Rejecting a call to lower the number of elk designated to be harvested this year, the state Natural Resources Board Wednesday voted 5-2 to keep the elk take at 10 animals.

The DNR and Conservation Congress had lobbied to lower the number. Agency section chief Bob Nack said an advisory committee requested lowering the take to 6. The take is evening split between the state and Chippewa tribes.

300 animals are projected in the northern herd and 100 in the central herd.

Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest officials have released a plan to control an array of invasive plants but also to contain a growing threat known as oak wilt. Invasives tend to alter the natural landscape.

Forest spokesperson Teresa Maday says since 2015 they've been working on a strategy to manage invasive species. She says they're working on a more rapid response to all the news invasive sites that are found...

A former Rhinelander city council president has challenged Mayor Chris Frederickson's authority to hire a person to consult on administrative work.

Former Wisconsin Rapids mayor Zach Vruwink was hired as a consultant earlier this month by Frederickson to help with duties after the termination of former administrator Daniel Guild.

The summer tourist season has begun, but how summer visitors get to the Northwoods has always been an important part of the local economy. Air travel is a modern means of getting to a vacation destination, but air travel to the Northwoods started earlier than many people realize. Historian Gary Entz has the story:

As state businesses slowly reopen amid the coronavirus outbreak, the YMCA of the Northwoods has reopened it's doors.

Chief Executive Officer Ryan Zietlow says they opened Tuesday morning after consulting with health experts. The changes they made to protect the members are on the "Y"'s website....

Despite concerns raised by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hodag Country Festival will go forward this July.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Oneida County Public Safety Committee granted a large gathering permit by a 4-1 vote. It mandates adherence to a 25-point safety plan put forward by event organizers, which includes a limit of 16,000 grounds-access wristbands sold for weekend days.

Not long ago, Rhinelander’s Ripco Credit Union ran into a problem.

It couldn’t hire new employees because it was out of office space.

So, within the next two weeks, Ripco will begin a major expansion at its headquarters on Sutliff Avenue.

Vice President Diane Sowinski said discussions have been taking place for a year.

The credit union felt ready this spring, but had to figure out whether to go forward during a virus pandemic.