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WJFW News

Sandra Schinke's Husband Speaks Out About Her Disappearance Submitted: 04/11/2012

SAYNER - 55-year-old Sandra Schinke's disappearance is rattling residents as rescue crews search surrounding areas looking for her.

"I am in just total shock about this. I can't believe in a small town all of a sudden we're having all these things happen. It's just unbelievable," said Jan Heeran who works in St. Germain.

Since Saturday, the Vilas County Sheriff's Department along with rescue teams from surrounding communities and other states, have been scouring wooded areas around the Schinke's home but so far there has been so sign of Sandra.

"There's nothing amiss she's just vanished. She's gone." said Sandra's Husband Jim Schinke.

This is the first time since his wife disappeared, Jim has spoken on-camera to the media.

He said he was in North Dakota on business when she vanished.

Jim said he is a construction electrician and he frequently travels out there.

But when he's gone, not a day went by where the two don't speak.

"Every day at 6pm we have a special time when we talk…on Thursday she was not available. She did not answer her phone. I always told her if I couldn't get a hold of her for two days I was coming home," said Jim.

When he didn't hear from Sandra he called the Sheriff's Department.

Jim described that call saying, "While talking to the Sheriff's Department, I asked them to come over just to check on her. I told them what vehicle she had. It was in the garage. They knocked on the door and there was no answer."

Sandra was last seen Thursday walking along County Hwy N. An area where Jim said she was frequently.

"She always takes her phone That's why this is so odd. Her phone is here. Her house keys were in the house. Her wallet was in the house, all of her IDs. It doesn't make any sense," said Jim.

The couple have been married for 14 years and he says she's never left home before and has no history of memory loss or mental health.

The Vilas County Sheriff's Department says no items such as clothes or jewelry were missing from their home to suggest she left.

Jim and other family members have passed out flyers to local businesses and residents hoping to spread the word but for now all they can do is wait.

The family said they hope to hold a Support Vigil in Sayner on Saturday afternoon. We'll have details on this as it becomes available.

Story By: Jenn Sullivan

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MADISON - Governor Walker hopes greater walleye numbers can help boost state tourism.

Walker announced a nearly 13-million dollar effort to boost walleye production.

The plan would allow the state to borrow millions to expand hatcheries.

It would also give several million in grants for private walleye production plants.

The plan also includes money for aquaculture work, buying fingerlings from private vendors, and expanding a program that gives tribal youth jobs on natural resources-related projects.

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Walleye Plan Excites Local Fishermen Submitted: 05/23/2013

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The project could improve fishing for the state's most popular game fish and tourism in the state. George Langely, a local fishing guide at Eagle Sports bait shop in Eagle River, says walleye fishing isn't what it used to be.

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Winning Lottery Ticket Sold in Rhinelander Submitted: 05/23/2013

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The lucky winner bought the ticket at Trigs in Rhinelander.

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Unemployment Down for Most of State Submitted: 05/23/2013

MADISON - Some northwoods counties got left behind as unemployment rates IMPROVED almost everywhere in Wisconsin last month.

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Unemployment stayed the same in Iron and Langlade counties.

Rates improved in the other 67 counties.

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Sen. Baldwin delivers first Senate floor speech Submitted: 05/22/2013

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WASHINGTON, D.C. - We got to see and hear Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin give her first speech on the floor Wednesday morning.

The first-term Senator focused mainly on optimism and bipartisanship during her 11-minute speech.

She spoke on a day when the Senate took up debate on the so-called 2013 Farm Bill.

The bi-partisan effort would help limit the risks many farmers take while saving taxpayers billions. It's the kind of work Baldwin would like to see the Senate do more of.

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People with Disabilities Gain Job Skills in Northwoods Submitted: 05/22/2013

RHINELANDER - People with disabilities deserve the same chance to find a job as anyone else.

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Six people completed the Employability class at Headwaters this year.

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The students in the class toured several workplaces in the area.

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State Funding for Rural Schools Problematic in the Northwoods Submitted: 05/22/2013

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RHINELANDER - State budgeting can sound like a dry topic. For many people, and even elected officials, it is.

But when a state budget impacts your child's school directly, people tend to pay attention.

Some people in Rhinelander think Wisconsin is not giving its fair share to districts in northern Wisconsin. They met in town tonight to talk about it.

Staff and parents in the School District of Rhinelander want to make sure state officials know just how much they're hurting. They met tonight to hammer that point home.

"Because there are fewer of us in northern Wisconsin than in the big cities, we're going to have to be louder," says Kelli Jacobi, District Director of Instruction, and future Superintendent.

Rhinelander voters passed a $3 million referendum in February. That meant the district could raise more money from property taxes. But it doesn't fix a bigger problem - how much money the district gets from the state.

"There's a huge discrepancy in terms of the school funding formula because it's based on property values and has nothing to do with income," says Marta Kwiatkowski, District Director of Business Services.

That creates an odd situation. Rhinelander is considered a high property value district. That means it doesn't get a whole lot of financial help from the state government. At the same time, it's a high poverty district too.

"If you look at the income, our income is approximately $35,000 on average, where state average is $52,000," says Kwiatkowski.

The wide difference between property values and actual family incomes in Rhinelander creates a challenge. It's been that way for years - since the state Legislature set up school funding rules.

"It's kind of a situation that wasn't taken into account when the current school funding formula was established," says Jacobi.

Now, the only thing school districts like Rhinelander can do is push hard for their state legislators to help them financially.

"We say, hey, what are you going to do for us? We did it for you because we voted you into office. If we don't like (what you're doing), we're going to find somebody that we will like and vote them in," says Brian Carpenter, a parent and middle school teacher.

A temporary fix could be a plan by Senate Republicans Mike Ellis and Luther Olson. They suggest raising the amount of funding devoted to each student by $200 over Governor Walker's budget proposal. Rhinelander leaders strongly support that plan.

"We let people know what our concerns are, what our problems are, and that we need help," says Jacobi.

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