Work on state Highway 47 between County Road VV in Keshena and the Langlade County line is expected to keep the road closed to most traffic until mid-August, at which point attention will be diverted to state Highway 55, according to a report from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation presented at a public information meeting June 30 at the Wolf River Development Company.

Shawano County’s debt remains below average while the fund balance continues to grow, as reported in the county’s annual audit.

John Rader, certified public accountant and managing director with Baker Tilly, presented highlights of county’s 2025 financial statements to the executive committee in June.

For starters, the county is only using 5% of its state-allowed debt limit, as of Dec. 31, 2025.

Shawano County surplus equipment and vehicles are already sold online, and now, repossessed homes will also be auctioned off that same way.

The success of those first home sales will be reviewed Aug. 19 by the executive committee. The first online auction starts July 21 and will run for four weeks, with the committee expected to select the winning bid at that meeting.

The new weight room is already being used, crews are digging the orchestra pit, Dumpsters are filled with old lighting fixtures and, oh yes, the stadium is nearly ready to welcome the Hawks football and soccer teams for the 2026 season.

Those are just some of the updates underway at Shawano Community High School.

Another act of vandalism has occurred in the WOW Art Park in Wittenberg.

Sometime during the last weekend in June, vandals used spray paint to deface one of the pieces of art at the park on East Vinal Street.

The Shawano County Sheriff’s Department was notified. Photos and videos of the damage have been turned over as part of the investigation.

The Shawano Area United Way in partnership with United Way of Wisconsin released the 2026 State of ALICE report, a data-driven look at the realities faced by asset limited, income constrained, employed (ALICE) households.

The report reveals that 35% of households in Shawano County and 48% of households in Menominee County cannot afford the basic cost of living and struggle to get by.