Some dairy farmers and cheese makers in Wisconsin are worried an abrupt change in a federal grant program could make it tough for small operators to survive.
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Less than a month away from Election Day, former President Barack Obama announced his endorsement of fellow Democrat David Crowley in Wisconsin's race for governor.
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During an hourlong TV debate Wednesday night, the candidates for Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District sparred over their platforms and the future of the Northwoods under their leadership.
The post In 7th District debate, Clark calls for working Congress, Alfonso stands for MAGA appeared first on WPR.
Wausau police say they've removed a repeat offender from local roadways, after he taunted them and attempted to run.
The post Wausau police seize juvenile’s e-motorcycle as frustration with e-riders grows statewide appeared first on WPR.
Wisconsin State Trooper Bradley Ritger died Oct. 2 after falling from a bridge in the line of duty. He was 29.
The post Wisconsin State Patrol mourns trooper who died after fall during traffic pursuit appeared first on WPR.
Children in ICE detention from Wisconsin may have to go without a lawyer in court after President Donald Trump halted millions in appropriated federal funds.
The post Trump funding halt means more children in ICE detention in Wisconsin won’t have a lawyer appeared first on WPR.
A viral disease infecting thousands of deer across Wisconsin has been found in dairy cows in Waukesha County, according to state officials.
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Wisconsin Rapids Alder Michael Timm will have to campaign to keep his job after residents forced a recall election over an email he sent a local business.
The post An email about anti-data center signs could cost a Wisconsin Rapids politician his job appeared first on WPR.
Residents in Antigo are fighting to keep their local pool open after school district leaders said they didn’t have the funds for it.
The post Sudden closure of community pool fuels conflict in Antigo over school spending appeared first on WPR.
After a proposed federal farm bill moved out of committee last week, some farm workers are worried about the trickle-down effect of cuts to SNAP passed under the Republicans' One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025.
The post As farm bill advances, SNAP cuts worry Wisconsin farmers’ market vendor appeared first on WPR.
Over 140 people are losing their jobs in central Wisconsin, after two separate manufacturing plants announced they will shut down their operations in Tomahawk and Marshfield.
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A plane carrying Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Tiffany was forced to make an emergency water landing in Wausau Saturday night.
Tiffany, who represents Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District, said the small aircraft lost power during its final approach for landing at the Wausau Downtown Airport.
During a press conference at the Wausau Fire Department Sunday, Tiffany said he believes the pilot, Leonard Boltz, attempted to restart the plane, but was unsuccessful.
“At that point, he just said, ‘Hang on, Tom, and buckle up because we’re going to go down,’” Tiffany told reporters. “It was just real shortly after that, I would guess 10 seconds, we hit the water.”
Boltz landed the plane in the middle of Lake Wausau on the Wisconsin River, according to information shared by the Marathon County Sheriff’s Office.
Tiffany said he lost his phone in the crash, but Boltz was able to call 911. He estimates they stood on top of the sinking plane for roughly 10 minutes, before beginning to swim toward shore. He said they discovered a sandbar after 150 feet and were able to wait there for emergency responders.
The sheriff’s office reported dispatchers received the call at 8:49 p.m. Saturday. Firefighters from the Wausau Fire Department rescued the two men using an airboat around 9:05 p.m.
Tiffany credited Boltz for pulling up the landing gear before hitting the water, which he said likely kept the plane from cartwheeling and may have saved their lives. He estimates the plane was going around 70 miles per hour at the time of the crash.
“It was quite a night, quite a day, and (I’m) just grateful for the Lord for sparing us to see another day,” said Tiffany, who became emotional when speaking to reporters Sunday.
Tiffany and the pilot were the only people aboard the aircraft. Both were transported to Aspirus Wausau Hospital with minor injuries.
Tiffany said he received 12 stitches to close a laceration in his eyebrow after his head hit the dashboard. The pilot also sustained minor injuries. Both men were released from the hospital Saturday night.
The congressman repeatedly thanked the Wausau Fire Department and other first responders for their quick rescue.
He said the incident would not keep him from continuing his campaign for governor, adding that he planned to be back on the campaign trail Monday.
“I signed up for this job. We’re going to finish the job,” Tiffany told reporters.
An investigation into the loss of power on the Beechcraft K35 airplane will be handled by the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board.
The aircraft remained in Lake Wausau, according to a statement from the Marathon County Sheriff’s Office. Officials asked boaters to avoid the area and use caution until crews can remove the plane.
David Crowley, the Democratic candidate for governor, wrote on X that he is grateful that no one was hurt in what he called a “horrifying incident.”
John Chmiel, Wausau Downtown Airport manager, was among those to survey the waterlogged plane on Sunday morning.
Chmiel noted aircraft incidents like this are incredibly uncommon.
“You think about it, in your community there’s probably multiple car accidents a day,” he said. “In the United States of America, there are less than a half dozen (aircraft incidents) a day in the entire USA, so that kind of puts things in perspective.”
Chmiel said the pilot – in his opinion – had done everything right in identifying the area for the plane to land and guiding it into the water, especially after the sun had gone down.
“Which was a very difficult maneuver to execute safely,” Chmiel said. “And he was able to actually retract the landing gear, so he would have a better result of landing on the water.”
He’s also a pilot and owns Wausau Flying Service.
“Regardless of what happened leading up to the accident, once he knew he was committed to a water landing, he did every single thing right. It was awesome flying,” Chmiel said.
When asked by WPR if this is a normal procedure for an emergency, to look for a water landing, Chmiel said he’s always taught pilots to look for alternative landing areas.
“The beautiful thing about water is there typically isn’t obstructions or people or vessels in there that you have to worry about hitting,” he said.
