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WIAA Defines Fall, Winter and Spring Sports Season Published on 08/17/2020 under Sports

Last week the WIAA approved several details of a one-year alternative season in the spring for fall sports and reduced the number of weeks for sports during the 2020-21 winter and spring seasons.

The 2020 fall sports season is as follows:

Cross country and girls swimming can begin practice on Monday, August 17. The football and volleyball seasons will begin on Monday, September 7. The first date available for football games to be played is Wednesday, September 23.

The Hatchet fall sports teams are planning to play this fall and the schedules have been revised. It will have the volleyball and girls swimming team mostly competing within the Great Northern Conference. The Hatchet cross country team will have a schedule similar to years past, while the Hatchet football team will be playing in a new conference this year, with seven games scheduled.

The WIAA also defined the winter season dates:

Girls basketball and hockey will begin on Monday, November 16 and boys basketball, wrestling and boys swimming will begin on Monday, November 23.

If teams choose not to play this fall, they will be allowed to play in the alternate fall season. This season will consist of volleyball starting February 22, girls swimming on Febrary 15, cross country on March 15 and football on March 8.

WIAA News Release on 2020-21 Seasons

In Other News

Railroad Safety Week: See Tracks, Think Train

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Published on 09/18/2025 under News A new mini-grant program is being created in Lincoln County to address substance use using funds from opioid lawsuit settlements. The Lincoln County Board took up that resolution at their meeting on Tuesday. Over the past several years, Lincoln County has received more than a half million dollars through nationwide opioid lawsuit settlements. These settlements do come with spending restrictions; the funds are typically earmarked for opioid remediation through prevention, awareness, or treatment. The Lincoln County Board previously set up an Opioid Settlement Task Force to study and make recommendations on how the money would best be spent. They recently released their first report. Among their recommendations was to establish a mini-grant process for community organizations serving Lincoln County to apply for a portion of the settlement funding. They are making $50,000 available, up to $10,000 per project. Before approving the resolution, the supervisors confirmed that there would be a vetting process for the applicants before grants would be awarded. They ultimately approved establishing the mini-grant process.

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Published on 09/18/2025 under News Two local fire chiefs will be watching an area high school football game with a little extra interest. Merrill Fire Chief Josh Klug and Antigo Fire Chief Corey Smith announced they've brought back their friendly wager on the annual football game between Merrill and Antigo. The GNC rivalry is dubbed the War on 64, referencing the highway that connects the two communities. For this year's wager, the losing fire chief will be assigned fire truck washing duties while also providing lunch at the winning chief's fire station. This is actually the third year for bet. The Red Robins and the Blue Jays have actually split the previous two match-ups forcing each chief to perform the mutual aid. Merrill will host this evening's game at Jay Stadium.

Published on 09/17/2025 under News Mental health and substance use disorder affect all communities, people, and age groups. A gathering in Rhinelander this evening looks to end stigma and celebrate recovery. Community partners in Oneida County are hosting the now annual, Light Up the Night for Recovery. It coincides with National Recovery Month and serves as a reminder that recovery is for everyone. An important part of recovery is support. That's where the Light Up the Night event comes in. People will be able to celebrate recovery, remember those whose lives were lost, and connect with others for recovery support. The family-friendly evening will include a community resource fair, but also games, refreshments, and a chance for story-sharing. Jenny Chiamulera is helping organizer the event in her role as the Oneida County Community Health Specialist. She says, "Lived experience is valuable and story telling is a powerful tool used to provide information and help us understand what substance use disorder really is." The event's keynote speaker will be the Oneida County circuit judge Mary Sowinski. For those that would like to attend, Light Up the Night will take place at Hodag Park in Rhinelander from 4:00pm to 8:00pm. The speakers are scheduled around 6pm.

Published on 09/17/2025 under News Last month Lincoln County completed the sale of Pine Crest Nursing Home. Now the County Board is looking to use some of the sale proceeds to pay off debt to save the county money in the long term. The supervisors took up that resolution at their meeting Tuesday. The measure addresses two different instances of Pine Crest borrowing that added up to approximately $6.8 million for previous renovations at the skilled nursing facility in Merrill. According to the resolution, by paying off a majority of these loans early, the county expects to save approximately $1.3 million in interest over the period of borrowing, which originally ran through 2036 and 2038 respectively. Last month, Lincoln County finalized the sale of Pine Crest Nursing home to Jack Pines Healthcare LLC, a division of Ensign Group for $9.5 million. They'll utilize a portion of that revenue to fund the loan repayment. After some brief discussions by supervisors, they ultimately approved the resolution by voice vote. _____ It was a report filled Lincoln County Board meeting, including annual updates from the Aging and Disability Resource Center, an audit report from Clifton Larsen Allen, and on the Sheriff Department Budget. Among resolutions approved on the evening: a proclamation recognize the Tomahawk and Merrill Chambers during Chamber of Commerce Recognition Month; an easement for a natural gas line under the Hiawatha Trail; the sale of a property claimed by taxes delinquency; and continued settlements of ongoing opioid lawsuits. The supervisors did take some additional time on discussing a resolution placing the remaining $1.8 million from the Pine Crest sale into the capital improvements fund. Ultimately it was approved with an amendment that the public property and ad-hoc property committee present a capital improvement priorty list to the board by the December meeting.

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Published on 09/17/2025 under News Electric vehicle drivers will be able to grab a butter burger and cheese curds while charging their cars thanks to a new Northwoods partnership. Zero 60 is teaming up with FTI and the Rhinelander Culver's location to introduce four high speed charging stations outside of the restaurant. They highlighted the location located along a state-designated Alternative Fuel Corridor. Zero6 Energy, will finance, own and operate the station, while FTI will engineer, design, develop, install and commission the site. Wade Leipold, executive vice president of FTI says, "Partnering with a well-known brand like Culver's gives us a unique opportunity to combine Midwest hospitality with clean, convenient charging." This project was funded, in part, through the Wisconsin DoT Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program. According to their website, Zero 60 currently has an expanding network of charging sites in New York, California, Colorado and Wisconsin. Along with Culver's they have partnerships with other popular restaurants including In-N-Out and Chipotle.

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