Northwoods Scenic Byway Receives Marketing Grant
Published on 09/06/2019 under News
With fall right around the corner, a local partnership received additional funding to promote a designated scenic roadway.
The Fall in Love With the Byway promotion is a cooperative effort between Langlade, Forest, Oneida and Vilas counties to promote the Nicolet-Wolf River Scenic Byway. The stretch of roadway was designated by the state in 2017 as a scenic area to travel through.
The JEM award totals $35,147, and the group will contribute matching funds of $35,147, for a total promotional budget of $70,294. This is the second consecutive year for the grant.
The marketing budget will focus on social media, search engine optimization, print advertising with Midwest Living and Our Wisconsin magazines, co-op advertising with the Wisconsin Department of Tourism, and statewide sponsorships with Wisconsin Public Radio.
Mark Ferris, Forest County Economic Development Partnership Executive Director said in announcing the grant, “We look forward to surpassing the success the campaign had last year, and to continue to work with our regional tourism partners to increase awareness of the Nicolet-Wolf River Scenic Byway.”
The Grant was announced last month, and presented this week.
Published on 09/06/2019 under News
It’s time once again for Tomahawk residents to do some fall cleaning. The city’s annual Dumpster Days event returns this weekend with a variety of services including household item disposal and electronics recycling. Over the years, the event has been a way to make the community a more inviting place to live. Originally established by the Make-a-Difference group 14 years ago, the city of Tomahawk has taken over the behind the scenes organization in recent years. The free drop-off of household items is for city residents only. This is for items that may be too large for a resident to easily take to the landfill such as a couches or tables. When the event was being renewed by the City’s Solid Waste and Recycling committee meeting, Clerk Amanda Bartz noted they’ve even seen a full sized piano. The Boy Scouts will also provide curbside city pick up for a fee. Call City Hall by Friday to register. They’ll also offer an electronics recycling, which is available to non-city residents, as well. That portion of the event carries a small fee of $5 to $35 for larger televisions. Those collections runs from 8-noon at the City Garage on Spirit Avenue. In conjunction with those dumpster days events Tomahawk Community Bank will also offer document shredding from 8:30am until 11:30am. That will take place in the Tomahawk Community Bank Parking lot.
Published on 09/06/2019 under News
The Merrill Fire Department responded to a pair of fires yesterday including one at an area business. Firefighters were first called to Golden Hawk Canoes on Valley Street yesterday afternoon at around 4pm. Crews were able to extinguish the fire and preserve the building. Officials believe that the fire began with a lightning strike. Merrill Police, Corning Fire, and Wisconsin Public Service assisted on the scene. The second call came in at around 8:30pm on Airport Road. According to their daily report, the fire began in an attached garage and began to spread into the home. The home sustained moderate to heavy damage, while the garage is considered a total loss. Corning and Pine River provided mutual aid, along with Merrill Police, Lincoln County Deputies and Public Service. No injuries were reported in either fire.
Published on 09/06/2019 under News
A former Rhinelander Elementary janitor was found guilty of several charges after being accused of touching a student inappropriately. Stavros Iliopoulos of Tomahawk was charged with first degree sexual assault of a child, false imprisonment and child enticement. The 65 year old was arrested last fall, after an incident at Northwoods Community Elementary. A student told investigators Iliopoulos hugged her, kissed her, and touched her bare thigh while in a storage room on campus. Court records show, the jury deliberated for approximately an hour and half before coming back with three guilty verdicts. The two day trial saw the victim testify about the incident. Iliopoulos did not the stand. Following the verdict, Judge Michael Bloom revoked bond. A sentencing date wasn’t immediately scheduled.
Published on 09/06/2019 under News
After spending a half year in a temporary home, a community healing center in the Tomahawk area is settling in their new location with expanded offerings. Now established as the Eagle Summit Healing Center, the group has moved to that new facility along County A just north of Tomahawk. We first told you about the practice back in January when they opened their healing rooms at a temporary location at Prince of Peace Church. Now in their new location they will continue to provide the healing rooms while also serving as a home for various ministries such as Rapha House and other means to promote wholeness of Body, Soul, and Spirit. Coming up this evening, they’ll be opening their doors for a public open house to learn more about their services and view their new location. That’s from 4pm to 8pm on County A, just south of the Highway 8.
