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Coach Hernandez of Tomahawk Named Packer Coach of the Week Published on 11/06/2020 under Sports

The Packers have announced that Sam Hernandez of Tomahawk High School in Tomahawk, Wis., has been named the Green Bay Packers High School Coach of the Week.

Hernandez, in his second year as head coach of the Hatchets, has his team at 2-4 overall this season and 2-3 in Northwoods Conference play. The Hatchets look to even their conference record Friday, Nov. 6, as they close out their regular season against Coleman High School.

Since taking over the team this past year, Hernandez's impact has been felt not only on the football field, but on the whole community. From helping elderly people move to new homes, assisting community members who need help with their yard work, and volunteering at the local Kinship of Tomahawk, the team continues to pursue a variety of ways to help others in need. Not only has giving back been beneficial to the community, but it has also been uplifting for the players.

"I think for a lot of them, it gives them a sense of pride and a sense of doing something for others," said Hernandez. "And as a football program, we want people to come sit in the stands and watch us play, and we feed off of that. So this is an opportunity for us to provide a platform for these kids to do good things for others without anything in return. If we can send the players out into life after high school with that skillset of doing good things to be good people, then that is a great lesson for them to take."

Hernandez graduated from Marshall High School in Marshall, Wis., in 2004. Throughout high school, he participated in football, basketball and baseball. He played nose tackle, running back and kicker under head coach Mike Zimmerman. Following high school, he went on to graduate from UW-Whitewater in 2009. In addition to coaching other high school sports, Hernandez's football coaching career began as an assistant coach for Lake Mills High School in 2008. He went on to coach at Johnson Creek High School in 2013, before being named the head coach of the Hatchets in 2019.

To Hernandez, the Coach of the Week Award speaks to the work being done by the program on and off the field.

"This award is really an award for the kids, the program and my coaching staff. I'm just one person as part of a bigger group. I'm so honored to have our program and have our kids be recognized for this because they do work hard. We've struggled in terms of wins over the last couple of years, but the kids work hard, the coaching staff works hard every week, and we do work in the community and outside of the football field. To see those kids get recognized with other programs around the state, is a really cool opportunity for this program and highlights the really good things that we are doing."

Hernandez and his staff oversee a program of 43 players with 33 suiting up for varsity games. His assistant staff includes Andy Peissig, Jeremy Zimmerman, Aaron Evans, Dave Long, Jon Long, Nick Schertz and Steven Shrigley. In addition to being the head coach, Hernandez is also an English teacher at the high school. Hernandez and his wife, Ashley, have three sons, Derek, Brett and Vaughn.

About the Green Bay Packers High School Coach of the Week Program:

The Green Bay Packers Coach of the Week program supports football outreach efforts by giving high school coaches the recognition they deserve. Nominations can be submitted by 10 a.m. every Monday to Ryan Fencl, Packers football outreach specialist, at coachoftheweek@packers.com. All nominations should include the nominee's name, address, school, phone number and reason he/she is deserving of the award. This year, because some schools have postponed their football seasons to the spring due to COVID-19, the Packers are seeking coaches to be nominated regardless of their teams' on-field performance or whether they are playing in the fall or spring. Rather, the nominee could be honored for how they have turned programs around, how the team has impacted the community, or how the coach impacts the players and their families.

In Other News

Ballot for Tomahawk Spring Elections; New Mayor, Write-Ins for Council

Published on 01/08/2026 under News For the first time in a decade, Tomahawk will have a new mayor come spring. Tuesday was the deadline for candidates to submit their nomination papers to appear on the ballot for the upcoming elections. Current Tomahawk Mayor Steve Taskay is not seeking re-election after ten years in the office. Taskay was first elected in 2016, emerging from a four-candidate field. He would go on to win four additional elections, three times running unopposed. As for Taskay's successor, two political newcomers to city office will vie for mayor; Michael Habeck and Jeffery Koth both submitted paperwork to run. As for Tomahawk City Council, there are actually five seats up for election, but only three names will appear on the ballot. Starting with the on-cycle, three-year terms... in District 1, Pat Haskin will seek reelection and is running unopposed. In District 2, current alderman Dale Ernst filed non-candidacy papers. Former Councilor Don Nelson submitted paperwork to get back on and will run unopposed. In District 3, Steve Bartz did not submit papers, but may still run as a write-in. There are also two partial terms following a pair of mid-term resignations. In District 1, Bob Soward was appointed this past year, but did not file paperwork. Clerk Amanda Bartz said Soward indicated he would register as a write-in candidate. The other partial-term is an unfilled seat in District 3 following Tadd Wegener's resignation. In a twist, Wegener filed paperwork to run for his old seat and will run unopposed. These races will appear on the April ballot.

