Brian Jopek

Recent Stories

Minocqua man struck by vehicle on State Highway 70

A Minocqua man was taken by air ambulance to a hospital after he was hit by a vehicle on Feb. 14 near the intersection of State Highway 70 and Koolish Road on Minocqua’s west side. A press release from Minocqua police chief Glenn Janzer stated officers responded at around 7 p.m. Saturday to the report of a pedestrian struck by a vehicle and found Stanley Yorks, 65, “with injuries.”

Lac du Flambeau town board, school board primary results

Incumbents fared well in the only primary election in the Lakeland area on Feb. 17. There were two primaries in Lac du Flambeau, one for town board and the other for board of education of the Lac du Flambeau school district; the top vote-getters will now face off in the April 7 general election.

Woodruff businesses evacuated because of natural gas leak

Firefighters with the Woodruff and Minocqua fire departments were dispatched to downtown Woodruff late in the late afternoon of Feb. 14 for the report of a natural gas leak. For the most part, they assisted police officers with traffic control in the area around the first block of buildings south of the U.S. Highway 51 and State Highway 47 intersection in Woodruff as open businesses in those buildings, including the Hunan Chinese Restaurant and Fritz’s Bar, were evacuated because of the leak.

Minocqua looks to replace aging plow fleet

Facing an aging fleet of patrol trucks used for snowplowing, the Minocqua town board on Feb. 17 took its first step toward updating the equipment over the next few years. The town board authorized public works director Mark Pertile to sell the town’s “Truck 4,” a 2000 International that he said is “inoperable at this time” because both the frame and the box are rusted through.

Woodruff keeps stricter TRH rules as county opens door to one‑night stays

The town of Woodruff won’t be changing anything with its tourist rooming house (TRH) ordinance. That was the decision the town board reached following a brief discussion during its Feb. 10 meeting.

No injuries in Woodruff Road collision

No one was injured in a two-vehicle collision on Feb. 12 in Woodruff. According to the state accident report filed by the Woodruff police department, Paula Marquardt, 67, Woodruff, was southbound in a 2024 Honda CR-V and swerved to miss a 2014 Dodge Caravan owned by Woodruff Appliance and driven by Rafael Castillo, 45, St. Germain.

Vilas County LWC hosts regional speaking, poster competion

“Essentially, all life depends upon the soil ... there can be no life without soil and no soil without life; they have evolved together.”

Lenny Drewsen, long-time Woodruff police chief remembered for his community presence, dies after fall

A well-known Woodruff community member has died. Wednesday morning, former Woodruff police chief Lenny Drewsen was found dead at his home. Minocqua police lieutenant Ben Burrows said Drewsen’s death was the result of injuries he sustained in a fall.

AV-W school board hears feedback on district administrator

The small meeting room the Arbor Vitae-Woodruff (AV-W) board of education usually meets in was full as the board met for its meeting on Feb. 9. Among those in attendance was a deputy with the Vilas County Sheriff’s Office, standing in the back of the room.

Trash talk: LVG membership learns about its landfill

Better communication regarding the County G Landfill in the town of Cloverland was one of the items representatives of the 13 Vilas County towns that make up the Landfill Venture Group (LVG) discussed at a meeting Feb. 7 in the St. Germain community center.

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