LdF town to LdF tribe: remove the blocks, chains — and return the $600K
With easement issue concluded, a majority vote looks to get related items cleared up with the tribe
The Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians will receive letters from the Lac du Flambeau town board regarding matters related to the recently concluded road easement issue between the town and the tribe.
Minocqua holds the line on short‑term rentals
Fricke: ‘It just seems like another case of Oneida County giving us the finger’
The town of Minocqua will not, for now, make changes to its tourist rooming house (TRH) ordinance that would reflect recent Oneida County board action on the issue. That was the result of a nearly 15 minute-long discussion at the town board’s Feb. 3 meeting regarding a 12-5 vote by the Oneida County board at its Jan. 20 meeting to amend the county’s TRH ordinance that will allow shorter rentals than a week — such as weekend rentals — in residential zones.
Infrastructure needs a focus at Lac du Flambeau school board meeting
The school board for the Lac du Flambeau school district approved bids for blacktopping, concrete work and two new water heaters during its Feb. 4 meeting.
No injuries from Hwy. 47 rollover in Lake Tomahawk
A Rhinelander man escaped serious injury on Feb. 3 in rollover of the pickup truck he was driving at the intersection of Fawn Lake Road and State Highway 47 in Lake Tomahawk, near the unincorporated town of McNaughton.
Mid-season snowmobile safety reminder
Bartelt: ‘Have fun and more importantly, stay safe’
Snowmobile accidents and crashes over the weekend in the Lakeland area are prompting law enforcement and officials with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to remind snowmobilers about safety while riding the trails. While none of the incidents resulted in fatalities there were injuries.
Minocqua board moves to codify new protest restrictions
In light of recent protests held in Minocqua over the course of the past several months, the town board on Tuesday, Feb. 3, advanced to a second reading an amendment to its “Disorderly conduct prohibited” ordinance.
Vilas County forestry discusses next steps for Riverside Park
The Vilas County board at its Jan. 27 meeting voted down a resolution to fund infrastructure for and then sell nearly 1,000 feet of county-owned riverfront property in Eagle River known as Riverside Park.
Federal appeals court grants DOJ motion to dismiss appeal in LdF road issue
A federal appeals court has granted a motion by the United States Department of Justice to dismiss its own appeal in a long-running Lac du Flambeau dispute about access to roads crossing tribal lands. The Department of Justice (DOJ) had filed the appeal in November, challenging an August 2025 ruling by U.S. district judge William Conley that favored the town of Lac du Flambeau. In that ruling, Conley said homeowners had an “implied easement” to use and access four roads previously barricaded by the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians.
The future for the LVG and its County G Landfill
To be a topic of discussion at upcoming Wisconsin Towns Association meeting in St. Germain
On Saturday, Feb. 7, the Vilas County unit of the Wisconsin Towns Association (WTA) is scheduled to meet at the St. Germain community center. In addition to the usual “housekeeping” type items, a primary topic of discussion will be the Landfill Venture Group (LVG) and the County G Landfill in the town of Cloverland owned by the consortium of 13 towns and the city of Eagle River.
OVTC to advertise for surveyor quotes again
Oneida County and the Oneida Vilas Transit Commission (OVTC) are seeking a survey of a 4‑acre parcel in the town of Pelican as part of efforts to establish a new home for Northwoods Transit Connections. The parcel is part of 37.5 acres of land the county has and has offered to the OVTC for a new administration, shop and bus storage facility.
Vilas County board votes no on Riverside Park sale
Marshall: ‘This is how government is supposed to work’
The Vilas County board during its Jan. 27 meeting voted against selling nearly 1,000 feet of county-owned river frontage known as Riverside Park on Division Street in Eagle River. The issue has its roots in a May 28, 2024 meeting of the Vilas County board during which county board chairman Jerry Burkett, also a member of the Eagle River city council, brought up the possibility of selling the entire county-owned fairground complex, totaling around seven acres.
Three Lakes man dies in Arbor Vitae crash
A Three Lakes man died Jan. 27 in a two-vehicle crash on U.S. Highway 51 near the intersection with Trapp Road in Arbor Vitae. The Vilas County dispatch center received a 911 call at around 10:30 a.m. reporting the crash.
