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19 residents of Wisconsin Rapids assisted-living facility displaced by Thursday fire

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19 residents of Wisconsin Rapids assisted-living facility displaced by Thursday fire



A fire started in a bedroom late Thursday afternoon at Hilltop of Pepper, 630 Pepper Ave. in Wisconsin Rapids.

WISCONSIN RAPIDS − A fire that started in a bedroom late Thursday afternoon has displaced 19 residents of Hilltop of Pepper.

At 4:47 p.m. Thursday, a caller reported a fire in a bedroom at the assisted-living facility, which specializes in caring for people with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, Wisconsin Rapids Fire Department Division Chief Brennan Agen said. Hilltop of Pepper, 630 Pepper Ave., has a sprinkler system, which activated and extinguished a large portion of the fire.

When firefighters arrived, they finished putting out the fire, Agen said. There were 19 residents at the facility who had to be placed at a different facility for the night. The Hilltop of Pepper building currently is not inhabitable.

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Agen didn’t know how long the residents would be displaced.

At 9:30 p.m. Thursday, a Wisconsin Rapids officer driving by Hilltop heard an alarm and reported it, Agen said. Firefighters responded to the alarm, but the fire had not rekindled, Agen said. Because the home cares for people with dementia, the building is equipped with an alarm system that goes off if a resident tries to open an outside door, Agen said. The electricity to the building had been shut off and when it was turned back on it set the alarm off, Agen said.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

More local news: Want to own a paper machine or bulldozer? Second auction planned for Wisconsin Rapids paper mill.

More local news: Take a look inside Immanuel Lutheran Church’s new Mission Center and church building as construction continues

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Contact Karen Madden at 715-345-2245 or kmadden@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @KMadden715, Instagram @kmadden715 or Facebook at www.facebook.com/karen.madden.33.



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Wisconsin Lottery Pick 3, Pick 4 results for Nov. 20, 2025

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Wisconsin Lottery Pick 3, Pick 4 results for Nov. 20, 2025


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The Wisconsin Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Nov. 20, 2025, results for each game:

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Winning Pick 3 numbers from Nov. 20 drawing

Midday: 3-8-8

Evening: 7-3-2

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from Nov. 20 drawing

Midday: 2-8-2-5

Evening: 1-0-6-7

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Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning All or Nothing numbers from Nov. 20 drawing

Midday: 01-03-05-07-08-12-14-15-16-17-22

Evening: 01-02-03-05-06-08-14-17-18-20-21

Check All or Nothing payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Badger 5 numbers from Nov. 20 drawing

01-08-15-28-31

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Check Badger 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning SuperCash numbers from Nov. 20 drawing

01-08-19-23-24-38, Doubler: N

Check SuperCash payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

  • Prizes up to $599: Can be claimed at any Wisconsin Lottery retailer.
  • Prizes from $600 to $199,999: Can be claimed in person at a Lottery Office. By mail, send the signed ticket and a completed claim form available on the Wisconsin Lottery claim page to: Prizes, PO Box 777 Madison, WI 53774.
  • Prizes of $200,000 or more: Must be claimed in person at the Madison Lottery office. Call the Lottery office prior to your visit: 608-261-4916.

Can Wisconsin lottery winners remain anonymous?

No, according to the Wisconsin Lottery. Due to the state’s open records laws, the lottery must, upon request, release the name and city of the winner. Other information about the winner is released only with the winner’s consent.

When are the Wisconsin Lottery drawings held?

  • Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
  • Mega Millions: 10:00 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
  • Super Cash: 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
  • Pick 3 (Day): 1:30 p.m. CT daily.
  • Pick 3 (Evening): 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
  • Pick 4 (Day): 1:30 p.m. CT daily.
  • Pick 4 (Evening): 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
  • All or Nothing (Day): 1:30 p.m. CT daily.
  • All or Nothing (Evening): 9 p.m. CT daily.
  • Megabucks: 9:00 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.
  • Badger 5: 9:00 p.m. CT daily.

That lucky feeling: Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.

Feeling lucky? WI man wins $768 million Powerball jackpot **

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WI Lottery history: Top 10 Powerball and Mega Million jackpots

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Wisconsin editor. You can send feedback using this form.



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After 50 years, excitement still burns for start of Wisconsin gun deer season | Paul A. Smith

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After 50 years, excitement still burns for start of Wisconsin gun deer season | Paul A. Smith



Even after 50 years of participating in the Wisconsin gun deer hunt, outdoors editor Paul A. Smith still looks forward to the season’s opening. This 2025 edition runs Nov. 22 to 30.

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  • Wisconsin’s deer hunting landscape has changed significantly over the last 50 years.
  • The state’s deer population is at a record high, with more deer now in southern Wisconsin.
  • Hunting regulations, hunter tactics, and the number of hunters have all evolved over the decades.
  • Chronic wasting disease is a modern concern for hunters that did not exist 50 years ago.

This year will mark my 50th gun deer hunting season in Wisconsin.

And while five decades is a substantial chuck of time, it’s a relatively small fraction of the state’s regulated deer hunting, dating to 1851, according to the Department of Natural Resources.

And it’s infinitesimal when you acknowledge Native Americans have pursued deer for thousands of years in the area we now call Wisconsin.

But my personal experience and the much longer history of deer hunting in this region have one thing in common: change.

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I clearly recall my first deer hunt near my boyhood home in Racine County. The area was “shotgun only” in those days.

Racine County didn’t have many deer in that era. But no matter the low odds of success, to me the chance to hunt deer was priceless. My father answered my pleas and obtained permission for us to hunt on a farm in Yorkville.

In the days before that season we went to R&W Supply in downtown Racine and bought paper slug cartridges to shoot out of our 12-gauge shotguns. The smoothbores were primarily used for ring-necked pheasant hunting.

I could barely sleep the night before that first season and I’m sure it was one of the rare days of my youth when I was up before the rest of my family.

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We set out before dawn, wearing red stocking caps and carrying a knapsack with a couple sandwiches and a thermos of hot chocolate, and set up along a fenceline. To the east was a picked corn field, to the west an oak woodlot.

As the day brightened, I watched every leaf of corn flip in a light breeze. Could it be a deer?

But by noon no whitetail had been seen.

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The highlight – and believe me it was exciting – was the finding of a deer track frozen in mud along the field edge.

I would end up hunting more than 10 deer seasons before I’d put a tag on a deer.

Over 50 seasons I’ve been privileged to hunt from suburban woodlots to coulees in the Driftless Area to pine forests in Jackson County to mixed farmland areas in Marquette and Waupaca counties to the big woods of northern Wisconsin.

So many things have changed over the decades, from the deer population to the hunting regulations to hunter tactics and preferences.

Not only is the deer population higher than at any point in my life, it has substantially shifted in abundance to the south.

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The Department of Natural Resources estimated Wisconsin had a record-high 1.825 million deer after the 2024 hunting seasons.

That total included record highs in the central agricultural and southern agricultural zones, as well as increasing numbers in the central and northern forest zones.

That same Racine County farm I hunted 50 years ago is now a subdivision. But it features a plentiful deer population and offers no legal hunting.

Compared to the 1970s, hunters now can pursue deer many more days of the year, essentially from mid-September until early January. Most agricultural deer management units have a firearm deer hunt from Christmas to New Year’s and an extended bow season to the end of Janauary.

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But more of us now hunt on private land than when I started, too.

And hunters are pickier about what they shoot. It used to be most hunters would shoot the first legal deer that presented itself. Now many wait for a mature buck.

There are now fewer hunters than just a couple decades ago, too.

Combined with action by politicians in 2011 to prohibit the two most effective tools the DNR had to increase antlerless deer kills (Earn-A-Buck and an October gun hunt), the deer population is swelling.

Another notable issue that came on the Wisconsin deer hunting scene in recent decades is chronic wasting disease. Since it was announced in 2002, the fatal prion disease has spread in distribution and increased in prevalence. While it has not been found to affect human health or livestock, experts advise hunters to test their deer and not eat meat from a CWD-positive animal.

