RHINELANDER - When non-profits host special events in Rhinelander, they fill out an application, and pay $10 to get a temporary liquor license.
But if a bar or restaurant wants to do the same, there's no formal application and no fee for expanding an existing liquor license.
Rhinelander city council member Alex Young wants to change that. Right now, the council reviews special events on a case-by-case basis.
That uses up committee and city staff time. Young wants to charge a fee because of the cost of that time to the city. He also believes a formal application would simplify the process.
"We never really had a consistent set of guidelines or consistent set of requirements for people to seek that," Young said. "So that's hopefully something we can address through the permitting process."
The city council is trying to make it easier for both non-profits and businesses to host special events.
It is working on a special events packet to guide people through the complicated permitting process. Young hopes that will benefit the entire city.
"Holding events like that is a draw to the area and brings people in, then hopefully they'll move on and patronize some of the businesses in the area and so forth," he said. "And it's just good for the community, to provide events and things for people to do."
The Protection of Persons and Property Committee will vote on the liquor license fee Monday night.
If it passes, it moves forward to the full council for a vote.
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.
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.
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.
Play Video