No injuries in downtown Minocqua collision
There were no injuries in the Jan. 22 collision of two vehicles in the southbound lanes of U.S. Highway 51 in downtown Minocqua at the intersection of Front Street. According to the state accident report filed by the Minocqua police department, the driver of a 2025 Honda Ridgeline, Corey Brand, 50, Caledonia, told police he had turned on his left turn signal with the intention of turning into the parking lot of Los Portales Mexican Restaurant.
From referendum to reality: Minocqua’s PRAT emerges after years in legislative limbo
Nearly seven years after voters OK’d it, town prepares to begin collecting on July 1
A premier resort area tax (PRAT) for the town of Minocqua took another step toward becoming reality during the Jan. 20 meeting of the town board. With the understanding the ultimate “final say” regarding establishment of a PRAT for Minocqua would come from the Wisconsin state legislature, voters in Minocqua approved the PRAT on an advisory basis during a referendum in November of 2018.
Arbor Vitae town board authorizes letter of support for ATV/UTV trail
Emphasis is shifting the traffic off the road and into the woods
A project to get a stretch of all terrain vehicle (ATV) and utility task vehicle (UTV) trail established between Arbor Vitae and Boulder Junction has received formal support from the Arbor Vitae town board. During its Jan. 21 meeting, the town board unanimously authorized sending a letter of support to Joe Fieweger, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) forest recreation superintendent for the Northern Highland – American Legion State Forest.
Lac du Flambeau town board scheduled meeting of electors
Vote will decide sale of former fire station
The sale of the former fire station on Wild Rice Avenue in downtown Lac du Flambeau appears to be moving along. During its meeting on Jan. 21, the Lac du Flambeau town board set Feb. 13 as the date for a special town meeting of the electors to decide whether or not the town should accept an offer to sell the what is commonly referred to as the “Wild Rice station.”
Lakeland Airport commission moves further into marketing
Marketing the Lakeland Airport in Arbor Vitae took center stage at the Jan. 22 meeting of the four‑member Lakeland Airport Commission, which ultimately authorized airport administrator Jesse Birginal to move forward with a strategic revenue and community partnership plan.
Sex offender Dustin Mitchell released with no notification
Tribal member blasts LdF leadership over years of missed alerts, unenforced sex‑offender laws
It’s customary for media outlets to get notification from law enforcement agencies when a registered sex offender has been released from prison and in what town or city that person will be living. A Lac du Flambeau man, Dustin Mitchell, 38, was convicted in 2018 in Dane County court for one count of repeated sexual assault of a child under 10 years old.
Major sex offender gets 36 years in prison
Hartman: ‘Worst case I’ve ever seen’
A 31 year-old Gleason man was sentenced to a total of 36 years in prison in Oneida County court on Tuesday, Jan. 20. Caleb Meyer had pled guilty on Oct. 10 to two counts of possession of child pornography, class D felonies, and one count of incest with a child, a class C felony.
Sheboygan Falls man is Oneida County’s first snowmobile fatality for 2025-26
Accident occurred Jan. 3 on Minocqua’s west side
A 76-year old Sheboygan Falls man injured as the result of a collision between his snowmobile and a sport utility vehicle (SUV) on State Highway 70 at the intersection of Morgan Road on Jan. 3 has died. Minocqua police chief Glenn Janzer said in a Jan. 20 press release the department was notified by the Oneida County medical examiner’s office “that the operator of the snowmobile has succumbed to his injures and has passed away.”
Two injured in collision on State Highway 47 near Rhinelander
Two people were injured on Jan. 19 in a two-vehicle collision on State Highway 47 near the intersection of County Highway K in Crescent.
Overflow parking project at Woodruff’s Stack’s Bay boat landing begins
Expansion will add 12 vehicle/trailer stalls; intent is to relieve parking on Brunswick Road
A Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) project to provide overflow parking at the Stack’s Bay boat landing on Brunswick Road in the town of Woodruff began on Jan. 5. Lynn Wright, a DNR park manager and water/recreation manager for the Northern Highland American Legion State Forest, told The Lakeland Times a crew with Janke General Contractors in Athens cleared trees to make space for what will be 12 parking stalls to accommodate vehicles with boat trailers.
Lake Tomahawk town board approves HVAC bid for community center
In what was possibly the shortest meeting in the history of Lake Tomahawk — it clocked in at four minutes — on Jan. 14 the town board approved a bid from Dahlquist Heating and Cooling of Rhinelander to install a new heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system in the town’s Raymond F. Sloan Community Center.
