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Boulder Jct. Basketball Court Fundraising nears Goal; Eyes August Start if Goal Met Published on 07/15/2024 under News

The folks up in Boulder Junction have been busy transforming the Boulder Junction Sports and Recreational Area. After building an all-inclusive playground last year, they've set their sights on an upgraded basketball court.

They're nearing the fundraising goal and hope to begin work a bit later this summer. We recently heard an update from board chair Laura Bertsch. She says they're at 85% of their fundraising total. That's about $12,000 short of where they need to be to break ground.

The hope to hit that mark and begin work in August.

The project will include replacing and expanding the current half court to a full-sized basketball court, along with new backboards, rims, and benches.

As for the all-inclusive playground which opened a little more than a year ago, Bertsch says, "The high amount of use the playground is receiving and the large amount of pleasure and well-being that is derived from the children's play is a testament to (the community's) generosity"

You can visit boulderatplay.com for additional updates, information, and fundraising opportunities.

In Other News

Tomahawk Area Non-Profits Share ~$30,000 in Grants from Tomahawk Community Thrift Shop

Published on 07/22/2025 under News Two times each year, the Tomahawk Community Thrift Shop returns their proceeds to community organizations. And over the years, they've gifted hundreds of thousands of dollars to local non-profits. Ahead of their ceremonial check presentations, two of the many store volunteers, Joe and Bonnie Trapp, stopped by the WJJQ studios to announce the latest grant recipients and talk about the shop. Overall, 12 groups will share in $28,700 in the latest cycle. Some of the funds are earmarked for specific projects, others will go towards general operations and outreach. Many of the recipients will be familiar to our listeners. They include Apex Angels and Warriors; Salvation Army of Tomahawk, Tomahawk Area Interfaith Volunteers; the Ties that Bind Us; St. Mary's School; Kwahamots; Our Sisters House; Tomahawk Public Library; Tomahawk Food Pantry; Kinship; Tomahawk Wrestling Alumni; and WaWui. (Additional details below) The Tomahawk Community Thrift Shop opened back in 2019. The founders were inspired by a store in the Minocqua area and wanted to bring a similar operation to the Tomahawk. They invest most of their profits into community organizations. And in those six short years, they've presented $218,551. Summer 2025 Tomahawk Community Thrift Shop Recipients:Apex Angels and Warriors-$2,500-Supporting wolf dog and veteran programSalvation Army of Tomahawk-$2,500-Happy Kids Backpack ProgramTAIV-$1,000-Supporting cost of transportation for seniors and disabledTies That Bind Us-$2,000-supporting those with cancer diagnosis locallySt. Mary's-$1,600-Wenger Flip Forms for music programKinship-$3,000-Tutoring programKwahamots-$1,500-bleacher replacementOur Sisters House-$2,000-operations costs at the temporary housing shelterTomahawk Public Library-$4,500-Activity kits for Tinker Tuesdays and STEM programsTomahawk Food Pantry-$2,600-Ongoing expensesTomahawk Wrestling Alumni-$4,500-Costs associated with hosting Youth Wrestling TournamentWaWui-$1,000-Bleacher Replacement Fundraiser

Published on 07/22/2025 under News This past week, the Tomahawk Kinship organization officially took ownership of their future home. Now they're looking to show off the new space. It was a week ago today that papers were signed and Tomahawk Kinship acquired the former Bradley Bank building from Associated Bank. The youth mentorship program had been on the hunt for a larger space to accommodate their growing needs. They set their sights on recently vacated building, launching a fundraiser to secure the $300,000. And thanks to community generosity and several grants, they reached the goal earlier this month. With keys in hand, Kinship is opening the doors to the community with an open house this evening. The goal is to share their vision of the new home with the community. Purchasing the building was only the first step. Phases 2 and 3 include retrofitting the building to suit their needs, and converting a portion of the back parking lot into a green space. Tonight's Open House will include tours, information, a silent auction, and even some tasty snacks courtesy of the Windmill and Sweet Pies of Mine. For those interested, it's from 5pm to 7pm this evening. Come in through the back entrance. And attendees are encouraged to bring a non-perishable food donation.

Published on 07/22/2025 under News Five Tomahawk High School students spent a week in Florida for a national leadership conference, and they brought some high honors back to the Northwoods. Back in April, Tomahawk Family Career and Community Leaders of America or FCCLA students attended the state leadership conference. Five students qualified for the national conference which was held in Orlando earlier this month. In addition to educational sessions and networking opportunities, students also present their projects. The THS contingent fared well, and brought home several medals. According to the Tomahawk School District, Siennah Calkins earned gold in Leadership while also being recognized as a Top Ten Finalist. Morgan Kretzchmar earned gold in career investigation. Caylie Swan and Riah Petta finished in second place in interpersonal communications; while Emma Hoff earned bronze in review display. According to the National FCCLA organization, nearly 8,000 students attended this year's event.

Published on 07/22/2025 under News A Northwoods warden was recognized by the DNR as their Warden of the Year. At a ceremony earlier this month, Bradley Dahlquist was presented with the Haskell Noyes Warden of the Year award. Dahlquist is a member of the Antigo Warden Team, beginning his career in 2008. According to the DNR, their Warden of the Year recipient demonstrates an ability to lead a quality law enforcement conservation program that balances enforcement, education and community involvement. Dahlquist was nominated by was nominated Captain Ben Treml, who called Dahlquist a humble leader with a contagious can-do attitude backed by a strong drive for public service. Treml says, "Brad has been instrumental in serving the public in Forest and Langlade counties throughout his career. He is the first to volunteer and take on extra duties and keeps current on ever-changing technology to support his strong performance in investigative and enforcement work in all areas." The Haskell Noyes Award, created 95 years ago by the late Milwaukee businessman who sought recognition for officers protecting the resources. Photo credit: Wisconsin DNR: Bradley Dahlquist, DNR conservation warden, is recognized with the 2024 Haskell Noyes Award. Pictured, from left to right, are: Lt. Jacob Cross, Warden Bradley Dahlquist, Chief Conservation Warden Casey Krueger and Capt. Ben Treml.

