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Northern Region
Wisconsin counties include: Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Burnett, Douglas, Iron, Polk, Price, Rusk, Sawyer, Taylor, Washburn. Florence, Forest, Langlade, Lincoln, Oneida, Vilas
Northern Region
Latest Stories
Mike Wiggins, Jr. and Mary Mazzio on ‘Bad River’ and Line 5
Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa former Chairman Mike Wiggins, Jr. and filmmaker Mary Mazzio describe the documentary "Bad River" and an ongoing dispute over the Enbridge Line 5 oil pipeline.
April 5, 2024
What deer and wolf numbers in Bayfield County reveal about Wisconsin wildlife policy debates
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has released its 2023 figures for that season's deer hunt harvest, the state's estimated wolf population and depredation payments, illustrating the complex trends central to the politics of regulating a controversial and charismatic animal.
March 27, 2024
Genevieve Adamski on behaviors of wolf packs and livestock
Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa wildlife specialist Genevieve Adamski describes the territorial behavior of wolves and how livestock can be observed to react when these predators are present.
March 12, 2024
John Will on growing food insecurity among college students
Northwood Technical College President John Will describes the factors that cause college students to experience hunger and how a food pantry project at its Rice Lake campus seeks to address the issue.
March 8, 2024
Maple syrup season started early in Wisconsin, as producers try to adapt to warmer winter conditions
Warmer winter temperatures have allowed maple syrup producers across the U.S. to begin tapping their trees as much as two months early — in Wisconsin, many farmers started production in January and February, earlier than they can ever remember doing so in previous years.
March 8, 2024
Scientists seek to understand impacts of historic lack of Great Lakes ice
An unusually warm winter has left the Great Lakes all but devoid of ice and sent scientists scrambling to understand the possible consequences as climate change accelerates, including bigger algae blooms, more evaporation and beach erosion.
March 7, 2024
Divisions over wolves shape Wisconsin’s new management plan
Indigenous communities, farmers, hunters and Wisconsinites of all stripes express strong feelings about wolves as their numbers grow in the state and a new management plan for the species is unveiled.
March 1, 2024
Bryan BainBridge on the opioid crisis in tribal communities
Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council CEO Bryan BainBridge discusses plans to build an Adolescent Recovery and Wellness Center in Oneida County to help teens struggling with addiction and mental health.
February 23, 2024
Marvin DeFoe on Anishinaabe culture and stories of ma’iingan
Marvin DeFoe, or Shingbinase, a tribal elder with the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, describes the significance of and relationship with wolves, or ma'iingan, in Anishinaabe culture.
February 21, 2024
A redo election in Vilas County signals growing ballot scrutiny in US
A judge tossed out a close vote in Presque Isle after discovery of ballot errors and ordered a remedial election, one of at least four such repeats across the nation in 2023.
February 5, 2024
Evers secures federal grant for largest land conservation purchase in Wisconsin history
Democratic Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers has secured federal dollars to complete the purchase of nearly 56,000 acres of property known as the Pelican River Forest, going around Republicans who had blocked it.
January 24, 2024
State rules require CAFOs have plans for their waste, but several property owners near a proposed hog operation in Trade Lake who had opened fields to farming learned those properties were designated for manure spreading without their consent.
December 28, 2023
Critics accuse a developer of disregarding local concerns in his push to construct the state's largest pig farm in rural Burnett County, but he calls himself the victim of "selfish" residents.
December 20, 2023
The chairman: How a plan to develop Wisconsin’s largest pig farm upended a small town’s politics
A proposal for a $20 million concentrated animal feeding operation sowed distrust in Trade Lake as opponents accused the town's chairman of backroom dealings to facilitate construction.
December 12, 2023
Threat to sue town in Polk County over CAFO regulations revives local control fight
Backed by a pro-business law group, two Wisconsin residents are challenging the town of Eureka's attempt to regulate concentrated animal feeding operations.
October 30, 2023
Alexandria Sulainis on manoomin and Native communities
Adaawe Design Collective owner Alexandria Sulainis describes the importance of cultivating manoomin — wild rice — by Native communities in Wisconsin and its role as an essential source of sustenance.
October 5, 2023
Federal judge dismisses lawsuit to stop Lac du Flambeau roadblocks
A U.S. District judge says the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa has sovereign rights over roadways that have been the subject of dispute between the tribe and non-tribal land owners.
