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Spooner Advocate
Spooner woman dies in UTV crash
SIREN - Jennifer Kopinski, 52, of Spooner, died in a UTV crash on Saturday, Aug. 17, in Lafollette Township in Burnett County. According to the Burnett County Sheriff's Office, dispatch received a call at 11:45 p.m. Saturday of a UTV rollover crash on Schrider Road. When first responders arrived, they found two occupants of the UTV trapped underneath it. The female passenger, Kopinski, was wearing her seat belt. The male driver was not. ...
Statement issued on Douglas County election mistake
SUPERIOR — On Tuesday, Aug. 13, the Douglas County Clerk’s Office learned of a mistake involving ballots in the Town of Summit, which has about 700 registered voters. Tuesday morning, shortly after the polls opened, the Douglas County clerk became aware that all in-person and absentee ballots the county printed for the Town of Summit voters contained the wrong Assembly district. The ballots contain Assembly District 73 but should instead contain Assembly District 74. Wisconsin’s newly enacted district maps moved the Town of Summit from AD 73 into AD 74. ...
The Elvis Show in Spooner Sept. 14
SPOONER — Elvis may be gone, but the legend lives on! The Happy Day Club of Spooner will present The Elvis Show (Part 1, 1956-69). The King will take the stage at the Spooner High School auditorium starting at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 14. Doors open at 1 p.m. The rock and roll show features Joe Sir and the Rockabilly Rebels Band, recreating some of the greatest rock classic of the 1950s and ‘60s, songs many grew up with on the old AM radio. These are the Elvis classics from the height of his popularity. Proceeds from The Elvis Show will benefit the Alzheimer’s Day Respite Program. Tickets are now on sale at Silver Shears in Shell Lake, Shell Lake State Bank in Spooner and Spooner Mercantile. For more information, call 715.416. 2942.
Plant and Bake Sale Aug. 24
SPOONER — Autumn is a great time to plant and get a head start on next spring, and Spooner Garden Club’s annual fall Plant and Bake Sale is an opportunity to enhance homes and businesses with hardy plants grown by club members. A variety of perennials for sunny and shady spots, dug from the members’ own gardens, will be at the sale from 8:30 a.m. until sold out (which usually happens quickly) on Saturday, Aug. 24, at the parking lot of Schmitz’s Economart in Spooner. ...
Wisconsin State Patrol focuses efforts to stop impaired driving
MADISON - As Labor Day weekend approaches, Wisconsin State Patrol troopers and inspectors focus on preventing impaired driving as the annual Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign gets underway. The special enforcement and education campaign unifies efforts from law enforcement agencies across the state to stop impaired driving now through Sept. 2. There were 7,701 crashes involving alcohol or drug impairment in Wisconsin in 2023. Nearly half of all traffic fatalities (229 of 512) involved either drugs or alcohol. ...
Down on the Farm: Finley’s tail
Gotta love the dogs on the farm! Our beloved shadows of chore time, our English shepherds are an important part of operation since 2008, when we got adorable tri-colored Lena as a puppy. Her son Finlee is Kara’s barnyard buddy, a butterscotch and white variant bounding with energy. One day, Kara noticed that a lump had formed on the top of Finlee’s tail, near the base. He was scheduled for a tooth cleaning at Family and Farm Vet Clinic, and Dr. Haugen had agreed to...
St. Croix traditions
DANBURY — St. Croix Chippewa Indians celebrated the upcoming wild rice harvest at their 50th-annual Wild Rice Pow Wow on Aug. 9-11 at St. Croix Casino — Danbury. The traditional celebration featured vendors, foods, drums, dancers and singers dressed in colorful, historic regalia of the Ojibwa culture. The wild rice harvest has roots stretching back generations. It is likely that the first fur traders to explore the area were treated to a wild rice meal by the Ojibwa people who greeted them.
Sharp-tail grouse hunt remains closed in 2024
MADISON — The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has announced that although the spring population survey results indicate a slight increase, the sharp-tailed grouse hunting season remains closed for 2024. Permits and applications will not be available or accepted this year. Each year, the sharp-tailed grouse advisory committee, consisting of interested conservation groups and DNR wildlife biologists, uses spring dancing ground surveys to evaluate the population’s size and recommend a hunting season. Based on the review of spring population data, lek distribution and scientific...
Future funding for Spooner schools discussed at meeting
SPOONER — The decrease in school funding is causing Wisconsin school districts to come up with ways to counteract the revenue loss, and the current and future situation for the Spooner Area School District was discussed at the School Board’s Committee of the Whole meeting Monday, Aug. 5. Supt. Dr. David Aslyn said this is a biennial year for the fiscal year budget in the Legislature, so it is difficult at this point to know what will happen for funding. The Spooner Area School District...
Specialists at Ag Station Tuesday
SPOONER - University of Wisconsin-Madison Fruit Pathologist Dr. Leslie Holland and Fruit Production Specialist Amaya Atucha will be at the Spooner Ag Research Station on Tuesday, Aug. 20. Holland and Atucha are very familiar with fruit production in Wisconsin, and as Extension specialists have been assisting growers across the state with research-based information on fruit production and pest management. There will be a special additional event to celebrate the 25th-annual...
