At the end of the academic year 2024-2025, Northland College will close in Ashland.
The college has been in financial jeopardy since March 2024. According to the college, "More than one thousand donors responded to a spring 2024 fundraising appeal and the college reduced costs by streamlining its academic offerings and cutting staff." Northland College began the 2024-2025 academic year with nine majors and a smaller number of students.
However, the college was not able to sustain itself. Therefore, the Northland College Board of Trustees voted unanimously on Wednesday, February 19, 2025 for the closure.
According to Ted Bristol, Chair of the Northland College Board of Trustees, “Despite the collaborative efforts of the entire Northland family, we no longer have the resources needed to navigate the economic and demographic storms endangering small, liberal arts institutions today....With declining enrollment and soaring costs, it takes more to operate the College than we raise in tuition. Even after enacting aggressive measures to cut costs and raise revenues, Northland College has no sustainable path forward.”
Interim President Barb Lundberg assured the students that this year's coursework will continue and commencement will take place as scheduled. Students who are not graduating will be advised on options, such as teach-out agreements with cooperating institutions and transfer to other colleges.
The college was founded in 1892 and was the first US college to fully integrate an environmental focus with its liberal arts curriculum.
Phillips High School has announced the honor graduates for the Class of 2025.
Lily Miller is the valedictorian, Maya Nieto is the salutatorian, and there are 23 additional honor students, including Lane Abraham, Amanda Angelo, Christian Benson, Shay Denzine, Mataya Eckert, Nickolas Edgerton, Kylie Edinger, Ty Henderson, Ariel Henney, Sarah Knaack, Andrew Krueger, Kaitlyn Matthewson, Meredith Merlak, Caitlin Pesko, Jaycee Pomeroy, Kacie Quinnell, Brayden Revak, Jade Revak, Rylie Sidenbender, Ayden Tobias, James Vollendorf, Karol Wright, and Kiana Zierer.
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Jill Underly, Brittany Kinser, and Jeff Wright were on the ballot for the Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction during the primary on Tuesday, February 18, 2025.
Statewide, as of the time of publication, Jill Underly had 38% of the vote (about 177,205 votes), Brittany Kinser had 35% of the vote (about 161,385 votes), and Jeff Wright had 27% of the vote (about 128,336 votes). 466,926 votes were cast in those totals.
In Price County, 1,074 people voted. Brittany Kinser received 458 votes, Jill Underly received 349 votes, and Jeff Wright received 264 votes.
The two women will face off in the general election on Tuesday, April 1, 2025 to decide which of them will hold the upcoming four-year term.
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On April 2, 2024, Town of Worcester residents voted to change the town clerk position from being elected to appointed. The change will take effect on April 1, 2025.
When a clerk is elected, the clerk must reside in the township. When a clerk is appointed, the clerk does not need to reside in the township. Therefore, the Town of Worcester has appointed a deputy clerk/treasurer from another township. This appointment was needed due to the resignation of Alli Mathys, the current clerk/treasurer. She resigned, "effective immediately," on January 6, 2025. However, Alli has agreed to remain as the clerk/treasurer until April 1, 2025.
At that time, Regina Damjanovic will become the deputy clerk/treasurer. Regina is also the clerk for the Town of Elk.
According to Chairman Jim Michler, "The board will revisit filling the clerk/treasurer position after April 1, 2025."
By: Davette Lynne Hrabak, CPA, CFE, CBM, ATA, ATP, ABA, ECS, CGMA, https://www.DavetteLynneHrabak.com “When it comes to taxes, save the lion’s share; enter between the lions to get this special care.”
Social Security and Medicare are not just about retirement; they also have tax issues for individuals and businesses.
Each year, the maximum amount of earnings that is subject to Social Security Tax and Medicare Tax changes.
For 2024, the maximum amount of earnings subject to Social Security Tax was $168,400 and for 2025 it will be $176,100.
For 2024 and 2025, the maximum earnings subject to Medicare Tax is unlimited.
A very common question that many people have as they are nearing retirement, and when they are in the first year of their retirement, is, “What is the maximum amount of earnings that I can make and still receive my full Social Security benefits?”
For 2024, you could have made $22,320 if you were under the full retirement age at December 31, 2024. For 2025, if you are under the full retirement age at year’s end, you can make $23,400. However, if it is the year in which you reach full retirement age, for the months leading up to full retirement age only, you could have made $59,520 for 2024 and you can make $62,160 for 2025. Further, in the month that full retirement age is reached and later, there is no limit to the amount you can earn and still receive full benefits.
