Columbus
Ashland Daily Press
Two Hayward residents face more than 40 charges connected to series of burglaries
Two people from Hayward are facing a total of 44 charges of theft, burglary and damage to property in Bayfield County. Authorities say Logan M. Melton, 22, and Melissa Thorp, 37, who live together, stole two cars, a boat, firearms, an ATV, bikes and other items as part of a string of burglaries between March and July 2023. Residences, garages and storage units in the Drummond and Cable area were targeted. ...
It shouldn’t be this hard
It shouldn’t be this hard. The hoarse bass-toned calls are sounding just in front of me. The notes emanate from clumps of bulrush sharing swamp space with yellow flag iris, water arum, cattails, and skunk cabbage. I’m listening for bullfrogs—that part is easy—and looking for bullfrogs, which is proving difficult. By the sound, some of the bullfrogs are less than half a dozen wet steps away. But despite their bulk and bulging throats, the bullfrogs are camouflaged in humps of vegetation in the stagnant water...
Pollinator happiness
Do you guys keep bees?” is a fairly common question at Farmstead Creamery. And not a surprising one, given the dire state of honeybees nationwide. Pollinating insects—which include all kinds of bees and butterflies—are an essential part of our ecosystem. As they buzz or flit from flower to flower, gathering nectar and pollen for their young, their fuzzy bodies drag pollen with them, which rubs off on the blooms they visit. This pollination process allows the blossoms to become fruit—apples, berries, squashes, beans, cucumbers, cherries,...
Bayfield County Sheriff’s report
5/25 Caller reports suspicious activity on the south end of Bladder Lake in Iron River by the landing. The caller said nobody is supposed to be there after 10 p.m. and there are lots of flashing lights in the woods and on the lake. Caller reports a side-by-side flipped at a parking lot in Iron River. No one appeared to be injured. ...
Sharptails take flight
The Upper 13 League baseball season opener was on May 26 and the Washburn Sharptails, league champions in 2023, have picked up where they left off with the team pounding out two early wins. According to the Sharptails Player/coach Boden Bratley, the early wins suggest the team will at least initially showcase strong pitching which include a no-hitter by, while waiting for its offensive production to ignite. "It's a nice start," Bratley said, "but we have a lot of work to do at the plate...
Building for success; A Q&A with Oredockers baseball coach Chris Kempf
Baseball season is in full swing for Bay Area teams from Little Leagues to the Upper 13 League but, for high school teams in Bayfield, Drummond, Mellen, South Shore, Washburn and Ashland, the pitching, running, catching and hitting are over. While the Washburn Castle Guards enjoyed the most success this spring in winning an NLC championship and advancing to sectionals, the Ashland Oredockers defined their season with steady improvement and momentum that carried them into a hard fought extra innings 4-3 loss in a regional final game against host Medford on May 29. Medford then advanced to sectional finals before...
Ashland County sheriff’s report
5/27 Caller reports their daughter’s windshield was smashed. Caller reports they are speeding Highway 2 on the way to the hospital in Ashland with a baby who fell off the counter. Caller on Highway 13 in Glidden reports a man cut a person with a knife after a driving incident. ...
Planning Commission continues work with PSC on broadband installation
The Northwest Regional Planning Commission (NWRPC) has been working with the Public Service Commission (PSC) to get funding to move forward on installing broadband Internet in all its northern counties. NWRPC serves 10 counties and five tribal nations in northwest Wisconsin. In January 2023, the commission was made aware of coming available funds for all Wisconsin counties. The funds are for those interested in coming up with plans for broadband installation through a Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program local planning grant. Each county...
Pet of the week
Meet Randy, a poor boy who has clearly been put through the wringer and is coming to us in extremely poor condition. He’s severely underweight, covered in ticks, scabs, and lacerations, and was found as a stray so we have limited information about his past. However, it’s clear that someone must have loved him at some point because he knows a couple of commands. He seems to get along with dogs, but cannot be placed in a home with cats or small animals, and it’s likely that he would do best in a home with children over the age of...
Trial scheduled in child pornography case
A Mellen man authorities say possessed multiple videos depicting child pornography is set to go to trial in December. Justin Sturgal, 26, faces six counts of possession of child pornography. Law enforcement received a tip about two years ago prompting the investigation that led to Sturgal’s arrest. According to the criminal complaint, Lt. Brent Bratley of the Bayfield County Sheriff’s Office received information from Ashland Police Lt. Scott Morland on...
Tamarack Health staff honored for service to community
Two regional Tamarack Health employees have received the Rural Health Ambassador Award from the Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative. The award recognizes employees who have gone above and beyond in their work and made significant contributions to rural health care, according to a news release from Tamarack Health. At Ashland Medical Center, Assistant Nursing Director Lance Ritola received the award for his dedication to expanding local ambulance service in this region....
Bay Area community, union representatives, government officials sound off on proposed Line 5 reroute
To Sadie Paradise, Enbridge’s Line Five is very special. She grew up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and was raised by a Line Five pipe liner. Line 5 provided her father with a career that allowed her and her brothers to grow up comfortably in a heated home and attend a heated school. Paradise now resides...
