The Lakeland Times

06/21/2026

TWO PEOPLE INJURED IN SATURDAY NIGHT HAZELHURST UTV/TRUCK CRASH

A Harshaw man was seriously injured late Saturday night as the result of the collision in Hazelhurst of the utility task vehicle (UTV) he was driving and a pickup truck.

According to a press release from the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office, the dispatch center received a call at 11 p.m. from a person reporting the collision near the intersection of U.S. Hwy. 51 and Oneida Street.

During the initial investigation, the press release stated, it was determined that James R. Bowman, 69, Harshaw, failed to stop for the stop sign at Oneida Street and Hwy. 51. His UTV struck the side of a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck driven by Nathan Birkholz, 31, Mosinee, who was southbound on Hwy. 51.

Birkholz was uninjured but a passenger in the pickup truck, Tia Gaulke, 28, Mosinee, sustained minor injuries.

Bowman was transported from the scene with life threatening injuries. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office are completing the accident report. - The Lakeland Times

06/17/2026

Officer Involved Death Investigation in Oneida County, WI

06/17/2026

SHOTS FIRED IN LAKE TOMAHAWK

**UPDATE: Oneida County Sheriff Grady Hartman has said there is no danger to the public and that the Wisconsin Department of Criminal Investigations is on the scene.**

The call was received by the dispatch center of the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office, and after initial investigation at the residence by law enforcement, the decision was made to call in the bomb squad from the Marathon County Sheriff’s Office.

A checkpoint at the intersection of Lumen Lake Road and Fawn Lake Road was established and manned by a conservation warden with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and an Oneida County Sheriff’s deputy, each armed with loaded tactical weapons.

More information is expected from the Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation. The story will be updated as new information is received.

Brian Jopek/The Lakeland Times photo and story.

PHOTO: A Ford F-250 extended cab pickup truck with the Marathon County Sheriff’s Office’s bomb squad arrives at a law enforcement checkpoint at the entrance to Lumen Lake Road off of Fawn Lake Road in Lake Tomahawk on Wednesday, June 17.

06/12/2026

*UPDATED STORY* STATE AGENTS, POLICE SEIZE ALCOHOL AT MINOCQUA BREWING COMPANY
State DOR, Minocqua PD on-site at MBC in Minocqua, Madison

By Richard Moore
of The Lakeland Times

Agents with the state Department of Revenue (DOR) Division of Alcohol Beverages were on-site at the Minocqua Brewing Company (MBC) Thursday, June 11, and at MBC’s Madison location, seizing alcohol at the establishments over compliance concerns.

Video obtained by The Lakeland Times shows DOR agents, along with officers of the Minocqua Police Department, loading cases of beer into state vehicles in Minocqua. At least two Minocqua squad cars were on-site as well as four or five state vehicles.

Oneida County sheriff Grady Hartman confirmed the presence of law enforcement at MBC in Minocqua to the Times: “The State Department of Revenue Division of Alcoholic Beverages was in Minocqua conducting an investigation,” Hartman confirmed.

The agents arrived at approximately 5:30 p.m. and stayed for about an hour. Officers carted case after case of alcohol from the establishment during that time, as the video obtained by the Times shows.

On Friday, in a statement to the Times, the DOR itself directly confirmed the action at MBC premises. However, the agency called it both an “inspection” and “investigation” and would not confirm seizure of the alcohol or other details.

“We can confirm that, pursuant to an application before the division and consistent with the department’s standard practices and procedures, the department inspected Minocqua Brewing Company premises,” the DOR stated. “Based on a complaint the division received last year, the department has been discussing concerns with the Minocqua Brewing Company and its legal counsel for several months toward reaching a path toward compliance.”

The inspection was planned and coordinated with Minocqua Brewing Company’s legal counsel well in advance, the statement read.
“At this time, this is an active law enforcement action,” DOR stated. “We will decline to comment on any additional specifics due to the ongoing nature of this investigation.”

In a statement of his own to media, Bangstad suggested he was being targeted for his political activity.

“Since my liquor lawyer has never seen this level of punishment being exacted on any of his other brewery clients before in his career, I can’t help but wonder if there’s someone directing these enforcement agents to come down on me extra hard as a way to ‘teach me a lesson,’” he wrote in the statement.
However, in its statement to the Times, the DOR said it was dedicated to the fair and consistent enforcement of alcohol beverages regulations in Wisconsin.

“The division is required to follow and implement state law, including ensuring permit holders and licensees follow all applicable laws and regulations,” the DOR stated. “Selling alcohol in Wisconsin comes with a unique set of rules and standards designed to protect consumers, promote public health, and track alcohol beverages for tax and safety purposes.”

For example, the agency continued, Wisconsin has laws that protect the state’s brewers and brewing industry by preventing out-of-state alcohol beverages brewed in Illinois or other states to be sold in Wisconsin without the appropriate permit or license.
“These state laws ensure that no permit or license holder gains an unfair advantage by bypassing tax obligations or by evading safety protocols,” the agency stated.

That particular regulation appears to be at the heart of the compliance concerns the DOR has with MBC.

Richard Moore is the author of “Dark State” and may be reached at richardd3d.substack.com.

Contributed photograph: Minocqua police officers assist DOR agents by carting case after case of alcohol from the Minocqua Brewing Company Taproom on Thursday, June 11, in Minocqua.

