor Zorn placed third in the 100 meter dash with a time of 11.73 seconds. Mason Reibe placed third in the pole vault with a leap of 11 feet. The next meet for Tomahawk is their home meet at Hatchet Field Tuesday. Alex Koch will be in the press box with the Fehrman Orthodontics Premeet Show at 3:55 and opening events will begin at 4:15 on Northwoods 92.5 WJJQ.

Published on 05/08/2026 under News A Mother's Day weekend tradition in Tomahawk returns for an 11th year as the Tomahawk Main Street Wine Walk will brings hundreds of visitors downtown this evening. For a few hours, more than two dozen shops in downtown Tomahawk will turn into temporary wineries offering lucky ticket holders samples of merlots, pinots and muscattos while enjoying a festive atmosphere. This year's event features 30 stops and a selection of carefully curated wine selections, along with gift bags generously filled by local businesses. Tomahawk Main Street Director Jennifer Turkiewicz says the Wine Walk has become a yearly tradition for many groups of mothers, daughters, grandmothers and friends who celebrate together each spring. While Tomahawk Main Street has toyed with the idea of a theme, she noted that some of the groups come up with their own dress up theme. In addition to the wine tastings, downtown visitors can enjoy live music, extended shopping hours and evening entertainment at several locations including an open mic night at Sideways. Turkiewicz says the event continues to benefit downtown businesses by bringing new customers through their doors and showcasing everything the downtown district has to offer. She added that even people without tickets are encouraged to come downtown Friday night to enjoy the atmosphere, music and shopping opportunities. While the event typically sells out, I spoke to Turkiewicz this morning, she had a couple of tickets available that were returned. Those interested can contact Tomahawk Main Street when they open a bit later this morning.

Published on 05/08/2026 under News The largest single-day food drive in the country is taking place this weekend, and local postal carriers are looking forward to the extra work that comes with it. It's time once again for Stamp Out Hunger, a collection put on by the Association of Letter Carriers in cooperation with the US Postal Service. The national collection launched back in 1991. We were recently joined by Tomahawk Postmaster Chris Thompson to talk about the effort. Local donations go to restock the Tomahawk and Nokomis Food Pantries, and Thompson says over years the Tomahawk community often out-collects larger cities. Last year, the local carriers collected more than 1,000 pounds of food items, along with some additional cash donations. Thompson says, "Carriers are very familiar with their community, they see it everyday, and we just want to make a difference." Participation is quite simple, place a bag with non-expired and non-perishable food in or on your mailbox in time for your regular Saturday delivery. From there, the carriers will do the rest of the work bringing the food back to the post office where they'll sort through the donations and deliver to the local food pantries.

Published on 05/08/2026 under News The Raise Your Voice Club in the Tomahawk School District hasn't been around for long, but they're already making a difference on campus and in the community. For those unfamiliar, Raise Your Voice is a student organization that focuses on mental health. This past weekend, the Tomahawk chapter teamed up with local partners to host their second annual color run. Dozens of students and community members completed the course set up on the Tomahawk school campus, which included color stations that rained down brightly colored powders on the participants. And while the color run was all about fun, they were also there to promote mental health with information, resources and family-friendly summer activities. Chapters of Raise Your Voice have been springing up at schools around the Northwoods. They often partner with NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness), local health departments and area health care providers.. In addition to local health departments, the group also works with partners like Aspirus Health and NAMI. May is Mental Health Awareness Month.

Published on 05/08/2026 under News A massive meadowlark and a jiggly junco are among feathered friends competing in a statewide contest to celebrate healthy birds and migration. The Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin and Save Our Songbirds are bringing back their Fat Bird Week for a third year. The Foundation notes 'a fat bird is a healthy bird' and the contest 'celebrates and spotlights the amazing journey our migratory birds make to get back to Wisconsin.' The group notes that some species of bird will actually double their weight ahead of migration. And for year-round Wisconsin birds, the extra heft can keep them warm in the chilly winter. While many people call birds "fat," they are often referring to is the fluffiness of the feathers. While the contest is all in good fun, it also serves as inspiration to create a more bird-friendly back yard by focusing on native plants to provide nutritious meals for birds. Eight fat bird photos were selected to face off in the bracket style tournament which will be decided by fan vote. The voting will take place over the next week, and we'll include a link in the online version of the story.

