RHINELANDER - We will probably never know how a fire that destroyed a Rhinelander home started.
Firefighters aren't investigating Saturday night's Iverson Street fire
The homeowners told firefighers the fire started in a room used for building models.
Fire Chief Terry Williams says that's consistent with what firefighters saw at the scene, so he doesn't see any reason to do a full investigation.
"The other reason we're not doing a full-fledged investigation right now is because the inside of the structure is unsafe," Williams said. "The first floor actually collapsed somewhat, and to put personnel in there outside of an emergency situation is far too risky."
The upstairs floor of the home is also starting to collapse.
The homeowners heard a loud sound from their basement around 9:30 Saturday night.
They went downstairs to check the noise and found flames in a back bedroom on the first floor.
Both the homeowners and their dog got out safely, but the fire spread quickly,
"There was nice dry wood for the home," Williams said. "There were air currents moving through the home with some of the windows that were broke out prior to our arrival, and some of the doors left open throughout the house helped spread the fire throughout the structure."
The home is probably a total loss. The homeowners are staying with family.
Future Wisconsin Project wants to bring more workers, manufacturers to Wisconsin
Submitted: 03/11/2014
RHINELANDER - The Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce group held a seminar at Nicolet College in Rhinelander Tuesday, to plan how to make Wisconsin more attractive to skilled workers and manufacturing businesses.
WMC's president believes the shortage in younger people in the industry has to do with two big misconceptions about manufacturing.
"The younger kids, as do their parents, have a perception on what manufacturing looks like and it's about 40 years out of date. If you're in an advanced manufacturing facility now, it's clean, it's high-tech, the engineers and technicians are working together," said Jim Morgan."We have a perception problem. I think we still have a definition of success that's says unless you have a four-year degree, you're not successful."
Morgan says groups like WMC work to change that perception. He believes workers with a two-year degree are just as successful in the industry.
So far, WMC held seminars at nine other technical colleges. For Rhinelander, more manufacturers could mean more economic independence.
"The Rhinelander Chamber of Commerce is looking to see how it can help and partner with local manufacturers to make the Rhinelander area a more favorable place for them to locate their businesses, as well as to attract and retain skilled workers to make those businesses successful," said Dana DeMet, Rhinelander Chamber of Commerce director.
Over the next six months, WMC will continue to look for ways to attract more workers and businesses to the state.
In December, it hopes to have 1000 representatives for a meeting in Milwaukee focusing on how manufacturing will benefit the state.
WMC also works with the University of Wisconsin system and the Wisconsin Technical Colleges.
MADISON - The Rhinelander Mock trial team can call themselves champions.
The team took state Monday afternoon in Madison.
he RHS Mock Trial Team has won the state tournament 17 times in the 31 years since it was established.
One of the co-captains says it takes both the coaches and the students hard work to be so successful.
The national mock trial championship is scheduled in May.
The team is trying to raise money to help with expenses.
Checks made out to the Rhinelander High School Mock trial team can be sent to the high school. _______________________________________________________________________
RHINELANDER - UPDATE: Monday, Mar 10, 2014; 10:45 p.m.
A temporary stop sign at a Rhinelander intersection will become a permanent fixture at the intersection.
The Rhinelander City Administrator Blaine Oborn says The City Council unanimously agreed to permanently keep the stop sign at the Davenport and Sutliff Street intersection.
The stop sign was put up at the three-way intersection during a construction project last summer.
The permanent signs could be in place in the next couple of weeks.
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Drivers might need to get used to a stop sign at one intersection in Rhinelander.
The City Council held a public hearing to decide if the temporary stop sign on Davenport and Sutliff should stay.
The stop sign was put up at the three-way intersection during a construction project last summer.
"We put up a temporary stop sign because we had the closure on Kemp, and we sent all the traffic this way," says Rhinelander City Administrator Blaine Oborn. "Once we had the stop sign up, a lot of people in the community started voicing support for keeping it."
Members of the community voiced their support for or against the permanent stop sign at the public hearing.
"People who live on the west side over here go straight through, it slows them down a little bit by having to do a stop sign," says Oborn. "The people on Sutliff that have to make a left or right turn, they really favor the three-way stop sign here because it makes it a lot safer for them."
The permanent signs could be in place in the next couple of weeks if the council approves the move.
RHINELANDER - Warm temperatures and lingering snow on roofs doesn't make for a good combination.
Around 3 p.m. Monday, the weight of the snow on the roof of the building next to the Elbo Room in Rhinelander caused major damage to the building.
The awning to the building fell down onto the Brown Street sidewalk.
Fire leaders say it's important to remember to how dangerous heavy snowfall left on roofs can be this time of year.
“Well with this heavy snowfall this winter there's a lot of snow load with warm weather today the snow melting it created a lot of weight and it can damage structures with all the weight from the snow,” says Josh Schmitz, Rhinelander Fire Deptartment Deputy Chief.
No one was injured in the collapse. The fire department is not sure when cleanup will begin.
------------------------ An earlier version of this story indicated that the facade of the Elbo Room awning had fallen. That was incorrect. It was the building next to the Elbo Room. That has been corrected in the story above.
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