In December 2023, Bennish Scrap and Transport approached the City of Phillips Committee of the Whole with an offer to remove the collapsed portion of the Lionite building at no cost. The company planned to salvage the metal. However, the city did not have a right to accept the proposal at that time given it was still owned by Phillips Lionite Wood Products Co LLC with the primary investor being Sanjay Patel. However, agreements were made, and the removal of the collapsed portion began in March 2024.
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Early Summer 2023
Late March 2024
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Late March 2024
As of March 28, 2024, Price County United Limited (PCUL), established in 2022, whose president is Lynda Ludwig of Phillips, has announced the purchase of the 26-acre Lionite property at 115 Depot Road. However, this has not yet been recorded in the Register of Deeds and is still listed as being owned by Phillips Lionite Wood Products Co LLC. (Update on 4/3/2024: As of 4/1/2024, this property is now listed as being owned by Price County United Limited. The sale price was two million dollars.) PCUL has also applied for a $20 million Environmental Protection Agency Community Change grant to make changes to the downtown in Phillips.
Lynda Ludwig has attended county, city, and library board meetings. At the library board meeting in early March, she discussed the possibility of moving the library to a new location. Some additional proposed changes were presented to the Planning Commission. One change includes relocating the gas company that is currently downtown. That area would be replaced with a recreation center and new Chamber of Commerce, along with a parking lot. There is also a proposed network of trails for outdoor recreation, such as biking, running, and walking. Downtown parking and sidewalk proposals were also submitted with ideas for possible bump-outs, bike lanes, green spaces, diagonal parking, back-in angle parking, and other possible ideas. The former Lionite property would include two duplexes for a total of four new residential units in the area where the collapsed portion is currently being removed, plus there would be a parking lot and a boathouse where the current Lionite building is located. The former Ford building at 175 North Avon Avenue, which is still owned by American Eagle of Phillips, LLC, is being proposed as a "mixed commercial housing development." There are also recommendations for cleaning up brownfield sites. If the $20 grant is awarded, which PCUL will know later this year, then the projected timeline for these projects is three years.
What type of changes would you like to see in Phillips? Log-in and comment below.
LEARN ABOUT JUSTIN LINDGREN, PHILLIPS SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATE: Justin Lindgren feels he is qualified to be a school board member because he has been a teacher and is currently working on a degree in school administration. He feels he has the insight on both sides to see what needs to be fixed. He is calling for change, transparency, and communication on the school board. "I have spent the past 12 years serving both the community and the school district, and I would be honored to have the opportunity to continue this." Learn more by reading an article with Justin's thoughts on the school board and why he is asking for your vote.
MY PRICE COUNTY / MY NORTHERN WISCONSIN REACHES OVER 13,000 HOUSEHOLDS; GET FREE NEWS IN YOUR INBOX
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There are two newspapers in Price County. Established in 2012, My Price County / My Northern Wisconsin is a newspaper that offers all news online and free of charge as a community service. We are an unbiased news source providing free news to the community through facts and not rumors, trying to get all sides of every story.
To help us provide free news to the area, we appreciate any news tips, press releases, or information being sent to us via our contact form or contact@mypricecounty.com. A lot of our contributors are local volunteers wanting to make a difference in our communities. We appreciate them and any businesses who are interested in advertising to sponsor our free news, receive advertising of their business, and help with our goal of promoting Price County.
The Presidential Preference Vote, Nonpartisan Office, and Referendum Election will be held on Tuesday, April 2, 2024 in Wisconsin.
On your ballot for the presidential preference vote, you will be able to vote in either the Democratic or Republican primary. Democratic Party candidates are Joe Biden, Dean Phillips, or Uninstructed Delegation. Republican Party candidates are Chris Christie, Vivek Ramaswamy, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Donald Trump, and Uninstructed Delegation.
In Price County, Mark T. Fuhr is running for circuit court judge.
Justin Lindgren and Jon Pesko are running for Area 1 of the school board for the School District of Phillips. Information about Justin Lindgren can be found at this link.
Dianne Gierman and Mallory Hueckman are running for school board in the Village of Prentice.
In District 6, Rodger Price and Paula Houdek are running for county board supervisor.
The county, municipal, and school district candidates are as follows:
The state referendum questions and an explanation of them can be viewed at this link.
The Town of Elk, Town of Worcester, and School Districts of Prentice and Rib Lake have the following referendum questions:
Town of Elk residents who voted by absentee ballot need to be aware that their ballot will likely be returned to them. According to the town clerk, "The return label was in the wrong spot and therefore caused the envelope to be returned to [the voter's] address instead of the Town Hall." A new envelope was sent to Town of Elk residents who requested an absentee ballot.
