MERRILL - After severe storms this summer, the Lincoln County Grandstands were torn down and the county began searching for ideas to replace the iconic fairground structure.
The "Merrill Expo Center Authority User Group" has a plan to build an Expo Center with the goal of bringing more business to the grounds.
Randy Scholz is the Administrative Coordinator for Lincoln County and says, "They would promote it. They would have other groups come in and utilize it more. That's really the whole concept behind the Authority is to get the fairgrounds used more."
So far, the Lincoln County Public Property Committee favors the plans, but they're hesitant about what may happen during the 2013 county fair, Scholz says, "The user group has indicated that they're more interested in doing it so it fits everybody's need. They weren't so concerned with the time frame. So I don't know what their plans are as far as having something available for the upcoming year."
The Expo Center Group still has to provide detailed plans to Lincoln County, including costs and construction models, before the full board can move ahead.
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."
DNR raises bag limits on hundreds of northern Wisconsin lakes
Submitted: 05/23/2013
MADISON - Wildlife officials have increased daily walleye bag limits for anglers as Wisconsin Chippewa spearfishing winds down.
The state Department of Natural Resources has raised limits on 423 lakes in the ceded territory, a swath of northern Wisconsin the tribes gave to the government more than a century ago. The rules include a five-walleye limit on 289 lakes, a four-walleye limit on three lakes, and a three-walleye limit on 131 lakes.
MADISON - Expect to see plenty of traffic out on the roads this Memorial Day weekend. But if there's a silver lining, traffic may be down slightly.
AAA estimates 627,000 people are expected to travel by road in Wisconsin this weekend. That's down about 1.6 percent from last year. One reason could be gas prices.
Statewide, they're averaging $3.93 a gallon.
That's 33 cents more than a month ago and 21 cents higher than last year. AAA says gas prices are higher here than the national average of $3.65 because several refineries in the Upper Midwest have been closed for maintenance.
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