WJFW News
Hot grease causes home and garage fire near Merrill
Submitted: 01/29/2013
MERRILL - On a chilly, wet day, hot grease seems to be the culprit for burning a house down in Lincoln County Tuesday.
Lincoln County crews responded to a fire on Pope Road just north of Merrill around 2 p.m. A garage and adjacent home were both on fire.
The homeowner told police she put hot grease into a garbage can in the garage.
She then added water, which caused sparks to fly up and light the insulation on fire.
Both the home and garage appear to be a total loss.
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In Other News:
Kemp Street construction pushed back to July 8
Submitted: 06/18/2013
RHINELANDER - Independence Day always brings a flood of visitors to the Northwoods. Closing one of Rhinelander's major streets could create a big headache. But we learned today that major construction on Kemp Street won't start until after July 4th. The city and contractors decided today to start the Kemp Street part of their sewer project during the week of July 8th.
Eagle River library presents new design
Submitted: 06/18/2013
EAGLE RIVER - You can put songs, books and even movies on a device smaller than your hand. With that kind of technology, you wouldn't think real, brick-and-mortar libraries would be as busy or need as much space. But in Eagle River, the Olson Library is busier than ever. The library's foundation started planning for expansion in 2007. It held an open house to begin its next step in fundraising Tuesday.
Antigo looks to Langlade Hospital to take over ambulance service
Submitted: 06/18/2013
ANTIGO - The city of Antigo doesn't want to run an ambulance service anymore. It's just too expensive. Instead, the city's new hospital may take over. "We have a great ambulance service now and that's our biggest concern here is being able to maintain that... As with a lot of people our problem is financial," said City of Antigo’s Mayor, Bill Brandt. Each year it costs around 2 million dollars to run the ambulance service for Antigo and 10 surrounding townships. About half of that is paid by the city and county through taxes... The other half is paid by the user fees.
Merrill High School Preserves Mural Paintings
Submitted: 06/18/2013
MERRILL - When students hear the bell ring on the last day of school, they normally don't want to come back until they have to. But a few students went right back inside to beautify their school. Honors Art students started painting murals around the high school last week. The program started nine years ago. Thirteen students are painting four foot by six foot scaled designs on the brick walls.
Rhinelander again welcomes American flag downtown
Submitted: 06/18/2013
RHINELANDER - A huge American flag flying over Rhinelander fills most of us with pride. Last year, city leaders tried to put a flag up on the AT&T tower in downtown Rhinelander. But it was too big. AT&T is hoping this 15x25 foot flag will be a better fit. Today was the third attempt to get a flag to fly on the downtown cell tower.
Chrysler recalls nearly three million vehicles
Submitted: 06/18/2013
NATIONWIDE - Chrysler is recalling nearly three million vehicles. The recall covers 1993 through 2004 Grand Cherokees and Libertys from 2002 through 2007. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration requested the recalls. It says fuel tanks in those models are located in a dangerous spot. They could rupture and start on fire in a rear-end crash. Chrysler insists the SUVs are not defective. At first, the company refused to recall the vehicles. But now, dealers will inspect the recalled vehicles. If necessary, they can can upgrade the rear structure to better handle low-speed crashes.
Rhinelander Planning Committee makes organizing big events easier
Submitted: 06/18/2013
RHINELANDER - Not many people plan big events. But in a tourist town like Rhinelander, parades, car shows and festivals are a big part of the economy. Those big events need a lot of preparation. That's why Rhinelander's Planning Committee wants to make events easier to organize. The city's Protection of Persons and Property Committee is working on a new special event packet.