Anyone who voted by absentee ballot can track their ballot at this link. Enter your name and date of birth, click search, and then click "View My Request." After a few seconds, your absentee ballot's status will display. The date the ballot was received will appear in the last box on the webpage.
MY PRICE COUNTY / MY NORTHERN WISCONSIN REACHES OVER 13,000 HOUSEHOLDS; GET FREE NEWS IN YOUR INBOX
To sign up to receive our FREE "News Highlights" e-mail, send your e-mail address with "Subscribe" in the subject line to contact@mypricecounty.com. Your privacy is important to us. We never give away or sell your e-mail address.
We are an unbiased news source providing free news to the community through facts and not rumors, trying to get all sides of every story. Established in 2012, we are a newspaper that offers all our news online and free of charge as a community service.
To help us provide free news to the area, we appreciate any news tips, press releases, or information being sent to us via our contact form or contact@mypricecounty.com. A lot of our contributors are local volunteers wanting to make a difference in our communities. We appreciate them and any businesses who are interested in advertising to sponsor our free news, receive advertising of their business, and help with our goal of promoting Price County.
There are two referendum questions in Wisconsin on the April 2, 2024 ballot.
Question 1 reads, "Use of private funds in election administration. Shall section 7 (1) of article III of the constitution be created to provide that private donations and grants may not be applied for, accepted, expended, or used in connection with the conduct of any primary, election, or referendum?"
Question 2 reads, "Election officials. Shall section 7 (2) of article III of the constitution be created to provide that only election officials designated by law may perform tasks in the conduct of primaries, elections, and referendums?"
According to Ballotpedia, 27 states have laws in place banning or restricting the use of private donations for the purposes of administering an election, which applies to Question 1.
Question 1 got brought to the table due to the 2020 election when the founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, and his wife, Priscilla Chan, funded grants that were distributed by the Center for Tech and Civic Life. Wisconsin received $10.6 million of those grant funds spread across over 200 communities. However, $8.8 million went to Wisconsin's five largest cities, which are Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay, Racine, and Kenosha.
Some people are concerned that when those funds are sent to certain areas, it can help the turnout in those areas. Therefore, if a group wanted to affect an election, they could send more funds to areas that are either more liberal or more conservative hoping to get the voting result they want, which would affect the entire state. Some clerks feel they have enough resources and instructions from the government that they do not need outside sources to assist with elections. These reasons are why some people want a "yes" vote on both questions.
Others argue it would take away resources from clerks, especially in smaller areas. They argue clerks need every amount of money and resources available to them so they can easily run elections in their municipalities. Those people want a "no" vote on both questions.
LEARN ABOUT JUSTIN LINDGREN, PHILLIPS SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATE: Justin Lindgren feels he is qualified to be a school board member because he has been a teacher and is currently working on a degree in school administration. He feels he has the insight on both sides to see what needs to be fixed. He is calling for change, transparency, and communication on the school board. "I have spent the past 12 years serving both the community and the school district, and I would be honored to have the opportunity to continue this." Learn more by reading an article with Justin's thoughts on the school board and why he is asking for your vote.
Due to the Corporate Transparency Act of 2020, there is a new reporting requirement pertaining to beneficial owners of certain entities who are doing business in the United States.
The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, also known as FinCEN, has issued final regulations that became effective on January 1, 2024. The act created new rules, the intentions of which are to protect financial systems from criminal use. In order to pursue this goal, there are new reporting requirements for many people and entities. If all applicable individuals and entities comply with this act, it is believed that it will protect the United States' financial systems, plus it will provide information to national security, intelligence, and law enforcement agencies. It is designed to assist in preventing the use of shell companies, to help to prevent money laundering, and to help prevent the hiding of assets.
This new requirement affects many entities and individuals. Any company that is a foreign or domestic reporting company is subject to the reporting requirements. In general, if a company was or will be created by filing a document with the Secretary of State or other similar office, that makes them subject to the Corporate Transparency Act of 2020. Some companies are exempt if they meet one of the 23 exemptions. However, each of these exemptions have criteria that must be met to qualify for the exemption. Some categories may at first sound like someone is exempt until they read all of the qualifications. This act is designed to collect information on small to mid-size businesses, as well as some larger businesses.
(Article continues after promotional image) SPONSOR OF FREE NEWS AND LOCAL EVENTS. Davette Lynne Hrabak, CPA, located at 164 South Lake Avenue in Phillips, specializes in tax return preparation, business start-up services, consulting, bookkeeping, payroll, and all your accounting needs. Call 715-339-6638 or visit Davette's website. Follow her Facebook page.
