Local Features

The summer tourist season has begun, but how summer visitors get to the Northwoods has always been an important part of the local economy. Air travel is a modern means of getting to a vacation destination, but air travel to the Northwoods started earlier than many people realize. Historian Gary Entz has the story:

Across the county, pet adoptions have seen a dramatic increase since the beginning of the pandemic. In areas where the virus is more prevalent, some shelters have even run out of dogs and cats for adoption. Although local Northwoods shelters still do have animals available, there has been a notable increase in the number of adoptions. Jim and Debbie Boman, of Merrill, recently adopted Delilah, a Labrador-Pitbull mix from the Humane Society of Marathon County. According to Jim Boman, “We knew

The Conservation Congress Spring hearing results are out, but haven’t gotten a lot of attention—that is until the Masked Biologist decided to examine the results of some very important questions in this week’s wildlife matters.

At first glance, the YouTube video simply shows a young girl playing with Legos at her home. But if you listen closely, it’s something more. Six-year-old Wren Gotts is describing her Lego creations, by color, in Anishinaabemowin, the traditional Ojibwe language. Wren patiently holds up each piece, explaining it in the language. Actually, “Wren” is just one of her names, she said. “Well, there’s two sorts [of names],” she said. “White Crane Girl is my [native] name.” Although she lives in

The Memorial Day weekend is nearly here. While Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of the summer season, it is worth remembering that what was once known as Decoration Day is about so much more. Historian Gary Entz has the story of early Memorial Day ceremonies.

Many in the Northwoods do not have access to high speed broadband internet. That’s a critical gap in modern living, especially with the health emergency keeping people at home. State grants through the Public Service Commission have recently been awarded to some communities and counties to help remedy the situation. According to Forest County Broadband Commission Chair Mark Ferris , “Broadband today is much like electricity a hundred years ago. We consider it a utility. It is critical to the

Did you know that right now there is a restriction on which areas you are able to run your dog off-leash? The Masked Biologist does, and he shares it with us in this week’s Wildlife Matters.

As the crow flies, Wildcat Falls near Watersmeet and the Upper Wisconsin River Legacy Forest near Land O’Lakes are only 15 miles apart, on opposite sides of the Michigan-Wisconsin border. But in some ways, these protected places couldn’t be more different. From one, water flows north to Lake Superior. From the other, it flows south, eventually to the Gulf of Mexico. Huge old-growth trees dominate the area near Wildcat Falls, while a young forest supporting threatened species is common near the

With many people currently out of work, some economists are comparing current unemployment levels with that of the Great Depression years. So far, however, the social safety net has held, and suffering is not yet at 1930s levels. Historian Gary Entz has the story of Rhinelander’s Hoovervilles.

Badger Minerals plans to begin drilling in eastern Oneida County in less than a month, according to documents filed with the county . The mining exploration company’s plans were just approved by the DNR, the final hurdle to commence exploratory drilling. The firm told Oneida County 24-hour-a-day drilling near the Wolf River will begin on June 1. Badger Minerals is a Michigan-based subsidiary of a Canadian company. It wants to learn more about what’s underground at the site in the Town of