On Tuesday, February 28, 2023 at 5:54 a.m., Sawyer County Sheriff’s deputies, assisted by the Bayfield County Sheriff’s Office, Sawyer County EMS, Town and City of Hayward Fire Departments, Wisconsin State Patrol, and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources responded to a 911 call.
The call was in regard to a two-vehicle crash, which involved a semi-trailer truck and a vehicle, located on US Highway 63 near the intersection of Northern Lights Road in the Town of Lenroot.
A 1999 Chevrolet Tracker operated by Harley J. Karow, 27, of Cable, WI was traveling north on US Hwy 63 when it crossed the centerline. Harley's vehicle struck, head on, a southbound semi trailer truck driven by Thomas A. Franchek, 55, of Ashland, WI.
Harley sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene. A passenger in the Karow vehicle, Andrew J. Ferguson, 31, of Hayward, WI sustained life-threatening injuries and was air lifted to a Minnesota hospital to treat his injuries. The extent of his injuries is unknown at this time. The driver of the semi trailer truck did not have any reported injuries.
The crash remains under investigation by the Sawyer County Sheriff’s Office, Wisconsin State Patrol, and the Sawyer County Coroner’s Office.
A 71-year old man, Kevin P. Peterson, Tripoli, was reported as missing on February 27, 2023 at 10:53 a.m. He had not been seen or heard from since the evening hours of Friday, February 24, 2023.
The reporting party stated the man was likely last seen on his snowmobile in the Tomahawk area.
Investigators were led to Somo Lake in the Town of Wilson. They discovered an open section of water with snowmobile tracks leading to the open water.
Rescuers from the Tomahawk Fire Department accessed the open water and recovered the missing man from the lake at approximately 4:20 p.m. The man was pronounced deceased at the scene.
The Lincoln County Sheriff's Office was assisted by Tomahawk Fire Department, Tomahawk EMS, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Oneida County Sheriff's Office Dive Team, and the Lincoln County Coroner's Office.
On February 27, 2023 at 1:33 a.m., the Vilas County 911 Center received a call stating a snowmobiler had struck a tree in the Town of Plum Lake,
The snowmobile had deviated off the marked trail on Plum Lake. It then struck a tree on the shore line.
Lifesaving efforts were unsuccessful and 55-year old driver of the snowmobile was pronounced deceased. The deceased man was an Illinois resident.
Assisting with the investigation was the Vilas County Sheriff’s Office, Plum Lake Fire and Ambulance, Vilas County Medical Examiner, and WI Department of Natural Resources (WDNR).
The Oneida County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call of a head-on snowmobile crash on Friday, February 24, 2023 at approximately 6:59 p.m. The crash occurred on Kelly Dam Road, north of Old 8 Road in the Town of Little Rice.
Emergency services responded, and a 55-year old man was pronounced deceased at the scene. The name of the deceased is being withheld at this time pending notification of the family.
The other driver was transported to the hospital in Tomahawk with, what appear to be, non-life threatening injuries.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources will complete the accident report. The Oneida County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Little Rice Fire Department, Little Rice First Responders, Nokomis Fire Department, DNR, Oneida County Ambulance Service and the Oneida County Medical Examiner’s Department.
There was a fire at Park Falls Hardwoods on February 24, 2023. There were no fatalities from the fire.
Park Falls Hardwoods stated, "Thank you to the community and all of the firefighters/fire departments who came out and assisted us during this dreadful time. We wanted to reassure all Park Falls Hardwoods family that we will be rebuilding and opening back up for operation as soon as possible. In the mean time, we plan on keeping our employees working and providing for their families. Thank you again for all of your continued support. We couldn’t do this with out our community and our entire Park Falls family."
A photo of a deer with a musky fishing lure stuck in its mouth was making its rounds on social media. Many people were concerned about the deer and were making comments and sharing the photo and its caption, which stated the DNR would not do anything to help the deer. The deer was seen in the Springstead area.
My Northern Wisconsin contacted the DNR on February 13, 2023 to see what could be done. Robin Miller, Recreation Warden for the Northern Region-Central, replied that she was not aware of the situation but advised we contact the wildlife biologist in the county where the deer was seen. My Northern Wisconsin and Robin both contacted Jenna Malinowski, local biologist for Iron County.
Jenna replied a few days after, as she had been in the field, that the DNR was working on the situation. She stated that animal health concerns can be complicated, requiring careful planning and discussion between agencies and the state veterinarian. "An effort to remove the lure was recently attempted but was unsuccessful," she first stated. She added they were developing a plan.
