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Hatchet Volleyball Team Wins Regional Championship Published on 10/24/2022 under Sports

The Tomahawk Hatchet Volleyball Team has advanced to the WIAA Sectional Semi-Finals, winning the Regional Championship on Saturday by defeating Shawano three games to one.

Tomahawk won game one, 25-19, with Shawano winning game two 19-25. The Hatchets then came back and won games three and four, 25-17 and 25-18 respectively.

Tomahawk will host Oconto Falls on Thursday night in the sectional semis. Oconto Falls advanced with a three games to none sweep of Mosinee, 26-24, 25-20, 25-22.

Thursday's WIAA Sectional Semi-Final match is at 7:00 pm from the Fieldhouse, with the broadcast on Northwoods 92-5, WJJQ at 6:40 pm with Alex Koch and the Fehrman Orthodontics Prematch Show.

In Other News

Tomahawk City Council Recap: 2022 Budget; Levy

Published on 12/01/2022 under News The Tomahawk City Council approved a slight increase in the budget for the upcoming year, though the general tax levy should be down slightly. Much of the work on the budget was completed during several special Finance Committee meetings last month. There was minimal discussion ahead of the vote and no comments during the public hearing. In the end, the total spending came in at $8.2 million up around $1.6 million from last year. This is largely due to an increase in capital outlay. Among the projects on the docket for next year are the reconstruction of Sixth Street, replacing the roof at city hall, and mandatory computer technology upgrades. The city will also fund a portion of planned renovation of Washington Square Park that will include a splash pad and all-inclusive playground. In addition to the budget, a corresponding ordinance set the city's general property tax levy at just over $1.7 million, a 13.5% drop or a decrease of approximately $300,000 when compared to the current year. The city's portion of the mill rate came in at $8.12 per $1,000 of valuation. The other pieces of the local budget puzzle, the Tomahawk School District, Nicolet College, and Lincoln County, have already completed and approved their budgets. ___ In addition to the budget, the City Council had one other topic on the agenda. They approved the division of a lot on Murphy Avenue off of CC. The property owner dividing one large lot into three smaller ones. That was approved with minimal discussion. Tomahawk Committee Meeting Recap The Health and Safety Committee held their regular November meeting. With a light agenda, the committee briefly reviewed the city's celebration budget. These are the costs the city picks up, primarily public works and police, during events like Powwow Days, the Fall Ride, and the Venison Feed, as well as duties such as hanging the holiday decorations. This year the city set aside $64,000, and they are running about $2,000 over budget. That budget had been down in recent years due, in part, to the pandemic and scaled back or canceled events. Police Chief Al Elvins, in his monthly report to the committee, highlighted the department received two separate state grants for $3,000. One was for the Fall Ride, and the other ongoing officer training. He also noted the number of calls for service is up, already surpassing last year's overall total. After a busy November working on the budget, the city's finance committee held their regular monthly meeting last night. The lone item on the agenda was the city owned property at 404 South Tomahawk Avenue. The city acquired it this summer from the county after it was taken for delinquent taxes. The eviction process is ongoing and the committee will discuss the future of the property once it is vacated. The city did have the property appraised at approximately $88,000.

Published on 12/01/2022 under News Wisconsin Public Service is celebrating a pair of national awards the power company received for reliability. Last month, WPS was presented with ReliabilityOne Awards for Greatest Improvement in Reliability and Superior Customer Engagement. WPS President Tom Metcalfe says, "Providing affordable, reliable and clean energy to our customers is at the heart of every decision we make. These awards show the dedication our employees have to enhancing reliability and delivering world-class service to our customers." The Most Improved Award recognizes utilities for significant and sustained improvements over a five year period. For WPS, improvements go back a bit further thanks to an eight-year, ongoing efforts to bury overhead powerlines here in the Northwoods. To date more than 2,000 miles have already been placed underground to improve reliability. The company has also focused on equipment improvements that will help pinpoint the location of outages for a faster response. The second award, for customer engagement, was the result of WPS communication with customers regarding power outages and restoration time. This was a multi-platform honor that recognized the WPS app, website, and social media accounts in providing real-time outage information. These awards, handed out each fall are eligible to all electric utility networks in North America.

