Brian Jopek
Recent Stories
Lac du Flambeau man charged with child sexual exploitation
A cash bond of $25,000 has been set by Vilas County circuit court judge Daniel Overbey for a 29-year-old Lac du Flambeau man charged with one count of filming sexual exploitation of a child.
Rhinelander man injured in Lake Tomahawk snowmobile crash
A 56 year-old Rhinelander man was injured in a snowmobile crash in Lake Tomahawk on Feb. 25. In a press release from Terri Hook, chief deputy of the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office, she said the sheriff’s office was notified of a snowmobile accident on a trail off of Lyannas Road and it was reported a snowmobile operated by Kenneth Jolin struck a tree and he “was not breathing.”
Minocqua weighs bike/pedestrian trail plan as motorized clubs pack the room
When the Minocqua town board convenes into regular session today, there may just be a number of people in the audience, many of them members of area snowmobile and all terrain vehicle (ATV) and utility task vehicle (UTV) clubs.
Lac du Flambeau town board delays new fire station turnover
The town of Lac du Flambeau has been using its new, multi-million dollar fire station on State Highway 47 for several months but there have been a few nagging items that have prevented town board members from signing off on the project to formally have the town take ownership.
Tribe says $600K won’t be returned despite court win
Despite a federal judge’s ruling in the town of Lac du Flambeau’s favor on Aug. 6, 2025 that ended a lawsuit the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) had filed against the town regarding an easement dispute between the town and the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, tribal president John Johnson, Sr. said the tribe doesn’t intend to pay back the town of Lac du Flambeau $600,000.
Island City Acoustics is ready to play
For 31 years, Frank Coffen was well-known in the Lakeland area for his carpentry work. A couple of years ago, however, Coffen and his wife, Sylvia, made a trip to Sheboygan to get a replacement back door for his van “because I smashed it up.”
Controversial property in Arbor Vitae sold to the LdF tribe’s BDC
Parcels of land along U.S. Highway 51 near the intersection of Snyder Road in Arbor Vitae that were the center of controversy last year have been sold. The nearly 40 acres, which had been owned by Rick Trapp and his son Nick and under the name R&N Holdings LLC, were sold to the Lac du Flambeau Business Development Corporation (BDC), a subsidiary of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians.
Hazelhurst man dies in Willow Flowage accident
A Hazelhurst man died Tuesday after he was run over by a pickup truck on the Willow Flowage in Little Rice. According to a press release from Tyler Young, patrol captain with the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office, Randall Bernau, 73, was pronounced dead at the scene.
