One dead in Oneida County UTV crash
A Salem man died as the result of injuries sustained when the 2024 Polaris utility task vehicle (UTV) he was operating struck a tree on a trail in the town of Enterprise on May 2.
Squirrel Lake Owners Association purchases AEDs
First of three units is installed at Minocqua fire department’s Bo Di Lac station
An automated external defibrillator (AED) for public access was mounted on Thursday, April 30 to an exterior wall of the Minocqua fire department’s station two on Bo Di Lac Road.
Ironwood woman charged in Arbor Vitae rollover crash
A 30 year-old Ironwood woman injured in an April 25 rollover crash on U.S. Highway 51 near the intersection with Timber Meadows Road in Arbor Vitae faces six traffic charges in connection with the incident.
One man cited for disorderly conduct during MBC protest
A Green Bay man was cited for disorderly conduct by Minocqua police during a protest in the vicinity of the Minocqua Brewing Company (MBC) on May 2. MBC owner Kirk Bangstad had a beer tasting at noon that day and according to a press release from Minocqua police chief Glenn Janzer, officers were in the area of the business “for a planned protest.”
Minocqua town board moves to correct illegal meeting mistake
The Minocqua town board at its May 5 meeting took a step to correct a mistake that it and three other town boards made during the most recent meeting of the four governing bodies.
Area DOT projects on track
Plan is still to have Hwy. 51 near Tomahawk reopened before Memorial Day weekend
Two area projects involving the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT) that started in early April are still set to be largely complete before the Memorial Day weekend. One of the projects is on a 7.2 mile stretch of road U.S. Highway 51 just north of the Hwy. 51/U.S. Highway 8 interchange in Lincoln County.
Former Plum Lake town hall used in firefighting training exercise
The building in the town of Sayner built in 1938 and once housed the Plum Lake town office and was the town hall, was the site on May 2 for a search and rescue exercise conducted by personnel with the Plum Lake and St. Germain fire departments.
‘It just took a little bit of time’
Nicolet College dedicates its memorial for U.S. service personnel killed in Vietnam
In May of 2023, Nicolet College hosted one of the 3/4 scale, traveling versions of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Casey Lehmann, an eight year veteran of service in the Wisconsin Army National Guard (WIARNG) that included a 2003-04 deployment to Iraq with the WIARNG’s 724th Engineer Battalion , is the college’s finance manager and coordinated the 2023 visit that resulted in the college receiving one of its panels.
Lakeland airport owners hold an illegal meeting
The four owners are the towns of Minocqua, Arbor Vitae, Lac du Flambeau and Woodruff
The town boards of the four towns that own the Lakeland Airport in Arbor Vitae — Arbor Vitae, Minocqua, Lac du Flambeau and Woodruff — agreed at the end of an April 29 special meeting to authorize the purchase of of land near the airport by the Lakeland Airport Commission (LAC).
Chicago man found guilty in 2024 Woodruff armed robbery
A Chicago man will be sentenced next month for his role in an armed robbery in the area of Thies Road and Lorann Drive in Woodruff in mid-January, 2024. As part of a plea agreement, Oscar Resendiz, 34, was found guilty in Oneida County court by Oneida County judge Mary Sowinski on April 28 of armed robbery and battery.
Bear aware: Winter Park’s ‘Wild Side’ series begins for 2026
Fifty-one people took some time out of their Saturday to hear a presentation about black bears. Winter Park board member Wendy Kraly said the 90-minute presentation, made by Randy Johnson, who has been a large carnivore specialist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) since 2020, was part of the facility’s “Walk On The Wild Side” series, which began in June 2025 as part of a new educational outreach program.
Minocqua plan commission forwards CUP applications to town board
The Minocqua plan commission forwarded to the town board two conditional use permit (CUP) applications during its April 28 meeting.
