2/13/2026

ASHLAND - Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers addressed rising healthcare costs and other community issues during a visit to Ashland yesterday. At a roundtable, business owners and providers, including Mayor Matthew Mackenzie, discussed high costs. Gina Marie Anderson, owner of Harbor House Sweets, reported her monthly healthcare premium jumped from $658 to $2,700 due to increased ACA premiums; others face up to $4,000 monthly with a $15,000 deductible. Evers, noting premium hikes up to 500%, stated, “This one in particular, the healthcare, has to do with Washington, D.C. They can fix it.” Childcare shortages, affordable housing, and high property taxes were also discussed.

2/13/2026

BAYFIELD COUNTY - A bill that would redesignate the Apostle Islands as Wisconsin’s first national park advanced out of the House Committee on Natural Resources in a narrow vote this week.  The panel approved the Apostle Islands National Park and Preserve Act in a 20-17 vote. The legislation, introduced by Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis., would elevate the Apostle Islands from a National Lakeshore to a National Park, while keeping current boundaries intact.  Supporters say the change would highlight the area’s sandstone cliffs, historic lighthouses and ice caves, while boosting tourism and local economies. The bill would designate Sand Island as a National Preserve to maintain hunting access.  The Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa oppose the change saying there has been no environmental; no economic; no infrastructure; no cultural and treaty rights impact studies done; and no mention of what specific federal fiscal resources this change would bring to the area.”  The Apostle Islands were designated a National Lakeshore in 1970. If approved by Congress and signed into law, the change would make the site Wisconsin’s first national park.

2/13/2026

MARINETTE - Police say a 24-year-old woman from Marinette who went missing last week has been found dead. The Marinette City Police Department says that Gabriella Cartagena was found on the morning of Feb. 10.  The 24-year-old was first reported missing on Feb. 5 at approximately 11:40 a.m. She was last seen by her family at her house at around 5 p.m. on Feb. 4.  Cartagena last known contact with family, was a phone call that ended with Cartagena saying, “Please don’t shoot me, I’m sorry.”  Cartagena boyfriend 29-year-old Robert Chilcote has been taken into custody in Minnesota after a 16-minute vehicle pursuit that spanned 17 miles and involved 10 deputies and reached speeds over 100 mph. An AR-15 rifle with an inserted magazine was found on the front passenger seat of his vehicle.  Chilcote has not yet been charged in connection with Cartagena’s disappearance.  His bond is set at $100,000