Brian Jopek

Recent Stories

Lakeland local election preview

Tuesday is election day and locally, there aren’t many contested races for seats on the Vilas and Oneida county boards or for town boards and school boards but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some interesting matchups.

Contractors to begin two DOT projects April 6

Two projects on U.S. Highway 51 that will effect the Lakeland area in one way or another are scheduled to start on Monday, April 6. One project in Minocqua is intended to improve portions of U.S. Highway 51 from the bridge over Lake Minocqua north to Front Street.

Vilas County rushes through salary increases after improper posting stalls vote

A resolution setting the salaries of the Vilas County sheriff and the county’s clerk of court for the four-year period of 2027 through 2030 was approved during a brief special meeting of the county board on March 31.

Local fire and police departments conduct joint training

More than 40 people, most of them with Woodruff and Minocqua fire and police departments, attended a joint training exercise named “Stop The Bleed” at the Michael K. Timmons Community Center on March 30.

Vilas County Sheriff’s Office gets the green light for a community app

The Vilas County board, at its March 24 meeting, unanimously voted to approve a resolution authorizing a little more than $30,300 annually for the next three years to purchase and develop an app, dubbed “SheriffApp,” for the Vilas County Sheriff’s Office.

Nokomis storage shed destroyed in fire

Fire destroyed a metal storage building on Siemering Drive in Nokomis Monday afternoon. The building is owned by the Patrick Gillette Living Trust and the Doris Gillette Living Trust.

Eagle River student recognized for top conservation speech and poster

Delaney Darton of Eagle River delivered her award-winning speech, “Sustaining the Sacred Seed,” during the March 24 meeting of the Vilas County board. Cathy Higley, lake conservation specialist with the Vilas County Land & Water Conservation department, told the county board one of the things she and others in the department is “work with students and teachers to help teach about what it means to conserve our local natural resources.”

Lakeland Airport Commission moves closer to land purchase

The Lakeland Airport Commission (LAC) met in closed session for more than an hour on March 25 with Karl Kemper of Wausau-based engineering and consulting firm Becher Hoppe.

Lakeland Sanitary District makes facility upgrade payment

Meeting briefly on March 24, two members of the three-member Lakeland Sanitary District (LSD) board of directors approved the latest payment of a little more than $1.5 million to the primary contractor, MIRON Construction, for the district’s facility upgrade project which began nearly a year ago.

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.