August 15, 2023
Wisconsin towns brace for next fight on local control over large farms
A proposed pig CAFO spurred five northwest Wisconsin towns to regulate big farms — after one rescinded its ordinance, others wonder if they'll face lawsuits.
July 19, 2023
Rural Wisconsin’s population growth and its relationship with tourism
Here & Now extra: A Wisconsin Policy Forum report details how the business of recreation plays a prominent role in places that saw a growing number of residents in the 2010s — Bayfield County exemplifies how the pandemic was but a blip in this trend.
July 13, 2023
Town of Lac du Flambeau pays tribe $24,000 to keep reservation roads open another month
The town of Lac Du Flambeau's easements on 1.25 miles of roads on Lac Du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa land have been expired for about a decade, and renewal negotiations have so far failed.
July 12, 2023
Kati Anderson on booming tourism business in Bayfield County
Bayfield Chamber & Visitors Bureau public relations manager Kati Anderson describes a record-breaking amount of spending by tourists and the impacts this growth is having on the workforce and housing.
July 7, 2023
Federal judge signals he wont stop Lac du Flambeau tribe from blocking roads
A U.S. District judge said he doesn't see how Lac du Flambeau tribal officials acted outside their authority when they placed barricades on roads in January over a dispute with the local town government.
June 8, 2023
Federal judge not inclined to shut down Line 5, begs Bad River tribe to work with Enbridge
The Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa argues rapid erosion could cause a pipeline to spill oil, but a federal judge said the concerns is undermined by its decision to not let Enbridge reinforce adjacent land.
May 18, 2023
Debbie Moellendorf on mental health at Merrill High School
UW-Madison Extension professor Debbie Moellendorf describes the efforts of the Raise Your Voice club at Merrill High School as student participants learn about mental health and provide peer support.
May 17, 2023
Why fish consumption advisories in Great Lakes states carry their own risks
Amid fears about PFAS contamination, oversimplified warnings about fish could discourage residents from consuming a food central to Ojibwe lifeways in Wisconsin.
April 19, 2023
How Ojibwe tribes in Wisconsin resisted efforts to deny treaty rights
A history of deception and coercion threatened the tribal rights of Ojibwe people to hunt and fish in the Great Lakes and inland territory.
April 12, 2023
Great Lakes pollution threatens Ojibwe treaty rights to fish
PFAS are the latest concern in Lake Superior, where fishing is central to the lifeways of the Red Cliff Band and other Indigenous nations.
April 12, 2023
Tribe to reopen Lac du Flambeau roads in temporary deal
On March 11, officials with the town of Lac du Flambeau accepted the Lac du Flambeau tribe's offer to remove barricades blocking several roads for 90 days in exchange for $60,000 as negotiations continue.
March 13, 2023
Federal judge rules Lac du Flambeau road barricades can stay
A federal judge denied a motion filed by local landowners to remove blockades on roads running through Lac du Flambeau tribal lands that prevented those residents from accessing their properties.
March 10, 2023
Land owners file lawsuit in Lac du Flambeau right-of-way dispute
A lawsuit filed Feb. 28 asks a judge to either declare that blocked roads in Lac du Flambeau are public and required to stay open, or declare property owners have a right to cross the tribal land by necessity.
March 2, 2023
Dave Miess on living amid Lac du Flambeau’s road closures
Town of Lac du Flambeau resident Dave Miess considers how road closures by the tribal government over lapsed easements affect homeowners who have access blocked and shares hopes for a swift solution.
February 14, 2023
Sen. Mary Felzkowski on PFAS in Stella’s drinking water
Sen. Mary Felzkowksi, R-Irma, discusses high levels of PFAS contamination in wells and drinking water in the town of Stella and how tackling the pollution could factor into the 2023 state budget process.
February 10, 2023
Lac du Flambeau tribe blocks roads over lapsed contracts
The Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa closed four tribal roads after contracts to drive over their land lapsed in 2013, blocking over 50 households from access to their properties.
February 10, 2023
Former employees lift curtain on troubled crypto operation in Park Falls
An energy-intensive cryptocurrency computer-processing facility in Park Falls relying on local hydropower can't replace a once vibrant paper mill, but it has created new conflicts and a cautionary tale.
February 8, 2023
Two Northwoods friends push Wisconsin DNR to protect lakeshore trees
A retired forester and a writer say the Department of Natural allows logging perilously close to lakes — state officials disagree and now the agency's auditor is being audited.