Companies created or registered before 2024 will have the initial report due January 1, 2025. If a reporting company is created or registered after 2023, the initial report is due within 90 days of the creation or registration date.
It should be further noted that an updated report must be filed if there is a change to a previously filed report about the reporting company or its beneficial owners. If this occurs, it must be sent in within 30 days of the change.
Some of the information that must be reported for the reporting company’s beneficial owners and certain company applicants, is the individual’s full legal name, date of birth, street address, and unique ID number. An image of the document showing the unique ID number must be included in the report. Similar information about the reporting company must also be reported.
Violations for non-reporting are substantial.
The information that is available on this is evolving; therefore, it would be a good idea for anyone that has questions or feels they may be affected by this act, to look into the matter further or consult an attorney for assistance with compliance.
If you have a business or other entity, it would be wise to look into this new reporting to see if you are someone who needs to report under it.
The website address for FinCEN's Frequently Asked Questions Page can be found at this link.
LEARN ABOUT JUSTIN LINDGREN, PHILLIPS SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATE: Justin Lindgren feels he is qualified to be a school board member because he has been a teacher and is currently working on a degree in school administration. He feels he has the insight on both sides to see what needs to be fixed. He is calling for change, transparency, and communication on the school board. "I have spent the past 12 years serving both the community and the school district, and I would be honored to have the opportunity to continue this." Learn more by reading an article with Justin's thoughts on the school board and why he is asking for your vote.
February is American Heart Month, designated to encourage people to focus on their cardiovascular health. That focus came one month earlier, in January, for Kim Kaletka when she noticed she was experiencing shortness of breath and wheezing. "Just walking into school or work, I was out of breath," Kim shared.
After debating if these symptoms were something she needed to take seriously, she called the clinic, and they directed her to go straight to the emergency room. Doctors considered she might have a blood clot or be having a heart attack, but tests revealed those options weren't the case. Instead, Kim had fluid on her lungs. She was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. She spent three days in the hospital with moderate to severe readings for heart failure.
She was discharged from the hospital but had to wait three weeks to see a cardiologist. Given she would break out into cold sweats and have trouble breathing with too much activity, Kim could not continue her work at the nursing home. She also could not do much around the house except think. She had time to think about the worst possible scenarios and to think of the bills that were mounting.
Her insurance company made her wait for eight weeks, leading her to believe she would get awarded her short-term disability claim, but in the end they denied her request. Their reason for denial was because she had shortness of breath in October when she was diagnosed with pneumonia. Therefore, her insurance company decided she may have had a pre-existing condition. However, Kim said, "It's more than clear in my records I never had congestive heart failure before this." She is going to appeal their decision.
In the meantime, Kim has to wait. She has to wait to go back to work and wait to see if her heart is healing when she receives her next scan.
Kim has had to play the medical waiting game in the past. Six years ago her son, Thomas, won the battle against cancer. "With God's help I made it through watching my son battle cancer. Somehow, someway, I'll make it through this. Most days I just don't see how, but I will."
Kim shared, "It's a scary situation that you never expect is going to happen and then, boom, it does." She said that, as a single mom to Thomas and Lexi, she had a lot of expenses as single moms do, and with the cost of living increasing, it was difficult for her to get ahead to have a "rainy day" fund, so she has to work to accomplish that now. This week, she is most concerned about having enough money to make her car payment so she will have a vehicle to go to medical appointments and eventually back to work. "You just don't think of all the things you rely on when life runs smoothly. And I cannot get a loan because my credit is not great these last months because I haven't been able to pay my bills."
Given My Price County shares information about those in need during difficult times, we reached out to Kim asking if we could help by getting her situation more attention. She agreed but said, "I'm not just looking for people to give me money." Therefore, if anyone is wanting to help Kim with living and medical expenses to get her through this difficult time, she has listed some items for sale at this link. She will be adding more items in the near future. Otherwise, cash donations can be given on Venmo at @Kim-Kaletka or at her GoFundMe page.
Kim will have more scans and possibly need medical treatments. She currently is taking a number of medications. Kim is going through a lot, but she said, "It will make me a stronger person."
If you or a loved one are in need due to a tragic event, such as a fire or medical situation, reach out to My Price County so we can help get your information to the public.
This article can be shared on Facebook at this link.
Submitted photo. Ad created by My Price County. Authorized and paid for by Justin Lindgren.