On February 17th, Jasmine Batten, Supervisor for the DNR's Wildlife Health Section in their Wildlife Management Program, contacted My Northern Wisconsin to say she was in touch with the Wildlife Veterinarian who was consulting with and advising local staff about the deer.
She stated that after the first failed attempt to help the deer, the veterinarian advised that the best option would be chemical immobilization with a dart gun. She then followed up stating, "Because of equipment malfunction during the darting attempt, the animal could not be properly immobilized, and, therefore, the musky lure could not be removed. Staff continue to monitor the situation and have not ruled out the possibility that additional attempts might be made."
Jasmine added that, while the lure was distressing to look at, it did not appear to be harming the deer or stopping it from eating or drinking. She said the deer appeared to be in good condition.
On February 20th, Jasmine advised My Northern Wisconsin that the deer no longer had the lure in its mouth. The DNR did not have to take further steps, and it appears the lure came out on its own. The DNR's biologist received a photo of the deer on the 19th to confirm the lure was gone. The deer has a distinctive notch missing out of its ear, so they were able to identify the deer. Jasmine concluded, "I am thankful to live in a place where so many people care deeply for our wildlife."
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Chequamegon High School Forensics students, under the direction of Ms. Waitrovich, participated in the sub-district competition. Elizabeth Hilgart, William Morris, and Audrina Morris earned performance scores that have advanced them to the District competition, which will be held in Hayward, Wisconsin in March 2023.
Submitted photo.
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Written by: Tom Boisvert
Photos by: Area School Districts
Students and educators from Lincoln County Schools participated in the annual Conservation Poster Contest hosted by the Lincoln County Conservation Program. The contest encourages students to submit posters that illustrate the conservation theme of the year. For 2023, the theme is “One Water”.
Water is one of the foundations for life. Clean water is necessary for crops, drinking, industry, sanitation, livestock, and sustaining the ecosystems on which all life depends. Because of this, a student’s creativity could drift in countless ways to display the 2023 theme. And, without a doubt, all students that participated provided unique posters that helped promote the importance of conservation.
The conservation contest is an excellent opportunity for students to expand their appreciation for the environment, conservation, and become involved with numerous Wisconsin Academic Standards. Educators that have been involved with the contest found this connection to standards helpful and have enjoyed the opportunity to promote conservation within the classroom. Aubrey Boisvert, first grade teacher at Tomahawk Elementary states, “As someone that cares about conservation personally, it was great to see that the kids enjoyed this contest at a young age. They were able to learn about water health and had fun while doing so!”
The conservation contest has several stages of competitions, and winners from each stage advance to the next. The contest begins at the local level (Lincoln County) which then proceeds to an area contest which includes 9 Counties, a state contest, and even a national contest.
K-1 category winners include: Maika Follensbee, Ella Hess, and Abigail Ross. These students won first, second, and third places, respectively. All students are in Mrs. Boisvert’s class at Tomahawk Elementary.
2-3 category winners include: Jenna Peterson, Morgan Webb, and Kinsley Young. These students won first, second, and third places, respectively. All students are in Mrs. Thompson’s class at Trinity Merrill Lutheran School.
Grades 7-9 category winners include: Jayda Nowak, Amarianna McCutcheon, and Danica Lipke. These students won first, second, and third places, respectively. All students are in Ms. Wagenaar’s art class at the Merrill High School.
Grades 10-12 category winners include: Sebastian Doering, Aaron Alloway, and Kaytlyn Hulke. These students won first, second, and third places, respectively. All students are in Ms. Wagenaar’s art class at the Merrill High School.
At 5:35 p.m. on February 20, 2023, police received a report of an accident where the driver hit two vehicles and ran his vehicle into a street sign.
The driver of the striking vehicle fled the scene.
Later, an adult male came to the scene and stated that he was the driver of the vehicle, and he had been drinking. Witnesses stated the male claiming to be the driver was not the driver. Officers were able to locate the driver based on witness statements.
One adult male was arrested for Operating While Intoxicated 7th Offense.
Three Loggers are headed to the state wrestling competition on Thursday, February 23, 2023 through Saturday, February 25, 2023. James Bruhn received third place at Sectionals while Brandon Sommers and Journee Wood each took first place at Sectionals, advancing all of them to State competition. Good luck, Loggers!
Updated 2/26/23:
Submitted photo.
The state competition was held in Madison, and Brandon Sommers got a pin on his first match and took fifth place overall.
SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESSES - SHOP PRICE COUNTY FIRST: Deer Creek Angus, LLChas a large selection of Black Angus burgers, steaks, roasts, and other beef products sold by individual packages and in quarters, halves, and whole. Contact Deer Creek Angus, LLC at 715-550-6156, find products & pricing on their website, and follow their Facebook page.