Land survey underway for OVTC facility
A Weston-based firm is in the process of surveying a four acre parcel of land owned by Oneida County in the town of Pelican that could very well be the next location of a new vehicle storage, shop and office facility for Northwoods Transit Connections (NTC).
Woodruff sends hotel CUP application to Oneida County
Electors approve town clerk 10% salary increase
The conditional use permit (CUP) application for a 70-room Hampton Inn hotel and an eight-unit housing facility for the business’s employees in Woodruff was forwarded to the Oneida County board’s planning and development committee for its consideration by the Woodruff town board on April 21.
Arbor Vitae has state grant approved to help rebuild ‘beat-up’ Witches Lake Road
The town of Arbor Vitae has been selected as a recipient of funding for work on one of its town roads through the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT). The town received a confirmation letter to that effect on April 14 from Kristina Boardman, Wisconsin’s DOT secretary, who notified the town a project to improve a portion of Witches Lake Road had been selected.
AV-W school district to get a new EL coach
Vote to move forward wasn’t unanimous
The Arbor Vitae-Woodruff (AV-W) school district will pursue the hiring of a new Expeditionary Learning (EL) coach to succeed Lauren Beversdorf. Her resignation from the school district was effective at the end of the 2024-25 school year.
Vilas County board conducts post-election reorganization
Burkett elected for another term as county board chair
Vilas County supervisor Jerry Burkett will once again serve as board chair. That was one of the results of the county board’s post-April election reorganization during its April 21 meeting. Burkett was nominated by county supervisor Dan Swiecichowski which received a second, one of them from county supervisor Holly Tomalnovich.
Lac du Flambeau town board approves final payment to NASI Construction
Company was the primary contractor for the town’s $5 million fire station
It’s taken a little longer than the Lac du Flambeau town board would have liked but the final payment to the primary contractor for construction of the town’s new fire station on State Highway 47 was made during the town board’s April 15 meeting.
Oneida County committee tables CUP application for new Woodruff convenience store
Circle K Stores submitted the application in January
The Oneida County board’s planning and development committee during an April 15 public hearing tabled a conditional use permit (CUP) application submitted in January by convenience store chain Circle K Stores.
Charges expected against Minoqua gunsmith
Charges against a Minocqua business owner are expected to be filed this week. In a press release issued on April 16, Minocqua police chief Glenn Janzer stated a search warrant was executed at Relentless Precision, a gunsmith shop on State Highway 70 on Minocqua’s west side, early that morning.
AV-W school district plans to roll out family survey this fall
Collected data to be used for district’s 2027-28 strategic planning
The board of education for the Arbor Vitae-Woodruff school district was asked during its April 13 meeting about the status of the possibility of surveys that district parents could participate in. AV-W parent Tiffany Trainor asked about the matter during the public comment portion of Monday’s school board meeting; she’d asked about surveys at the November school board meeting and at the February meeting.
Hazelhurst to form veterans memorial committee
Seen as the next step in getting a memorial established for the town
The Hazelhurst town board is ready to move to a next step in establishing a veterans memorial for the town. It’s been something town supervisor Jeff Verdoorn has been researching and during the April 14 town board meeting, he provided an update which included the discovery there are no grant programs available at the state level to fund a veterans memorial.
Lynne town board teams up with Minocqua on Willow Road issue
Town submitted a request for a jurisdictional transfer of the road from the town to Oneida County
The Oneida County board’s highway committee is waiting to hear more from the towns of Lynne and Minocqua regarding the Lynne town board’s jurisdictional transfer request submitted to the highway committee.
Nomm manages to stay on LUHS board
Late Presque Isle ward vote reporting changes totals in April 7 election
In the immediate aftermath of the April 7 election, it appeared Lisa Nomm, running for re-election to the Lakeland Union High School (LUHS) board of education, lost her seat.
