More local news

Owen-Withee Area History Series

Since 2020, I have written weekly stories about the history of northern Clark and southern Taylor counties. I previously wrote about the future of the 1897 Clark County Jail in December 2025. This …

Golf Fun League

With the temperature in the 60s, the air clear with a slight breeze, 12 enthusiastic golfers reported to the Meadowview Golf Course for the 22nd weekly Golf Fun League. The well-maintained golf …

Letter to the Editor: Kulinski shares his 70-year mushroom journey

Dear Editor: The following article is to inform your readers of the gifts provided by our Creator for our survival in fields and forests. Numerous plants and fungi are wonders for our health and …

2026 Homecoming Court

2nd attendants Kyan Hatlestad, Aron Sanchez-Bautista, and Riley Renderman, Queen Jozlin Sevareid and King Talon Mueller, 1st attendants Tegan Hatlestad and Jordon Wulff. 

Owen-Withee Club donates to bike trail

The O-W Club donated $2,000 towards the community’s bike trail replacement project. They said, “Our coaches and student athletes appreciate the community’s continued support, cheering them on …
Community

Fifth annual Vecino a Vecino Health Fair held at Curtiss

Darrel and Anne Diers with Our Savior’s Lutheran Church Stanley. 
Sleep in Heavenly Peace: Sleep in Heavenly Peace. Submitted photo

The fifth annual Vecino a Vecino (Neighbor to Neighbor) Health Fair was held at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Curtiss on Thursday, September 24, 2026. Deacon Lidice Montoya of the Northwest Synod in …

Owen-Withee Elementary held its annual Ag Day on October 2 and students had a great time learning about agriculture. The event was hosted at the Wells Learning Center Farm near the school. Most …
2nd attendants Kyan Hatlestad, Aron Sanchez-Bautista, and Riley Renderman, Queen Jozlin Sevareid and King Talon Mueller, 1st attendants Tegan Hatlestad and Jordon Wulff. 
On Saturday, September 19, the Rice Lake Model Airplane Club hosted their "Fall, Finally!" fun fly event. This is an event for all to come on out, have a good time, and fly whatever you bring along. …

Golf Fun League Week 21

Rick Raatz, John Boss, Bob Arimura, Dennis Kieser, LeRoy Wellman, John Goodale, Dennis Wilson, and
Richard Wachsmuth.

A chill was in the air with temperatures in the low 50s, partly cloudy with a slight wind as eight dedicated golfers reported to the Meadowview Golf Course for the 21st weekly Golf Fun League. The …

Marshfield Clinic hosts Before Baby: Pregnancy and Birth Expo October 12

Preparing for a new baby is exciting. But that joy probably comes with a few nerves and a lot of questions. It can be a little overwhelming, but we’re here to help. Marshfield Clinic is hosting the …

Curtiss Corners Quilt Club News

Curtiss Corners Quilt Club held its September meeting on Monday, September 21, 2026 and called to order at 7 p.m. with 13 members attending. At the 2026 Quilt Show in August, 151 patriotic quilts …

Clark County HCE to host air fryer class

Clark County Home and Community Education (HCE) is hosting an Air Fryer-Beyond the Basics Class at the Clark County Cultural Arts Center (CART) in Neillsville on Wednesday, October 21 at 6:00 p.m. It …
Obituary
Greg D. Smith
Greg D. Smith passed away peacefully at his home in Quail Creek, Green Valley, Arizona, on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, with his wife of 44 years by his side and his beloved dog, Lola, faithfully …
William S. "Willie" Bielecki,
William S. "Willie" Bielecki, age 79, of Thorp, passed away on Monday, August 24, 2026 at Clark County Rehab & Living Center in Owen. A Celebration of Life to honor Willie will be held on …
Leslie “Les” H. Himes
Leslie “Les” H. Himes, age 89, of Wausau, passed away on Friday, August 14, 2026, at Aspirus Wausau Hospital. A Memorial Service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 19, 2026, at …
Local sports