06/12/2026

STATE AGENTS, POLICE SEIZE ALCOHOL AT MINOCQUA BREWING COMPANY
STATE DOR, MINOCQUA PD ON-SITE AT BANGSTAD TAPROOM

Agents with the state Department of Revenue Division of Alcohol Beverages were seen on-site at the Minocqua Brewing Company (MBC) Thursday afternoon, apparently seizing alcohol at the establishment.
Video obtained by The Lakeland Times and eyewitnesses show DOR agents, along with officers of the Minocqua Police Department, loading what appeared to be cases of beer into state vehicles. At least two Minocqua squad cars were on-site as well as four or five state vehicles.
Oneida County sheriff Grady Hartman confirmed the presence of law enforcement at MBC to the Times: “The State Department of Revenue Division of Alcoholic Beverages was in Minocqua conducting an investigation,” Hartman confirmed.
The agents arrived at approximately 5:30 p.m. and stayed for about an hour. Officers carted case after case of alcohol from the establishment during that time, as the video obtained by the Times shows.
The Wisconsin Department of Revenue (DOR) Division of Alcohol Beverages oversees liquor, wine, and beer laws, including statewide licensing, permits, and tax enforcement.
The Times has reached out to the DOR for further comment, and this story will be updated as new information is received.

Contributed photo and video

05/29/2026

UPDATE: LAC DU FLAMBEAU TRIBAL POLICE CHIEF T.J. BILL TOLD THE LAKELAND TIMES THE BODY OF KYLE ASCHEMAN, 45, LAKE GENEVA, WAS RECOVERED FROM WHITEFISH LAKE SATURDAY. MORE ON THE STORY IN THE TUESDAY, JUNE 2 EDITION OF THE LAKELAND TIMES.

SEARCH FOR MISSING BOATER ON WHITEFISH LAKE

In a press release issued just after midnight on May 29, the Lac du Flambeau Tribal Police Department stated a search was on for a missing boater on Whitefish Lake.

“At approximately 8:21 p.m., a concerned citizen called 911 to report that an unoccupied motor boat was traveling in continuous circles on Whitefish Lake on the Lac du Flambeau Reservation,” the press release stated. “The caller stated that he had seen a person operating the boat earlier in the evening. Officers from the Lac du Flambeau Tribal Police Department and the Chief Warden from the Lac du Flambeau Conservation Law Department responded immediately.”

Authorities responded and met with the concerned citizen who had made the 911 call.

“The individual volunteered the use of his boat and transported the officers to the vicinity of the out of control boat, which was still spinning in the water,” according to the press release. “The officers were able to confirm that the boat was empty, and an initial search of the surface water was conducted in an effort to locate anyone who had possibly fallen overboard. No survivors were located, so the officers returned to shore and joined the Lac du Flambeau Tribal Warden who had arrived at the scene and launched his boat. The officers and warden returned to the area of the out of control boat to continue search efforts. Meanwhile, officers on shore spoke with individuals residing near the search area and learned the identity of the owner of the out of control boat. That information, which must be withheld at this time, led officers to the family of the individual believed to have been operating the boat, who confirmed that the boat owner was missing.”

Over the course of the next several hours, personnel, equipment to include airboats with the Woodruff, Newbold and Minocqua fire departments as well as the Newbold fire department’s K-9s were dispatched to the scene.

On Friday morning, nearly 12 hours after the initial call, tribal police chief T.J. Bill called the dispatch center at the Vilas County Sheriff’s Office to report incident command had been established for Whitefish Lake.

“This is a developing situation,” the press stated. - The Lakeland Times

05/22/2026

05/14/2026

DNR ASKS PEOPLE TO AVOID OUTDOOR BURNING

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) asks the public to avoid outdoor burning activities, as fire danger has reached Critical levels across Northern and Western Wisconsin Thursday, May 14 through the evening of Saturday, May 16.

In a press release Thursday, DNR officials stated the request has been made In conjunction with the National Weather Service.

“A Red Flag Warning is forecast for Friday, May 15 from noon to 9 p.m. in the following counties: Douglas, Bayfield, Washburn, Burnett, Sawyer, Ashland, Iron, Rusk, Barron, Polk and Vilas,” the press release said. “As of Thursday, May 14, DNR burning permits are suspended in 31 counties. Additional suspensions are possible with worsening conditions forecast heading into the weekend. Fire risk is increased by ongoing dry vegetation, low humidity, warming temperatures and gusty winds forecast heading into the weekend, with very high fire danger anticipated in areas where vegetation has not fully greened up.”

The DNR press release said Wisconsin's fire season “is currently at its annual peak, as pine trees in areas with sandy soils are extremely vulnerable to "crown fires," wherein flames move from the ground to the tree tops and spread with intensity.”

“Recent rains have not minimized wildfire concerns, as grasses, pine needles and leaf litter can dry out in just a few days between precipitation events, creating hazardous conditions,” the press release stated. “As elevated fire risks persist, the DNR will continue to suspend all DNR-issued burn permits for debris piles and broadcast burning until widespread rain occurs.”

DNR officials said agency’s firefighting personnel have responded to nearly 500 wildfires thus far in 2026, with 45 percent of them caused by debris burning. - The Lakeland Times

05/05/2026

UPDATE: STATE HIGHWAY 70 HAS BEEN REOPENED

ONE FATALITY IN HIGHWAY 70 COLLISION TUESDAY

One person died Tuesday as the result of a two vehicle head on collision on State Highway 70 on Minocqua’s west side between Cator Drive and Jeannie Lane.
There are no other details at this time but in a press release, Minocqua police chief Glenn Janzer said “there are injuries including at least one fatality.”
“As of the time of this release, (Hwy.) 70 is currently closed in both directions,” he said. “This is an active crash scene. Motorists are asked to use an alternate route, possibly Blue Lake Road.”
Just before 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Minocqua fire chief Rich Carani notified Minocqua dispatch Hwy. 70 would be closed for at least as long as the next four hours. - The Lakeland Times