Local News Stories

	NEWS FOR THURSDAY, JULY 24TH, 2008 A FORMER PROBATION OFFICER FROM EAGLE RIVER HAS BEEN SENT TO PRISON FOR SEXUALLY ASSAULTING A CLIENT. A JURY FOUND 52-YEAR OLD JAMES STUDENEC GUILTY OF FIVE COUNTS OF ‘SECOND-DEGREE SEXUAL ASSAULT BY A PROBATION OFFICER’ AND FIVE COUNTS OF ‘MISCONDUCT IN PUBLIC OFFICE’. STUDENEC CONTINUES TO DENY THE ALLEGATIONS. VILAS COUNTY CIRCUIT JUDGE NEAL NIELSON FELT PRISON WAS NECESSARY. STUDENEC WAS ORDERED TO SERVE 6-AND-A-HALF YEARS IN PRISON, TO BE FOLLOWED BY 7-YEARS OF EXTENDED SUPERVISION. DEFENSE ATTORNEY BRIDGET BOYLE SAYS A MOTION WILL BE FILED, SEEKING STUDENEC’S RELEASE ON BOND WHILE AN APPEAL IS PURSUED. JUDGE NIELSEN REVOKED STUDENEC’S BAIL AND REMANDED HIM TO THE CUSTODY OF THE SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT.
	INDUSTRY OFFICIALS SAY WISCONSIN’S LARGEST FRUIT CROP IS RIPE FOR EXPANSION. TOM LOCHNER OF THE WISCONSIN STATE CRANBERRY GROWERS SAYS DEMAND HAS BEEN INCREASING BOTH NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY. AN ADDITIONAL 5-THOUSAND ACRES WOULD BE NEEDED. IF ALL OF IT WERE PLANTED IN WISCONSIN, LOCHNER SAYS 1,100 JOBS WOULD BE PRODUCED, WITH AN ANNUAL ECONOMIC IMPACT OF 75 MILLION DOLLARS. TO GET MORE ACRES ESTABLISHED, LOCHNER SAYS GROWERS WOULD LIKE TO SEE A MORE STREAMLINED PERMITTING PROCESS. LOCHNER SAYS CRANBERRY GROWERS ARE WORKING WITH THE DNR TO DEVELOP A PROCESS THAT WOULD MAINTAIN ENVIRONMENTAL STANDARDS, WHILE REDUCING TURN AROUND TIME FOR PERMITS.
	COURT PROCEEDINGS HAVE BEEN DELAYED FOR A LAC DU FLAMBEAU BUSINESSMAN ACCUSED OF RACKETEERING AND OTHER CHARGES. A PRELIMINARY HEARING FOR 46-YEAR OLD KEVIN DEAN MAULSON WAS ADJOURNED YESTERDAY. MAULSON WAS CHARGED LAST MARCH WITH MULTIPLE FELONY COUNTS, INCLUDING RACKETEERING, THEFT IN A BUSINESS SETTING, AND MAKING FALSE STATEMENTS IN THE SALE OF SECURITIES. THE OFFENSES ARE ALLEGED TO HAVE HAPPENED BETWEEN 2001 AND 2004. PROSECUTOR MARTY LIPSKE(LIP-SKI) SAYS THERE ARE SOME NEW ISSUES IN THE CASE THAT CAUSED THE PRELIMINARY HEARING TO BE MOVED BACK. HE SAYS THE PRELIMINARY HEARING FOR KEVIN MAULSON WILL POSSIBLY TAKE PLACE IN A COUPLE OF MONTHS. MAULSON IS ‘FREE’ ON BOND.
	STUDY IS BEING GIVEN TO THE MINOCQUA PUBLIC LIBRARY AND FUTURE NEEDS FOR THE FACILITY. LIBRARY DIRECTOR MARY TAYLOR SAYS THEY HAVE BEEN VERY BUSY THE LAST FEW YEARS. TAYLOR SAYS A BUILDING COMMITTEE HAS BEEN SET UP, AND THEY ARE WORKING WITH A BUILDING CONSULTANT. SHE SAYS SEVERAL MEETINGS HAVE BEEN HELD ALREADY. SHE SAYS AMONG OTHER THINGS, THEY ARE TRYING TO THINK ABOUT WHAT NEEDS WILL BE IN 10 TO 20 YEARS. PEOPLE INTERESTED CAN DROP BY ONE OF THE BUILDING COMMITTEE MEETINGS, OR JUST STOP BY THE LIBRARY AND ASK. TAYLOR ALSO EXPECTS A FOUNDATION TO BE SET UP IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS, TO HELP RAISE FUNDS.
	FOUR PEOPLE WERE TAKEN INTO CUSTODY AS LINCOLN COUNTY AUTHORITIES SERVED A SEARCH WARRANT IN THE MERRILL AREA. AT ABOUT 11 TUESDAY EVENING, THE LINCOLN COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT SPECIAL INVESTIGATION UNIT CONDUCTED A SEARCH AT N1325 TANNERY ROAD IN THE TOWN OF SCOTT. A STOLEN ATV FROM LANGLADE COUNTY WAS RECOVERED, AS WAS A STOLEN FIREARM. FOUR MERRILL RESIDENTS, RANGING IN AGE FROM 18 TO 22, WERE ARRESTED.
	PROMOTERS ARE HOPING A LATER DATE, AND NO ADMISSION CHARGE, WILL BRING CROWDS TO THE ONEIDA COUNTY FAIR NEXT MONTH. THE EVENT IS SET FOR AUGUST 15TH AND 16TH AT THE HODAG FESTIVAL GROUNDS IN PINE LAKE, JUST NORTH OF RHINELANDER. EXTENSION 4-H AND YOUTH DEVELOPMENT AGENT JIM WINKLER SAYS WHEN THE FAIR RAN IN JULY, FEWER PLANT AND FLOWER EXHIBITORS WERE AVAILABLE. ARTS AND CRAFTS VENDORS ARE ALSO BEING SOUGHT. FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT THE ONEIDA COUNTY U.W. EXTENSION OFFICE.
	A NEW ASPIRUS CLINIC HAS OPENED IN ELCHO, THE LATEST STEP IN HEALTH ORGANIZATIONS EFFORTS TO IMPROVE SERVICE IN THE NORTHWOODS. ASPIRUS REGIONAL CLINIC ADMINISTRATOR ROB FAYBISH SAYS THE NEW ELCHO CLINIC COST 880-THOUSAND DOLLARS, AND IS 6,800 SQUARE FEET, ALMOST TWICE THE SIZE OF THE PREVIOUS ELCHO CLINIC. FAYBISH SAYS THE NEW ELCHO CLINIC INCLUDES ADDITIONAL EXAMINATION ROOM SPACE, AND NEW DIAGNOSTIC IMAGING EQUIPMENT. HE SAYS IN GENERAL, ASPIRUS IS MAKING AN EFFORT TO EXPAND SERVICES IN NORTHERN WISCONSIN. HE SAYS ASPIRUS ALSO WANTS TO BRING SERVICES AND SPECIALISTS FROM THE WAUSAU MARKET INTO THE NORTHWOODS.