Blackhawks win big in Homecoming tilt

The Owen-Withee Blackhawks culminated Homecoming week with a lopsided 79-6 win over the Almond-Bancroft Eagles. For a while last week, it looked like the Blackhawks might not even have a Homecoming …

Blackhawks keep the “Can”

For over 60 years the school-colored milk can has represented the intense rivalry between the Thorp and Owen-Withee communities. It represents everything that is good about high school athletics – …
The girls golf team placed 4th at the CloverCroix Conference tournament on Thursday at Lake Hallie Golf Course, finishing the season at 5th overall. They recorded a team PR 194 on the back 9 in Lake …
Depending on what poll you were looking at, the Wisconsin Rapids Assumption Royals were ranked in the top three teams in the state in 8-man football when they came to town for a big North …
On Monday August 24 three division winners and a wild card team participated in a semi-final playoff to determine which two teams would face off in the finals. In the semi-finals Smith Brothers Meats …
Coached this year by Morgan Earnest and Rachel Devine, the Owen-Withee Cross Country team headed to Stanley-Boyd Thursday, September 10, Cora Simenson finishing first with a time of 14:00.24 for the …
More news
Education

Meet the New Teachers at O-W Schools this fall

Isabella Ciolkosz 4th grade Hello! My name is Isabella Ciolkosz, soon to be Isabella Shackleton, and I am so excited to be joining Owen-Withee as the new fourth grade teacher! I earned my Bachelor of …

Features

Fritz ~ Tyskowski

Seth Fritz and Sara (Tyskowski) Fritz were married on August 5, 2025 in St. Augustine, FL. Seth is the son of Julie Johnson, St. Augustine, FL and Scott Fritz, Owen, WI. He is the grandson of Mildred …

Opinion
Columns

Cardinal's Tweets

How do we watch democracy die? We might say we are witnessing it now in the United States. One thing you need to do is create a common enemy. This is being done in regard to immigrants, mainly those …

A Bird's Eye View

We find ourselves in the heart of campaign season as we are now less than two months away from this year’s mid-term elections. With the primaries behind us, the national parties are moving quickly …

A lesson in the beauty of surprises

A wife can be sneaky. Get your mind out of the gutter. Not that kind of sneaky! I recently had a milestone birthday. The one that’s north of 70 and south of 80. Hard to believe about such a fine …

Campaign ‘26: Hope from the Heartland

Ideologues always overplay their hand. Can’t resist. Two recent observations serve as reminders the die-hards operate inside echo chambers, deaf and blind to how regular folks live their lives. …

Cardinal's Tweets

The primary is only a few days away and I don’t know how to vote. I had my governor candidate picked out and then they dropped out of the race. I had a maybe second choice and then they dropped out …

Cardinal's Tweets

Some people are saying it is disrespectful and wrong that some of the major networks didn’t carry President Trump’s speech last week. My question is why? Why should they give up primetime …
Web Extras
How a smarter home can help families reclaim their time
(BPT) - It's a Thursday evening at home, and all you want to do is relax with your family. However, the mental list of possible to-dos stops you from being fully present with your loved ones. …
10 best cities to rent rather than own a house in 2026
TheZebra.com reports that Salt Lake City, Denver, and Austin are among the top 10 U.S. cities where renting is more affordable than buying.
6 Ways to Create a More Sustainable Bathroom
(Feature Impact) Conserving water, energy and resources is key to running an environmentally friendly household, and one of the best places to start is your bathroom. As one of the most frequently used rooms in the house, it's a small space that makes a big difference. Every flush, shower, twist of the tap and restock of restroom essentials is an opportunity to manage your ecological footprint.
What are typical mistakes homeowners make when refinishing hardwood floors?
(BPT) - Key takeaways:Homeowners value hardwood floors because of their warmth, beauty and endurance.It's important to protect the appearance, value and lifespan of hardwood floors by …
17 therapist-approved tips for dealing with seasonal depression
Talkspace reports on 17 therapist-approved tips to cope with seasonal depression, including therapy, hydration, sunlight, and exercise, aiding in symptom relief.