KINGSFORD - How would you feel if your loved one was away for almost a year?
How would you feel if they were in harm's way in Afghanistan?
Now think of how you would feel to have them home safe, once again.
That was the scene in the Upper Peninsula Thursday.
"You cry because you're just so overwhelmed with emotion," says Marissa Hebert, the wife of PFC Peter Hebert.
Their tour of duty in Afghanistan sent them away for almost a year.
But the nearly 90 Guardsmen in the 1432nd Engineering Company came home to something overwhelming Thursday afternoon in Kingsford.
"The level of pride this city shows its service members is overwhelming," says PFC Hebert.
SPC Bobby Richards grew up in Wisconsin's Northwoods.
His mother, Missy, lives in Mercer.
It's the second son she's had come back from service in Afghanistan.
"Glad to have him home. And safe," Missy says.
"It's emotional. It's worth it. It's fun. Glad to see everybody came out," says SPC Richards. From those that kissed...to those that cried...to the ones that just needed a hug...putting words to this homecoming was a tough task.
"You're excited, you just thank God that he's home and in one piece," says Marissa Hebert.
RHINELANDER - Oneida County needs more foster care homes. Right now, there are nine licensed foster homes in the area, most of which are full according to the county's social services department.
Foster Care Coordinator Rachel Nelson says that in Oneida County there are 24 children currently living in foster homes. The department participated in a statewide foster care recruitment project last fall, and discovered just how great the need is.
RHINELANDER - A snow storm caught Hanson's Garden Village in Rhinelander off guard last weekend and collapsed a greenhouse. Now that spring weather is here, Hanson's is ready to move forward by making some adjustments. "We got by for 25 years doing what we were doing," said Hanson's Garden Village Co-owner Brent Hanson. Last weekend's spring snow storm set back Hanson's. "We thought we were ahead of schedule having that greenhouse nice and filled," said Hanson's Manager Beth Hanson.
"One bad storm and there you go. Things happen," said Brent. The storm collapsed a greenhouse holding thousands of plants. "For years we've gotten by with these lighter cheaper green houses," said Brent. "We'll be down a greenhouse for a little bit here," said Beth. Now Hanson's will only use sturdier and solid greenhouses so that collapses don't become a pattern.
MOSINEE - From here on out, Mosinee's Kevin Osterbrink will plow snow with a Stormy Kromer hat on his head--and a Stormy Kromer pattern on his plow.
Osterbrink entered his wife, Kayla Cisler-Osterbrink, in a prize drawing from Stormy Kromer and BOSS Snowplow. Her entry won, and BOSS delivered the red plaid patterned snowplow on Friday in Mosinee.
"I was tapping maple trees, and my wife showed up and said I had some homework to do because she won the plow," Osterbrink said, remembering how he found out they won.
"The first thing I told her was, 'That's the last thing I need, more work to do.' She said, 'Well, I think you want to do this, because you just won the Stormy Kromer plow," Osterbrink said.
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