LAND O' LAKES - Kids in Land O' Lakes will play cartoon characters discussing their life during a play Friday. Organizers hope this helps them to show their artistic side.
You can expect to hear great sounds at Land O' Lakes Elementary School Friday. Kids from ages 6 to 14 have been learning about the art of performance this summer. They'll play cartoon characters discussing their life on a talk show.
"It's been really amazing to come to the theatre program the last two years. The first year we probably had 60, 70 people. Last year we had 100 people come to the recital," said Land O Lakes Area Artisans treasurer Lynn Richie.
That means more than just parents, grandparents and friends. Some kids might find that intimidating, but these kids are feeling much more comfortable.
"When I started I was afraid to sing, but now I'm just very confident," said 11-year-old Kayla Whitehead.
"I've heard everybody sing beautifully," 14-year-old Alexandra Kazzala said. "I think we're better than we were last year because we've learned more and this is definitely a more difficult musical than last year."
"It's not exactly being up on stage with strangers in front of me, it was more being in class with strangers," said 11-year-old Morgan Ondrejka.
And kids say they've made lasting friends along the way.
The show starts Friday at 3 p.m. and is free to attend.
MERRILL - It might be hard to imagine running a business with your mother or daughter-in-law, but for one pair, a shared hobby helped create their DIY studio.
Mother and daughter-in-law duo Diane and Alicia Kucirek opened The Painted Door in Merrill just one month ago.
They take old, worn out furniture and make it new again using chalk paint.
The pair decided to open the studio when both of their houses started to get jam-packed with finished chalk paint projects.
Diane says anyone can learn how to give new life to old furniture with some lessons.
"You just learn as you go. It's so easy to repair anything you don't like, fix it, or change direction with it," says Diane.
Alicia says the first month of business was insane, mainly because of the community's support.
Support comes from outside of Merrill, too.
"We've had people come from all over Wisconsin saying, 'Tell me about this chalk paint!'"says Alicia.
MADISON - Jurors have convicted a man accused of stealing an arsenal of firearms from a southern Wisconsin gun shop and sending an anti-government manifesto to President Donald Trump.
The jury in Madison deliberated for about two hours Tuesday before finding Joseph Jakubowski guilty of two federal weapons charges.
RHINELANDER - The Oneida-Vilas Transit Commission will get its long-awaited federal funding installment by October 4.
The timing means no Northwoods Transit Connections drivers will have to voluntarily furlough their pay, but the requirement of 24-hour advance notice for rides will stay in place.
Transit Commission Chair Erv Teichmiller learned the news over the weekend.
The commission is waiting on an expected payment of $300,000 from the federal government. In 2016, that money came in early September. As of last Friday, the commission wasn't expecting the payment until as late as November.
MADISON - Gov. Scott Walker has selected a former legislator to run the state Department of Natural Resources.
Walker's office announced Monday that he has chosen former Republican state Rep. Dan Meyer to serve as DNR secretary. He replaces Cathy Stepp, who resigned in August to take a position in President Donald Trump's administration.
RHINELANDER - A large open lot on Rhinelander's east side could soon fill in with a chain restaurant.
Cory Moritz-Hoffmann and her husband hope to build a Pizza Ranch next to Kwik Trip on Eisenhower Parkway. The pair of former Pine Lake firefighters got the idea about six years ago when they first went to a Pizza Ranch in Iowa.
They considered pursing a franchise then, but it was more than they could afford at the time. About two years ago, the Hoffmanns contacted an investor and saw an opportunity to turn their dream into a reality.
HARSHAW - Oneida County sheriff's deputies found three runaway sisters, ages 14, 14, and 12, in the woods in Harshaw just after 1 p.m. on Monday.
The sisters had been reported missing by their parents Monday morning. The parents had gone to wake the girls up for school, but instead found a note saying they had gone on an "adventure."
The missing girls triggered a search from the Oneida County Sheriff's Office Special Response Unit, Newbold Fire Department Search and Rescue, Minocqua Fire Department, Lake Tomahawk Fire Department, and Little Rice Fire Department.
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