Just because you can earn as much as you like and still get your full benefits once you hit full retirement age, you still have to pay taxes on any portion of your Social Security that is taxable, just like you did in years before you hit your full retirement age. The rules are for a calculation of reduction of benefits, not a reduction of taxes.
Remember, if you have already filed but realize that you could have had a credit or deduction that you missed, it is not too late; you can always amend your return. If you need more information or believe you could qualify for them, call Davette at 715-339-6638 for a free, no obligation quote. Her office is located between the lion statues at 164 South Lake Avenue in Phillips.
When the right tax and financial advice is essential, talk to someone with an unmatched level of knowledge, experience, and education. A CPA understands the business of taxes and finance and can provide trusted advice and services during the tax season and throughout the calendar year.
Price County United Limited (PCUL) purchased the former Lionite property on April 1, 2024. While the majority of the parking lot is owned by PCUL, the City of Phillips maintains the entire parking lot for use by the public to access the park and lake.
On April 26, 2024, the attorney for the City of Phillips, Bryce Schoenborn, sent an e-mail to PCUL expressing an interest in obtaining the parking lot by Elk Lake Park.
The body of the e-mail reads:
"Now that the transfer of the Lionite property to Price County United Limited appears to be complete, the City would like to initiate discussions regarding the parking lot for the Elk Lake Park. I am enclosing a printout from the Price County Beacon website, which shows that a good portion of that parking lot is owned by PCUL.
Image by: Beacon
"As you know, the City has traditionally maintained the entire parking lot, including graveling, grading, and plowing. The parking lot is used by the park visitors and other guests to the area. Obviously, the City would prefer to have legal title to the parking lot, in the event that a potential future owner of the Lionite property should attempt to restrict public access in any way. That would also reduce any liability exposure to PCUL for the parking lot or the general public’s use of the parking lot.
"Please give this matter some thought and contact me at your convenience. Thank you!"
Later that day, Lynda "Lyn" Ludwig replied stating, "PCUL is not interested in selling at this time."
At a meeting in June 2024, the topic was discussed in closed session. Bryce explained, "After that meeting, a letter was sent by e-mail to PCUL requesting that the City and PCUL engage in a constructive dialogue about coming to an agreement rather than pursuing eminent domain. PCUL was given a couple of weeks to reply."
The body of the June 12, 2024 e-mail reads:
"I had reached out to you on behalf of the City of Phillips regarding a potential land swap with the City for the Elk Lake Park parking lot about a week ago. I have not yet heard back from you.
"The City Council met again last night, on June 11, 2024. The City believes that it is critical to the public interest that the parking lot be owned by the municipality. However, the City would much rather prefer engaging in a constructive dialogue and attempting to come to an agreement, rather than pursuing eminent domain. That being said, the City Council has decided that if no response is received by June 25, 2024, it will have no other option but to proceed accordingly.
"Please let me know if this proposal is of interest to you. Thank you for your time and attention."
On June 19, 2024, PCUL's attorney, Jonathan Sopha, sent a reply to the city, as follows:
"I am writing to you on behalf of my client, Price County United Limited (“PCUL”). As you likely know, PCUL is a non-profit entity focused on community issues that impact the City of Phillips (“City”) and Price County. PCUL recently acquired the former Lionite Wood Products plant in the City, along with associated real property (“Lionite Property”). I am responding to your recent communications on behalf of the City regarding its interest in acquiring a portion of the Lionite Property.
"I want to be clear that PCUL is not in a legal position to entertain any sale, exchange, or partition affecting the Lionite Property due to agreements and property restrictions that prohibit such transactions. Additionally, the Lionite Property is part of a remediation and redevelopment plan with the EPA and is included in various PCUL grant applications relating to community development in the City. Based on your prior correspondence to Lyn Ludwig, it appears that the City is keenly interested in owning the portion of the Lionite Property located adjacent to Elk Lake Park. I think it would be beneficial for the City to consider how PCUL’s grant applications and redevelopment efforts could provide much more value to the City than it would gain through acquiring a portion of a gravel parking lot.
