Tuesday, February 11, 2025
31 °
Mostly Cloudy

Local Rotary Clubs promote ethics and civility to ninth graders

Rotary Clubs in communities throughout northeast Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula are sponsoring local Rotary Four Way Test Speaking contests with students able to win up to $1,500. The Rotary Four …
Jeff Ott and family. Jeff was one of the 2024 inductees into the Merrill Basketball Hall of Fame.

Merrill Basketball Hall of Fame Night

On Jan. 18, 2025, the Merrill Basketball Program celebrated their annual 2024 Merrill Basketball Hall of Fame night at halftime during the Merrill Girls Varsity Basketball Team game against Antigo. …
Arlene Meyer laughs with Paula Streich, a certified nursing assistant, right, while eating lunch with three of her fellow Pine Crest Nursing Home residents in Merrill, Wis., on Nov. 15, 2024. (Joe Timmerman / Wisconsin Watch)

‘We own it. It’s our place.’ Worsened care feared as counties privatize their nursing homes

Over more than three decades, residents in 22 Wisconsin counties lost public nursing homes to sales or closures. This year alone at least five counties — including Lincoln — considered selling, started the sales process or sold. County leaders say they have only two options while facing financial pressures and staffing shortages: sell or close the homes. Local organizers disagree, arguing counties should continue providing high-quality care for low-income older people and disabled adults.

Weinbrenner Shoe Company named finalist for Manufacturer of the Year

Weinbrenner Shoe Company, headquartered in Merrill, has been named a finalist in the Large Manufacturer Category (250-499 employees) for the 36th Annual Manufacturer of the Year (MOTY) Awards. This …

Drive winter blues away by spending time outside

Winter blues got you down? Spending time outside can help boost your mood and both your physical and mental health. “Getting outside in the wintertime can really help your state of mind,” …
Sports
Figure skates, figure skating.

Figure Skating Across the Galaxy is this weekend

The Merrill Ice Reflections Figure Skating Club will present Skating Across the Galaxy, their annual show this weekend, on Saturday, Feb. 8, at 6 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 9, at 1 p.m. at the Merrill …
The Merrill Boys battle it out in mid-air against Wausau East at the basket.

Varsity Boys Basketball suffers two consecutive home losses

The Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, Merrill Boys Varsity Basketball game was postponed due to the frigid temperatures which also closed school and activities throughout the Merrill area. On Friday, Jan. …

EMU Bluejacks lose two, one in OT

On Jan. 23, 2025, the EMU Bluejacks played Wisconsin Rapids in a conference game at Marathon Park. Wisconsin Rapids kicked things off with the first goal in the first period, and the Bluejacks came …
Kendell Klug wrestles in the dual against DC Everest.

Merrill Varsity Boys Wrestling Team hits the mat across the region

Wisconsin Rapids dual On Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, the Merrill High School (MHS) Boys Varsity Wrestling Team traveled to Wisconsin Rapids (WR) to compete in a Wisconsin Valley Conference dual …
The Merrill Girls Varsity Wrestling Team celebrates taking third place as a TEAM in a bracketed tournament with 30 teams.

Breaking barriers: Merrill Varsity female wrestlers shine on the mat

Westby High School competition The Merrill Girls Wrestling Team traveled to Westby High School for a competition on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025. “The team fared well,” said Scott …

Packers of the Past: Ahman Green

From the time he joined the Packers in 2000 through the end of the 2004 season, no one in the NFL gained more yards from scrimmage or rushed for more yards than Green Bay’s No. 30.

GREEN BAY – From the time he joined the Packers in 2000 through the end of the 2004 season, no one in the NFL gained more yards from scrimmage or rushed for more yards than Green Bay’s …

Green Bay organizations gear up for 2025 Draft

Don Mjelde, Eastern District vice president, Tavern League of Wisconsin,  speaks during the December announcement of the shuttle program.

GREEN BAY – Plans are starting to emanate from local organizations preparing for the NFL Draft to be held in Green Bay in April. On Broadway, Inc., Downtown Green Bay, Inc. and the City of …

Former Packers PR Director dead at 82

Lane

GREEN BAY -- Green Bay Packers Former Director of Public Relations Chuck Lane died Jan. 19 at 82. Lane worked under Packers Former Head Coach Vince Lombardi. “Lane also was heavily …

