WJJQ Radio

Story Details

Wisconsin Rural Schools Alliance Supports Evers Budget Published on 02/22/2021 under News

Governor Evers' budget proposal has received support from a group focused on rural schools in the state.

The Wisconsin Rural Schools Alliance released a statement Friday praising the spending proposal, specifically highlighting the focus on education and broadband expansion. In addition to a general increase in state aid to schools, Evers' also proposed a boost to funding in categories such as sparsity aid which benefit smaller, rural schools.

The alliance wrote, "We commend the Governor's proposal and ask the legislature to take the time to review this closely and see how many of the points clearly aligns with many bi-partisan initiatives already being discussed."

They also encouraged legislators to meet with local school leaders, teachers students and school boards to see how the proposal will positively impact all children.

The state school funding formula has led to numerous Northwoods school districts operating under referendums including Rhinelander, Merrill, and Northland Pines. Tomahawk is also utilizing a referendum set to expire this year. They've made another spending request which will appear on the April ballot.

The Wisconsin Rural Schools Alliance was created to address the unique issues affecting rural schools in Wisconsin.

In Other News

Hatchet Hockey Team Wins Fourth GNC Game

Published on 12/17/2025 under Sports Tomahawk's hockey squad continued their dominant start to the season with their second straight shutout win Tuesday night, defeating Waupaca, 7-0. The Hatchets got consistent and persistent offensive output from their top line once again. Jonah Dickens came away with a hat trick. Tomahawk also got goals from Landyn Seymour, Oliver Childers, Brayden Lamer, and Jett Reilly. The win puts Tomahawk at 7-0 on the season and 4-0 in Great Northern Conference play. The Hatchets will return home for a non-conference showdown at SARA Park Saturday afternoon against West Bend. Tune in for the broadcast on Northwoods 92.5 WJJQ with the Fehrman Orthodontics Radio Pregame Show at 12:35 and opening faceoff at 1:00 PM. Alex Koch and Zach Garner will be in the broadcast booth.

Published on 12/17/2025 under Sports Tomahawk's girls' basketball squad notched their fourth win of the season in dominating fashion, defeating Crandon at the Hatchet House Tuesday, 67-37. The Hatchets consistently turned their defense into offense, creating takeaways on a consistent basis. Anita Ziert finished with a career-high 24 points and 13 rebounds. Freya Alberg finished with 19 points, eight boards, and six blocks. The Hatchets' record improves to 4-2 on the season and 2-1 in Great Northern Conference play. Tomahawk's next showdown will be the battle for Lincoln County down in Merrill Friday night. Tune in for the broadcast on Northwoods 92.5 WJJQ with the Fehrman Orthodontics Radio Pregame Show at 6:50 and tip-off at 7:15 PM. Alex Koch and Matt Theiler will be in the broadcast booth.

Published on 12/17/2025 under Sports Tomahawk's swim squad notched their first dual meet win of the season on their home pool Tuesday with a split in their double dual. The Hatchets started off the night with a loss to Wausau East, 70-57. However, Tomahawk would respond with their first dual meet win of the season, defeating Medford, 71-54. The Hatchets would come away with six first-place finishes in their double dual. Dane Dekiep would place first in the 50 Freestyle and the 100 backstroke. Bruce Peetz topped the 100 freestyle and 100 breaststroke. Tomahawk would also win the 200 I.M. and the 400 freestyle relay. Tomahawk's dual record now sits at 1-4 on the season. The Hatchets' next dual meet is Thursday in Rhinelander. Events begin at 5:30 PM.

Published on 12/17/2025 under Sports Tomahawk's girls' wrestling squad came away with seven first-place finishes in their invite at Marshfield Tuesday. All seven wins in the first-place matches came by fall. Wrestlers that finished first were Victoria Towle, Alena Cerkes, Aubrey Tollefson, Lillian Taves, Kylie Peissig, Abigail Schertz, and Sophie Roberts. The Hatchets will be back in action for the Hodag Invite in Rhinelander Friday. Events begin at 10:00 AM.