Justin Lindgren grew up in Rhinelander but his roots are in Phillips. His great grandparents came to America from Slovakia, settling into a farm east of Phillips. Throughout his childhood, Justin enjoyed spending his summers in Phillips at that farm, then owned by his grandparents, Paul and June Pilch. "I loved being in Phillips," Justin shared, and his love of the community continued into adulthood.
Upon high school graduation, following in the footsteps of his mother, Linda Lindgren; sister, Becci Lallemont; great aunts, Ruth Pilch & Anna Dureno; cousin, Andy Pilch; and other family members, Justin got his college degree in education. He worked in Ely, Minnesota for eight years, but the love of Phillips called him back to the area, and he took a teaching position in the School District of Phillips for twelve years. During those years, he was the coach for middle school cross country and high school track and field, plus he worked at the community pool, in the grocery store, and at a gas station. He is currently working in the Public Works Department for the City of Phillips while continuing to advance toward a degree in Education Administration through UW-Superior. He remains active in the community by participating in the various races and other events offered, plus he has been involved with the Northwoods Players productions either as an actor, conductor, or director.
Justin said, "My experiences have provided me great insight into the Phillips School District from multiple perspectives. I have a strong knowledge base on the role of a school board member and education administration. To best serve as a school board member, I believe it is important to have a balance of school system knowledge and an openness to hear from everyone in the community. My involvement in the community, as a teacher and an active community member, has helped me to build this balance that I would intend to apply if elected to the board."
Justin went on to state that the environment in the Phillips School District has changed drastically in the recent past. "The students, in my experience, are not happy. The staff members are not happy. Morale is at one of its lowest points in the memory of a lot of the staff who have been there for many years. We all agree that the direction the school district is headed is not one that a lot of us can agree with, and that's why you see this massive turnover in teachers and staff all of a sudden. We have kids that are leaving the district in larger numbers to do things like online school and things like that, which the school district is still responsible for financially, so we end up paying money out for the students to have other teachers, not even ours, and that's not fiscally responsible. The frustrating part is that the school board has not looked into any of this, and they are surprised when told morale has been extremely low." Justin wonders why the school board members are not asking the staff for feedback to bring a resolution to the issues within the school district. He feels there is a disconnect between the school board, administration, parents, students, and the community, and he would like to work to correct that if elected as a school board member.
"The school and the community need to be very connected, and I feel there is a big disconnect between the school and community, which benefits neither."
"Phillips once had some of the longest longevity in regard to teachers but that is not the case anymore." Justin stated the turnover, hiring of people who do not have education degrees, low morale among staff, and other factors do not create a stable environment. "The students deserve a stable education, and right now things are not stable. The staff needs to feel supported instead of being afraid of facing retaliation if they speak up and ask questions."
"Phillips is a wonderful place and has a lot to offer. But with the things going on in the school and people just being extremely frustrated with it, that doesn't bode well for our community. We need to be on the same page; we need to function as a cohesive unit. There needs to be that transparency between the district and the town with 'what are we doing' and 'why are we doing it.' We need to feel confident in our leadership. We need to feel we can talk to people in the school. We need to feel that the people in the school are talking to us. There has been that disconnect for the last few years."
Justin feels he is qualified to be a school board member because he has been a teacher and is currently working on a degree in education administration. He feels he has the insight on both sides to see what needs to be fixed. He is calling for change, transparency, and communication on the school board. "I have spent the past 12 years serving both the community and the school district, and I would be honored to have the opportunity to continue this." Justin Lindgren is asking for your vote on April 2nd. You can learn more about Justin via his Facebook page.
You can share this article on Facebook from this link.
The Planning Commission has been working on the comprehensive plan for the City of Phillips.
A summarized Comprehensive Plan Overview is as follows:
However, the 108-page draft contains information regarding issues & opportunities, housing, transportation, utilities & community facilities, economic development, natural resources, intergovernmental cooperation, land use, and implementation. It can be viewed by clicking on the document at the end of this article. Shelby Kosmer, the city clerk/treasurer, advised this is only a draft as there have been some grammar changes and business name changes. This is a working copy that has not yet been finalized. (The plan was updated on 4-2-2024; a new copy was added to this article.)
There is a public informational meeting where final updates will be discussed before the plan is set to be adopted. The meeting will be held in the Council Chambers at 174 South Eyder Avenue in Phillips on Thursday, March 28, 2024 beginning at 5:30 p.m. (This meeting was changed from Monday to Thursday due to inclement weather.) The public is invited to attend.
SPONSOR OF FREE NEWS AND COMMUNITY EVENTS. Ken's Carpet & The Consignment Store sells all flooring types (carpet, vinyl, wood, & ceramic), bedding / mattresses, appliances, solar systems, and consignment sales of furniture, automobiles, farming & logging equipment, ATVs, UTVs, trailers, and campers. Call 715-339-4838 for product inquiries, and follow Ken's Carpet & The Consignment Store's Facebook page.
