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.
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.”
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.
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.
3-K program report provided to MHLT school board
Blondheim: ‘I love it’
The Minocqua Hazelhurst Lake Tomahawk (MHLT) board of education heard a progress report for the district’s three-year old preschool, or 3-K, program for the 2025-26 school year at its Dec. 15 meeting.
Winchester town board mulls law enforcement needs
Discianno: ‘We need to know what’s happening’
The four Vilas County towns that worked to get the Northwoods Emergency Medical Services District (NEMSD) formed and operational – Winchester, Boulder Junction, Manitowish Waters and Presque Isle – are looking at possibilities regarding sharing other services.
Trash talk in Winchester; to lease or not to lease the transfer station
Discianno: ‘I would take that money and put it into roads in a heartbeat’
What the town of Winchester will do with its transfer station – continue to operate it or let a private firm run it – was a topic of discussion at the Dec. 8 town board meeting. Town chairman Joe Discianno said he’d visited with Chad Metzger, owner of Lakeland Disposal, following the November meeting in Eagle River of the Landfill Venture Group (LVG).
Cassian town board approached about room tax
Phebus: ‘It’s all about trying to control the growth of our town’
The Cassian town board is weighing the possibility of entering into a room tax agreement with the Tomahawk Regional Chamber of Commerce (TRCOC). The topic came up at the town board’s November meeting and Charis Lau, the TRCOC’s executive director and a resident of Cassian, attended to introduce the topic.
AV-W schedules more interviews for principal position
The search by the Arbor Vitae-Woodruff (AV-W) school board to find a successor for principal Rich Fortier will go into January. Fortier announced at the September school board meeting he was retiring from AV-W and the Wisconsin education system. He will stay on until the end of the 2025-26 school year.
Vilas County files lawsuit against Woodruff company
Sadenwasser: ‘We’ve made numerous attempts to gain compliance’
Months after Arbor Vitae residents who live near the area of the U.S. Highway 51 and Snyder Road intersection began showing up at town board meetings to complain about land clearing activity near their homes, Vilas County filed a lawsuit on Dec. 2 against Richard and Nick Trapp, or R&N Real Estate Holdings of Woodruff.
Oneida County public works committee conducts ‘after action review’ of storm response
Fried: ‘Proud to have Alex as our guy’
In the wake of what was not, by many accounts, a good showing by the Oneida County highway department in response to the season’s first major snowstorm on Nov. 27 and the days after which dumped at least a foot of snow in many places throughout the county, the Oneida County board’s public works committee discussed the matter for nearly 45 minutes at its Dec. 4 meeting.
Town-owned building for sale in Lac du Flambeau
Former downtown fire station on the market; authorization to sell will ultimately come from electors
The former fire station in downtown Lac du Flambeau is officially for sale. That was the result of a brief discussion regarding the structure on Wild Rice Avenue known as the “Wild Rice station” at the Dec. 3 town board meeting.
First snowstorm of the season
Bierman: ‘The snow we have right now is a good thing and bad thing’
The first storm of the winter season arrived in the Lakeland area and points north overnight on Tuesday, Nov. 25. Through Sunday, snowfall totals, according to Gus Kaiser, a forecaster with the National Weather Service office in Green Bay, ranged anywhere from a foot in the Minocqua area to nearly two feet in Manitowish Waters, two and half feet in Land O’ Lakes to nearly three and half feet or more of snow in the Hurley area.
Ready to roll year-round
Minocqua town board reaches consensus on major changes to its food truck policy
The Minocqua town board spent well over half an hour at its Dec. 1 meeting reviewing the town’s policy for food trucks. The policy was approved in the spring of 2024 with the understanding the policy would be reviewed and revised if it was deemed necessary.
One man dead in Presque Isle fire
A structure fire in the early morning hours of Nov. 28 destroyed a home in Presque Isle. According to a press release from the Vilas County Sheriff’s Office, the dispatch center received a 911 call at 6:25 a.m. reporting a structure fire on Crab Lake Road.
On thin ice
Minocqua fire department personnel train for tricky conditions
Minocqua firefighters took some time on Dec. 1 to conduct training for ice rescue. Fire chief Rich Carani said in 2024, the department purchased with financial contributions to the department new ice rescue equipment “so we have some different capabilities.”
Burkett: ‘I don’t want to own that dump’
Vilas County may approach the LVG regarding the County G Landfill
As 2026 approaches, there are some challenges for the Landfill Venture Goup (LVG), the group of 13 Vilas County towns and the city of Eagle River that owns the County G Landfill in the town of Conover. The facility is on land the LVG leases from Vilas County and work has begun on a new cell as well as an area for construction and demolition waste.
Boulder Junction’s room tax lag no cause for alarm
Driscoll: ‘We will definitely go over what we did last year’
Room tax revenue in Boulder Junction is less than this time last year but town clerk Dan Driscoll isn’t too concerned. He gave a third quarter room tax update to the town board at its Nov. 25 meeting, a report that showed room tax revenue at $140,028.06, which he said is an increase of four percent.
New sheriff in town: Gerard Ritter to be next sheriff of Vilas County
24-year veteran of service with the Vilas County Sheriff’s Office appointed by Gov. Tony Evers
More than three years after running against Vilas County Sheriff Joe Fath for the top law enforcement position in Vilas County, Capt. Gerard Ritter will be the next sheriff.
One dead in Vilas County semi-truck tractor crash
A 49 year-old Florida man died in a late-night crash on Nov. 22 involving a semi-truck tractor. According to a press release from the Vilas County Sheriff’s Office, the dispatch center received a call just before 11 p.m. reporting a one-vehicle crash in the area near the intersection of U.S. Highway 45 and Abalan Lane in Conover, the caller reporting a semi-truck tractor was on its roof. The driver of the truck-tractor, Jansan Murray, Leesburg, Fla., was pronounced dead at the scene.