Published on 12/16/2025 under News An iconic snowman is set to return to the Northwoods this week, and he'll be built in a new location. The Minocqua Area Visitors Bureau announced construction of Snowmy Kromer is set to begin today. For those unfamiliar, Snowmy is an approximately 30 foot tall snowman, built in three tiers like a wedding cake. Once formed, Snowmy comes to life with his traffic cone nose, a four foot long pipe, and of course, namesake, Stormy Kromer cap, which is custom-made to accommodate his size 96 head. The tradition dates back to the 1960's, but was revitalized in 2015. Since then Stormy has shown up when the weather allows. Krystal Westfahl, President of the Minocqua Area Visitors Bureau says, "Snowmy Kromer is more than just a snowman — he represents the spirit, creativity, and sense of fun that define winter in Minocqua." Westfahl also noted that the snow statue is on the move. Rather than his traditional location outside the Chamber, this year Stormy will be built in Torpy Park. Construction typically takes around three days, so Snowmy could be ready by weekend. Westfahl says that people can watch the build via their water tower webcam. The giant snowman has become a tourism destination and photo hot spot, they're encouraging people use the hashtag #snowmykromer on socials. Snowmy Kromer's return continues the seasonal optimism here in the Northwoods after two consecutive mild winters. In the past week alone, we've also heard from plans for the Eagle River Ice Castle and the Boulder Junction 'Glide' ice skating loop.

Published on 12/16/2025 under News Two people are in custody in connection with a child abuse and neglect investigation in Lincoln County. According to the Lincoln County Sheriff's Report, deputies were called to a Town of Bradley location on Friday where they learned a family of two adults and eight children were living in an RV with no heat at the time. The reporting party said the children had been left alone, and one child went to a neighbor's house seeking food. That individual purchased food for the children and contacted authorities. The sheriff's office along with child protective services responded and confirmed the eight children had been left alone. According to the report, the children said they did not feel safe at home. They told investigators their parents would discipline them by various means including punching or kicking them, or leaving them outside while not properly dressed. Officials removed the children prior to the return of the parents. They also transporting five dogs to the Humane Society. When the parents returned they were taken into custody and are being held in the Lincoln County Jail on charges including physical abuse of a child, child neglect, and possession of marijuana. Their names are being withheld to protect the identity of the children.

Published on 12/16/2025 under News The Lincoln County Sheriff's Office is seeking the public's help in their investigation into a break-in at an area establishment last week. That incident happened during the early morning hours of Monday December 8. The Sheriff's Office responded to a burglary at Nutzees Bar and Grill on County B in the Town of Harrison. According to investigators, an unknown suspect (or suspects) forced entry into the bar. Once inside, they stole an undisclosed amount of money. The case remains under investigation, and detectives are asking anyone with information on this case to contact the Sheriff's Office.

Published on 12/16/2025 under News Aspirus Rhinelander Hospital completed another step in their multi-phase renovation and expansion project. The latest work focused on the Inpatient Behavioral Health unit. This includes adding two additional patient rooms, modernizing office space and introduced a newly built activity room designed to support therapeutic programming such as group education and coping skills workshops. Teri Theiler, Aspirus North Division president says, "Expanding and enhancing our behavioral health services is a critical investment in the well-being of our community," Theiler added, "These improvements allow us to provide compassionate, high-quality care in an environment that supports healing and recovery — and ensures people receive the care they need, when they need it." Earlier this year, the facility also re-located their cardiology center to a new on-campus space.

Published on 12/16/2025 under News Over the holiday season, bird lovers here in the Northwoods are participating in a national bird spotting event. The 126th Audubon Christmas Bird County kicked off over the weekend. One of the largest and longest-running citizen science projects in the world, the Christmas Bird Count provides a snapshot of North America's early winter bird populations and serves as a broad-scale assessment of their trends over time. To ensure coverage, the counts will take place in 15 mile circles; each assigned a single date. Wisconsin has more than 100 locations. In Wisconsin, a bird count at this time of year may even turn up some non-native species seeking food or migrating through. The Audubon Society have additional information on their website.

Published on 12/15/2025 under News Northwoods snowmobilers are eager to get their sleds out, but local clubs are encouraging riders to keep them in park until the trails are officially open. With some early snow cover this season, the trails may look inviting, but do remain closed at this time across most of our region. While the previous two years were extremely challenging due to mild temperatures and minimal snow, it's still early for a typical season. Over the previous decade, the average opening date for Northwoods snowmobile trails is around December 23. Whether we hit that target remains to be seen. This past week, we heard from some of the volunteers with the Northwoods Passage Club, responsible for maintaining trails north of the Tomahawk area. They noted that while people may see their groomers and other equipment out on their trail system, it doesn't mean they are open to the public. They are working to pack, prep, and clear the trails. Similar to their ongoing 'Respect the Landowners' campaign which encourages riders stay on the trails; rules need to be followed when it comes to the opening and closing of trail systems as well. It's important to note that most club members and decision-makers ride themselves and are just as eager to get trails open as soon as possible. For those who don't want to wait for Mother Nature, the best bet is to actually head south. As several counties in southern Wisconsin have opened. Closer to home, there are some segments open in Iron and Marathon Counties as of Sunday, December 14.

+ Read More