That said, actually pulling it off safely is its own art, he added.
“We spend our whole careers trying to prevent that from happening, and sometimes things slip through the Swiss cheese, as we call it,” he said.
When an aircraft accident happens at an airport, the process is different, Chmiel said. In this case, where the plane hit water off airport property – it wasn’t necessary for him to be involved, but he said he was Saturday night.
“It’s not a common occurrence, but we’re always prepared for it, if it does,” he said.
This story was originally published by WPR.
Tom Tiffany swims to safety after plane makes emergency lake landing is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.
Amid cloudy weather and surging winds, recovery crews removed the downed plane that was carrying a candidate for governor from the waters of Lake Wausau. U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Minocqua, […]
The post FAA to begin investigation as plane in Tom Tiffany crash removed from Lake Wausau appeared first on WPR.
Tiffany suffered a laceration above his right eye that required stitches and was released from the hospital Saturday night, according to information shared by his campaign.
The post Tom Tiffany swims to safety after plane makes emergency lake landing appeared first on WPR.
Across Wisconsin, thousands of households struggle with usable internet. The state has invested millions on the internet grid, but many are left out of the digital age.
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Stanley Pophal, who previously pled guilty to defrauding 190 investors out of $14.25 million dollars, has been sentenced to eight years in prison.
The post Wausau man who bought hundreds of snowmobiles sentenced in $14M Ponzi scheme appeared first on WPR.
A coalition of local businesses and volunteers headed by Habitat for Humanity is planning to fix 100 homes in 100 days in Menasha .
The post 100 homes in 100 days: Menasha volunteers to fix tornado damage before winter appeared first on WPR.
For decades, volunteers like Mike Wald have spent their weekends working on a major project -- bringing a historic steam engine back to life at Wisconsin’s Mid-Continent Railway Museum.
The post A Wisconsin steam engine will soon run again, completely rebuilt by volunteers appeared first on WPR.
Most of the 29 people killed in ATV/UTV crashes so far this year had never completed an off-highway vehicle safety course, according to the latest data from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
And DNR officials say that 15 of those who died were over the age of 60 — meaning they were among those who are not required to take safety courses under state law.
DNR data shows most of the people killed in off-highway vehicle incidents were not wearing seat belts or helmets, and frequently alcohol was a factor in the crashes. Those are all aspects the state’s safety courses try to explain to riders.
Jacob Holsclaw, the DNR’s off-highway vehicle administrator, said that’s a notable trend and one the state is starting to look at.
“Many of the crashes could be prevented simply by adopting a safety code of conduct,” Holsclaw said. The DNR offers tips and class information on its ATV/UTV page.
The DNR recommends all operators to take a safety class, no matter their age.
The data for 2026 shows most people killed in ATV/UTV incidents were born before Jan. 1, 1988.
“What we’re seeing is a majority of the folks involved in these fatal or serious injury crashes were born before that date,” Holsclaw said. “So the class would have been optional.”
Under the law, riders over 38 are not required to take courses.
Only five people killed in OHV incidents were younger than 38, according to state data.
Three UTV/ATV operators were confirmed by state officials to be safety-certified at the time of the crash, according to DNR’s data for 2026.
There are still five cases with unclear safety certification, but the DNR said their status is pending at this time.
Randy Harden, the president of the Wisconsin ATV/UTV Association, said his group has been working with the DNR to improve safety in the state’s riding population.
He says it’s often difficult to get older Wisconsinites to take protective gear seriously.
“That’s our challenge,” he said. “How do we keep communicating effectively to get the message over?”
Only three women died in UTV/ATV incidents this year. Two were over 65; the youngest was 40. All three women died on public roadways in Wisconsin.
Most of the fatalities were men, with a total of 25. The oldest was 83. One child died at 10 years old.
And while 29 deaths this year were directly tied to crashes that happened this year, DNR officials said an additional OHV-connected fatality occured when a person died this year from injuries in a crash that occurred years ago, Holsclaw said. The medical examiner listed that death as a result of an ATV crash.
The top three kinds of fatal crashes were: rollovers, with 15 crashes; motor vehicle collisions with six; and people being ejected from the vehicle in four crashes, according to DNR data.
Harden says many riders mislead themselves into thinking they’re safe enough to ride in a machine without a helmet.
In reality, Harden says the vehicle doesn’t have air bags and riders have a real risk of being thrown out of the vehicle in a crash.
“Even if you have your seat belt on, then your noggin is taking a beating in that roll cage,” he said.
It’s not clear how many fatalities reflected in 2026 crash report data had alcohol in their system — but Holsclaw said it’s common in many OHV crashes.
As of Aug. 14, the DNR webpage for crash reports shows, out of 29 fatalities, 21 incidents where the BAC level is listed as “Pending.”
“It can take months for us to get alcohol or drug results back, and so that’s why we leave those open until we get that confirmation,” he said.
But, Holsclaw said in a typical year, the department finds alcohol is a factor in between 40% and 50% of fatal crashes.
“That’s a pretty big percentage,” he said.
Five fatal crashes were confirmed to have involved alcohol, according to the DNR data.
For comparison, Minnesota’s Department of Natural Resources says that state has had only seven fatal crashes so far this year. In 2025, MDNR recorded 22.
This story was originally published by WPR.
More than half of people killed this year in Wisconsin off-road vehicle crashes were over 60 is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.
Two school districts in rural Wisconsin are facing a tough choice — consolidate and improve opportunities and finances — or stay separate and risk going it alone.
The post 2 rural school districts could consolidate as leaders feel the rest of the state is watching appeared first on WPR.
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