September 8, 2022
Chemical spill site in Burnett County gets $1.4 million in federal infrastructure funding
A Burnett County property that previously was the location of a wood treatment facility is one of 49 across the nation scheduled for cleanup of toxic substances.
July 5, 2022
What are the risks of a summer COVID surge?
Laura Sauve, health officer for Barron County, discusses another rise in COVID-19 cases and what high community transmission means given vaccination rates and hospital capacity in northwest Wisconsin.
May 20, 2022
US Rep. Tom Tiffany on lifting pandemic immigration policy
U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Minocqua, discusses his opposition to ending Title 42, a policy that curtailed immigration during the COVID-19 pandemic.
April 22, 2022
For Lac du Flambeau, healing is remembering their boarding school experience
Like the other government boarding schools, the Lac du Flambeau school left unhealed wounds in those who attended, as well as in the community at large.
April 12, 2022
Speeding cleanup of pollution at ‘Areas of Concern’ on Wisconsin’s waterways
One target of the 2021 federal infrastructure package is a decades-long effort to remediate industrial contamination in five locations in the state where rivers and estuaries flow into the Great Lakes — conservationists are hopeful the funding will accelerate this restoration process.
March 8, 2022
The future of Wisconsin’s wolf management is unclear following federal ruling
With a court decision placing the gray wolf under Endangered Species Act protection once again, more uncertainty has been added to the state's path forward for managing the animal as a new report reflects deep divisions in a DNR advisory committee.
February 17, 2022
Responding to opioid overdose calls
David Rekemeyer, a paramedic and firefighter with the Ashland Fire Department, describes responding to opioid overdoses as Wisconsin is poised to receive a $420 million settlement to fight addiction.
December 3, 2021
The politics of funding special education in Wisconsin
PBS Wisconsin senior political reporter Zac Schultz explains how special education is funded in Wisconsin schools, its role in the state's budget politics, and what a charter school in Minocqua is doing to serve students in its community.
November 26, 2021
Special education students endure uncertainty, anxiety during the pandemic
Remote teaching and mask requirements for in-person classes have been particularly difficult for students with special needs, including those on the autism spectrum.
November 24, 2021
A chasm between Wisconsin’s special-ed needs and resources
The amount of funding from the state for special education only covers a limited portion of the cost incurred by school districts, which are left to fill the gap — Lakeland STAR Academy, a charter school in Minocqua that teaches students on the autism spectrum, is able to operate with generous local philanthropic support, but its model is difficult to replicate.
November 22, 2021
Central Wisconsin’s Central Role in Wisconsin’s Redistricting Calculations
After being shifted from the 7th Congressional District to the 3rd in 2011, Portage County is set to switch representation once again in 2021, with the Republican plan splitting Stevens Point and Plover between the 7th and 8th districts, while the People's Map Commission moves it entirely into the 6th.
November 4, 2021
A Rural School District’s Pandemic Priorities
Claire Martin, interim district administrator for Lakeland Union School District in Minocqua, describes how it's approaching the Delta wave of COVID-19 as students and staff return to classrooms.
September 10, 2021
Noon Wednesday: Uncharted Waters for Lake Superior
A proposal in Bayfield County to bottle and sell water from the Lake Superior watershed taking advantage of a loophole tests the mettle of the Great Lakes Compact, which regulates certain water diversions among eight states. Professor Dave Strifling, director of the Water Law and Policy Initiative at the Marquette Law School, explains legal and environmental ramifications of the proposal.
September 8, 2021
Republicans Voted To Give This Minocqua School Extra Funding, But Evers Said No
Why are Republicans in the Legislature repeatedly adding a budget line for Lakeland STAR, a charter school focusing on children with autism, and why is the governor repeatedly cutting this funding even as he advocates more state support for public education?
July 19, 2021
A Tourism Boom Has Wisconsin’s Northern Destinations Scrambling to Keep Up
Businesses in busy summer communities like Minocqua, Bayfield and Door County are racing to serve more customers while also struggling with maintaining enough employees as travel swells in the wake of the pandemic.
July 2, 2021
Masking and Other Protocols Helped Keep Wisconsin Kids in the Classroom
Rules put in place to cut transmission of COVID-19 kept the common cold and seasonal flu at a minimum during a unique pandemic school year.