Cassian town board forwards sawmill operation CUP application to Oneida County
The Cassian town board during its Jan. 12 meeting voted to forward a conditional use permit (CUP) application from Twin Forest Products. If ultimately approved by the Oneida County board’s planning and development committee, the firm, based in Marathon, would build another sawmill operation in Cassian along U.S. Highway 51.
Filing deadline extension yields a Vilas County board candidate
Two vacancies remain
At least one vacancy on the Vilas County board going into the April 7 election has been avoided. The filing deadline for candidates in this spring’s election was 5 p.m. on Jan. 6.
Chimney check on Northridge Way in Woodruff
Woodruff firefighters on Jan. 13 responded to the report of smoke in a house on Northridge Way. Woodruff fire chief Victor Gee, involved in finding the cause of the smoke, told The Lakeland Times there was no fire.
Area spring election picture rundown
Two primaries in Lac du Flambeau
The spring election in the Lakeland area for seats on towns, school boards and the Vilas and Oneida county boards in The Lakeland Times coverage area looks to be, with an exception or two, relatively uneventful.
After nearly three years of blockades and legal crossfire, Lac du Flambeau road dispute enters mediation
Nearly three years after it began, the road easement issue between the town of Lac du Flambeau, the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians and the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) will go to mediation.
Lac du Flambeau taps Redman Realty to list decommissioned fire station
Sale will require voter approval once a buyer is found
The Lac du Flambeau town board at its Jan. 8 meeting selected Redman Realty to handle the marketing and listing for prospective buyers of the town’s former downtown fire station known as the “Wild Rice station” on Wild Rice Avenue.
Three Lakes false alarm
Authorities respond to a report of a homicide that wasn’t
The report of a possible homicide in Three Lakes on Jan. 8 brought officers with the Three Lakes police department and deputies and the special response team with the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office as well as deputies with the Vilas County Sheriff’s Office to a residence a press release from the police department said was “in the area of Military Road and Sheltered Valley Road.”
Indiana woman injured in Minocqua snowmobile accident
A Lake Village, Ind., woman escaped serious injury on Jan. 3 in a late afternoon snowmobile accident on a trail near Minocqua’s Squirrel Lake boat landing on Kobart Road.
One injured in SUV/snowmobile collision
A 76-year old Sheboygan Falls man received minor injuries as the result of a collision between his snowmobile and a sport utility vehicle (SUV) on State Highway 70 at the intersection of Morgan Road on Jan. 3.
No injuries in Arbor Vitae rollover on New Year’s Day
The occupants of a sport utility vehicle (SUV) escaped serious injury as the result of a rollover on New Year’s Day in Arbor Vitae.
Vilas County forestry committee forwards Riverside Park resolution
Second phase of Vilas County effort to sell Eagle River property now goes to county finance committee
The Vilas County board’s forestry, recreation and land committee at its Jan. 6 meeting forwarded a resolution to the county board’s finance and budget committee that, if approved there and then ultimately approved by the full county board at its Jan. 27 meeting, would authorize the use of county funds for phase two of what is known as the Riverside Park development on Division Street in Eagle River.
One person seriously injured in Hwy. 51 collision
Crash attributed to slippery road conditions
One person was flown to Aspirus Wausau Hospital following a two-vehicle collision on U.S. Highway 51 south of the intersection of County Highway K and Swamp Lake Road on Tuesday, Dec. 30.
Eagle River man pleads not guilty to sex crimes
The attorney for a 38 year-old Eagle River man on Dec. 29 entered a plea of not guilty “due to mental disease/defect” in Oneida County court for one count of attempted second degree sexual assault and one count of use of a computer to facilitate a child sex crime.
Four lanes, zero excuses: Drivers must stop for school buses
Cameras catch daily violations
As people transit roads in the Lakeland area during the school year, a question has surfaced regarding Wisconsin state law as it relates to stopping for school buses on four lane highways. More specifically, the concern centers on U.S. Highway 51 from south of Minocqua through Arbor Vitae, and on State Highway 70 on Minocqua’s west side, extending to just west of its intersection with Morgan Road.
No injuries in Hwy. 47 accident involving Oneida County plow truck
A slippery road surface was determined to be the cause of a three-vehicle, non-injury accident on State Highway 47 near at the intersection of Bay View Road in Woodruff just before 6 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 26.
