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WJFW News

Friday fish fry brings the community together Submitted: 02/15/2013
RHINELANDER - In Wisconsin, nothing sounds better than a Friday fish fry.

“There’s these traditions, and they’re rich, and the very recipes at times and the way we cook the fish and other materials we’re proving for the public, ours are a direct result of what was started decades ago,” said fish fry organizer Jim Barnes.

Over 100 volunteers served hundreds of people at the Nativity of Our Lord Fish Fry in Rhinelander.

Barnes believes the dinner is not just about the fish.

“We all like to come together, we all enjoy eating and we do this once a year, just like the smelt fry is in about another month- it's a once a year thing. And it's where the community of Rhinelander can come together, break bread together- eat together in other words, because we play together, we worship together, why not eat together,” said Barnes.

Just down the street at the Claridge Clubhouse, they serve fish fries year round.

But the Lenten season helps increase business, by 20 percent.

“Our best night of the week is always Friday night and it brings in a number of people, we fill up and turn over the tables a couple of times, so it's a very good evening for us,” said Clairidge general manager Edward Orikowski.

Orlikowski says there’s just something special about a Friday fish fry.

“They come, they have a great fish fry, they talk, they meet their neighbors, they meet other people in the community, so it’s great food, great atmosphere, and it’s also a place for people to socialize,” said Orikowski.

The church agrees there’s something special, maybe even a higher power looking out for their Friday fish fry.

“There’s gotta be, someone above us, who has created us, because the amount of variety of people that are in this community- have hearts full of gold. It just, makes me; it just gives me a big thrill and gets my juices going,” said Barnes.

The Clardige Clubhouse has a Friday fish fry every Friday night.

You’ll have to wait another year for the Nativity of Our lord fish fry.

They only serve one night a year.


Story By: Hayley Tenpas

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

RHINELANDER -
A ticket sold in Rhinelander matched all the numbers in last night's Badger 5 lotto drawing.

The lucky winner bought the ticket at Trigs in Rhinelander.

The winning numbers last night were 5, 16, 18, 25 and 28.

The winner has 180 days to claim the 293-thousand dollar prize.

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

EAGLE RIVER - The initiative will help to rebound what's thought of as a suffering walleye population by adding hundreds of thousands of the fish to Wisconsin lakes.

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.

"The walleye population has pretty much suffered in the last twenty years and it's really nice to see Madison recognizing that and taking some steps to do something about it. It will take a while but it's a great start."

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Plan Announced to Boost Walleye Numbers Submitted: 05/23/2013

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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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.

The state Department of Workforce Development said yesterday that unemployment got worse in April in Price, Menominee and Calumet counties.

Unemployment stayed the same in Iron and Langlade counties.

Rates improved in the other 67 counties.

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Rhinelander's Open House of Storefronts a Success Submitted: 05/22/2013

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RHINELANDER - Rhinelander needs new businesses to fill empty stores downtown.

This past weekend 26 properties had an open house. It was organized by Downtown Rhinelander, Inc. (DRI) and Flanders Reality Group. Finding the right home for a business can be hard. But the event tried to help those on the hunt.

"This way, you know, your here, you look, your able to talk to someone who knows the property. And you can really make a really good decision right now today," said Maggie Steffen, DRI Executive Director.

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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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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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