Obituaries
Carol June Kopplin
Carol June Kopplin, age 87, of Merrill, passed away peacefully on Monday, February 10, 2025 at her home, while surrounded by her loving family and under the care of Interim Hospice.  She was …
Wilhelm “Bill” Jensen,
Wilhelm “Bill” Jensen, formally of Irma, passed away February 1, 2025 at Evergreen Retirement Community in Oshkosh Wisconsin.  Born in Chicago April 16, 1930 the only child of Paul …
Selma A. Weber
Selma A. Weber
Selma A. Weber, 97, of Merrill, suddenly yet peacefully passed away Friday, February 7, 2025, with her son by her side at Pine Crest Nursing Home, Merrill, under the care of “Team …
Duane R. Isaacson
Duane R. Isaacson
Duane R. Isaacson, 94, of New London, passed away Thursday, February 6, 2025, at Kindred Heart  Senior Living under the care of Compassus Hospice. Duane was born January 20, 1931, in …
Karan K. Pfingsten
Karan K. Pfingsten
Karan K. Pfingsten, 82 of Gleason, passed away Friday February 7, 2025, at Friendly Village in Rhinelander. Karan was born January 20, 1943, in Oklahoma, daughter of Asa Byron and Edna …
Business

Wisconsin Healthy Grown® potatoes featured on award-winning TV show

ANTIGO, Wis. – As the third largest potato-producing state in the nation, Wisconsin potatoes have an important story to tell about feeding families with sustainably produced Wisconsin potatoes. …

78th Alice in Dairyland applications open through Jan. 31

The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) is accepting applications from individuals with a passion for promoting Wisconsin agriculture and invites interested …

Cenex brand celebrates local festivals and community pride With the Hometown Throwdown Giveback Program

On Jan. 7, 2025, Cenex, the energy brand of CHS Inc., announced their second annual Hometown Throwdown contest. The contest invites individuals and organizations to nominate their hometown festival …

USDA and Wisconsin award $23.2 million to projects that strengthen food supply chain infrastructure

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced on Jan. 6, 2025, that it has partnered with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and …
Schools

Mandatory meetings announced for Bluejay Trap

The Merrill Bluejay Trap Team is gearing up for another season. “And we have a BIG year ahead of us—defending Conference Champs and we are hosting the Conference shoot,” coaches …

Two receive minor injuries in bus vs. SUV crash in Town of Merrill

Two people, including a student, received minor injuries in a school bus vs. SUV crash last week. According to a release from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, on Tuesday, Jan. 14, at 7:27 …

Superintendent’s Corner… 

Many years ago, as a first-year teacher in the Medford School District, I was introduced to the idea that a child’s education is like a three-legged stool. The first leg represents the school, …

Catholic Schools Week: Celebrating being United in Faith and Community

“Catholic Schools: United in Faith and Community” is the theme of National Catholic Schools Week at St. Francis Xavier (SFX)Catholic School in Merrill, Jan. 26 thru Feb. 1, with students …
Health

Marshfield Clinic blood drive in Merrill seeks donors

Marshfield Clinic Health System’s blood supply partner, Versiti, will host a blood drive at Marshfield Clinic Merrill Center, 1205 O Day St., in Merrill on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, from 10 a.m. …

Staying safe in the cold: Aspirus Health shares cold weather injury prevention tips

“Cold-related injuries can range from frostbite, frostnip, all the way up to hypothermia, where the body is not able to produce heat fast enough to keep it warm to survive.” As …

Sanford Health and Marshfield Clinic Health System complete merger

On Jan. 2, 2025, a press release announced that Sanford Health, the largest rural health system in the U.S., headquartered in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and Marshfield Clinic Health System, had …

Keep blastomycosis on your radar

Lincoln County Health Department would like to remind community members of the risk of blastomycosis (or “blasto”). Although the risk of getting this fungal infection is low, every year …
Special Sections
Courts
Richard “Ricky” Sanderson, a 50-year-old Tomahawk man, died on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, at Aspirus Tomahawk Hospital from an apparent stab wound to the upper center of his chest/lower …
On Monday, Dec. 9, 2024, in Lincoln County Circtui Court, 23-three-year-old Vincent Galella of Merrill was sentenced, after reaching a plea agreement with the State of Wisconsin, in separate charges …
In Lincoln County Court on Nov. 11, 2024, 30-year-old Tanner Graap of Merrill was sentenced to 15 years in state prison, to run consecutive with any other sentence, followed by 10 years of extended …
Opinion and Editorial
Dear reader,  I am not just one; I am a unit of many — my ancestors who paved the way, the stages of my life shaped by community and friends, and the family of God's creation to which …
The 1998 drama "Rounders," directed by John Dahl, gives us a glimpse into another fascinating underworld: one that revolves around high-stakes poker.
Dear Reader,  Life's treasures aren't measured in material possessions like a sleek car or a spacious mansion. You could have all of these things, but without someone to share them with, …
Community & Human Interest
On Jan. 8, 2025, the Lincoln County Administrative & Legislative (A&L) Committee adjourned into closed session to evaluate the broker proposals received to select a broker to represent the …
Church Mutual held its annual United Way campaign in September to raise funds for area nonprofits. Employee pledges plus matching funds from CM CARES, the Church Mutual foundation, equaled a $161,088 …
The Merrill branch of Associated Bank won the Associated Bank companywide Veterans Day Display contest again this year and was able to donate $250 to the local Merrill VFW Post 1638. …