Investigative Reporter
Recent Stories
Senate adjourns without taking up anti-SLAPP bill
Legislation against frivolous lawsuits languishes
A bill to protect journalists, activists, and citizens from costly and frivolous lawsuits designed to silence them failed to reach a vote in the state Senate before it adjourned, halting momentum for legislation that supporters say is a much-needed free-speech safeguard.
Without debate, Oneida County rubber stamps push for new transportation funding
Resolution backs campaign for ‘sustainable’ revenues, bonding for roads
Oneida County supervisors have endorsed without debate a statewide campaign calling for additional transportation funding from the state, approving a resolution Tuesday that urges lawmakers to adopt a “sustainable” funding model for Wisconsin’s roads and bridges.
WisconsinEye remains imperiled
Debate continues over transparency, funding, and control of government cameras
Usually during Sunshine Week, journalists, lawmakers, and open-government advocates tally the year’s victories and defeats in the ongoing struggle to keep government accessible to the public. The scorecard is often mixed but survivable. Some years produce great strides in transparency, while others are more of one-step-forward, two-step-backwards affairs.
Amid heavy snow, Oneida snowmobile trails lagged in re-opening
In Vilas County, all systems were go as trails re-opened Saturday
With snow on the ground and heavy snow coming down, all of Oneida County snowmobile trails remained closed through last weekend, even as neighboring Vilas County reopened its extensive trail system to riders on Saturday morning, March 14.
Northwoods River News WNA’s Best in Division for 3rd straight year
Paper earns 25 total awards in statewide competition
The Northwoods River News has won the Wisconsin Newspaper Association Foundation’s award for Best in Division for 2025, closing out an impressive year with 25 total awards and five first-place finishes in the association’s annual Better Newspaper Contest.
Oneida County zoning approves contested Cassian sawmill project
Supervisors add water use, buffer zone conditions during hearing
Following a March 4 public hearing, the Oneida County Planning and Development Committee has approved a conditional use permit for a proposed sawmill operation in the town of Cassian, overriding objections from nearby residents but attaching conditions to address concerns about noise, water use, and closeness to neighboring homes.
Oneida County seeks to limit permits for properties with violations
But officials scale back a bit after advice of corporation counsel
The Oneida County Planning and Development Committee moved closer this week to defining how and whether zoning permits can be issued for properties with existing violations, though some legal realities will prevent the ordinance from going as far as some members had hoped.
Gruich fires attorney in judicial threat case
New counsel retained; trial date to be rescheduled
A Michigan man accused of threatening an Oneida County judge and a local newspaper publisher has dismissed his attorney and retained new legal counsel, prompting the court to postpone his upcoming jury trial and schedule a new trial date.
County challenges state over Stacks Bay shoreland compliance
Jennrich demands erosion controls, permit review; state has not responded
Oneida County is challenging the state’s position that it does not need to comply with local shoreland zoning ordinances or obtain local permits for work underway at the Stacks Bay overflow parking area, with county zoning director Karl Jennrich ordering state agencies to install erosion controls and contact the county within 10 days to discuss permit issues.
DNR, counsel say county cannot ban clearcutting in shoreland corridors
Sparse public hearing yields legal guidance but no decisions
A public hearing Tuesday on proposed amendments to Oneida County’s shoreland zoning ordinance was sparsely attended — no votes were taken, few residents spoke — but county officials received a clear signal from the state and their outside attorney on one issue that has been contentious: Prohibiting clearcutting in viewing and access corridors doesn’t cut it legally.