In 2015, Dollar Tree acquired Family Dollar for about $8.5 billion after a bidding war with Dollar General. Even though Family Dollar stores were renovated about four years ago, the new ownership struggled to boost the brand to its standards. After almost a decade of ownership, the company announced that close to 1,000 stores will be closed.
In regard to the closures, the company stated, "As previously disclosed, in the fourth quarter of 2023 we initiated a comprehensive review of our store portfolio to identify and address underperforming stores and invest in improved store standards and growth. Our review identified approximately 600 Family Dollar stores for closure in the first half of 2024 and an additional approximately 370 stores to be closed over the next several years during the normal course of lease expiration. Family Dollar and Dollar Tree stores are important to thousands of communities across this country. We owe it to those we serve to position all of our stores for success and meet the expectations of our valued customers and associates."
Unfortunately, for Price County, the store in Phillips closed about two years ago. According to the manager of the store in Park Falls, it will be closing in April 2024.
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Pictured left to right: Logan Heizler, Chase Schmidt, and Nicholas Matthewson
The Phillips Middle School has announced the Students of the Month for February 2024.
Logan Heizler, son of Jodi and Mike Heizler, has been selected as the sixth grade Student of the Month for February. Logan enjoys playing with his animals and sitting around listening to Johnny Horton. He thinks he was chosen as the Student of the Month because he’s social. Logan’s favorite part of middle school is switching classes, and he thinks his teachers are pretty great, as well.
Chase Schmidt, son of Dani and Josh Schmidt, has been chosen by his peers as the seventh grade Student of the Month for February. Chase enjoys running and playing basketball, football, and baseball. The best parts of Chase’s school days are eating lunch, going out for recess, and participating in gym class.
Nicholas Matthewson, son of Jamie Kjos, has been named the eighth grade Student of the Month for February. Nicholas' favorite part of middle school is participating in activities and seeing his friends. When asked why he thought he was chosen for this honor, Nicholas said, “Because people like me.”
NORTHERN WISCONSIN GRASS FIRE REPORTED AND GOTTEN UNDER CONTROL BY PASSERSBY
Fires spread quickly from sparks, discarded cigarette butts, and other fire-causing events and agents. Jason and Tammy Hastings came across this fire on Hwy. 182 near Cutoff Road. Tammy reported, "Jason put this fire out while we waited for emergency crews to arrive. It's unreal how fast this fire spread. It was just a few flames when we came upon it."
Video by: Tammy Hastings
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FIRE DANGER REMAINS HIGH AND VERY HIGH IN NORTHERN WISCONSIN
Image Credit: Wisconsin DNR
Due to the elevated fire danger throughout the state, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is asking the public to avoid burning this week.
Warm temperatures, low humidity, and breezy conditions, and no precipitation are causing the fire danger to be high or very high in the northern part of the state.
"On windy, dry days, embers from any fire, especially burn piles and campfires, can easily escape control and cause a wildfire if not properly extinguished.
"The DNR has already responded to over 50 wildfires across Wisconsin this week alone, bringing the yearly total to 193 fires burning 356 acres. For reference, the DNR had only responded to seven wildfires across Wisconsin at this point last year. The majority of these recent wildfires have been related to debris burning," stated the DNR.
The DNR is asking people to avoid all outdoor burning, including debris burning. The use of campfires and bonfires should be limited. "Be sure to discard hot ashes from woodstoves or fireplaces in a metal container until cold. Outdoor enthusiasts should also use caution with any off-road vehicles or equipment that can create a spark and start a fire," the DNR advised.
The DNR is also suspending annual burn permits in all DNR protection areas across the state due to current and forecasted conditions.
Fire danger and burning restrictions change every day, so the DNR is reminding people to check conditions before burning. The DNR also gave the following fire safety tips.
FIRE SAFETY TIPS
Report fires early by calling 911.
Avoid outdoor burning until conditions improve. Burn permits for debris burning are currently suspended in many counties.
Operate equipment (chainsaws, off-road vehicles, lawnmowers, etc.) early in the morning or late in the day to avoid sparks at peak burn hours.
Secure dragging trailer chains to avoid creating sparks.
Do not try to suppress a fire by yourself.
Never operate drones or unmanned aircraft over or near fires; it endangers the lives of pilots and firefighters and interferes with fire suppression operations.
Check current fire danger, wildfire reports, and burning restrictions on the DNR's website.
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