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Oneida County Announces Snowmobile Trails Opening Friday Published on 12/17/2025 under News

Northwoods snowmobile riders are getting an early Christmas present with Oneida County opening their trails ahead of the weekend.

The Oneida County Forestry Land and Recreation Department announced that a majority of their trail system will open at noon on Friday. There are a few exceptions including the Northwoods Passage 51B trail. In the announcement, they note that all lake or river trails in Oneida County remain closed at this time, and they are considered unsafe until they have been clearly marked.

While the local clubs have been busy preparing the trails, they do anticipate early season riding conditions.

In recent years, local snowmobilers have had to wait until January on a number of occasions. Last year, Oneida County trails didn't open until February 7 for an abbreviated riding season.

We await word on neighboring counties, and will pass along any additional openers as we receive them. As always stay tuned to WJJQ throughout the season for updates and reports on the local trail system.

In Other News

Christmas Spirit-Lincoln County Distributes Gifts to Local Families in Need

Published on 12/17/2025 under News Volunteers in Lincoln County were once again able to make this Christmas season merry with a little help from the community. Over the past few months organizers of Christmas Spirit-Lincoln County have been busy preparing their annual gift distribution. Working with community partners, they fill gift requests for families struggling financially to provide presents during the holiday season. With both the need and generosity remaining high, they recently announced they were able to distribute gifts to 150 families this year, which will allow 390 kids to have a brighter Christmas next week. Those gifts were distributed to families earlier this month. As their giving season wraps up, organizers wanted to thank everyone who lent a helping hand this year. This includes the Tomahawk and Merrill Fire Departments, area businesses, shoppers, gift wrappers, who continue to coming together to make this program possible each holiday season.

Published on 12/17/2025 under News Earlier this year, YMCA of the Northwoods announced they were exploring a new location in the Lakeland area. Now they're seeking some community input. Back in October, the Y share they were considering a partnership with Lakeland Fitness and Golf Center in Woodruff. They created a Lakeland Area Y Steering Committee is exploring the feasibility. That committee has launched a Community Needs Assessment survey to help determine what gaps in facilities, programs, and services there are in the area. Linda May, CEO of the YMCA of the Northwoods says, "A YMCA is built by listening to the community it hopes to serve. Your voice will help us understand what matters most and how we can work within the Lakeland area. Together, we can strengthen connections, support wellness, and create a vision for a place where everyone belongs." The YMCA of the Northwoods is based in Rhinelander. They also have the Flambeau River Y in Park Falls which opened earlier this year.

Published on 12/17/2025 under News Local responders recently took part in some winter rescue training, while also reminding the public to use caution whenever heading out onto the ice. Throughout the season, rescue crews regularly brush up on their skills to ensure they are well-prepared when they get the call for an ice-water rescue. Crews from the Nokomis Fire Department were able to conduct a training session on Monday evening. They took advantage of some open water near the County L bridge. They said were able to cover a variety of useful skills including rope handling, radio use, verbal and non-verbal communication, rescues, and self-rescues. And because not all emergencies come during the daytime hours, they brushed up on lighting the scene. In addition to the rescue training, the group also said they were able to test out their new electric ice auger. This can be a useful tool during a fire response in getting fast access to water under the ice.

Published on 12/17/2025 under News Around a quarter of Wisconsinites receive their drinking water from private wells. It is recommended that well-owners have their wells regularly tested for contaminates. The DNR is hoping to make it easier for property owners to interpret those results. The agency, and their partners have launched the 'Be Well Informed' website, an online tool and resource guide. After receiving well testing results from a certified laboratory, the property owner can enter the data into the website. The tool then generates a report that explains the results and provides educational resources for any recommended next steps. Marty Nessman, DNR Private Water Supply section manager says, "I'm pleased that Wisconsin is able to provide this valuable tool to help private well owners make sense of their drinking water test results." The tool is tailored to Wisconsin's drinking water environment and includes current water guidelines and standards. The agency partnered with UW-Madison Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene, Wisconsin Department of Health Services and UW- Extension to design the website.

Published on 12/17/2025 under News Two Marshfield Clinic AmeriCorps programs will receive another round of funding to continue their mission. Overall, Serve Wisconsin announced the distribution of $9.3 million in grant funding from the AmeriCorps to support 20 programs around the state. Through these programs, the AmeriCorps members will help support a range of outreach from conservation projects to after school youth programs. Executive Director of Serve Wisconsin Kyle Clower says, "This federal funding will put nearly 700 AmeriCorps members on the ground at roughly 200 service sites throughout the state to help make a difference and improve the lives of people across Wisconsin." According to the announcement, Marshfield Clinic has two programs selected to receive funding. The first is for their 'Community Corps' program. They funds will help place 40 members in non-profits and public health organizations around the region to increase their capacity to address local health needs. The second, Recovery Corps, will train 15 members as recovery coaches to address opioid and other substance addiction while also providing community education on the topic. This funding was initially cut by the Trump administration, but later restored through court order.

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.

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