News

Gillett man killed when pickup overturns

Published by admin on Mon, 11/27/2023 - 1:08pm

A Gillett man died in a one-vehicle accident during the early morning hours of Nov. 25.

Oconto County Sheriff Todd Skarban said dispatchers received the call about 3:15 a.m. regarding the accident on state Highway 22 near Old U Road in the Town of Gillett.

Oconto County Circuit Court

Published by admin on Mon, 11/27/2023 - 1:02pm

Proceedings of Nov. 22

• A three-day jury trial starting Nov. 28 was postponed to May 8 for an Oconto Falls man charged with a charge of homicide by the intoxicated use of a motor vehicle. Thomas Edward Wolf, 56, is charged in connection with a crash Aug. 3 that claimed the life of Bart Erdman, 60, also of Oconto Falls. Judge Michael Judge scheduled a motion hearing for March 7.

Court News

Published by admin on Mon, 11/27/2023 - 12:57pm

• Parker A. Ostrander, 39, La Crosse, pleaded no contest Nov. 22 to felony bail jumping and misdemeanor criminal trespass to a dwelling. Judge Katherine Sloma withheld sentencing and placed him on one year of probation.

• Tevin C.P. Renfro, 30, Chicago, pleaded no contest Nov. 22 to fleeing an officer in a vehicle, second-degree reckless endangering safety, and a misdemeanor count of resisting or obstructing an officer. Sloma sentenced him to 18 months in prison followed by 12 months of extended supervision. She gave him credit for 106 days already served in the county jail.

Oconto County Sheriff’s Department

Published by admin on Mon, 11/27/2023 - 12:55pm

Nov. 21

Deputies responded to 27 incidents, including drugs in Oconto, trespassing on County Road E in the Town of Morgan, three traffic stops, one traffic hazard, two citizen assists, one miscellaneous traffic incident, two welfare checks; one 911 hangup and one open line; three crashes, one involving deer.

Nov. 20

Fair-themed rocks wanted for scavenger hunts

Published by admin on Sat, 11/25/2023 - 8:26am

Who’s thinking ahead to next summer’s Shawano County Fair?

Looking ahead to the 2024 event, planned for Aug. 28 to Sept. 2, fair organizers are already creating some fun, leading up to and during the fair itself.

Area residents are invited to paint a fair-themed rock (one or more). All submissions will be posted online around Aug. 1. The winning painter will collect free passes, fair food and fair clothing.

Leading up to the fair, organizers will send everyone on a scavenger hunt for passes to find these rocks hidden throughout Shawano County.

Ho-Chunk win joint Emmy with ‘Discover Wisconsin’

Published by admin on Wed, 11/22/2023 - 2:24pm

“Discover Wisconsin,” the nation’s longest-running travel and tourism TV series, and longtime partner Ho-Chunk Nation have won an Emmy Award at the 65th Chicago/Midwest Emmy Awards.

Keshena woman pleads guilty to child neglect

Published by admin on Wed, 11/22/2023 - 2:18pm

A rural Keshena woman who pleaded guilty to neglecting a child while allegedly maintaining a drug house was sentenced Nov. 20 to three months’ probation.

Michelle E. Grignon, 35, of the Legend Lake area, and Louis J. Chevalier, 32, were both indicted earlier this year on charges of maintaining a drug-involved premises and two counts of child neglect.

Volunteers share Thanksgiving meal

Published by admin on Wed, 11/22/2023 - 2:13pm

More than a dozen women gathered the morning of Nov. 22 to prepare the food needed for more than 100 Thanksgiving dinners. Some were there volunteering for the first time; others have been there multiple years.

“We joined the church around 2000, and it’s been going on for that long, and it had been going on for awhile before that even,” said Judy Wetzel, as she finished peeling another bag of potatoes.

Most area schools pass DPI standards

Published by admin on Wed, 11/22/2023 - 2:09pm

School districts in Shawano and Oconto counties have met the education standards set by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, according to the 2023 report cards released in mid-November.

Most area schools received a three-star rating, which shows the school has met the threshold for what DPI believes students should know to graduate high school. Some individual schools did not meet the standards, but the overall scores kept those schools at three stars.

Does apple know how far it falls from tree?

Published by admin on Wed, 11/22/2023 - 2:03pm

Michael “Blue” Peterson has more in common with his great-great-grandfather than a blood line and a last name.

Now serving as worshipful master of Mason-Woods Lodge 368 F&AM, Peterson did not know how much he had in common with his ancestor until well into adulthood.

“The curious part of this story is, other than a few snippets, I did not know my great-great-grandfather accomplished any of this until I became a member of Shawano area Masons,” Michael Peterson said.