May 20, 2021
Noon Wednesday: ‘A Community For All’
Residents in a north central Wisconsin community have become divided on passing a resolution proclaiming Marathon County “A Community For All.” Marathon County Board Supervisor and Wausau attorney William Harris explains why consensus cannot be found in this yearlong debate.
May 19, 2021
What’s Pushing Record Lumber Prices and Who in Wisconsin Is Benefiting?
The coronavirus pandemic has fueled a home construction boom around the nation, but loggers and builders want to know where the profits are flowing as demand for wood products spikes.
May 6, 2021
Where Is Wisconsin’s COVID-19 Vaccine Delivery Lagging — And Why?
With universal eligibility starting April 5, the pace of coronavirus shots is speeding up everywhere in the state, but rates have been stubbornly lower in Clark, Rusk and Taylor counties.
March 30, 2021
‘Extreme Disappointment’: Ojibwe Treaty Rights Group Decries Wolf Hunt Process
Planning for the February 2021 wolf hunt was rushed following a court order, and the Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission charges the Wisconsin DNR with neglecting tribal obligations.
March 18, 2021
The Pandemic Pushes New Appeals for Rural Broadband Investment Across Wisconsin
State and local efforts to expand equitable internet access across the state grow in priority as both education and the economy moved more online in the wake of the coronavirus.
March 5, 2021
Baldwin Talks Economy During Virtual Biden Event in Superior
The virtual townhall was one of two the Biden campaign held in the state Monday, now a more common sight as campaigns engage voters digitally amid the pandemic.
August 10, 2020
Paper Mill in Wisconsin Rapids Will Idle, Layoff 900
The company announced the move due to reduced demand in paper products during the COVID-19 pandemic.
June 10, 2020
Adjusting to Commerce Amid Pandemic
After Memorial Day weekend and with the unofficial start to summer, Exec. Dir. of the Minocqua Chamber of Commerce Krystal Westfahl discusses what businesses are doing to keep customers safe and how the area is adjusting to changes in economic activity amid coronavirus concerns.
May 29, 2020
Hodag Music Festival Canceled After Public Outcry
The reduced capacity would have brought as many as 16,000 people to the area, before event organizers cancelled the country music festival.
May 28, 2020
National Guard Assists at Polls/Tiffany Wins 7th Cong. Seat
The Wisconsin National Guard was activated again to work polling places in Tuesday's 7th Congressional Dist. special election. About 160 Guard members helped serve the 700 municipalities. They worked in civilian clothes performing the same duties as other poll workers. Republican Tom Tiffany defeated Democrat Tricia Zunker in the 7th Congressional District. It spans 26 Northern Wisconsin counties.
May 15, 2020
Republican Tom Tiffany wins the special election to replace Sean Duffy in the state's 7th Congressional District.
May 13, 2020
Candidates Vie for Open 7th Congressional Dist. Seat
Candidates Tom Tiffany (R) and Tricia Zunker (D) vie for an open seat in Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District to replace the retired Sean Duffy.
May 7, 2020
Community Testing Begins in Northwestern Wisconsin
National Guard deployed to support county and tribal health efforts.
May 4, 2020
Coverage of the 2020 State of the Tribes address. Then a discussion with the President of the Stockbridge Munsee Band of the Mohican Shannon Holsey on her work with all-Nations youth addiction treatment facility that is on a schedule to be constructed in Marathon County next year.
February 21, 2020
Map: Tiffany and Zunker Win Congressional Primaries
State Sen. Tom Tiffany will face Ho-Chunk Supreme Court Justice Tricia Zunker on May 12. They defeated Jason Church and Lawrence Dale in the Republican and Democratic primaries respectively.
February 19, 2020
Candidates Rally for Support in 7th Congressional District
A report by Here & Now Reporter Zac Schultz breaks down the primary race for the state’s 7th Congressional District. The seat was previously held by Sean Duffy. Now, four candidates are vying for the large district in Northern Wisconsin, including two Democrats and three Republicans. (Videography by Ethan Freel)
February 15, 2020
Elections Commission: No Competing Ballots in April Election
The Wisconsin Elections Commission voted unanimously to send only one ballot to a majority of absentee voters in the April general election. To comply with federal law, overseas voters will still receive two ballots in April, but most absentee voters will only receive a single ballot with all races.
February 12, 2020
Update: Search and Rescue Volunteers’ Sacrifice
There is a new example of the sacrifice search and rescue volunteers make when they donate their time to finding lost strangers. In January, Here & Now reported on Pat Sanchez who runs the Sawyer County search and rescue (SAR) team. The Sawyer County SAR team is well-known around the ...
