The Lakeland Times

10/19/2024

UPDATE: ONE DEAD IN LAC DU FLAMBEAU MOTORCYCLE CRASH

One person died and two were injured as the result of a motorcycle crash in Lac Du Flambeau Friday night.
According to a press release from the Vilas County Sheriff’s Office, the dispatch center received multiple 911 calls at around 8:40 p.m. reporting an accident involving two motorcycles on County Highway H near Sundance Trail in Lac du Flambeau.
Officers with the tribal police department and Vilas County deputies arrived on scene minutes later and began rendering aid to the injured.
The press release states one of the people who called 911 is an emergency medical technician (EMT), was rendering aid and provided information prior to the arrival of emergency medical service (EMS) and law enforcement personnel.
The preliminary investigation found two motorcycles with a dirt bike/off road classification were operating on County Highway H traveling in opposite directions.
The dirt bikes hit head-on, resulting in one person, Peter Postma, 20, pronounced dead at the scene and two others,
Chandler Savel and Brody Vizanko, both 19, injured.
Savel was initially transported to Howard Young Medical Center in Woodruff, flown to Aspirus Wausau Hospital and later to UW/Madison for further treatment.
Vizanko was also transported to Howard Young initially and then to Green Bay.
The crash is being investigated by the Lac du Flambeau Tribal Police Department and Wisconsin State Patrol. - The Lakeland Times

09/19/2024

STATE HIGHWAY 70 ON MINOCQUA’S WEST SIDE CLOSED

A stretch of both lanes of State Highway 70 on Minocqua’s west side was briefly closed to traffic late Thursday morning after a gas line was struck by a utility worker in the vicinity of Hwy. 70 and Royalwood Drive. Traffic on the east end of the closed section of Hwy. 70 was diverted to Chipmunk Drive as personnel and equipment with Wisconsin Public Service arrived and the highway reopened about 45 minutes later. - The Lakeland Times

09/01/2024

UPDATE: U.S. HIGHWAY 51 RE-OPENED FOLLOWING A MULTI-VEHICLE CRASH AT HWY. 51 AND COUNTY HIGHWAY K

A section of U.S. Highway 51 was closed briefly Sunday afternoon as the result of a multiple vehicle crash at the intersection of County Highway K that did result in injuries. Hwy. 51 is now re-opened. More on this in the Friday, Sept. 6 edition of The Lakeland Times.

09/01/2024

U.S. HIGHWAY 51 CLOSED FOLLOWING A MULTI-VEHICLE CRASH AT HWY. 51 AND COUNTY HIGHWAY K

Authorities shut down traffic in all lanes of U.S. Highway 51 at the intersection with County Highway K following the report of a multiple vehicle crash Sunday afternoon. According to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, the estimated duration of the closure is two hours.

08/20/2024

UPDATE: ONE PERSON DEAD IN FATAL HWY. 51 CRASH

An Oconomowoc woman died early Tuesday afternoon in an accident involving her bicycle and a motor vehicle.
According to a press release from Minocqua police chief Dave Jaeger, officers responded to a vehicle versus bicycle crash just south of the intersection of U.S. Highway 51 and Timber Ridge Road.
Susan Lynn Kass, 71, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver of the vehicle, Morgan Emily Christianson, 20, Minocqua, was taken to Howard Young Medical Center for injuries sustained in the crash, which is still under investigation.
“Specific details of the crash are not being released currently,” Jaeger said in the press release.
A portion of the southbound lanes of Hwy. 51 were shut down for a time Tuesday afternoon as the Wisconsin State Patrol conducted its investigation of the scene. Brian Jopek/Lakeland Times

08/20/2024

FATAL ACCIDENT PROMPTS HWY. 51 LANE CLOSURE

The southbound lanes of U.S. Highway 51 near Ridgewood Drive (Timber Ridge) in Minocqua were shut down around 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 20, after first responders were called to the scene for what’s been confirmed as a fatal accident. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation estimates the southbound lanes should be reopened sometime after 4 p.m. Tuesday. For more on this story, see the Friday, Aug. 23 edition of The Lakeland Times.

08/14/2024

MINOCQUA REFERENDUM QUESTION PASSES

On the third try in less than two years, a referendum question the town of Minocqua had on the ballot in the Aug. 13 primary passed 804 yes votes to 758 no. The town was asking voters to exceed its annual tax levy by $750,000. The results at this time are unofficial. More on the story in the Friday, Aug. 16 edition of The Lakeland Times. Story by Brian Jopek/The Lakeland Times.

