Dean S. Acheson

UPDATE: The Minocqua Police Department said no one was injured in a fire that burned the Copy Cat Printing building in Minocqua and the apartments above it.

No flames were visible, but white smoke could be seen from a fair distance away.

There’s a nation-wide shortage of welders, and employers are offering high salaries to lure them in. At Lakeland, nearly 125 students are interested in taking welding classes next fall.

The Lakeland Union High School administration is offering a series of budget reduction recommendations, including a few staffing changes, that will mostly eliminate a looming operating deficit of about $700,000 in the projected 2022-23 budget.

Oneida County has a plan that will bring high-speed internet service to thousands of unserved and underserved residences and business throughout the county.

The list of new businesses in Minocqua continues to grow with the announcement last week that a Taco Bell franchise will be coming to town this year.

The Lakeland school board and administration aren’t waiting until a projected $737,000 deficit hits home in the next budget cycle. They’re acting now to address the anticipated deficit.

Minocqua will be getting a new commercial business in the downtown following town board approval Tuesday of Tyler and Kelly Knobeck’s request for a Class B liquor license for their proposed enterprise called The Bottled Bean.

The vote Tuesday to bring him on board was unanimous with two board members absent.

Wal-mart Realty Company, represented by the law firm Gimbel, Reilly, Guerin Brown, has filed a claim for excessive assessment for the 2021 tax year against the town.