Diggers leave no stone unturned
The Mellen Granite Diggers softball team may have fallen 11-8 in a WIAA D5 sectional final game against the Thorp Cardinals on May 30, but make no mistake it was an all-time great season for the team. The Granite Diggers claimed their first NLC championship in over two decades and also made their first sectional final appearance in program history. It’s a young team with bright prospects according to Head Coach Tom Jokinen. “This season was a team effort,” the coach said. “With only two...
Future of Ashland senior meals program up in air; AC Aging Unit raising funds to help program
The future of the Meals on Wheels Program operated by the Ashland County Aging Unit is in jeopardy. It’s longtime vendor for the senior meals program, Chartwells at Northland College, has sent the aging unit a notice that it likely won’t able to continue the service after July 15. This comes as Chartwells is in contract negotiations with Northland as the college proceeds with budget cuts. “I’m not sure if...
Bayfield County sheriff’s report
5/24 Caller reports a red vehicle passing other vehicles in no passing zones on Highway 2 in Iron River. Caller reports a child riding a bike on Highway near a bar in Ashland by himself. The caller reports the child stopped at house and asked how to get to Bayfield. Caller reports she hit a...
Flowers from Stone to Sand
Scraggly jack pines flew past the windows while I took one hand off the steering wheel to scratch a mosquito bite. My wildflower hike to the North Country Trail Hardwoods State Natural Area a few days prior had been absolutely lovely, but there had been bugs. Now I was heading out for another adventure — checking on the pink blossoms of bird’s eye primrose I’d spotted on Artist’s Point in Grand Marais, Minnesota, earlier in the spring. In this section of my drive, north of...
Home on the Flambeau
Hello friends, I have made an attempt recently to let you know that I am currently in a cycle of my life that is very busy but also positive. This week’s column should be fun for you. I hope you are enjoying your spring. Saturday, May 25th High 74, low 44 ...
Stuck in Mud
For the third week in a row, heavy overnight rains created unfavorable conditions at the ABC Raceway, forcing track officials to cancel the sixtieth season opener on June 1.“We’re disappointed that we can’t get this season going,” said Raceway board president Eric Erickson. “Our people have been working so hard to get this place ready, but the weather doesn’t want to cooperate.” Wristbands purchased for May 25 will be honored on June 8, with a slight increase in fees for admission, or dollar-for-dollar at the June 15 event. More information regarding upcoming events at the ABC Raceway is available on the track’s website, www.abcraceway.com, and via its Facebook page.
Seasons end
Three strong seasons came to an end last week in hard fought, highly competitive, one-and-done WIAA tournament play. On May 29, the Ashland Oredockers baseball team took top-seeded host Medford into eight innings before losing 4-3 in a Division 2 regional finals game (watch for a feature on the team in the Friday, June 7 issue of the Ashland Daily Press). Meanwhile, the Ashland boys tennis doubles team of seniors Austin Vyskocil and Bodee Mikkonen were ousted 7-5, 6-3 on May 30 in the opening round of Division 2 state championships held in Madison. The Dockers’ duo dropped their match...
Ashland Daily Press
776+
Posts
693K+
Views
The Ashland Daily Press can trace its beginnings to the summer of 1872, when Sam Fifield began printing the Weekly Press. The first edition of The Daily Press then came out on March 5, 1888. Fifield soon lost interest in the paper and sold the operation to Joe Chapple. The Daily Press business was soon left in to his brother, John C. Chapple, who had started working at the paper in 1890 at the age of 15. The paper was sold to J.T. Hooper in 1910, and then again to a Milwaukee businessman named Green. He, in turn, sold it back to Myrta Chapple, John’s wife, and John spent 56 years working every job from printer’s devil to publisher until his death in 1946. Myrta worked on the paper until the early 1950s and upon her death in 1973, she had one of the longest newspaper careers of any woman in the nation. Their son John B. Chapple worked as a newspaperman at The Daily Press for 75 years, from 1925 through his death in 1989, when he still was contributing stories. The Daily Press was sold to Morgan Murphy’s Superior Telegram in 1956, and in 1996, the paper became part of Murphy McGinnis Media. On Jan. 31, 2003, Superior Publishing — an affiliate of investment firm MCG Capital Corporation — purchased the firm. American Consolidated Media bought the newspaper in 2007. On March 14, 2014, The Daily Press was among the papers acquired from ACM by the Adams Publishing Group. As part of the APG Media of Wisconsin group, the Ashland Daily Press is part of six subscription newspapers and eight shoppers in that region.
Welcome to NewsBreak, an open platform where diverse perspectives converge. Most of our content comes from established publications and journalists, as well as from our extensive network of tens of thousands of creators who contribute to our platform. We empower individuals to share insightful viewpoints through short posts and comments. It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency: our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. We strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation. Join us in shaping the news narrative together.