"I understand that the portion of the Lionite Property you are inquiring about has been made available for use by the City and the public for vehicle and boat trailer parking for multiple years. PCUL currently allows public parking on this portion of the Lionite Property, and is agreeable to entering into a written agreement with the City as needed to memorialize the public use. Since the public need for parking seems to be addressed, I am curious to know what critical public interest is served through the City’s ownership of this portion of the Lionite Property, rather than simply continuing public use of it. An attempt by the City to take any of PCUL’s property through eminent domain would result in a protracted and expensive legal process. The Lionite Property is part of multiple multi-million-dollar grant awards and applications, and an attempted taking could result in significant financial harm to PCUL and the public if these grants are put at risk."
As of the time of publication, no agreement has been made by PCUL and the City of Phillips regarding this piece of land.
According to City of Phillips Clerk Shelby Kosmer, "There was no set price offered for the land. The chunk of land that was discussed as a land swap with was a portion of Tax ID 25373, the blue section; this is off County Road H, where there was the bridge to the fairgrounds."
Image by: Beacon
My Price County asked what might happen to the Elk Lake Park parking lot if the proposed 132 housing units or commercial development was placed in that area. Perhaps the park's parking lot would get used for parking at the residential units or business properties. Shelby said, "This property is currently zoned as industrial so there would be some zoning changes that would need to be applied for and occur prior to any housing units being put on the property or commercial development. I would believe a parking solution would be addressed prior to that."
When asked why the city added PCUL's plans to their 2024 comprehensive plan if PCUL is not willing to swap or sell the parking lot, Shelby replied, "The city wants to work with all parties interested in positively impacting our city and are dedicated to fostering an environment that encourages innovative ideas and initiatives no matter who is submitting the plans, collaborating is an important part in this process; however, I do not have a direct response as it relates to them not working with the city regarding the parking lot acquisition."
PCUL stated in their September 2024 meeting that only an approximately 9-acre portion is in their EPA grant application and that they portion off acreage for each application which lends to the question of which, if any, grant application is the parking lot included. According to the city clerk, "The city has not been supplied the grant application, so at this point in time I am unsure of what portions of the acreage is included as the city was advised the full acreage of the entire Lionite property, parking lot included, was part of the grant application."
According to Bryce and Shelby, this is a developing situation, and there may be more information later this month after city meetings.
PCUL's board members, Lyn Ludwig, Blake Pluemer, and Cheryl Moore, did not respond to My Price County / My Northern Wisconsin's request for comments. They were asked if they had plans to do a land swap or sell the parking lot to the city; if the parking lot was covered in any grant(s), and, if so, which grant(s); and to give us any updates on the properties owned by PCUL and Lyn Ludwig in the City of Phillips. If a response is received, My Price County / My Northern Wisconsin will update this article.
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On the evening of January 26, 2025, a snowmobile accident was reported in northern Price County.
A husband and wife heard loud noises outside their home. The woman said she saw a piece of wood from their deck fly up, and her husband ran outside to see what had happened. The female caller reported that a man, driving a snowmobile, had crashed into their house. She said they did not believe the driver was going to survive.
A member of Park Falls EMS arrived at the accident site, and radioed out to the responding Park Falls EMS stating that the man was showing aspirations and was breathing but had severe trauma to his head. Officer Fohr arrived on scene at the same time as a man with EMS.
The officer went to the location. He observed that on the south side of the residence, there was a deck raised by support beams so the deck could be walked under. A support beam was broken on the deck, and some siding was broken on the house. The basement wall was visible underneath the deck, and the snowmobile was partially underneath the deck, approximately four to five feet from the south basement wall. According to Officer Fohr, "The snowmobile was mangled from front end damage."
The snowmobile driver, named Joseph, was lying on his stomach over the seat. The male owner of the home was holding Joseph's head, which he had wrapped in a towel to help stop the bleeding. Since the homeowner was holding the man's head properly and said he was okay with doing so, he continued to assist. Joseph was struggling to breathe and was slightly groaning. Blood was observed in the entire bottom of the engine block and in the snow. There was also vomit and saliva present.
EMS members and the officer put Joseph on a gurney, and he left in the ambulance at 7:28 p.m. He was then taken from Park Falls Airport, via helicopter, to a hospital.
The officer surveyed the scene and discovered that before hitting the support beam of the deck on the house, the tracks showed the snowmobile initially had been driving north/northeast on Wintergreen Lake. The snowmobile then drove through a wooden swing set before hitting the residence. There were no marks on the lake to indicate the snowmobile tried to slow down.