Published on 12/01/2022 under News With the calendar flipped to December, complete focus has turned to Christmas. For folks planning an outdoor light spectacular, the staff at Aspirus are reminding caution on ladders to avoid a trip to the ER. December 1 is National Christmas Lights Day. Mark Heinrich is the grounds and landscape project coordinator at Aspirus. He and his team are tasked with holiday decorations at Aspirus. He says their teams access some pretty high spots, and safety is always at the top of mind. He shared a few tips for ladder safety when hanging lights and decorations. First, make a plan before you start and choose an appropriate ladder for the job. Check all your gear including the lights and the ladder. Wipe down the rungs and ensure it's on flat level ground. When climbing where appropriate shoes that won't slip. Always face the ladder. Avoiding reaching, instead move the ladder to the right location. A good rule: If your belly button passes over the rail, you're leaning too far. And finally, when done, put the ladder away rather than leaving a raised ladder unattended.

Published on 12/01/2022 under News We continue to receive closure announcements for the summer ATV/UTV trails this week. The latest to announce the end of the seasonal trails is Oneida County. Their ATV/UTV trails will close as of 8am Friday. The closure also includes the Enterprise campgrounds. We previously announced the closure of the summer ATV/UTV trails in Lincoln and Langlade Counties which close as of today (Thursday.) The Vilas County Trail system closed last month.

Published on 12/01/2022 under News More than 200,000 hunters registered deer during the recently completed season. That likely included a number of first time hunters. The DNR is offering a personalized memento for those hunters. The DNR offers free first harvest certificates for those who get their first deer. In addition to first harvest certificates, they also have a first hunting experience certificate for those that got out for the first time, but weren't lucky enough to bag a deer. Hunters and trappers of all ages are encouraged to check out the DNR's selection of free first harvest certificates. They have similar certificates for various other hunting seasons as well. Those interested can submit a photograph to be included, as well as details about the experience. This information will be displayed on the individually customized certificate sent electronically to the recipient. The DNR has additional information on their website.

Published on 11/30/2022 under News Building on the success of opening weekend, hunters across the state wrapped up the gun/deer season by exceeding last year's harvest as well as the recent average. With the conclusion of the 9-day season Sunday, the DNR release the preliminary deer harvest totals from the season. According to that data, hunters registered around 204,000 deer. That's up 14.4% when compared to last year, and 7.7% higher than the 5 year average. The increase came despite fewer hunters in the field. Gun license sales were down 1.6% from last year. As a whole, the 20 county Northern Forest Zone saw a 21% increase. Taking a look at the local harvest numbers... Lincoln County hunters registered 2,149 deer, up 36.6% or approximately 600 animals. That includes 1,333 bucks. Oneida County hunters also found greater success with 1,877 deer registered; a 21% increase over last year. Vilas County hunters took 1,335 deer, boosted by a large increase in antlerless take. That resulted in a 22% year-over-year increase. The DNR has additional data including a breakdown of antlered and antlerless deer on their website. While a full analysis is expected by DNR biologists, several factors likely played into hunter success. This includes a snow cover making deer more visible and easier to track, mild conditions after a chilly opening day; and the overall health of the herd after several consecutive mild winters. The DNR will provide final numbers in early January at the conclusion of all deer seasons including the ongoing archery season. County 2022 Harvest 2021 Harvest 5 year Average % Yearly Difference % Comparison to Average Langlade 2,659 1,619 2,111 64.2% 26% Lincoln 2,008 1,573 2,008 36.6% 7% Oneida 1,877 1,555 1,812 20.7% 3.6% Price 2,231 2,067 2086 7.9% 7.0% Taylor 3,8453,243 3,131 18.6% 22.8% Vilas 1,335 1,096 1,085 21.8% 23%

+ Read More Fire at Home in Antigo

Published on 11/30/2022 under News A home was destroyed in a fire in Langlade County, leaving behind two family pets. The Antigo Fire Department was dispatched to that fire in a mobile home on 10th Avenue Tuesday afternoon at shortly before 2:30pm. Crews arrived to find heavy smoke and flames. The lone occupant was able to evacuate to a neighbor, but sustained minor burns. That individual was treated on the scene. Unfortunately, two family pets were lost in the fire. The Red Cross is working with the residents. Based on the preliminary investigation, they believe the fire started from a cigarette that was dropped near a medical oxygen source. Crews were on the scene for around two hours.