Generations joins YMCA effort in Woodruff
In October, community leaders announced an effort to establish a Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) facility in the Lakeland area, based at Lakeland Fitness and Golf in Woodruff. Mike Heppe, president of the Lakeland Retirement Foundation (LRF) and Generations, told The Lakeland Times the foundation has now joined that YMCA initiative.
Birchwood man dies in Iron County snowmobile crash
A Birchwood man is dead as the result of injuries sustained in an Iron County snowmobile crash on Monday, Dec. 22. Iron County Sheriff Paul Samardich said in a press release the dispatch center received a 911 call at 8:15 p.m. reporting a single snowmobile crash on trail 17 in Oma near Finn Point Road, the reporting party relaying to dispatch the man, later identified as David Engel, 58, “crashed his snowmobile and was unconscious and breathing.”
Lac du Flambeau man charged with attempted homicide
A 42 year-old Lac du Flambeau man has been formally charged in Vilas County court with attempted first degree homicide as the result of an incident that occurred at a residence on Arnold Stock Lane in Lac du Flambeau on Saturday, Dec. 13.
Phelps, Conover out of the Landfill Venture Group
Liability concerns cited as primary reason to end nearly 40 years of membership
The membership of the Landfill Venture Group (LVG), which since its formation in 1988 has been comprised of 13 Vilas County towns and the city of Eagle River, will be, by mid-2026, down to 11 towns and Eagle River.
Winchester’s draft ATV/UTV ordinance heads back to the town board
When the Winchester town board meets in regular session in 2026, town chairman Joe Discianno expects to have the draft ordinance for use of all terrain vehicle (ATV) and utility task vehicle (UTV) on town roads on the meeting agenda.
NEMSD board meltdown
Herzberg to Hanson: ‘I want you to be careful about what you say to the press’
The four member board of directors for the Northwoods Emergency Medical Services District (NEMSD) met for two hours on Dec. 17. While there is agreement among them the ambulance service in Manitowish Waters, Boulder Junction, Presque Isle and Winchester, which began operations on Jan. 16, as the result of a few years of planning, is operating very well, the fact there is discord among board members was very apparent at the meeting, particularly during a discussion about an article published on the front page of the Dec. 12 edition of The Lakeland Times about the Manitowish Waters town board’s Dec. 9 meeting.
Vilas County highway committee awards design contracts
The Vilas County board’s highway committee on Dec. 16 approved two design contracts for upcoming work on stretches of County Highway N and County Highway C.
Fire/EMS director in Lac du Flambeau claims he didn’t resign
Zimmerman: ‘In my eyes, you fired me’
On Dec. 12, the Lac du Flambeau town board, after a closed session regarding the status of fire department and emergency medical services (EMS) director Mike Zimmerman, accepted Zimmerman’s resignation after the town board reconvened in open session.
Antigo man arrested on charges related to 2016 case against him
Former Rhinelander and Minocqua resident Nathan Warbalow pleads not guilty
A 34-year-old Antigo man charged with first degree child sexual assault (sexual intercourse with a person under the age of 13), a Class B felony, and causing a child under the age of 13 to view or listen to a sex act, a Class F felony, pled not guilty to both charges in Oneida County court on Dec. 17.
Lac du Flambeau man charged in assault
A Lac du Flambeau man has been charged with first degree attempted intentional homicide in connection with an attack of a woman in Lac du Flambeau on Saturday, Dec. 13. According to a press release from the Lac du Flambeau Tribal Police Department, tribal police officers and deputies with the Vilas County Sheriff’s Department responded to the report of a possible homicide in Lac du Flambeau.
Lac du Flambeau town board appoints interim fire, ambulance directors
Town board moves forward following Mike Zimmerman’s resignation as fire/EMS director
Meeting in a Dec. 16 special session at the new fire station, the Lac du Flambeau town board on Dec. 16 appointed an interim fire chief and an interim emergency medical services (EMS) director for the town’s volunteer fire and EMS department.
MHLT school board says no to charter school proposal
Seidel: ‘We have a lot of different things in place’
The Minocqua Hazelhurst Lake Tomahawk (MHLT) school board has turned down a proposal for the district to be an authorizer for the Elemental Roots charter school, based out of Terri’s Treehouse in Arbor Vitae during its Dec. 15 meeting.
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