The investigation discovered the man was staying at an area resort for a bachelor party. Deputy Lex and Officer Fohr found six members of the bachelor party outside of a cabin at the resort. One of the men was the owner of the snowmobile that was involved in the crash. The men stated they did not know that Joseph had left the bar and taken the snowmobile. They stated they were unsure where he was for about fifteen minutes. They thought the snowmobile had been stolen. They advised the man had been drinking alcohol all day.
No further information was given on the man's condition. However, he is not listed as a crash fatality on the Wisconsin DNR's 2025 Snowmobile Fatal Crash Summary as of February 3, 2025.
Five people have served as the clerk/treasurer for the Town of Worcester since 2020. In five years' time, all five have resigned. In their resignation letters, four of them, Scott Revak, Roberta Reese, Marcie Bogdanovic, and Alli Mathys, mentioned "harassment" or "stress," from an individual and his group, as one of their reasons for resignation.
The letters of resignation can be viewed on the Town of Worcester website at this link and this link.
In her resignation letter, Alli, the most recent clerk/treasurer, alleged she was subjected to threatening behavior from a few individuals and felt the behavior was driven by Facebook posts made by one individual.
There is a private Facebook group that was recently created that focuses on government in the Town of Worcester. A post in that group states that a new public Facebook group has now been created. One of the groups' administrators is Anthony Sleck, who was involved in a lawsuit with the Town of Worcester in years past, alleging that some of his open records requests were not being fulfilled. According to Anthony, there were originally eleven charges filed against the Town of Worcester. One charge was dropped after agreement by Anthony and the attorneys. Seven other charges were dropped by Anthony and his attorney before the judge could rule on them, because the Town of Worcester fulfilled the open records requests that pertained to those charges. Anthony won his lawsuit on the other three charges as The Town of Worcester was found guilty. (See related story at this link.) In regard to that lawsuit, Anthony asked and explained, "Why did the Town of Worcester get sued? Because they were denying Open Public Records, delaying the fulfillment of the requests, and charging ridiculous fees to deter citizens from getting information that is supposed to be given to anyone upon request. All this was proven in court, and after this was over, the town board members still are doing the same things they were taken to court for the first time. It's obvious that they didn't learn from their past mistakes....I am well within my rights as a concerned citizen to ask for this information."
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Regarding the Facebook group, Anthony told My Price County, "We do not make any accusations about anyone that can't be substantiated with documents received from the Worcester town clerks or from video recordings of the town meetings."
Chairman Jim Michler, however, feels the Facebook group, which he admits he has not seen because he is not on Facebook, has "negative allegations about the Town of Worcester." He continued, "Two people told me that they posted rebuttals to negative posts, that those rebuttals were immediately removed, and they were blocked." The Town of Worcester then started a blog on their website to "attempt to counteract the negativity of that Facebook page," according to Jim.
In regard to the resignation letters of the clerks, Anthony shared, "They all claim harassment. Doing your job or having to be reminded of what your job responsibilities are, isn't harassment. The town board members spent thousands of dollars on security cameras inside and outside the town hall and recycling center. Ask to view the recordings of the incidents they claim have happened to make the town clerks fear for their lives. I have video recordings of the town meetings to back up my side of the story. All they have is hearsay. If they feel threatened or harassed, why haven't there been any charges brought to anyone? The answer is simple. I'm well within my rights as a citizen to make these requests with expectations of them being fulfilled in a timely manner."
My Price County asked the town chairman, "Besides receiving a large number of open records requests, what 'harassment' have the town clerks experienced?" He said, "The volume of open records requests is not, and has not been, the primary problem. The primary problem is the verbal abuse and threats of lawsuits. Any one incident by itself is not a huge problem, but he never lets up. The continuous pressure is more than the last five town clerk/treasurers have been able to tolerate. His legal actions will be the subject of future blog posts."
My Price County mentioned to Anthony that some residents have expressed that they do not know why he needs all these records and wonder if he has found anything materially significant that the Town of Worcester is doing wrong. Anthony asserts, "Some things that I have found while searching through the documents that I have been allowed to receive range from time card fraud, lack of leadership by the town chairman, lack of knowledge by the town board members, and lack of work experience by the employees of the township (not being capable of performing the job duties correctly the first time). We can blame that on poor training, but what has the town board done to resolve that issue, besides constantly increasing their pay?"
The Town of Worcester provided a list of requests they have received from April 5, 2022 (when they started keeping a record of the requests) and January 27, 2025. This record includes all the requests they have received and not just Anthony's requests, as noted on the document. Click here to view the list.