Published on 05/08/2026 under News Yesterday we talked about avoiding vehicle deer collisions. Wildlife experts are also encouraging people avoid newborn fawns as well. As part of their ongoing Keep Wildlife Wild campaign, DNR officials are focusing specifically on fawns. If you encounter a fawn while outdoors, the DNR urges you not to touch it or intervene in any way as there's a good chance it's right where it's supposed to be, and its mother isn't far away. Jenna Fastner is a DNR captive wildlife health specialist. She says, "Young fawns are often left alone for most of the day to keep them safe." Fastner says their spotted coats and minimal scent are their best defenses. While fawns can walk from birth, it takes them a few weeks to become fast enough to keep up with their mothers and avoid predators. "By the Fourth of July, most fawns are on the move alongside or near their mothers." If you come across a fawn, it's best to leave it alone. While it may be tempting to bring others to see the fawn, the mother won't return while people are around. Don't feed a wild fawn. If you're truly concerned, contact a wildlife rehabilitiator for guidance.

Published on 05/07/2026 under Sports It was a bittersweet final Great Northern Conference home game for the Hatchet Seniors at Hatchet Field Thursday afternoon as they would fall to the Lakeland T-Birds, 3-2. Tomahawk jumped out to a 1-0 lead on an RBI single by Aubrey Seubert in the first inning. The Hatchets held the lead until the top of the fourth inning when Lakeland's Addison Trapp hit a single, then had two runners score on an error by Averi Petta. The Hatchets would tie it in the bottom of the fourth on a run-scoring base hit from Autumn Merrigan. However, Tomahawk would surrender the lead in the top of the sixth when Britta Kemnitz singled in the go-ahead run. Lakeland pitchers would retire the final 11 batters of the game to seal the win. The Hatchets would muster just two runs on three hits, while committing four errors. Tomahawk drops to 8-9 on the season and 5-7 in Great Northern Conference play. The Hatchets are back on the diamond Saturday when they travel to Gilman for an invite. Tomahawk's first game will be against Marathon at 10:00 AM. Game Two will be against Mondovi at 2:00 PM.

Published on 05/07/2026 under News With new fawns and extended daylight, deer activity is picking up. That means drivers need to be on the lookout. While vehicle/deer crashes are typically highest in fall, those numbers also spike in the months of May and June. According to the Department of Transportation, drivers reported nearly 18,000 collisions with deer last year. That resulted in more than 700 injuries and 6 deaths. Recent averages in both Lincoln and Oneida County show more than 200 vehicle/deer collisions annually. Numbers are even higher in Southern Wisconsin; Waukesha County topped the state with more than 1,000 vehicle/deer collisions. Wisconsin State Patrol Superintendent Tim Carnahan says, "Motorists should be alert and prepared to respond at all times." He notes, "Deer are unpredictable, often changing directions and freezing as they cross the road." The DoT provided a few additional reminders. • Deer are most active at dawn and dusk. • If you see one crossing, anticipate more may follow. • If the collision is unavoidable, brake firmly and stay in your lane. Avoid swerving, which can lead to a more serious crash. • If you strike a deer, pull over to the side of the road and call law enforcement. • And as always, slowdown, eliminate distractions and wear your seatbelt.

Published on 05/07/2026 under News As Northwoods residents head outside for spring cleanup and garden preparations, health experts are reminding people to take steps to avoid common neck and back injuries. According to Aspirus Health, tasks like lifting branches, digging, and repetitive bending can put extra strain on the spine, especially after a less active winter season. Preparation and proper technique can help avoid a trip to the hospital. Dr. Sean MacKenzie says light stretching and simple posture adjustments can make a big difference. Keeping the spine aligned, lifting with the legs, and working from a seated or kneeling position when tasks require bending forward all help. It's also a good idea to listen to your body. MacKenzie notes that many injuries occur when people push through discomfort or rush through tasks. He emphasizes that pain during activity is a signal to pause, rest, or adjust technique. And long-term, Mackenzie says building core strength through simple exercises like planks and leg lifts can help reduce the risk of injury.

Published on 05/07/2026 under News While it was a bit chilly, it was at least sunny, allowing area students to show off their renewable energy skills. Wisconsin Public Service held their 30th annual Solar Olympics on the UW-Oshkosh campus. Nearly 150 students participated from thirteen high schools within the WPS footprint. Northern Wisconsin was represented by Three Lakes, Elcho, Marathon, and Wausau West High Schools. WPS created the Solar Olympics in 1997 for districts participating in the Solarwise for Schools program, which provides renewable energy lesson plans, projects, and teacher training. The friendly competition, hosted each spring, allows these students to showcase their knowledge of solar energy through team and individual competitions. This year's Solar Olympics had 13 events like solar water heater; solar art; and solar jeopardy. According to WPS, Valders High School won this year's competition, claiming gold for a second consecutive year.-Photos provided by Wisconsin Public Service

+ Read More