WXPR | Mirror of the Northwoods, Window on the World

State Gives Final Approval To Extend Minocqua Chain Catch-And-Release

By Ken Krall • 14 hours ago

Madison--The state Natural Resources Board has approved extending for one more year a catch-and-release walleye fishery on the Minocqua Chain of Lakes.

A zero bag limit, catch-and-release only season has been in effect for the past five years after fisheries scientists found a sharply declining walleye population.

The goal is to restore natural reproduction. DNR Northern Fisheries Supervisor Mike Vogelsang says in 2009 they noticed a sharp trend downward in walleye populations. He says prior to that time, there was good natural reproduction.

WI Caregiver Shortage: A Safety Risk for Patients?

By Mike Moen & Wisconsin News Connection • 14 hours ago

MADISON, Wis. -- Advocates for Wisconsin seniors and people with disabilities say those who live in nursing homes and assisted-living facilities may be at higher safety risk after a new report confirms caregiver shortages across the state.

A handful of provider associations have issued survey results that say one in four direct caregiver positions is vacant, an increase from one in five vacancies noted in the same report two years ago.

Flu Affects More Young People Than Old and Coronavirus Precautions

By Ken Krall • 14 hours ago

As flu season peaks in this region and the threat, globally, of the Coronavirus continues to grow, state health officials are saying while more people have gotten influenza shots, more than half have not.

State Respiratory Disease Epidemiologist Tom Haupt says the flu has impacted Wisconsin..

FORK Announces Summer Bike Fundraiser For 2021 Meals

By Ken Krall • 14 hours ago

Eagle River--With the successful effort to raise enough money to meet the summer nutritional needs of Northland Pines school district students, a new fundraiser has been announced by the group.

FORK, or Feed Our Rural Kids, formed to help get food to kids during the summer months when school lunch isn't available. Children whose families qualify for free school meals during the school year, will have the opportunity to receive Fork Cares packages.

WXPR News: Wednesday, February 26, 2020

By Ken Krall • 16 hours ago

Gov. Evers vetoes a Republican-led spending bill,
Langlade county officials support an anti-mining resolution,
Wausau officials vote to push back on a resolution deporting Hmong residents with criminal records,
Rhinelander officials are seeking a grant to filter water systems from PFAS.

Northwoods Moment In History: The High Cost of Living

By Gary Entz • 23 hours ago

Image from the Wisconsin Historical Society

The high cost of living and how much of our income is devoted to purchasing the necessities of life weighs heavily on the minds of many people. In this week's Northwoods Moment in History, Gary Entz looks back at how the cost of living has fluctuated over time.

Wausau Police Department Accreditation In Progress

By WAOW Television Rashad Williams • 23 hours ago

The Wisconsin Law Enforcement Accreditation Group (WLEAG) will be in Wausau for three days to determine if the Wausau Police Department will have their accreditation renewed.

Accreditation in this case are more than 600 requirements that the department has to meet within the process.

Every three years, WLEAG does on-site visits for re-certification, and the Wausau Police Department must provide proof of each requirement being met.

Arrest Made In Newbold Death Last August

By Ken Krall • Feb 26, 2020

The death last year of a Rhinelander woman has led to the arrest of Stevens Point man Tuesday.

23-year-old Dalton U. Kampf of Stevens Point was arrested in Stevens Point as part of an ongoing investgiation into the death of 25-year-old Shauna M. Sarkauskas of Rhinelander August 27 last year. Her body was discovered at a town of Newbold residence.

Kampf was booked into the Oneida County Jail for Reckless Homicide by Manufacture/Distribution/Delivery of a Controlled Substance and a probation hold.

Parking Plan Remains Major Stumbling Block For Proposed Hotel

By Dean S. Acheson • Feb 25, 2020

MINOCQUA – Declaring themselves unable to approve a nonconforming project, Minocqua plan commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday, Feb. 25 to again recommend denial of a county permit needed to build a nine-unit hotel in Minocqua. “I don’t think we can approve something that is nonconforming,” said commissioner Bill Stengl, a local businessman.

Eagle River developer Glen Schiffmann wants to build the hotel on two parcels where Mom’s Laundromat and Bay View Motel once stood. Well-known grocer Trygve (Trig) Solberg owns the property currently.

Man Sentenced For Illegal Vilas Co. Raptor Theft

By Ken Krall • Feb 25, 2020

A Michigan man has paid a five-figure fine for taking a Northern Goshawk from a Vilas county nest on state land so it could be bartered for another raptor.

The sentencing was in federal court in Madison.

On December 11, 64-year-old Edward Taylor of Fruitport, Michigan pleaded guilty to arranging with his coconspirator James Kitzman to barter a northern goshawk taken from the wild in Vilas county in exchange for a captive-bred Finnish goshawk.