The Extra

A Wisconsin man is attempting to break the record for the fastest paddle down the Wisconsin River. The current record is 151 hours. Joseph Spenetta, from Middleton, is aiming to do it in 144 hours. Then, the Wisconsin Supreme Court is hearing arguments about a Madison school district policy that prohibits staff from informing parents if their children have changed genders. And a program is offering mental and emotional support to farmers – a group reporting increasing levels of stress.

Residents and authorities of Taylor County were baffled Monday after learning an unusually aggressive bear attacked a couple in their home over the weekend. Then, Great Headwaters Trails is preparing to hold an official ribbon cutting ceremony for the recently completed Conover-Phelps Trail. Finally, one of the 10 Republicans who attempted to cast Electoral College ballots for Donald Trump even though he lost Wisconsin is running to become chairman of the state elections commission.

Hundreds of Rhinelander residents and visitors gathered at Pioneer Park Saturday to celebrate the heritage of the hodag. The Pioneer Park Historical Complex officially opens Memorial Day weekend for its 90th season. And Wisconsin Republicans met for the state party’s annual convention over the weekend. They rejected calls to rescind the state’s electoral votes for President Joe Biden, but they adopted nearly four dozen other resolutions.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation has several major projects underway in the Northwoods, including on Highway 51 in Lincoln County. Weinbrenner Shoe Company has expanded its facilities in Merrill. And Nicolet College was recently awarded nearly one million dollars in grants from the Wisconsin Technical College System.

The Hodag Heritage Festival is underway with events including a trivia scavenger hunt, history tour and celebration at Pioneer Park. Then, COVID cases are once again rising in Wisconsin. More than 1 million people have died from the virus in the U.S. Finally, tribal and environmental advocates are calling on the Army Corps of Engineers to reject permits to expand the Line 5 pipeline, a year after the timeline Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer ordered it shut down.

About 150 people demonstrated in support of abortion in Minocqua yesterday. Their voices joined a chorus of protesters nationwide for a day of action dubbed Bans Off Our Bodies. Then, COVID cases are on the rise again. This week, most counties in the region moved from the low to medium community level. Finally, a proposed reroute of Enbridge, Inc.'s Line 5 gas pipeline in northern Wisconsin was designed to circumnavigate tribal territory. But critics believe the reroute still poses risks to traditional Ojibwe agriculture.

Howard Young Medical Center in Woodruff now offers urgent care. It’s one of the first major changes to the hospital since it was acquired by Aspirus last year. Next, some education leaders and medical experts are urging parents to take a more active role in monitoring their kids' mental well-being, which includes their use of social media. Finally, air travel is slowly recovering since the pandemic. Of the eight passenger airports that offer commercial air service in Wisconsin, the Rhinelander-Oneida County Airport has seen passenger numbers rebound most since 2020.

Dry conditions and high winds created dangerous fire conditions yesterday, with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources reporting more than 65 wildfires. Seven were in Vilas County. Police are asking the public’s help in tracking down people who vandalized the office of an anti-abortion lobbying group in Madison. Jacob Blake dropped a federal lawsuit against the police officer who shot him. And Feed Our Rural Kids is challenging community members to support the weekend backpack program in Vilas and Oneida counties.

A fire at a Wisconsin anti-abortion office is being investigated as arson. Then, a recently released study done on Michigan’s Isle Royale National Park shows an increase of wolves on the island likely led to a healthier moose population. Wisconsin officials list 52 Wisconsin counties, including Northwoods counties, at a “very high risk” for wildfires, citing dry conditions and high winds. And after a cool spring, people who tap maple trees say this season was one of the most productive in decades for harvesting sap.

Wisconsin has a 173-year-old abortion ban that hasn't been enforced in decades. But if the U.S. Supreme Court strikes down the decision in Roe v. Wade, that law will trigger, criminalizing abortions in the state. Then, COVID oral antiviral medications are now widely available. And Rhinelander students are making sidewalk art that will only appear when it rains. It’s the first project of the city’s recently created public arts commission.