As for his reasoning for requesting records, Anthony stated, "According to the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ), every citizen has the right to make an Open Public Records (OPR) Request. They should be allowed to do so without interference from the town board members. It is the records' custodian's (town clerk's) job duty and responsibility to fulfill these requests as soon as practicable without delay. The DOJ also puts OPR's as a priority. These requests are supposed to be fulfilled without question."
The Town of Worcester agrees that any person can view or get a copy of a public record in the township. According to Chairman Jim Michler, "The requester does not need to provide a reason for requesting the record. The power to get records is not unlimited. The regular business of the town must continue." He added that some requests are quick and easy to fulfill, such as a current list of registered voters, but some requests take more time, such as road crew workers' time cards for a six-year period of time as the time cards are only on paper and not easily accessible on a computer.
Jim stated, "The situation is more difficult when a particular requester has a history of abusing and threatening the town clerk. Because of that abuse, the town worked with the town attorney to protect the town clerk. The town clerk now has the option of requiring that two town board members be present during requests to view or deliver records in person. Since the Town of Worcester has a three-member board, two members is a quorum. A board quorum requires a public meeting with at least 24 hours' advance public notice."
However, Anthony feels the town board members have "created obstacles and barriers to deter anyone from making such requests. They have created policies trying to limit when and how a citizen can have their requests fulfilled." He believes that all or most of the documents reside on computers given he says a former town chairman had the town's documents scanned into the computer system.
Chairman Michler said, "Before early 2022, he [Anthony] regularly disrupted town meetings. After a talk with Sheriff Schmidt, and actions from the meeting chair, those disruptions decreased." He added, "He is very good at verbally backing people into a corner, misquoting laws, quoting people out of context, then verbally hammering them. This is the root of the harassment mentioned in the letters of resignation. Because of that behavior, the Town worked with Attorney Bryce Schoenborn to develop a procedure for filling his Open Records requests. We require that two town board members be present whenever he is meeting with the town clerk. He has strongly objected to that requirement and has repeatedly stated that he should be allowed to talk to the town clerk one-on-one."
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The Town of Worcester mentioned a thread of e-mails between Anthony and Alli to determine a date they could meet to fulfill some of Anthony's requests. In the e-mails, Alli asked Anthony if he could meet on September 12, 2024. Anthony had a medical appointment that day and could not meet. Alli then suggested September 17, 2024. Jim stated that day would work for him unless a loan signing was going to get scheduled as that would take precedence. Anthony stated he could not meet on that day. Alli suggested October 2, 2024. Anthony replied that he did not like her suggesting a day for "all" to meet. He expressed that he and the clerk/treasurer should work out a day and time and the new procedure was a deterrent. If they could not work out a time, then Anthony requested that all his requests be fulfilled and he could stop by to pick up the information. Alli then asked if he could meet on October 14, 2024. Anthony replied that date did not work for him. Alli suggested November 19, 2024. Anthony replied that date and time did not work with his schedule. He stated the new policy was created on misinformation about him, and he would like the former policy to be used where he could schedule a date and time with the clerk and then if the board members wanted to come at that time, they could. He stated that the documents he wanted were sitting on the counter at the October monthly board meeting. Alli then asked if December 9, 2024 would work for Anthony or if he could suggest a date that would work for him. He replied that date did not work for him, and he wanted the original process to be in place. Alli asked him if December 17, 2024 would work. Anthony stated that date did not work for him, again expressing that he wanted the original policy to be used, because he stated the town clerk is the records' custodian, not the board members. Alli asked if January 6, 2025 would work for them to meet or if Anthony could suggest a date. Anthony stated that date and time would not work for him. He wanted to use the procedure where the clerk sends him three dates and times, and if one worked for him, he would select it, but if none worked for him, then he would send her back three dates and times until they found a meeting time that worked for both of them. He said the board could then be notified. Alli replied, asking if January 14, 2025 would work for Anthony. Anthony asked what records he would receive at that time if he rearranged his schedule, and Alli replied they would work on the 1-22 open records requests and get through as many as possible in the allotted hour. Anthony confirmed he could meet at 1 p.m. on January 14, 2025 and stated he appreciated the opportunity to address the matter and looked forward to a productive discussion on ensuring compliance and transparency fulfilling the town's obligations. However, Alli told the chairman that she was concerned about the meeting, not wanting her name drug through the mud on social media or having videos of herself at the meeting on Anthony's group page. She felt that, in the past, Anthony posted videos after the meeting was adjourned where she was talking to others about her personal life and engagement. Alli stated to Jim that she would have all the documents ready, but she did not want to be part of the meeting so she could avoid having her name and a video of herself on the Internet. Almost twenty-four hours before the meeting, Alli sent Anthony an e-mail stating that since she was resigning and felt there was ongoing harassment, she did not want to meet with Anthony. She stated the town board felt it was best to wait for a meeting until there was a new town clerk. She stated the town would reach out to Anthony once the clerk/treasurer position was filled to set up a new meeting date and time.
