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City of Tomahawk Accepts Bid for Sidewalk to Schools Project Published on 06/10/2025 under News

The City of Tomahawk will go forward with a sidewalk project despite bids coming in higher than anticipated.

The City Council approved the project at their meeting this past week. The bids came in approximately 20% over the engineering estimate. This was attributed, in part due to a rise in the price of concrete, along with a large number of projects being completed around the state, limiting contractor availability.

The Council laid out three options: accept the low bid, postpone and rebid next year hoping for a lower cost, or abandoning the project.

Ahead of the vote, the city council members noted that the city has already invested money in planning and preparation for the project, they've also been awarded a Sidewalk to Schools grant to cover 80% of the cost.

Ultimately, they approved the bid, acknowledging that prices probably won't go down; the city's previous investment, as well as making pedestrian routes to the city's schools safer for students.

In Other News

Oneida County Economic Development Corporation Completes Housing Needs Study

Published on 06/12/2025 under News Many communities are dealing with a shortage of affordable housing options. Up in Oneida County their Economic Development Corporation recently completed a community survey and analysis on the growing demand. The OCEDC partnered with North Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission to create this housing study. They found that, based on household growth projections and census data, approximately 1,400 new housing units may be needed in Oneida County by the year 2030. They found that respondents showed a desire to own a home rather than rent. Renters cited difficulty in not only finding single family homes available, but also the rising costs or renting. Beyond traditional single family dwellings, respondents also indicated multi-generational, low maintenance, and aging-in-place homes are hard to find in Oneida County. These housing needs impacts not only locals, but other areas of county growth such as attracting potential employees to re-locate. In addition to the data collection, the study also made some recommendations to address housing needs. Just a few examples include education and outreach for developers, buyers and renters; partnerships with stakeholders and local leaders to both build new and rehabilitate existing structures; and reviewing subdivision, zoning, and comprehensive plans to improve opportunities. The study results have been posted to the Oneida County Economic Development Corporation website.

Published on 06/12/2025 under News The Ice Age Trail stretches an impressive 1,200 miles through the state including here in North Central Wisconsin. A team of volunteers have been busy this month creating a new segment in Langlade County. This past week, 120 volunteer members of the Ice Age Trail Alliance Trail Crew were at the Moraine Outwash Preserve just outside of Antigo working on a new 2 mile segment. The effort was described as both ambitious and scenic. It included weaving a winding footpath through mature trees, around glacier-deposited boulders known as 'erratics', and atop the crest of the Almond Moraine. Luke Kloberdanz is executive director of the Ice Age Trail Alliance called the work a testament to the patience and dedication of Ice Age Trail supporters. He says, "This kind of work doesn't happen overnight. But when volunteers come together with passion and purpose, we see the Trail come to life—one mile at a time." The Alliance referred to Langlade County as a rising star in the Ice Age Trail world. The county has 84 miles of trail corridor, the second highest total in the state. And they're not done yet, volunteers will return later this month for another large-scale project at the nearby Mueller Lake Preserve.

Published on 06/12/2025 under News The Lincoln County Veterans Service Office will be temporarily postponing their outreach appointments in Tomahawk, but hope to resume the service later this summer. According to the announcement, it is the result of a temporary staffing shortage due to a family leave. Matthew Pultz, Lincoln County Veterans Service Officer. "We understand the importance of these outreach appointments to our veterans in the Tomahawk community. We are working to resolve unforeseen scheduling conflicts and will resume our regular services as soon as possible." They're hoping to resume those appoints at Tomahawk City Hall by mid-August. During this time, the Lincoln County Veterans Services office in Merrill will remain open and continue to assist veterans and families with their claims and needs. While they accept walk-ins they do encourage scheduling an appointment.

Published on 06/12/2025 under News A new television series debuting on SyFy network takes place in Northern Wisconsin. The premiere of Revival is this evening. While most of the filming took place in New Brunswick Canada, the fictional setting for the series is primarily in Wausau and surrounding areas. The show is based on a 47 issue comic book series of the same name. As for why the story takes place in and around Wausau, writer Tim Seeley and artist Mike Norton are both from the area. Without offering too many spoilers, the plot follows the story of Officer Dana Cypress as she investigates a murder. And airing on the SyFy network there is a bit of the supernatural. They also deal with the un-dead or as they are known in the series 'revivers'. Season one of Revival airs Thursday nights on SyFy network, and streamers can watch on Peacock.

Published on 06/12/2025 under News A local legislator is urging the DNR to reconsider a decision to reduce the number of locations for treatment of an aquatic invasive species. According to a news release from Representative Calvin Callahan, the Lake Nokomis Lake Association applied to treat three locations on the reservoir for Eurasian water milfoil as they have done in the past. However, this time, just one of the treatment areas was approved. According to Callahan, the agency cited concerns that the herbicide being used could potentially drift downstream and impact wild rice beds. Callahan says, "For years, the Lake Association has worked in partnership with the DNR to responsibly manage milfoil outbreaks, ensuring recreational access, protecting the local ecosystem, and preserving water quality." He added, "I understand the importance of protecting native species, like wild rice, but this decision by the DNR doesn't make sense." He encouraged the DNR to reconsider the applications and work with the local stakeholders.