Published on 01/08/2026 under News School referendums have become a common occurrence, but the mechanism can also be used by municipalities. Another Northwoods community is exploring the idea. At a special meeting Wednesday, the City of Tomahawk Finance Committee discussed asking voters for a levy increase. The idea has been brought up briefly at past meetings, and comes after several consecutive years of difficult budget decisions. The state restricts the ability of municipalities to increase their tax levy without voter approval. The levy allowance is calculated by a formula largely given by net new construction. Repeatedly brought up during last night's discussion was that costs have outpaced the levy on everything from health insurance to road salt. (Clerk Amanda Bartz noted over the past decade, the allowable increase in levy was 12% while inflation was 35%.) The referendum, if approved by voters, would increase the base-level of the levy moving forward. The Committee discussed five different amounts ranging from 5% to 25%. After discussion, they focused on 20%. That equates to a $276,000. It would result in an increase of $75 for a $100,000 property. Over the past decade, the city has pursued numerous mechanisms to increase the levy. Voters approved a Premier Resort Area Tax or PRAT, however it was never implemented, as it requires approval from the Wisconsin state legislature. They also explored, but never went forward with a transportation utility fee. And over the past year, the Finance Committee has been reviewing and selling property to raise funds. Finance Chair Mickey Loka noted the referendum was always going to be their last option. The City can look north to Minocqua where voters approved a levy referendum in 2024 for $750,000. As they brainstormed, the committee highlighted the importance of communication. If the referendum is officially placed on the ballot, they plan to schedule public informational meetings and other outreach. The meeting packet included an example of a handout that could be distributed to the public outlining the reasons for the request. The Council will take up the resolution at a meeting next week.

Published on 01/08/2026 under News Travelers continue to take advantage of flying here in Northern Wisconsin. The Rhinelander-Oneida County Airport shared their passenger data for 2025. They reported 30,686 passengers flew out of Rhinelander this past year. According to the announcement, this is an 18 year high. In the announcement, they said, "With this momentum, we're ready to fly even higher in 2026. Thanks for being part of the journey." Currently, the Rhinelander-Oneida County airport offers daily service to Minneapolis/St. Paul through Delta. They also offer seasonal flights to Chicago O'Hare on United, expanding their capacity and connection opportunities during the summer months.

Published on 01/08/2026 under News Expect to see plenty of little Henrys and Charlottes running around the Northwoods in the coming years. Those are among the top names selected for babies born at Aspirus in 2025. Over the past year, there were just over 3,200 babies born at Aspirus hospitals. That's up slightly from 2024. As for the names, Henry was the most named boy for a second consecutive year and third time in five. Oliver shared the top spot with Henry; and Theodore rounded out the top three. As for the girl names, Charlotte moved up one spot on the list to claim number 1. That was followed by Eleanor and Nora. Beyond the most popular choices, Aspirus says families also embraced individuality when naming their children. Parents selected 745 different boy names and 864 different girl names, which they said underscores the diversity of families and traditions served by Aspirus hospitals.

Published on 01/08/2026 under News One week after widespread snowmobile trail openings, mild weather is already causing some trail closures. On Wednesday, the Lincoln County Forestry, Land, and Parks Department announced that trails in zones 2, 3, and 4 would close effective immediately. This is due to the rapidly deteriorating conditions, and in an effort to preserve the base until winter weather returns. As of Thursday morning, Lincoln County trails in Zone 1 will remain open. Marathon and Langlade Counties made a similar closure decisions for their trails this week. After a snowy and cold first week of January, this week has had multiple days of rain and daytime temperatures above freezing. There is some hope coming this weekend, with snow in the forecast.

Published on 01/07/2026 under News Tuesday was the deadline for candidates to appear on the spring ballot. Voters will decide on local races such as county boards, town boards, city councils, and school boards. In the coming days we'll be previewing some of the local ballots. ____ Starting with the Tomahawk School Board, at least one seat will be decided by write-in vote. The district confirmed just two candidates submitted paperwork for the three seats on the ballot. The board is currently in a reapportionment transition that aimed to balance the nine member board with three districts on a three year cycle. As a result, the expiring seats don't match those that will appear on the ballot this spring. Rather than two seats for Bradley, Birch, Skanawan, Rock Falls and the town of Tomahawk on this cycle, there will be just one. Board President Ron Zimmerman is seeking re-election, while the longest-serving board member, Kay Kissenger-Wolf, will not seek re-election. A seat representing the City of Tomahawk is being moved into this election cycle as a result of the reapportionment. That is where the write-in will happen, as no candidate filed. Lastly, Dave Long will run unopposed for his set representing King, Harrison, Nokomis, Wilson, and Little Rice. Those races will all appear on the April ballot.

