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Chequamegon-Nicolet Forest Receives Two Awards from Storm Clean Up Published on 11/27/2020 under News

The Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest received a pair of awards this month for their recent storm recovery efforts. The Eastern Regional Forester's Honor Awards were presented for outstanding achievements during fiscal year 2020, which ended Sept. 30.

To our east, the Lakewood-Laona district, received an award for the productive and sustainable use of National Forest lands following a July 2019 windstorm that damaged trees on more than 100,000 acres. According to the announcement, the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest was the top timber producing national forest in the country this past year, due in large part to the salvage operations from this storm.

The other award was awarded to the Great Divide Ranger District in Northern Wisconsin for work "facilitating rural prosperity and economic development." The district recently completed a four-year effort to recover from severe weather in July 2016 that caused over $22 million in flood damage to roads, trails, culverts and bridges.

Acting Forest Supervisor Dawn Laybolt says, "Recovery from these storms took collaboration across the forest and partnership with other agencies. It's gratifying to see the individuals and teams recognized for their hard work. We commend and thank them all."

In Other News

Hatchet Hockey Team Defeats Wisconsin Rapids

Published on 01/14/2026 under Sports The winning ways continued for Tomahawk Hockey Tuesday night as they would defeat fellow Division 1 opponent Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln at SARA Park, 5-2. After allowing the first goal in the first two minutes of the game, the Hatchets rolled off three in the first period to go ahead for good. Four different Hatchets found the back of the net. Jonah Dickens had two goals on the night. Jake Albert, Beau Stromberg, and Cole Peterson each scored. Tomahawk now stands at 12-3 on the season after the victory. The Hatchets have their fifth game in eight days coming up Thursday at SARA Park against Great Northern Conference foe Medford. Puck drop is at 7:00.

Published on 01/14/2026 under Sports The Hatchet girls' basketball squad would struggle at Great Northern Conference Powerhouse Mosinee Tuesday night, losing 68-20. Tomahawk would struggle offensively, putting up just four points in the first half. Anita Ziert led the way with ten points on the night, The Hatchets played their second game without starting guard Lizzy Long. The Hatchets fall to 8-4 on the season and 3-3 in Great Northern Conference play. Tomahawk heads back out on the road Friday night for another GNC Showdown at Medford. Tip-off is at 7:15.

Published on 01/14/2026 under Sports Tomahawk's boys basketball squad continued their rough season on the court Tuesday night, losing at home to Great Northern Conference foe Mosinee, 75-20. The Hatchets would struggle offensively, scoring just nine first half points. The loss drops Tomahawk to 2-9 on the season and 0-5 in Great Northern Conference action. The Hatchets are back at home Friday night to take on Great Northern Conference foe Medford. Tip is at 7:15.

Published on 01/14/2026 under Sports Tomahawk's female wrestlers came away with their second consecutive first-place scramble finish in back-to-back days at Edgar Tuesday night. The Hatchets came away with five first-place individual finishes. The top finishes came from Kylie Peissig, Abbie Rosenmeier, Lillian Taves, Cadence Thompson, and Aubrey Tollefson. The Hatchets now have three top-two finishes across four invites. The Hatchets travel to the other side of the state for a quad at Shawano Thursday. Events begin at 5:00.

Published on 01/14/2026 under News The Hatchet boys' swimmers notched their second dual victory of the regular season, defeating Lakeland at the Hatchet Pool Tuesday, 68-18. Tomahawk placed first in every event except for the 100 yard backstreoke. Bruce Peetz placed first in the 50 yard and 500 yard freestyle. Dane DeKiep took the top spot in the 200 freestyle. Aidan Sigl took first in the 100 yard freestyle. Max Amelse placed first in the 100 yard backstroke. Tomahawk's dual record now stands at 2-5. The Hatchets' next time in the pool is a double dual Thursday in Shawano. Events begin at 5:30.

Published on 01/14/2026 under Sports Tomahawk's hockey squad continued their undefeated stretch in Great Northern Conference play at SARA Park Monday with a dominating 8-0 victory over the Antigo Red Robins. After getting off to a slow start in the second period, the Hatchet offense picked up with seven goals in the final two. Jonah Dickens and Jett Reilly chipped in two goals a piece while Jake Albert and Brayden Lamer also found the back of the net. The win improves Tomahawk to 10-3 on the season and 6-0 in Great Northern Conference play. The Hatchets turn right back around tonight and have a showdown with fellow Division I Sectional Opponent Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln at SARA Park. Alex Koch and Zach Garner are in the broadcast booth with the Fehrman Orthodontics Pregame Show at 6:35. Puck drop is at 7:00.

Published on 01/14/2026 under Sports The Hatchet girls' wrestlers notched their first top finish in an invite in the 2025-26 season Monday, placing first in the Lakeland GNC Scramble. Tomahawk placed first out of six teams with 155 team points. The Hatchets also finshed 10.5 points ahead of the host, Lakeland. Across weight classes, Tomahawk had three first-place finishes. Those came from Aubrey Tollefson at 113 points, Kaylee Roberts at 139 pounds, and Alena Cerkes at 147 pounds. Tomahawk turns right around and goes back on the road today for a quad out at St. Croix Falls. Events begin at 5:00.

Published on 01/14/2026 under Sports The Hatchet girls' basketball team shook off their Great Northern Conference loss to Lakeland Friday by tipping off the week with a 35-25 victory over Northland Lutheran in Kronenwetter Monday night. Despite playing without starting guard Lizzy Long, Tomahawk was able to overcome several turnovers to pull out their eighth victory of the season. Freya Alberg led the way with 19 points for the now 8-3 Hatchets. Tomahawk has a quick turnaround tonight as they head to Mosinee for another Great Northern Conference game. Tip is at 7:15.

Published on 01/13/2026 under News A new home has only strengthened the mission of the Tomahawk Kinship program as they approach 30 years as an organization. January is National Mentorship Month, and Tomahawk Kinship continues to be a staple of the Tomahawk Community. Director Patti Hilgendorf and Board President Cheryl Brickner recently stopped by the WJJQ studios to discuss the program, while also inviting the community to an open house coming up next week. The first Kinship pairing happened all the way back in 1997. They currently have 44 active matches, however Hilgendorf notes they have 28 Kinskids on their waiting list. Their New Year's resolution is to get 12 new mentors by March. Beyond the traditional mentorship pairings, Kinship also provides other outreach which Hilgendorf says has grown by leaps and bounds. This includes after-school tutoring and KinsClub. In fact, Hilgendorf noted that on some nights, they've outgrown their transport van and utilize a school bus to get kids to their building. They're also looking to revitalize their lunch buddy program in the New Year. Of course the big news for Tomahawk Kinship in 2025 was their move into the former Bradley Bank building on Main Street. Now that they've settled into the new space, they're inviting the community to check out their new space. Hilgendorf announced a Grand Opening/Open House coming up on Monday January 19. We'll have a bit more on the new building and the event in the coming days.

Published on 01/13/2026 under News Icy roads have led to delayed starts for several schools in the Northwoods including Tomahawk. The district made the decision to begin on a two hour delay. A wintery mix of precipitation, along with temperatures hovering right around the freezing mark led to some black ice and slippery roads Tuesday morning. This impacted secondary roads in particular. Most school delays were along the Highway 8 corridor including Rhinelander, Elcho, and Crandon. By mid-morning, road crews were out, and temperatures rose resulting in improved road conditions.

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