Published on 11/30/2022 under News The Tomahawk Kinship program has been a mainstay in the Tomahawk Community dating back 23 years. And after two decades, they recently got a makeover, with a brand new stylized logo. Those driving past their Wisconsin Avenue location in recent days have seen the new branding on the signs on the building. They've also showcased the logos on their social media and website. The workmark prominently features the letters 'K' and 'i' in the work kinship. The angled strokes of the letter K appear as a stylized adult reaching out to the smaller lower-case 'I' representing the youth. They wrote, "We at Kinship of Tomahawk really like the new look and hope you do too." For those unfamiliar, the Kinship program offers a number of services for Tomahawk area youth. The mentoring program has connected hundred of local kids with mentors over the years. They also provide additional support including after-school space; tutoring, lunch buddies, organized activities, and supplemental food and snacks.

Published on 11/30/2022 under News Yesterday, we talked about Snow Plow Driver Appreciation Day, and briefly mentioned the new flashing green lights. Tuesday afternoon, the DoT provided a some additional information on the new light options. They said, "A new law took effect in April allowing county and municipal snowplows to use fluorescent green warning lights..." The change was made in part to create a greater contrast than other warning lights colors to improve visibility, especially during snowstorms. It'll also help distinguish road maintenance vehicles from other emergency vehicles that display flashing red, blue, white, and amber lights. The additional green warning lights are meant to increase safety, enhance driver awareness and improve visibility of maintenance vehicles. Some local municipalities have already begun to outfit the vehicles with the new green lights. It make take others longer to transition their lights based on time, cost, and availability. Several states including Michigan have already adopted green lighting on maintenance vehicles to generally positive reviews.

Published on 11/30/2022 under News With county funding for the Lincoln County UW-Extension largely eliminated, officials recently outlined some of the upcoming changes. As we previously covered, during the budget process, the Lincoln County Board cut a majority of the Extension funding. Art Lersch, who oversees the regional UW-Extension offices says, "We recognize that the board has many difficult budget choices to make on an ongoing basis but the reduction in funding for Extension services will have ripple effects throughout Lincoln County communities." He also provided a brief update on what people can expect going forward. An agreement was reached to extend the 4-H educator position, and the FoodWise nutrition education program, aided by federal funding, will continue as well. He shared that those offices will be by appointment only starting December 12. Among the programs that will be discontinued:· Health & Well – Being/Positive Youth Development Programs – Debbie Moellendorf (e.g. StrongBodies; mental health related education to adults and youth; Social Norms project; Healthy Minds preventative and other education in conjunction with the Lincoln County Health Department; and AODA education; etc.). · Community Development Programs – Elizabeth McCrank (e.g. organizational assistance for nonprofits and businesses; organizational assistance for local governments; strategic planning for nonprofits; rural broadband expansion planning; housing expansion planning; community health assessment planning; etc.). · Agriculture Programs – Scott Reuss (e.g. Youth Tractor & Machinery Certification Course; Nitrogen enhancement product research plots/nutrient management education for farms to increase crop yields and protect the environment; Nitrogen and sulfur rate effects on winter wheat yield research plots; one on one and group farm consultations; etc.). · Office Support – Becky Kludy (e.g. ability to answer customer questions; ability to sell plat books, ability to assist with food preservation questions and pressure canner testing; soil sample kits, water sample kits; ability to provide in office, email, and phone customer service related to a wide variety of topics; etc.) The changes came amid a passionate effort by members of the public at County Board and Finance Committee meetings. Lersch and the rest of the staff offered a thank you for the "tremendous outpouring of community support." They wrote, "It has been our pleasure to serve you and to help create positive community change in local communities." Anyone with additional questions on the transition can contact Lersch at art.lersch@wisc.edu or 715-218-5360. .

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