Published on 07/22/2025 under News A Lincoln County man was arrested due to his actions after a family pet was struck by a vehicle. According to the Lincoln County Sheriff's Report, the incident happened Friday. Deputies were sent to County Z in the Town of Scott for a man disrupting passing cars. According to the report, when deputies arrived on scene, they found the man had placed a garbage can in the middle of the highway. They learned the man was upset because his cat had been killed near that location. The deputies initially gave the man a warning, removed the garbage can, and left the scene. They were called back to the area a short time later. The man was allegedly attempting to spray passing cars with paint, according to the report. The deputies placed the man under arrested for disorderly conduct and brought him to the Lincoln County Jail.

Published on 07/22/2025 under News Lincoln County Deputies are seeking information on a pair of burglaries this past week. According to the Sheriff's Report, the first took theft took place at an address along highway 17 in the Town of Russell. A man reported his vehicle had been broken into and a fire arm stolen. The second incident happened on County T in the Town of Somo. The property owner said someone had entered a building on his property and stole several high value items. At the time of the report, the victim was still working on a complete list of items taken. The burglary is believed to have happened at some point over the last two weeks. Anyone with information on either of these incidents is asked to contact the LISO.

Published on 07/21/2025 under News There's plenty to do in Downtown Tomahawk, and now families can enjoy a unique reading experience. The Tomahawk Public Library and Tomahawk Main Street recently teamed up to create a Story Walk in the district. We caught up with Main Street Director Jennifer Turkiewicz to discuss the new attraction. She says Miss Annette, children's librarian Annettee Miller, approached her with the idea of bringing the story walk onto Main Street. For those unfamiliar, a story walk divides up a children's book with each page posted along a route. Kids and families can walk the path reading the books as they go. While the library had previously offered a story walk on the library grounds, they had some vandalism issues that caused them to re-think the program. Turkiewicz says the businesses jumped on board and were excited to participate. And while participants can read the pages from the sidewalk, many stops have coloring pages and other resources inside. Bringing more foot traffic into the downtown district while supporting children reading, Turkiewicz called it a win-win and encouraged people to stop by and check it out. Currently, the pages of the children's book Pete the Cat are featured in business windows on the northside of Main Street, starting at Walker's General Store. The final page is at Diamond Rock Glass Studio and a recap page at Corner Pub. Then in August, they'll offer a new book, while also flipping to the southside of Main Street.

Published on 07/21/2025 under News If you noticed a little more airplane traffic across the Northwoods Sunday morning, you are not alone. While hundreds of thousands of aviation enthusiasts will be in the Fox Valley this week for the EAA AirVenture, more than 100 pilots first participated in an air race around the Northwoods. It's all part of the AirVenture Cup, now in its 27th year. The race in the skies traditionally serves as a kick-off event for the week-long festivities in Oshkosh about all things aviation. The race is based out of the Wausau Airport and takes pilots on a route through Northern Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula. This year's approximately 400 mile circuit sent pilots out from Wausau to Manistique, after a couple more checkpoints in the UP, they return to the Northwoods with Land O Lakes, Tomahawk and Merrill serving as the final check points. That led to a steady line of airplanes flying overhead late Sunday morning as they wrapped up the course. Upon returning to the Wausau airport, pilots were greeted with a small luncheon. Most participants will make their way to Oshkosh where the EAA Air Venture officially kicks off this morning.

Published on 07/21/2025 under News The Kwahamots finished just short in their bid for a Wisconsin State Show Ski Championships over the weekend. Wisconsin Rapids once again played host to the 4-day competition on the shores of Lake Wazeecha. Two dozen teams participated across the three divisions. Our local Kwahamots skied Friday morning, and finished in second place in the tightly contested D-3 competition. They were edged out by the Bad Water Ski-Ters, who ski in Spread Eagle over in Florence County. The Kwahamots topped the standings in two judging categories, their ballet line and their barefoot act. After pausing their shows for the competition, they'll be back on their regular schedule this week. As for the other divisions, the Ski Sprites of Altoona topped D2 and the Mad-City skiers of Madison were the D1 Champs.

Published on 07/21/2025 under News Atrial fibrillation affects millions of Americans each year, yet often goes undetected and untreated. That can lead to serious health risks including stroke. The Aspirus Heart Care team will be offering up a free seminar on the topic here in the Northwoods Tuesday evening. The program in Minocqua will be led by cardio-thoracic surgeon John Johnkoski and electro-physiologist Andrew Mykytsey. They'll cover the relationship between AFib, stroke, and heart failure, as well as the innovative treatment options currently available. Recent research has show Afib on the rise among those under the age of 65. It can be attributed to a combination of factors including smoking, alcohol consumption, obesity, hypertension or sleep apnea. Johnkoski says, "Atrial fibrillation not only disrupts normal heart rhythm but also significantly increases the risk of life-threatening complications. He notes that the risk of stroke can increase five fold in those with Afib. The seminar is scheduled for Tuesday evening at 6:30pm and will be held at The Pointe Hotel and Suites in Minocqua. It is free, but registration is required. Click or call 715.847.2380 or 800.847.4707

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