LATEST NEWS
New rustic road approved south of Mt. Telemark
Governor Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation have approved a new rustic road designation in the towns of Spider Lake (Sawyer County) and Cable (Bayfield County). The 9.4-mile Rustic Road 125 encompasses the paved Telemark Road south of Highway M in Bayfield County and the gravel Spider Lake Fire Lane between Telemark Road and Highway 00, roughly parallel to the Birkebeiner Trail. I The rustic road curves along hilly, glaciated country through Bayfeld County and Sawyer County Forests. The Namekagon River and a network of trails for mountain biking, cross-country skiing and all-terrain vehicles cross the route. “Local communities nominate these routes to offer something special,” said WisDOT Secretary Craig Thompson, “and on behalf of all of us who enjoy a path less traveled, we thank them for their collaboration.”
Ashland looking to become more bicycle-friendly city; Officials look to add over 8 miles of bike facilities
Bike lanes could be added to several Ashland roadways in the coming months to make the city more bicycle-friendly. Officials with the parks and recreation and public utility departments have drafted a plan to add bike lanes to roadways such as Third Street West, Beaser Avenue and Eleventh Avenue West. Part of the plan also calls for connection to Prentice Park via Junction Road, connection to the elementary/high school walking path via Ninth Street West, and connection of the Fifth Street Corridor trail to downtown...
Butternut girls drop two at Stick Memorial
The Butternut/Mercer Pioneers softball team braved the cold weather on April 20 to host the annual John "Stick" Furtak Memorial tournament. The girls mounted comebacks after giving up early leads and lost two close games, 8-6 against Hurley, and then 10-6 to Flambeau. "I am really proud of our girls today,” said Butternut/Mercer Coach Glenn Wegner. “They really battled hard in the first game. After some adversity in the second game, they toughened up and rebounded to get back in the game but ultimately came...
Castle Guards holding ground
Bay Area baseball fans are taking note of a mounting force on the north side of the Chequamegon Bay. Donning red and black uniforms; swinging and throwing to topple home and away adversaries for three consecutive years. Protecting the diamond which resides within the Washburn Athletic Field Complex. The Washburn Castle Guards baseball team, returning from a 2023 Northern Lights Conference championship and a WIAA D4 sectional final appearance, are at it again. Undefeated and sitting atop the NLC at 3-0, with a convincing home win over its stiffest foe the Hurley Northstars already secured, the 2024 version of the...
Higher-ed institutions find themselves in a financial pinch
Northland College announced earlier this month that it was short on funds. This week, the board of trustees is expected to announce its plans for the liberal arts school in northwest Wisconsin. A shutdown is not out of the question after fundraising efforts fell short of their goal. Meanwhile, the...
Out of the blocks
The high school outdoor track season began on April 18 for select Northern Lights Conference teams, with some familiar names from Washburn and Drummond topping events at the Colfax Invitational track meet. Results were mixed overall as rosters for the two NLC teams are minimal when compared with most other schools competing. Leading the way with strong finishes were: Drummond Nora Skoraczewski: ...
Meet the candidates
Candidates for the newly formed district 73 assembly seat spoke at the Chequamegon Democratic Resource Center in Ashland Saturday morning. John Adams and Angela Stroud briefly discussed health care, the potential closure of Northland College and the housing crisis among other topics that impact the Bay Area. Adams currently works as the marketing manager for the Chequamegon Food Co-Op and Stroud works as an associate professor for Northland College.
Pioneers rally falls short in Drummond
The Butternut/Mercer Pioneer softball team traveled to Grand View on Monday night for a conference matchup against the Drummond Lumberjills. Drummond got the scoring started in the bottom of the first with 3 runs. The Pioneers answered in the top of the second inning with 2 of their own on a big 2 out, 2 RBI hit by Jenny Kopatek. Drummond scored 4 more runs in the bottom of the frame to push their lead to 7-2. ...
Ashland reaches settlement for Sixth Street West project
Another party involved in the botched Sixth Street West reconstruction project from 2016 has reached a settlement with the City of Ashland. Coleman Engineering will pay the city $125,000.City officials have said the testing and inspection firm was partially responsible for the failures in the $5.6 million project. Residents long have complained that almost as soon as the rebuild was complete, the road developed humps and swales and pavement crumbled,...
Baseball: Rice Lake cruises past Superior, is walked off by Ashland
The Rice Lake baseball team split its two contests at Superior last week, routing Superior on Friday and falling in walk-off fashion to Ashland on Saturday. Ashland 8, Rice Lake 7 The Warriors erased a five-run deficit in their final at-bats but the Oredockers got the walk-off win in the bottom of the seventh. Rice...
Ashland Middle School Honor Roll
Sixth grade:Addi L. Adamzak, Rogan D. Bean, Henry J. Berger, Brynley J. Bigboy, Makayla L. Bigboy-Piehl, Nola M. Bohn, Evan J. Brandis, Macon E. Burns, Mason P. Campbell, Calvin T. Casey, Carly A. Charette, Luisangely M. Chavez Chico, Emma J. Corbine, Leallen M. Corbine, Jonathan J. Deters, Mia R. Downham, Lily M. Eliason, Madelynn S. Fitzpatrick, Colton A. Ford, Luke M. Fredericks, Broderick J. Getchell, Flint W. Gibbon, Teah R. Granger, Samantha R. Groves, Johnathan W. Hall, Valerie S. Hanson, Bryson R. Hieb, Haylee J. Horton, Angelica J. Huybrecht, Nathan L. Jagger-Vandermeulen, Natalie E. Janes, Anthony T. Johnson, Norah K....
La Pointe acquires Madeline Island Ferry Line
The Town of La Pointe has bought a boat. Well, five, to be exact, as part of the recently-finalized purchase of the Madeline Island Ferry Line. The town purchased the ferry line Chairman Glenn Carlson considers its “lifeline” for roughly $17.3 million after word the previous owners were interested in selling the operation. Longtime La...
Northland College Notes
Host Northland College LumberJacks baseball team took down the University of Northwestern-St. Paul Eagles, 3-2, in Upper Midwest Athletic Conference play on Friday, April 12. Senior Zach Ross drove home the winning run — a walk off shot to center field. After riding a three game winning streak leading into the April 13 home doubleheader with the Eagles, the ‘Jacks fell twice and now sit sixth in the UMAC with a 2-9 record. The team welcomes Crown College for a three game series on April 19-20. ...
Town closes on $17M deal to secure ferry service to Madeline Island
A Lake Superior island town is the new owner of the ferries that connect Madeline Island residents to the mainland in northern Wisconsin. The Town of La Pointe closed on the $17.3 million deal to purchase the Madeline Island Ferry Line’s assets from the former owners on March 28.
Contamination to wine? Ashland ponders site’s renewal
An Ashland city official has addressed concerns about plans for a potential wine bar that have taken a step forward. The city is looking to apply for a sizable Department of Natural Resources grant to partially fund an $800,000 project that would transform what’s considered an eyesore in Ashland into a food/beverage operation with an outdoor gathering area. The eyesore in question is the former Baron Radiator Service building. But...
City by City: Northern Wisconsin, Aurora, Ironwood
Northern Wisconsin- The National Forest Service received nearly $2 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to fund projects over the next two years. Leaders say they plan to use the money to fund projects within the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. Projects will aim to help improve watershed health and increase infrastructure flood resistance. Projects will be located in Florence, Forest, and Vilas Counties. Much of the money will go to the Brule River Headwaters Restoration Plan which includes dam removal and road reconstruction.
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