Annual Twilight Garden Tour set for Aug. 20
SPOONER — The University of Wisconsin (UW)-Madison Spooner Agricultural Research Station, UW-Madison Extension and North Country Master Gardeners will be holding their annual Twilight Garden Tour on Tuesday, Aug. 20, from 4 to 7 p.m. To be held at the Station’s Teaching and Display Garden, located at 780 Orchard Ln. off Highway 70 just east of Spooner, this is one of the region’s premier summer gardening events and it includes displays, speakers, demonstrations and guided tours of the garden plots. In addition, this year’s event...
Events at the library
SHELL LAKE — The Silent Book Club will be meeting Monday, Aug. 19, from 4 to 5 p.m. at the Shell Lake Public Library. Silent Book Club is a great way for adults who are enthusiastic about discussing books and authors to meet other enthusiastic readers. The first half hour is reserved for discussing current and recent reads. The second half hour is for reading in the library, perusing the shelves, but is normally a continuation of our lively discussion. If able, let the library...
We are now Hunt Hill Nature Center!
SARONA — After a June 10 vote by the membership, Hunt Hill Audubon Sanctuary will be formally changing its name to Hunt Hill Nature Center. Over the years, confusion regarding the name created the drive for a simpler, more accurate choice. Independently owned and operated since 2017, the board felt that it was time to shed the old name for one that honors our history while also embracing and clarifying who we are today for new and old friends alike. ...
Palace Theater under new ownership
SPOONER — The Palace Theater in Spooner, closed since the COVID-19 pandemic, may reopen again under new ownership. The Wiltzius family is looking to get the theater back up and running, along with other new businesses, having purchased the historic movie theater from the Claytons, who owned it for years. At a Spooner City Council meeting Tuesday, Aug. 6, a Class B liquor license was approved for Emily’s Place Corp.,...
Hunting Dog depredated In Burnett County
BLAINE - On Saturday, Aug. 10, USDA-Wildlife Services verified that wolves killed a Plott trailing hound dog in the town of Blaine, Burnett County. Dog owners are reminded to exercise caution in wolf-occupied areas. Conflicts between hunting dogs and wolves are most common during the bear training and hunting season. Dogs have also been depredated pursuing other wildlife, including fox, coyotes, bobcat, rabbit, snowshoe hare and upland birds. More information is available on the DNR's website. ...
Washburn County Sheriff's Office log
Aug. 3 0:10 — Speeding warning, Spooner. 0:25 — Traffic stop with backup requested, Spooner. 0:28, vehicle searched. 1:00 — Traffic stop, Spooner. 4:09 — Domestic, Spooner. 4:21, parties separated. 5:39, persons to do property exchange. 8:28, one not letting...
Spooner School Board recognizes individuals, organizations for partnerships
SPOONER — A number of individuals and organizations were recognized by the Spooner School Board Committee of the Whole at the Monday, Aug. 5 meeting. Summer School partners Spooner Health, Best Western Hotel, Tommy G. Thompson Fish Hatchery, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources-Spooner Office, Spooner Memorial Library, Wisconsin 4-H, Lakeland Family Resource Center (LFRC), the Washburn County Area Humane Society and Kevin McMullin were recognized for their support. Spooner Health has been a major contributor to creating innovation in the Summer School Program, including...
Essentia Health receives national recognition for its commitment to healthier communities
DULUTH, Minn. — The American Hospital Association (AHA) on July 31 presented Essentia Health with the prestigious AHA Dick Davidson NOVA Award for hospital-led collaborative efforts that improve community health. Essentia is one of five recipients across the country to receive this honor in 2024. Essentia was recognized for its Resourceful program. Resourceful was launched in 2021 as a public resource directory connecting community members with thousands of verified programs providing free and reduced-cost services. Information available at WeAreResourceful.org is customized for the specific needs...
Spooner-Trego Lions host Jack Pine bingo
SPOONER — A fun event for people visiting Jack Pine Savage Days is the bingo game Friday afternoon. It has become a favorite break for some after checking out all the sales and activities going on. The Spooner-Trego Lions Club has cash prizes, with some of the funds reserved the Lions’ local projects. In the shade of the big tent, it is also a quiet retreat from changing weather.
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The Spooner Advocate, founded in 1901, is Washburn County's leading source of advertising, news, and other information. Located at 251 E. Maple Street, the Spooner Advocate and its companion Total Market Coverage (TMC) product, The Weekender, serve all of Washburn County and parts of Burnett County, with a combined circulation of nearly 20,000 and a penetration rate of 99 percent of households in the area (Pulse Research Survey). Published each week on Thursday, the Spooner Advocate has consistently earned awards from the Wisconsin Newspaper Association for editorial, news, and advertising excellence. The Advocate also publishes several special-interest magazines and products throughout the year, including The Source of Washburn County, Burnett County Almanac, Barron County Today, the Summer Fun Guide, and the Real Estate Buyer's Guide, to name a few.
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