News

A new assisted living center has opened in Rhinelander.  The Rennes Health and Rehab Center held a ribbon cutting ceremony today.

A few dozen staff members, community leaders and patients gathered at the new nursing facility to celebrate its opening.  But the Rennes Health and Rehab Center has actually been taking care of patients since March 1st.  That’s when the group closed its location in Phelps and moved 33 patients to the new Rhinelander facility.

Another strong sales report from a realtor's group shows that market sector is recovering from the recession.

The monthly Wisconsin Realtors Association report shows statewide, the sale of existing homes in May increased 18 percent over May 2012. That's the 23rd straight month of sales growth in Wisconsin.

Economist David Clark says a key factor is the diminishing number of available homes to buy...

"....we're down to under 10 months of supply and it was about 13 months this time last year....."

A Northwoods environmental education leader has achieved a rare certification.

Dr. Corky McReynolds....Director at UW-Stevens Point Treehaven near Tomahawk has been certified by the International Association of Facilitators as as a Certified Professional Facilitator....

The long-festering issue of meeting times for the Oneida county board was addressed Tuesday...for the time being.

Citizens have asked the board to hold night meetings. The board routinely meets the third Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. as spelled out in county bylaws. Some felt the meeting times cut out workers from running for the board and attending meetings. The board earlier rejected night meetings, but left the door open to have some flexibility concerning scheduling meetings.

Administration committee chair Dave Hintz....

A spokesperson says The Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center in Iron Mountain has hired nine mental health professionals to meet the demand.

Those hires are part of more than 1,600 new mental health hires within the VA system.

Spokesperson Brad Nelson says four of the new hires are under an Executive Order signed by President Obama to meet the needs of veterans and their families. He says with more than a decade of combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, the need is there.

A local UW-Extension agent says the population shift toward more older residents in Wisconsin is even more pronounced in the Northwoods.The U-S Census Bureau says 14 percent of the state’s population was 65-or-older as of last July. That’s .7 percent more than in the 2010 Census. Wisconsin had an estimated 824,500 seniors as of last July. That includes 124,000 who were 85-or-older – an increase of 6,000 during the previous two years. Also, Wisconsin’s percentage of senior citizens is larger than the national figure of 13.7  percent.

A main artery into Rhinelander will be closing soon and will be shut down for several weeks.

The city of Rhinelander is doing new utility lines and will extend the work down Kemp Street. Kemp is the southernmost of three bridges over the Wisconsin River in Rhinelander.

Water and Wastewater Superintendent Tim Kingman gives us an update as to closure dates.

More than $2 million has been awarded to this area to improve housing conditions.

The state Division of Housing spokesperson Stephanie Marquis says the money in this area is part of $15 million administered through the state for the federal Community Development Block Grant program. The program is designed to provide money to address affordable housing and community development.

A fund drive is underway to repair and preserve the train at Pioneer Park in Rhinelander. The Logging Museum complex includes the historic train and boxcars as a reminder of the Northwoods Logging era.

Mayor Dick Johns and others are hoping citizens step forward to contribute to the restoration of the train and to build a roof over the top to help preserve the attraction.

Mayor Johns says the wooden cars and the train need immediate attention.

The Oneida County Land and Water Conservation Department, Lumberjack RC&D and UW-Extension are inviting people with a need to talk about the Northwoods to an open microphone this Thursday evening in Three Lakes.

County Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinator Michele Sadauskas says the new event is called "Northwoods Expressions."