RHINELANDER - In a turn of events, Minocqua's Jonathan Thormann reached a plea agreement today in Oneida County Court.
He is accused of hurting a woman, smashing cars with a hammer, and setting a house on fire in Minocqua. You may remember him from his outbursts several months ago.
"Would you mind sharing your address?"(Judge Bloom) "Nope."(Thormann) "If you don't mind, would you tell us your address?"(Judge Bloom) "Figure it out. You're the judge and you're the cops. I-r-o-n-w-o-o-d, M-I" (Thormann)
Thormann was scheduled for a motion hearing to change venue after a request last month was denied.
But instead a plea agreement was reached dismissing three of the five felonies. Most noticeably the charge of substantial battery. He still had four more charges which he respectfully answered to.
"Ms. Hogan, at this time, how does your client plead to counts three and six as alledged in the information and then counts four and five as ammended?" (Judge Bloom) "No contest your honor."(Hogan) "Is that correct Mr. Thormann?"(Judge Bloom) "Yes sir."(Thormann)
He pleads no contest to two felonies, "strangulation and suffocation", as well as, "unsafe burning of own building". Judge Michael Bloom found him guilty.
His sentencing is scheduled for August 28th. He could do six years in jail along with five more years of extended supervision.
ANTIGO - People around the country will see just how much a police officer killed in the line of duty meant to his family and community.
Karl's Transport in Antigo revealed its newest semi-trailer design Tuesday afternoon. The trailer features Everest Metro Detective Jason Weiland. Weiland, 40, was shot and killed in a shooting rampage around the Wausau area on March 22, 2017.
RHINELANDER - In a few days, nearly every face of every Rhinelander police chief will greet you when you walk into the department.
In the nineties, a local artist sketched the faces of many Rhinelander Police Chiefs.
Recently, another artist stepped up to finish the job.
"I know every little inch of [their] face[s] now," said Rhinelander artist Tom Barnett.
For the past few weeks, Barnett has stared at and studied the faces of Rhinelander Police Chief Lloyd Gauthier, and two of his predecessors Michael Steffes and Glenn Parmeter.
"It's quite creepy if you go up to someone and tell them that," said Barnett with a laugh.
EAGLE RIVER - Several Northwoods schools wanted to make it clear to their students Wednesday, there's always someone there to talk to. Anti-Bullying and suicide prevention speaker Bob Lenz spoke at Three Lakes and Northland Pines high schools Wednesday. Northland Pines Dean of Students Josh Tilley said he hopes students walk away from the talk knowing they can reach out to at least one person when they feel alone.
"Over the last few years, we've been bringing speakers in, national, local and state speakers so that we can really help our students understand that if they feel different they have the opportunity to be an individual, but if it's hurting them they can get help," said Tilley. Northland Pines staff members recently looked closely at their relationships with students by reviewing class rosters. They want to make sure all students have support.
MARATHON COUNTY - Two important Wisconsin products won't benefit from a possible trade war. It will likely hurt them. Last month President Trump placed tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum imports. China came back and slapped tariffs on more than 100 U.S. products. The motives are political. But the effects trickle down to hurt local economies.
When it comes to growing ginseng, nobody does it quite like Marathon County.
"Wisconsin ginseng is sort of the cream of the crop when it comes to American ginseng," said Hsu's Ginseng Enterprises Director of Operations Mike Klemp-North.
Ninety percent of the U.S.'s ginseng crop is grown in Wisconsin. Ninety-five percent of that crop is grown in Marathon County.
MADISON - The Legislature's finance committee is giving the Department of Corrections more money to cover prisoner health care.
The agency was budgeted $80.6 million in fiscal year 2017-18 to inmate health care but now expects to spend $90.7 million thanks to rising drug costs, more hospital visits for the prison system's aging inmate population and rising contract nurse costs.
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