Katie Thoresen

In a normal summer, there is some type of festival or event just about every weekend in the Northwoods.

Streets are blocked off. Music fills the town. Rows of open tents line the streets and sidewalks. You can find everything from handmade soaps to photographs of Wisconsin landscapes to intricately designed wood carvings.

Of course, this summer has been anything but normal and those events were largely canceled.

The National Transportation Safety Board has released its final aviation accident report for the Ascension Spirit Air Helicopter crash in Hazelhurst more than two years ago.

Three people died in the crash.

The NTSB determined the probable cause of the crash to be the pilot’s fatigue.

On April 26, 2018, the Ascension Spirt Air medical helicopter was returning to its base in Woodruff after dropping off a patient in Madison around 9:00 that night.

A Rhinelander man charged with trafficking of a child appeared in Marathon County Court Tuesday.

Paul Osterman, 34, was arrested Monday after a two-year investigation.

Court documents show a history of messages on the “Meet Me” app of a man using a variety of names. There 11 different incidents where the man tells the person he’s messaging he can pay a lot of money if they can get him a “much younger girl.”

The Wisconsin DNR is in its third and final year of study looking at the impact of West Nile Virus on ruffed grouse.

The DNR is looking into how present the virus is in the species and the effect it could have on populations.

So far, results show the virus does not have a devastating impact on the ruffed grouse population in Wisconsin.

The Parks Falls Police Department says it’s been getting reports of suspicious activity that appears to be related.

On September 8th, the Chequamegon High School and Middle School cross country teams were returning to school after practice.

One child told police that a man in a white car approached him. The man said he was from out of town and asked where the hospital was. The man lit up a cigarette while talking to the boy. The boy’s father was parked nearby. As soon as the father drove up, the other man pulled away.

The Oneida County District Attorney has filed new charges against former Rhinelander City Administrator Daniel Guild. 

An amended complaint was filed in Oneida County Court on September 11, 2020. According to the court documents, Guild is facing two new counts of Tampering with Public Records. Both are felony charges.

The National Guard is offering free drive-thru COVID-19 testing in Crandon on Saturday, September 19.

It’s being held at the Forest County Highway Department at 5350 County Highway W from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

It’s open to Wisconsin residents and is first come, first serve.

People are being asked to register ahead of time at https://register.covidconnect.wi.gov/en-US/.

The following is a break down of COVID-19 cases in this reigon as of Friday afternoon. 

The Sokaogon Chippewa Community Health Clinic is closed Friday for a deep clean. A health clinic staff member tested positive for COVID-19.The Sokaogon Chippewa Community said that person is self-isolating. Direct contacts are also self-isolating. The person is not an SCC Tribal Member and does not live in the Mole Lake Community.

The SCC Health Clinic suspended all services Friday so the ICS Cleaning Crew can sanitize the facility. It will reopen Saturday for COVID-19 testing only. Starting Monday, the SCC Health Clinic will be available for testing and emergency services only. 

The School District of Tomahawk is reporting a positive COVID-19 case within the district.

The person was at Tomahawk High School on Friday, September 11.

Five staff members and seven students have been identified as close contacts by the Lincoln County Health Department. They’ve all been asked to self-quarantine.

In a letter to staff and families, the district said exposure was limited to just one classroom in the building. That area is being cleaned and disinfected.

The Forest County case rate or burden is now at 1002. On Tuesday, it was at 544.5 which was the highest in the state at the time. Now it’s nearly doubled the next highest burden.

For persepctive, this is the burden for other counties in the region: