8/04/2025

OCONTO COUNTY - The Wisconsin Department of Health Services confirmed the first measles cases in the state in 2025.  Oconto County Public Health confirmed nine cases of measles. One of the cases were confirmed through testing. Eight other cases were confirmed based on exposure and symptoms. All of the cases are believed to have been exposed to a common source during travel outside of Wisconsin.  No public points of exposure have been identified, and health officials believe the risk to the community is low.  The CDC reports more than 1,300 cases of measles across the U.S. so far this year.

...AIR QUALITY ADVISORY...

AIR QUALITY ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH TOMORROW for all of Wisconsin, and the U.P.  High pressure settling overhead will limit dispersion and keep smoke at the surface. It is recommended that, when possible, you avoid strenuous outdoor activities, especially those with heart disease and respiratory diseases like asthma.

8/01/2025

LAC DU FLAMBEAU – The Lac Du Flambeau tribe’s business development corporation opened a cannabis dispensary earlier this month, but how when cannabis is still illegal in Wisconsin? Little Pines Dispensary opened in early July, selling Wisconsin made products, operating under a legal loophole in the 2018 Farm Bill, allowing them to sell hemp products that contain CBD only. The tribally owned store sells CBD products like drinks, tinctures, topicals, and edibles from seven different Wisconsin based vendors. Little Pines is licensed by the Lac Du Flambeau Regulation Agency, as well as approved by the USDA through the Tribal Hemp Program. If the state or a tribe submits a plan to the USDA, they are allowed to regulate themselves. That’s not the only benefit to Lac Du Flambeau having a dispensary. “If you buy here, it stays within the community,” said Director of Cultivation and Retail Operations, Candace Thompson. “We are tribally owned so it contributes to the general fund.” The tribe expects a profit of around $3 million by year seven of Little Pines’s operation.