Preliminary hearing date set for Elliott in Iron County
Illinois man charged with homicide in snowmobile crash that resulted in father’s death
The preliminary hearing for an Illinois man involved in a Jan. 16 Iron County snowmobile crash that resulted in the death of his father has been set for May 28 by Iron County judge Anthony J. Stella. Colton Elliott, 20, Coal City, is charged with one count of homicide by intoxicated use of a motor vehicle, a Class D felony, and remains free on a $10,000 bond.
Blue Lake Road/Hwy. 51 intersection work to begin
As crews with Chippewa Concrete Services work on U.S. Highway 51 between Front Street south to the bridge over Lake Minocqua, Minocqua-area road project – to improve the intersection of Hwy. 51 and Blue Lake Road – will also be getting underway.
Local spring 2026 election is a wrap
Gary Smith back on the LdF school board, close results for LUHS school board
There weren’t many contested races in the April 7 election for county boards, town boards and school boards The Lakeland Times regularly covers but there were some interesting outcomes.
‘I always wanted to be a pilot’
MHLT student’s project about Wisconsin native and World War Two ace Richard Bong gets noticed
It was in the northern Wisconsin village of Poplar in Douglas County that Richard Ira “Dick” Bong was born on Sept. 24, 1920. He joined the U.S. Army Air Corps in May of 1941 and eventually was sent to the Pacific theater of operations.
Former Minocqua town chairman Don Gauger dies
Former Minocqua town board member Don Gauger died at the age of 93 on March 17. Originally from southern Wisconsin Gauger, after years of public service in the village of Grafton that included his election as village president in 1971 and membership on the Grafton fire department and its rescue squad, first moved his family to Minocqua in 1975.
Hazelhurst man involved in March 23 UTV accident dies
A Hazelhurst man involved in an accident involving a utility task vehicle (UTV) on March 23 has died of injuries sustained at the time. Paul Vedder, 58, was found trapped under the UTV he had been operating in near the edge of Lake Kaubashine in Hazelhurst.
Minocqua considers joining Lynne in push to shift road costs
County benefits from forestry revenue as heavy logging traffic and lack of county routes leave Minocqua carrying an unfair load
A jurisdictional transfer request submitted to the Oneida County board’s highway committee by the town of Lynne was on the committee’s April 2 meeting agenda. The request centers around Willow Road being transferred from the town’s road inventory to the county highway system.
Questions delay airport land decision until April 29
Officials seek clarity on who must approve deal and how commission would pay its share
Another special meeting of the town boards for the four towns — Minocqua, Woodruff, Lac du Flambeau and Arbor Vitae — that own the Lakeland Airport in Arbor Vitae has been scheduled for April 29.
The search for Melissa Beson continues
Last seen on March 17, 2025
More than a year has passed, and Lac du Flambeau resident Melissa Beson is still nowhere to be found.
Oneida County’s next highway commissioner
Ben Rich could succeed Alex Hegeman
The Oneida County board’s public works and highway committee has made a recommendation to the county board regarding the next county highway commissioner. The committee at its April 2 meeting forwarded to the county board a resolution electing Ben Rich as the next Oneida County highway commissioner.
LdF school board OKs new press box bid
The Lac du Flambeau school board is moving forward with replacement of the press box at the district’s football field.
Lakeland local election preview
April 7 is election day and though not many, there are contested races to watch
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
One project is in Minocqua, both are to be largely complete before Memorial Day
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
Sheriff’s salary to increase by more than 25 percent over 4-year period
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
‘Stop The Bleed’ part of a new initiative to be better prepared
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.
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.
Vilas County Sheriff’s Office gets the green light for a community app
The goal is to provide better connectivity between the public and the sheriff’s office
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.
Eagle River student recognized for top conservation speech and poster
Poster advances to the 2027 national finals in Las Vegas
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
At least one more owner’s meeting may be required to approve acquisition
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
Owners say ‘gravel pit’ narrative devalued land, derailed buyers
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
Burkett not present to hear what was said
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
Estimated lifting of restrictions very late April at the earliest in some cases
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
Board balks at bid to dictate return‑to‑work rules
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.
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