Brian Jopek

Recent Stories

Trapps plan lawsuit against Vilas County over property dispute

The father and son who owned parcels of land along U.S. Highway 51 near the intersection of Snyder Road in Arbor Vitae — property that became the center of controversy in 2025 — now say they intend to file a lawsuit against Vilas County, alleging that statements made by county zoning officials suggesting that the site would become a gravel pit damaged the property’s value and cost them prospective buyers.

Hazelhurst man in critical condition following UTV mishap

A Hazelhurst man was found trapped under the utility task vehicle (UTV) he was operating in Hazelhurst late Monday afternoon. According to a press release from the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office, dispatchers were notified of a UTV on the edge of Lower Kaubashine Lake in Hazelhurst still running but with no signs of the operator.

Vilas County board chair gets heat from constituents

Vilas County board chairman Jerry Burkett came under fire during the March 24 Vilas County board meeting. He wasn’t there to hear it but two people, Kathryn Craffey of Eagle River and Patricia Gibbs of St. Germain, made the 17 county board members who were in attendance know where they stood during the public comment portion of the meeting.

DOT holds public information meeting for Hwy. 51 project in Minocqua

Approximately 10 people, residents as well as business owners in downtown Minocqua, attended a March 23 public information meeting conducted by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT).

Weight limits for area county, town roads in place

It’s that time of year, the time of weight restrictions on state highways, town roads and county highways. The weight restrictions on state highways in Vilas and Oneida counties from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT) took effect on March 9.

Arbor Vitae rejects insurer’s attempt to play doctor

A proposed “transitional work policy” from an insurance company that submitted a bid to the town of Arbor Vitae for insurance coverage was rejected by the town board at its March 18 meeting. EMC Insurance had provided the town with a two-page document that included possible light-duty tasks such as cleaning trucks, doing a shop inventory, organizing town records and weeding gardens and lawns for employees recovering from something like a serious injury or surgery.

Lac du Flambeau pushes to reopen soaring ambulance contract

The Lac du Flambeau town board and the Oneida County board’s public safety committee may soon meet and discuss the ambulance contract the town has with Oneida County. Lac du Flambeau town supervisor Dennis Pearson asked for that during the March 18 town board meeting.

Checking for carbon monoxide hazards

Minocqua police and fire department personnel responded late Tuesday morning to a 911 call from a business along U.S. Highway 51 near the Boardwalk shops of a carbon monoxide alarm (CO) going off. Eric Carlson, the assistant chief of the Minocqua fire department, said the initial page was to Stamp, Paper, Scissors and there was an interior CO reading of “approximately 49 percent per million of CO.”

Woodruff town board gives new buoy approval on Mid Lake

The Woodruff town board at its March 10 meeting approved a request from the Mid Lake Protection and Management District (MLPMD) for installation of a new buoy. The district’s Joe Pilarski told the town board it had received authorization at its annual meeting to seek approval for installation of a buoy in Mid Lake “if we could and to have it say ‘Shallow lake.’’’

Plum Lake electors vote to appoint town clerk and treasurer

Voters in the town of Plum Lake have spoken. The town conducted a special meeting of electors prior to the March 10 meeting of the town board to determine whether the positions of town clerk and town treasurer should be elected or appointed.