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There was no similar disease present when I started hunting.

Taken together, that’s a lot of change in 50 years.

Am I still as excited as I was when I was 14? You betcha.

Over the years I’ve made an effort to share stories with you from deer camps throughout the state.

This year I’m privileged to be hunting with a multi-generational deer camp in Waupaca County. I bought a Stormy Kromer to fit in with their camp photo tradition.

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Given the camp’s location in a deer-rich region, I expect to see more than a deer track.

What hasn’t changed over the decades are three things I cherish: the camaraderie of fellow hunters; the chance to harvest wild, nutritious, sustainable food; and the opportunity to add another chapter of experience in the great Wisconsin outdoors.

The forecast for opening weekend is good but with little to no snow on the landscape statewide.

For Tomahawk, for example, Saturday should be partly cloudy with zero chance of precipitation and a high of 42 degrees Fahrenheit.

It would be optimal for hunters to have a cover of white to help see and track deer. But the temperatures will make it relatively comfortable to spend hours in the field, if not all day, and shouldn’t pose meat spoilage problems.

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I’ve killed one antlerless deer so far this year, with my bow on private land in Waukesha County. I hope to take several more before the season is over.

We’ll see what opening weekend in Waupaca County holds for me and my group.

If you are participating in the 2025 Wisconsin gun deer hunt, I wish you a safe and successful season.

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If you care to share your experience, please email me at psmith@jrn.com.



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Wisconsin continues honoring top schools after federal award’s abrupt end

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Wisconsin continues honoring top schools after federal award’s abrupt end


(WLUK) — Some school districts in Northeast Wisconsin are being recognized for exceptional academic performance.

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction’s recognition of eight schools across the state comes after the U.S. Department of Education ended the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program earlier this year.

These eight Wisconsin schools had already been nominated and completed the rigorous application process when the program was abruptly terminated.

“While I am deeply disappointed by the sudden end of the federal program, we’re proud to continue celebrating the hard work of Wisconsin’s students and educators,” State Superintendent Dr. Jill Underly said. “These schools have shown remarkable results and a strong commitment to helping every child succeed.”

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National Blue Ribbon Schools are honored in two categories: Exemplary High Performing Schools and Exemplary Gap Closing Schools.

Edgewood Elementary School (School District of Greenfield) – Gap Closing: A welcoming neighborhood school focused on both academics and emotional well-being, Edgewood builds strong family partnerships and provides all students with the support they need to thrive.

Prairie Lane Elementary School (Kenosha Unified School District) – High Performing: Known for its culture of kindness and collaboration, Prairie Lane helps students think critically and solve problems while proudly serving as the district’s elementary program for Deaf and Hard of Hearing students.

Karcher Middle School (Burlington Area School District) – Gap Closing: Karcher empowers students to become confident, caring, and capable learners, while ensuring every staff member and family plays a role in student success.

Forest Lane Community School (Montello School District) – Gap Closing: Forest Lane fosters a lifelong love of learning through teamwork among staff, students, and families in a positive, inclusive environment.

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Shiocton Elementary School (School District of Shiocton) — Gap Closing: In a small district “where excellence is expected,” Shiocton Elementary focuses on the whole child — academically, socially, and emotionally — to prepare learners for future success.

T.J. Walker Middle School (Sturgeon Bay Schools) — High Performing and Gap Closing: T.J. Walker Middle emphasizes strong teaching, community engagement, and continuous improvement to support every student, every day.

Crivitz High School (Crivitz School District) — Gap Closing: Offering challenging academics and rich extracurriculars, Crivitz High School combines community partnerships with a caring staff to prepare students for college, career, and life.

St. Croix Falls Elementary School (St. Croix Falls School District) — High Performing: St. Croix Elementary School provides a supportive, student-centered learning environment focused on academic excellence, character, and growth for every child.

The DPI plans to continue a state-level version of this recognition program in the future to ensure Wisconsin schools receive the acknowledgement they deserve.

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