Anthony said the town board calls this situation "chaos," but he feels the chaos began after May of 2020. "It is true that I have made a number of requests over the past years. The Town of Worcester Board appointed a new member to the town board in May of 2020. This individual has done nothing but waste everyone's time and money by creating obstacles (policies) to slow down an already outlined procedure by the DOJ. This same individual is responsible for the spread of misinformation about my requests to try and destroy my reputation."
Anthony states he has video from a town meeting from the Summer of 2023. He said that two board members alleged "someone came into the Worcester Town Hall and started throwing things around the office, yelling at the town clerk, and plain harassing the town clerk. The town board members were discussing building a new office for the town clerk. This office would be made from bulletproof glass. I made a records request to view that video from all the town hall security cameras. Also, if something like this ever happened to anyone, don't you think there would have been a report filed with the sheriff's department and the district attorney? It's amazing how no such reports exist or were even reported to any authorities. Why do you think something like this was brought up in a town meeting? To try and damage my reputation even more with misinformation," Anthony said.
"Having individuals on the board who have no experience with road maintenance or operating this type of work, period, shouldn't be permitted. They are only legal liabilities to the township with inexperience and no people skills. They will say or do something that could be very costly to the residents and taxpayers of Worcester. Friends or not, they don't need to be running this township. It will only end up in bankruptcy with their frivolous spending habits and poor decision making."
He continued, "I can put all of this into perspective pretty easily. I am a concerned resident in Worcester. As a concerned resident, I attend as many town meetings as possible. I've asked the town chairman questions about accountability and how our tax money was being used. I video and audio record every meeting that I attend. This is my proof of what transpires at these town meetings. After that, I wasn't allowed to speak anymore. The only other avenue for getting this information is to submit Open Public Records Requests. The records' custodian (town clerk) is the only person accountable for fulfilling these requests. This is outlined by the Wisconsin Department of Justice, under job duties and responsibilities of the town clerk."
Anthony summarized what he expects from the town board. "I expect truth and transparency from the town board members, 100%, always." He added, "My reputation has been destroyed by the town board members of Worcester all because I'm a concerned resident and ask questions. Aren't they being paid to represent every person in the township equally? Ask yourself why Worcester Town Board is going out of their way by wasting time, money, and energy to prevent me from getting Open Public Records? What is the town board trying to hide from the public?"
Some residents have asked why Anthony has not applied for the town clerk/treasurer position. However, he has applied. According to the Town of Worcester, he has submitted various applications for different jobs from 2021 through 2023. He submitted an application for the town clerk/treasurer job in April of 2023, but he was not hired, and Alli Mathys started in the position in December of 2023. Chairman Michler stated that Anthony "contested the town's decision to not interview him" at one time. Anthony was interviewed for a recycling center position.
Jim added that Anthony's threats of lawsuits are not empty. The last time he sued the Town of Worcester, the chairman said it "cost the insurance company almost $100,000 in attorney fees."
As of our interview with Anthony, he is still waiting for his open records requests to be fulfilled.
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Price County Clerk Meredith Hueckman announced there will be a public hearing before the Price County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, February 18, 2025 at 9:05 a.m., though it is noted the time is approximate. The meeting will be held in Room 101 of the courthouse on Cherry Street in Phillips.
The hearing is regarding amending Chapter 473, entitled "Vehicles and Traffic," Article IV, All-Terrain Vehicles Routes, to include Section 473.15, Authorize the Operation of a State Highway Bridge.
Questions and comments are welcome at the hearing. According to Meredith, if you are unable to attend in person, "All persons interested in presenting evidence are welcome to participate via conference call. Written comments sent to the county clerk and comments from the public in attendance via conference call will be heard."
Reports received by the police departments in Price County for the month have been condensed and summarized.
PRICE COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE
Reports were not received for January 1 - 12, 2025 as of the time of publication.
1-13-25: An Ogema woman reported license plates that she previously owned, but left on a car she traded in at a Wausau dealership in 2023, were being used, and she was receiving toll violation citations from Illinois.