Published on 09/06/2019 under News
Officers were called to a motorcycle accident on West Leather Avenue over the weekend. The 54 year old operator was transported to a local hospital for treatment. Officers are considering an operating while intoxicated charge. During a traffic stop, an officer found the 33 year old driver had an active warrant through Lincoln County. The man was taken into custody without incident. Officers observed a Tomahawk man with an open intoxicant and stopped the vehicle near Bradley Park. The 29 year old man and a 30 year old Wausau woman had no drink orders. Each was taken into custody for the violation. Officers responded to a suspicious activity complaint and learned the 28 year old male had a warrant. A South Tomahawk Avenue resident reported the theft of firewood and scooter which were unsecured on the property. Officers responded to a driving complaint. They observed the described vehicle operating without headlights. Following a traffic stop the 62 year old woman was taken into custody for a third offense OWI. She also received warnings for the driving violations.
Published on 09/06/2019 under Sports
On Thursday night the Tomahawk Hatchet Volleyball Team defeated Rhinelander three games to none to open the Great Northern Conference schedule. Tomahawk won game one 25-15, game two 25-9 and game three 25-15. Mady Hanse had six kills in the win. Morgan Ernst and Hanse each had eight digs and Natalie Zastrow had 16 assists. Tomahawk also won the JV2 and JV3 matches 3-0 and 2-0 respectively. The JV1 squad won 25-10, 25-10 and 5-18. Tomahawk’s Varsity squad is at the DC Everest Tournament on Saturday, with the first matches at 9:00 am.
Published on 09/06/2019 under Sports
The Tomahawk Hatchet Girls Swimming Team opened the Great Northern Conference schedule on Thursday night with an 89-55 win over Mosinee at the Hatchet Pool. Tomahawk won the 200 medley and 200 freestyle relays. Tomahawk also had individual first from Molly Mott in the 50 and 100 free, Kylee Theiler in the 100 butterfly, Allyson Carstenson in the 200 free, Megan Miles in the 200 IM and Annie Begotka in the 500 free.
Published on 09/05/2019 under News
After seemingly hitting a roadblock in Madison, the Tomahawk Premier Resort Area Tax, or PRAT, could still be a possibility. Last month, State Senator Tom Tiffany introduced Senate Bill 338, which would designate Tomahawk, along with Minocqua and Sturgeon Bay as Premier Resort Areas. The bill is cosponsored by Representatives Rob Swearingen, Joel Kitchens and Mary Felzkowski. The Tomahawk Finance Committee briefly discussed that development during their meeting Tuesday. The PRAT is a way for tourist heavy communities to recover a half cent tax on tourist related purchases with the funding going towards infrastructure repairs. The general idea is to capture funding from out-of-town visitors who utilize the roads. In an advisory referendum in April of 2018, Tomahawk voters overwhelmingly voted in favor of the PRAT with the question receiving 69 percent support. The next step was legislative approval in Madison. That typically takes place during the budget, however this summer the item was removed from the process. This left the four applying communities waiting. Three of the communities received renewed hope with the stand alone S.B. 338. In times of tight budgets, the fiscal impact would be significant. A Department of Revenue estimate released August 16, projected Tomahawk would receive $193,000 annually. The stakes for Minocqua and Sturgeon Bay would be even higher at $624,000 and $842,000 respectively. There are currently seven designated PRAT communities in Wisconsin including Rhinelander and Eagle River. (Other PRAT Communities include: Sister Bay, Stockholm, Bayfield, Wisconsin Dells and Lake Delton.) The bill is currently in Committee( Agriculture, Revenue and Financial Institutions). If the bill makes it through the full legislature, it will be sent back to the affected communities for a second vote.
Published on 09/05/2019 under News
Six candidates have thrown their hats in the ring for Merrill’s sixth district alderman seat. The city’s Committee of the Whole will interview the candidates during their meeting Monday. According to the meeting agenda, candidates include: Landis Holdorf, Chad Krueger, Ronald Liberty, Todd Nofsinger, Robert Oemig and Michael Rick, Jr. The vacancy was created with the resignation of David Sukow last month. Based on Monday’s interviews, a decision could be made at the Council meeting Tuesday. They’ll also consider whether the seat will go back on the ballot at the next election or the appointment will fill the duration of the term.
Published on 09/05/2019 under News
Firefighters battled a fire at Pukall Lumber last evening. Crews were called to Arbor Vitae Business at around 8pm. The fire was contained to a fuel silo filled with bark. Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire with minimal damage to the structure. There were no injuries reported. It was unclear what initially sparked the fire and the cause remains under investigation. The Arbor Vitae Fire Department was on the scene for several hours. They received mutual aid from Minocqua and St. Germain.
