12/02/2025

PRESQUE ISLE — One person is dead after an early Friday morning house fire in Presque Isle.   At 6:25 AM, the Vilas County 911 Dispatch Center received a 9-1-1 call reporting a house fire in the 7000 block of Crab Road in the Township of Presque Isle in Vilas County.  The home was engulfed in flames when emergency crews arrived on scene.  The owner of the home was inside and died in the fire. The homeowner was identified as Dean Lea, 67. The home is a complete loss, and the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

12/02/2025

VILAS COUNTY - Former Manitowish Waters preschool teacher Alexis Engler pleaded guilty in Vilas County Court to felony child neglect resulting in bodily harm. The charge stemmed from a February 2024 sledding injury at Camp Jorn YMCA, where Engler failed to notify staff or the parents of an injured two-year-old victim. Engler’s deferred judgment agreement requires surrendering her childcare license, no contact with the victim/parents, and refraining from illegal substances. Judge Overbey added conditions, including an apology letter, maintaining employment/schooling, and no unsupervised contact with children under ten (excluding her brother’s children with consent). Engler signed a $5,000 bond; a review hearing is set for June 8, 2026.

12/02/2025

GOGEBIC / ONTONAGON COUNTIES – The Firearm Deer season ended Sunday in both Michigan and Wisconsin.  In Gogebic County updated harvest numbers show a season total of 287 deer this season, 279 antlered and 8 antlerless, In Ontonagon County 506 total deer harvested 479 antlered and 27 antlerless.  Both Gogebic and Ontonagon deer harvest totals slightly higher than last year.  Gogebic County saw 40 more deer harvested over last year.  Ontonagon County saw an increase of one.  We are still waiting on deer kill information for Wisconsin Counties in our listening area from the Wisconsin DNR.