1-14-25: A customer reportedly was physically fighting outside the grocery store in Park Falls with a loss prevention officer over a stolen item. No injuries were reported, the fighting stopped, and both people moved back into the store.
1-15-25: A Prentice woman reported a dispute with her neighbor. The caller said she was walking her dog and taking out laundry when her neighbor started screaming at her and using threatening behavior. The caller could not understand the woman given she was mumbling.
1-16-25: A Park Falls woman was supposed to meet her boyfriend and friends for dinner, but when he did not respond to her texts or phone calls, she checked on him, and she found him deceased. He was lying face down with a gun next to him. She did not believe he had a history of depression or suicide attempts, but he did have a history of heart problems. The police report does not mention how the man ultimately died.
1-18-25: A Prentice man reported an explosion sound near enough to his residence that it shook the windows.
1-19-25: A Phillips man reported an abandoned Jeep Cherokee was at the East Solberg Lake boat landing. Given the amount of snow on the vehicle and no snow under the vehicle, he felt it had been there for at least a week.
1-22-25: A Phillips man reported that his ex-girlfriend tried to shoot herself. The man got the firearm away from the woman but not before it discharged into the wall.
1-22-25: An out-of-town woman stated she crashed her vehicle in the Township of Flambeau and, though not injured, was trapped inside the vehicle.
1-22-25: The Price County Highway Department reported one of their plow trucks was hit near an intersection in Fifield. There were no injuries.
1-23-25: A Prentice woman reported having approximately $1,400 stolen from three of her financial accounts during the past week. She thought her phone must have gotten hacked. She stated her bank told her someone tried to write a check to a man, but the check did not have the woman's signature, and the woman was unsure if the man was involved in the loss of money.
1-25-25: A man reported people and dogs trespassing on his 40 acres of property, according to the camera footage that he viewed.
1-25-25: A semi driver reported a vehicle on the side of the road with flashers on and a woman walking down the highway.
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PHILLIPS POLICE DEPARTMENT
1-6-25 On Avon Avenue, police received a complaint from an adult male regarding numerous piles of junk that were sitting in the back yard of a residence next to his. An officer responded and took photographs of the items, which were old play vehicles, garbage bags, a mattress, wood, tires, and other scrap. An officer delivered an "Order of Compliance" to the owner and gave the owner 30 days for the property to be put into compliance.
1-6-25: Advised of a disorderly incident that occurred at the Phillips Middle School. The victim and suspect were spoken to. An officer is investigating the incident.
1-7-25: Received information from a local school that an adult, who was prohibited from being inside the school building, had been inside the school building the previous evening. The school requested the adult be cited. An officer issued a citation to the adult for trespassing.
1-7-25: Notified by the school that two students were suspected of consuming a controlled substance at school. An officer and school officials investigated the incident. As a result of the investigation, the two students were suspended from school; one of the students received a citation for possession of a controlled substance and the other student was referred to the Price County Human Services Department for possession of a controlled substance.
1-7-25: Responded to two dogs that were fighting on a city street. The owner of one of the dogs told the officer that his dog ran out of the vehicle when he opened the door and attacked another dog who was being walked by his owner. Both dogs appeared to be fine. The owner of the dog that was attacked did not wish anything to be done and thanked the officers. The officer spoke to the owners of the dogs to make sure they were both current on vaccinations and that they were registered through Price County.
1-9-25: Received a report of a vehicle striking a private fence along South Lake Avenue. An officer arrived and documented the scene. The caller reported they had noticed the damage to the fence a day ago and believed it may have been struck two days ago. Investigation pending.
1-14-25: Spoke to a citizen at the front door of the Phillips Police Department. The citizen was irate and began swearing at the officer. The officer called for another officer to help remove the citizen as the citizen would not leave and was blocking the door. The citizen was later arrested by the Price County Sheriff's Department for disorderly conduct.
1-16-25: Assisted the Central Price County Ambulance Service with an adult male who had a cart of steel fall onto him trapping him on the ground. Coworkers were able to remove the steel. An officer arrived and assisted with loading the patient into the ambulance. The ambulance met the Medivac helicopter at the Price County Airport for transport.
1-17-25: Made contact with a City of Phillips resident at their home regarding baiting of
deer in the city limits. An officer advised the resident that they cannot bait deer in the city limits. The resident apologized and said they would stop.