Published on 06/12/2025 under News When it comes to a medical emergency every moment matters. Aspirus Tomahawk Hospital recently highlighted their effort to improve care for stroke patients. The practices are based on the American Heart Association's Get With The Guidelines program. That care actually begins before the patient arrives at the hospital. Responders are trained to recognize stroke symptoms quickly and act immediately, and communicating that information with the staff to prepare for arrival. Sarah Sherman, RN, Aspirus Tomahawk Hospital Emergency Department explained"We want our doctors to see the patient within 10 minutes and have them in the CT scanner within 25." They also have access to outside experts through tele-neurology consultations which provide instant access to specialists remotely. Sherman added, "We've had neurologists from across the country on screen within minutes." And these care practices continues post event as well. Bob Towne, RN, Supervisor at Aspirus Tomahawk Hospital, says it's about helping patients understand their risk factors, recognize warning signs, and know how to prevent another stroke." He added, "That education extends to families too, so they can be active partners in recovery and ongoing care."

Published on 06/11/2025 under News Music on the River returns to the Tomahawk Community with seven consecutive weeks of live music in Veterans Memorial Park. The summer staple kicks off tonight with dinner and a show. The summer concert series is back for year number 18. For those unfamiliar, the bands all perform along the scenic shores of the Wisconsin River where music lovers not only enjoy the performance on land, but also by boat. Over the years, an occasional band member or two have even climbed aboard to play by pontoon. We previewed the line-up earlier this spring. The opening performer is Copper Box. The Fox Valley foursome have become MOTR regulars, now playing the series a half dozen times. There music different genres, with the talented musicians blending a wide-range of instruments. They're also award winning including a Wisconsin Area Music Industry award for Album of the Year with their latest release last year. The opening of Music on the River is also the return of the WJJQ Community Cookout. Our staff will be serving up free brats, hot dogs, chips, and refreshments. Serving gets underway at 4:30 with music to begin at 6pm, all at Memorial Park here in Tomahawk.

Published on 06/11/2025 under News It was a record setting year for tourism, both in the state of Wisconsin and right here in Lincoln County. On Tuesday, the Wisconsin Department of Tourism released the state's 2024 tourism economic impact data. The industry generated a record-breaking $25.8 billion last year. The data was also broken down by county, and Lincoln County set a record for a third consecutive year. The 2024 tourism impact was $113 million, 3.3% growth. In the northern half of the county, Tomahawk Chamber Director Charis Lau was excited to share the numbers. She says, "Our Tomahawk community continues to support our friends and neighbors by putting our local businesses first. The camaraderie, the support, it's how our small town continues to have visitors fall in love with it," Delving a bit further into the numbers, the tourism industry supports nearly 700 part-time and full-time jobs in Lincoln County. It also generated approximately $6.1 million in sales tax revenue. Regarding the state numbers, Wisconsin Tourism Secretary Anne Sayers says, "Last year, Wisconsin tourism brought in more money, welcomed more visits and generated more revenue for state and local governments than any other year. Tourism in all corners fueled this hat-trick of records for an accomplishment the entire state can celebrate," Coming up later this week, we'll take a look at some of the numbers from other Northwoods Counties.

Published on 06/11/2025 under News Ahead of the summer season, the Lincoln County Forestry, Land and Parks Department is completing some work on the Hiawatha Trail system. The Hiawatha serves as a main recreational corridor from the City of Tomahawk to the north. All summer long it will be busy with bikers, runners, and walkers. Before that action picks up, the county will once again be doing some invasive species control on the northern end of the trail. On Thursday morning, crews are scheduled to apply the treatment on the segment between County N and Heafford Road. It will require a 24 hour closure of that area, and they hope to have the trail re-opened by Friday morning. Fortunately, there is an easy detour, as trail users can simply hop onto Heafford Road which runs parallel to the closed segment.

Published on 06/11/2025 under News Last fall, Lincoln County received a state grant to help fund some much needed upgrades for the 911 Center. The County recently received some additional funding from that same program. The grants come from the Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs-Office of Emergency Communications. It's part of a statewide initiative to bring Next Gen 9-1-1 technology to local communities. The goal is to ensure faster response times, greater accuracy, and enhanced emergency response capabilities that residents can rely on. The initial grant awarded to Lincoln County last fall was approximately $417,000. The supplemental grant announced this week added another $18,000. Tyler Verhasselt, is Lincoln County Director of Emergency Management says, "This award is ultimately about making sure our first responders can communicate instantly and effectively, no matter where they are in the county or who they're working with." He explained that the funding will help install updated radio equipment that allows our emergency dispatchers to talk more clearly and reliably with police, fire, EMS, not only in Lincoln County, but neighboring counties as well.

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