08/11/2024

BOULDER JUNCTION MUSKY JAMBOREE STREET PARTY

A crowd assembles to hear Hip Pocket perform live during the Musky Jamboree Street Party on Friday, Aug. 9, in Boulder Junction.

Dean Hall photograph

07/22/2024

VIDEO: FIRE CONSUMES ARBOR VITAE STRUCTURE SUNDAY

Firefighters and equipment from around the area responded early Sunday evening to a large fire in a large, four bay garage on Kern Lane in Arbor Vitae. Story in the July 26 edition of The Lakeland Times. Video by Dean Hall/The Lakeland Times.

07/22/2024

FIRE CONSUMES ARBOR VITAE STRUCTURE SUNDAY

Firefighters and equipment from around the area responded early Sunday evening to a large fire in a large, four bay garage on Kern Lane in Arbor Vitae. Story in the July 26 edition of The Lakeland Times. Photo by Dean Hall/The Lakeland Times.

07/12/2024

https://www.facebook.com/share/QqsDNfuFB2zXgeq8/?mibextid=QwDbR1

🟢🟢UPDATE: ROAD IS NOW OPEN🟢🟢

🚨 ROAD CLOSURE🚨

US Highway 51 is closed at Rocky Run Rd to County Highway Y.

Southbound traffic reroute will need to take County Highway Y. Northbound traffic reroute will need to take Rocky Run Rd.

We anticipate this closure to be for an extended period of time.

07/01/2024

MASONIC LODGE HOSTS BRAT FRY

The Freemasons of Masonic Lodge are hosting a brat fry on Wednesday, July 3, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., located at 7529 U.S. Highway 51 South.
There will be brats, burgers, chips, hot dogs and soda available.
The cost of the event is $7 and all of the proceeds go to local scholarships and charities.
For more information, call Dave Imlah at 715-892-2392.

06/06/2024

KEEP OUR REPUBLIC HOSTS ‘TRUST IN OUR ELECTIONS: A COMMUNITY CONVERSATION’ Part I

05/31/2024

LAC DU FLAMBEAU TOWN BOARD APPROVES BROADBAND EASEMENTS, MONTHLY ROAD PAYMENT TO LDF TRIBE

The Lac du Flambeau town board, during a special meeting on May 31, voted 2-1 to make one more payment under a current arrangement to the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians in the town’s ongoing road dispute with the tribe.
The dispute centers around easement expiration on tribal land on portions of four roads – Annie Sunn Lane, Center Sugarbush Lane, East Ross Allen Lake Lane and Elsie Lake Lane.
Town supervisor Gloria Cobb, saying “I don’t want the roads closed” if the payment that would cover the period of June 12 to July 12 doesn’t happen, made the motion to make the payment, which is $46,000.
In addition to the payment, Cobb said she also wanted to see a letter go to the tribal council that would inform them there would be a reversion, from July forward, to the monthly $20,000 the two sides had agreed to last year “in hoping to open up lines of communication with the tribe.”Town supervisor Bob Hanson voted against the motion.
“My concern is if we go back to the original $20,000 figure, we could go back to the roads (being) closed,” he said of the portion of Cobb’s motion that regarding the reverting to the $20,000 a month.
Before the road payment approval, the town board approved another Cobb motion to approve broadband easement permit applications from the Lac du Flambeau tribe’s Business Development Corporation for all town roads.
For
More on the story, see the June 7 edition of The Lakeland Times.