1-19-25: Advised by Price County Dispatch that a residential structure fire had occurred. An officer responded and spoke with Price County Emergency Management and the owner of the residence.
1-26-25: Assisted Price County Sheriff's Department with an intoxicated male who went to the Sheriff's Office to report that he had went in the ditch with his vehicle. One adult male was arrested for operating while intoxicated.
1-28-25: Received a complaint from a resident on Flambeau Avenue who advised her neighbor had a company cut part of a tree that was on the property line and now the company wants her to pay for the removal of her half of the tree. The woman wanted it on record in case they damaged any of her property.
1-30-25: Observed a camper motor home parked at a residence on Argyle Avenue with no license plates attached to it. The motor home has been sitting in the driveway for over five months and is in violation of the city’s Abandoned Vehicle Ordinance. The owner was given 7 days to register, remove, or place into an enclosed garage or be issued an ordinance citation.
1-31-25: Police were called to a local establishment for an adult male who was intoxicated and talking strangely. An officer arrived and identified the man who was on probation and on a no drink order. The officer contacted probation and parole, who wanted the subject taken into custody and held at the Price County Jail, which is what occurred.
1-31-25: Provided an escort through the city for the Phillips High School dance team who made it to state.
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PARK FALLS POLICE DEPARTMENT
1-1-25: An officer responded to assist a Price County deputy on a traffic stop where the deputy could smell the odor of marijuana coming from the suspect vehicle. One male suspect fled the location of the traffic stop on foot. One female and one male juvenile were detained. Ultimately, after a subsequent search for the male who fled the stop, the male was taken into custody.
1-2-25: An officer assisted a deputy with taking one male into custody. He had a warrant for his arrest and was taken into custody without issue.
1-6-25: Officers responded for the report of a male seeing subjects in his apartment. Officers found the male was detoxing from the consumption of alcohol and was hallucinating. A safety plan was set up with Price County Human Services.
1-9-25: A vehicle struck a door opening at the car wash due to the amount of ice outside the door. A report was made for record as the matter was deemed civil.
1-10-25: A person reported a parent suspected of giving tattoos to her children and other juveniles.
1-13-25: The Chequamegon High School principal requested an officer come to the school to watch video of an altercation between two students. The parent did not wish to pursue charges.
1-14-25: There was a report of a property damage crash in the high school parking lot.
1-14-25: A loss prevention officer attempted to stop a male adult who was shoplifting. The suspect became resistive, and a physical altercation occurred. There were no injuries.
1-16-25: Report of a vehicle in the ditch near the intersection of Highway 13 and 9th Street North. The vehicle was not damaged.
1-18-25: Report of a disturbance where the suspect committed battery to the victim. The victim did not want to press charges. Parties were separated for the night.
1-19-25: Assisted the sheriff’s office with a domestic abuse incident on Willow Street. The suspect was located in possession of a large quantity of methamphetamine and other drug paraphernalia.
1-21-25: An officer conducted a traffic stop on a suspect vehicle with expired registration. The officer could smell the odor of marijuana coming from within the vehicle. Officers located marijuana products and drug paraphernalia on suspects and inside suspect vehicle. One male was arrested for OWI - drug-impaired driving. Passenger cited.
1-22-25: Report of a missing vehicle.
1-22-25: Requested by the sheriff’s office to respond to a one-vehicle rollover crash. No other deputies were available due to a shooting incident in the City of Phillips. (See Price County Sheriff’s Office report on 1-22-25 for more details.)
1-23-25: Report of dogs defecating on another's property.
1-24-25: Responded to a residence with a man stating he heard someone crawling in his ceiling. One male was placed in protective custody per a Chapter 51 process. The male was transported to a facility without issue.
1-25-25: A concerned citizen stopped at the police department to inform officers of a vehicle in the ditch that struck a tree on Tower Road north of Division Street.
1-25-25: An officer was dispatched out of the city for an active domestic situation. The officer was the first to arrive on the scene and separated the parties involved while waiting for deputies to arrive. The female subject was taken into custody for domestic-related charges. The male subject was taken into custody for an active warrant he had.
1-25-25: An officer responded to a residence in Price County for the report of a snowmobile which struck a residence. The officer arrived on scene and assisted EMS. The operator of the snowmobile was ultimately life-flighted from the Park Falls Airport. An officer further assisted a Price County sheriff's deputy with his investigation.
1-29-25: Officers responded a residence where a male suspect had been peering into the residence's windows the night prior.
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