Published on 01/07/2026 under News Three competitive races, an open seat, and a pair of former supervisors seeking re-election highlight this year's Lincoln County Board ballot. Tuesday was the deadline for candidates to appear on the spring ballot. Voters will decide on local races such as county boards, town boards, city councils, and school boards. Of the 22-member Lincoln County Board, 17 supervisors filed their candidacy paperwork and will run unopposed. Two new candidates will run unopposed after current supervisors chose not to seek re-election. This includes: District 4, Derek Woellner did not file paperwork, newcomer Scott Pergolski did. *Because Woellner did not file non-candidacy paperwork, the deadline has been extended to Friday. In the 9th district, Christine Vorpagel is not seeking reelection. The man she defeated two years ago, Don Friske is looking to take back the seat. In District 18, Ken Wickham did not seek re-election, and Andy Tomaszewski filed for the seat. Among competitive races, in District 2, current supervisor Lori Anderson-Malm filed non-candidacy. Newcomers Mark Bares and Scott Doerr will compete for the seat. In the 10th district, current Board Chair Jesse Boyd will face Joshua Oxborrow; in the 17th district, former supervisor Don Nelson is looking to get back on the board, challenging current board member James Meunier. And finally, in the 13th district, Alan Bishop chose not to seek re-election, and no candidate filed meaning the race will come down to a write-in. DistrictCandidateCandidateNote1Bill Bialecki (incumbent) 2Mark BaresScott DoerrIncumbent Lori Anderson Malm not running3Elizabeth McCrank (inc) 4Scott Pergolski Incumbent Derek Woellner not running; Nomination period extended5Andrew Zelinski (inc) 6Norbert Ashbeck (inc) 7Don Dunphy (inc) 8Laurie Thiel (inc) 9Don Fiske Incumbent Christine Vorpagel not running10Jesse Boyd (inc)Joshua Oxborrow 11Randy Detert (inc) 12Julie Depasse (inc) 13Write-In Incumbent Alan Bishop not running, no candidates filed14Marguerite Lyskawa (inc) 15Marty Lemke(inc) 16Dana Miller(inc) 17James Meunier(inc)Don Nelson 18Andrew Tomaszewski Incumbent Ken Wickham not running19Joseph Dorava(inc) 20Angela Cummings(inc) 21Eugene Simon(inc) 22Greg Hartwig(inc)

Published on 01/07/2026 under News The City of Tomahawk has been exploring a PFAs treatment facility. As part of the planning process, the city, working with MSA Professional Services, solicited bids for geo-technical exploration and engineering work. Last week, the Board of Public Works recommend a service contract; last night the City Council approved the contract with American Engineering Testing Inc. The City received two bids which were just $5 apart. At $7,280, AET was the low bid. The city has worked with the Wausau-area firm previously. The Council approved the bid with minimal discussion. The contract includes four borings of varying depths; an assessment of existing conditions and recommendations for utility construction, foundation design, and best practices. Back in the fall of 2023, routing testing for PFAs in the Tomahawk water system came back elevated. The proposed treatment facility would filter out these forever chemicals. The price tag is approximately $6.2 million, and the city is pursing funding through the state Clean Drinking Water program. _____ A few other quick notes from a relatively short meeting...Following Committee updates and a presentation from the Lincoln County Economic Development director Sara Guild, there were just two other action items on the agenda. The Council approved the transfer of two liquor licenses due to ownership changes. The Council approved the special event application for the annual Friends of Lake Mohawksin Fire and Ice Bonfire.

Published on 01/07/2026 under News First responders and road crews were kept busy throughout the day Tuesday. A winter rain fell, quickly freezing on the cold pavement leaving roads to resemble skating rinks. This led to numerous traffic incidents starting in central Wisconsin during the morning hours and gradually shifting in the afternoon hours including Tomahawk. During a mid-day update, the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office noted calls for vehicle slide-offs and collisions were coming in faster than they could respond. At one point, they said they responded to more than two dozen traffic incidents during a two hour period. They did not provide any details on specific crashes. As for the Highway Departments, they were regularly out salting, sanding and scraping primary roads. Here in Tomahawk, city crews actually had to deal with flooding areas. The Public Works Department spent the afternoon clearing out catch basins to drain the excess water. Fortunately, those crews will have a chance to recover with few driving difficulties reported during the Wednesday morning commute.

Published on 01/07/2026 under News Each spring, the Wisconsin Conservation Congress offers an opportunity for people to weigh in on various topics related to the state's natural resources. The WCC is an independent organization made up of citizens. Their efforts help advise the DNR and Natural Resources Board. One way do they do so is their annual spring hearing. The survey gauges public opinion on a wide range to topics. Just a few recent examples include wake boat regulations, the use of lead ammunition, and underwater cameras as fishing aids. Starting this week, and over the next month, the WCC will accept resolution proposals from the public. Among the criteria for the resolutions: they must be of statewide impact; they must be practical, achievable, and reasonable; and they must be within the mission and vision of the WCC.People are allowed to submit up to two resolutions and can work with their WCC County Chair for guidance. The DNR has a WCC website with additional information. As for the spring surveys, those will take place in mid-April.

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