February 10, 2020
Different Ballots for Upcoming Elections Cause Confusion
The Wisconsin Elections Commission is issuing and managing “A” and “B” ballots for upcoming elections. City of Superior Clerk Terri Kalan provides clarity on the difference between two separate absentee ballots being sent to voters in the 7th Congressional District.
February 10, 2020
Lack of Search And Rescue Resources Leave State Vulnerable
Despite the gaps in coverage, volunteers across Wisconsin remain the backbone of search and rescue operations. Although search and rescue volunteers are trained as professionals, many counties don’t have enough resources to pay them as such.
January 3, 2020
Here & Now for November 15, 2019
On tonight’s show we examine: the state’s diversity efforts with State Rep. Sheila Stubbs; Impeachment Hearings with U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore; freedom of the press questions regarding Lafayette County Board with Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council President Bill Lueders; Developments with the DACA program with Voces De La Frontera's Alejandra Gonzalez; an update on former designee Brad Pfaff.
January 3, 2020
Wisconsin’s Achievement Gap Persists
This week The National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as the Nation's Report Card, released results finding Wisconsin has the widest achievement gap in the country. Scores show the gap between Black and white students increasing in both math and reading.
December 4, 2019
Wisconsin Hunters on Chronic Wasting Disease
A look at Marquette poll numbers on the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease in the state. Four hunters explain differing reasons why some get their deer tested for CWD and the overwhelming reason why most do not. The poll shows that of the people who have heard of CWD, 64% feel it represents a threat to the future of deer hunting in Wisconsin.
December 4, 2019
New Study Says Foxconn Could Depress the State Economy
According to a new special study by economists at George Mason University in Virginia, Foxconn could depress the state economic activity by tens of billions of dollars over the next 15 years. Michael Farren, a George Mason University researcher, talks about the new study and the economic risks that it reveals.
December 4, 2019
Congressional Elections Heating Up in Wisconsin
Two Democrats, Wausau School Board President Tricia Zunker and Businessman Lawrence Dale, join the 7th congressional district race in Northwest Wisconsin. Outside of Milwaukee, a 5th congressional district candidate state Sen. Scott Fitzgerald (R) receives a major endorsement from former Gov. Tommy Thompson.
October 18, 2019
Proposed Hog CAFO in Burnett County Receives Push Back
A proposed concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO) in Burnett County is receiving push back from locals who say the large farm could have adverse effects on their communities. If approved, the $20 million proposed operation would be a 26,000-head hog facility. WisContext’s Will Cushman also shares insights on laws drafted by the Department of Agriculture to regulate a facility’s odor.
October 18, 2019
The Race for the 7th Congressional District Continues
The previously announced dates for the special 7th congressional election in the Northwest Wisconsin district must be changed because of a federal law. The seat held by U.S. Representative Sean Duffy until he resigned in September, is now up for grabs. Three Republican candidates are now in the race: Jason Church, Tom Tiffany, Michael Opela Sr.
October 4, 2019
Candidates Line Up for and Mull Congressional Bids
Two members of Wisconsin’s congressional delegation, the long-serving Jim Sensenbrenner and fourth-term Sean Duffy, announced they are retiring from Congress, and some have already jumped in the race to fill their seats.
September 13, 2019
Sawyer Co. Feels Effect of Floods: “It Comes In Everywhere”
While the policy debate over climate change and efforts to mitigate flooding continue at the state and federal level, Here & Now’s Zac Schultz talks to those in Sawyer County who are impacted by washed out roads and water in their basements.
August 16, 2019
Wisconsin Struggles to ‘Pay Teachers What They’re Worth’
With the ongoing teacher shortage in the state, Unified School District of Antigo Superintendent Julie Sprague discusses the challenges she faces in her district. She says “districts have difficulties payer teachers what they’re worth,” and that to make up the shortfall they will have to issue provisional licenses or hire retired teachers.
March 29, 2019
Embattled Youth Prison Faces New Criticism
The embattled Lincoln Hills/Copper Lake youth prisons face new criticism after a court-ordered monitor report shows the facility fails to meet the court’s requirements for inmates’ safety. Larry Dupuis, legal director of ACLU Wisconsin whose lawsuit brought on the monitor report, weighs in on the findings.
January 18, 2019
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