05/30/2024

KEEP OUR REPUBLIC HOSTS ‘TRUST IN OUR ELECTIONS: A COMMUNITY CONVERSATION’ JUNE 6

Keep Our Republic (KOR) is hosting a hyper-localized community conversation aimed to educate the Minocqua area community on Wisconsin’s electoral process.
The event will take place on Thursday, June 6, at 6 p.m. in the Woodruff Town Hall, 1418 1st Avenue, Woodruff.
KOR has been dedicated to educating the electorate across Wisconsin on the electoral process.
We are proud to bring this innovative education to northern Wisconsin, specifically Minocqua, an area often overlooked for such initiatives.
This seminar will feature presentations from local election officials.
These election experts will provide comprehensive information about the entire electoral process.
This includes educating on the processes of pre-election, election day and post-election. We are honored to welcome esteemed members of the Minocqua area community who will attend the seminar to deepen their understanding of the electoral process and share vital election information with their fellow community members.
Their participation will further strengthen our collective efforts in promoting a clear understanding of the entire electoral process and foster election transparency within the community and beyond.
This seminar is the third and final of the year and sixth of a series of events across Wisconsin that KOR has hosted across Wisconsin beginning last year.
So far, KOR has educated communities of Waukesha County, Washington County, La Crosse County, Brown County and Chippewa Valley.
These community engagement seminars are designed to foster trust, respect, and confidence in Wisconsin’s election administration.
They will also provide an opportunity for Wisconsin residents to gain valuable insights into the post-election day process, including the crucial aspects of canvassing and certification of votes.
Event details:
What: Community engagement and education on Wisconsin’s electoral process.
Who: KOR state director Kathy Bernier, Oconto County clerk Kim Pitlyetski, Oneida County clerk Tracy Hartman.
When: Thursday, June 6, 6 to 8:30 p.m.
Where: Woodruff Town Hall, 1418 1st Avenue, Woodruff.
About Keep Our RepublicFounded in 2020, KOR is a non-partisan, non-profit dedicated to safeguarding the pillars of American democracy.
Committed to upholding the integrity of our electoral system and educating citizens on threats to our democratic values, KOR serves as a beacon of truth and transparency in an era of misinformation.
Join us in our mission to protect and preserve the republic for future generations.

Learn more by visiting

Founded in 2020, Keep Our Republic is a non-partisan civic education organization with a unique focus on the unconventional threats facing our election system, and on ways to help strengthen trust in our electoral system. We are most tightly focused on election integrity to assure that every eligibl...

05/23/2024

UPDATE: U.S. HIGHWAY 51 IN MINOCQUA REOPENED

Authorities have reopened U.S. Highway 51 following a brief shutdown Thursday morning. Minocqua fire chief Rich Carani reported Hwy. 51 and all side streets opened back up.

05/23/2024

U.S. HIGHWAY 51 INTO MINOCQUA SHUT DOWN BRIEFLY THURSDAY MORNING

An excavator used on the Manitou Park Drive to the Lake Minocqua bridge construction project on U.S. Highway 51 hit a gas line on the northeast corner of Country Club Road and Hwy. 51 Thursday morning. Hwy. 51 going into and coming from Minocqua was shut down and traffic rerouted. Wisconsin Public Service personnel arrived to make repairs and Hwy. 51 was reopened almost 90 minutes hour following the initial call. Photo by Brian Jopek/The Lakeland Times.

05/06/2024

MINOCQUA CHAIN OPEN TO HOOK AND LINE HARVEST
REHABILITATION RULE IN PLACE FOR ENTIRE CHAIN

By Beckie Gaskill of The Lakeland Times

This year would be the ninth year of a ten-year study on the Minocqua Chain regarding the lack of walleye recruitment on the chain. For nine years, the chain has been closed to harvest, with a verbal agreement with the Lac du Flambeau Tribe that they would also not harvest walleyes from the chain.For a second year in a row, however, the Tribe declared they would spear the chain, which is in compliance with their Treaty rights. Last year they did not have tribal harvest on the chain despite their declaration.

This year, however, they did allow harvest on the chain, to the disappointment of the Headwaters Chapter of Walleyes for Tomorrow and other partner stakeholders.

Once the tribe declared harvest on the chain, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) brought an emergency rule to the Natural Resources Board (NRB) to allow for state licensed hook and line harvest as well.

As soon as the Tribe allowed a harvest permit for Tribal members to harvest the chain, Bill Smith of the NRB called a special meeting of the board to consider passage of the emergency rule. The meeting lasted less than 30 minutes, with a unanimous vote to pass the rule on to Gov. Tony Evers for signature.

Gov. Evers signed the rule into law on the same day, according to Loomans. This allowed for the chain be to reopened to hook and line harvest on May 7, 2024. This regulation change will promote fair and equitable use of the walleye resource during the 2024 season.The bag limit for state licensed hook and line anglers will be one fish with a minimum size limit of 18 inches and a protected slot between 22 and 28 inches.

Beckie Gaskill may be reached via email at [email protected].

04/14/2024

ONEIDA COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE, WOODRUFF POLICE ASSIST PARK FALLS POLICE SATURDAY WITH HOMICIDE SUSPECT