Wisconsin
DNR holds Free Fishing Weekend across Wisconsin
MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is holding Free Fishing Weekend on Saturday and Sunday.
Anglers across the state can wet a line without a fishing license, trout stamp or salmon stamp.
“We encourage people that maybe haven’t participated in ice fishing in the past and want to check it out and learn a little bit more about it to join their family and friends or go to a nearby lake and consider giving it a try themselves,” Bob Nack with the Wisconsin DNR said.
Youth 15-year-old or under don’t need a license to go ice fishing any time of the year, so Nack says this free weekend applies to those that are 16-year-old and older.
“The idea is that hopefully they have a good time and enjoy themselves, want to do it in the future and that ignites that passion for natural resources that we have here in Wisconsin and their intertest in getting more involved with that in the future,” Nack said.
Nack says ice fishing doesn’t have to be a very gear-intensive sport.
“People shouldn’t feel intimidated if they don’t have all of the fancy equipment to go ice fishing,” he said. “You need a hole in the ice and some basic bait and getting advice from people that are out there fishing or the nearest bait shop is probably a good idea.”
Anglers can rent gear at various tackle loaner sites across the state. You can find those here, listed by county.
The Wisconsin DNR also wants to make sure everyone is safe out on the ice.
“Obviously, I would avoid areas of the lake where there’s nobody fishing because either the fish aren’t biting there or it could potentially be unsafe as well,” Nack said. “Just using some common sense and not exploring areas that may be unsafe.”
Nack adds ice tends to be a little bit thinner on springs and where there’s moving water.
The DNR is also hosting Learn to Ice Fish clinics during Free Fishing Weekend. You can register online or by calling 608-266-4711.
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Wisconsin
Swatting call caused temporary lockdown at Rice Lake, Wisconsin health clinic
A health clinic in western Wisconsin was temporarily put into lockdown Thursday afternoon after a threatening phone call.
Just after 2 p.m., Barron County officials received a 911 call from a staff member at the Marshfield Medical Center Emergency Department in Rice Lake, stating that someone called and said two men were going to “shoot up the hospital” in about 20 minutes.
After interviewing the staff member later, it was determined that the man who called had disguised his voice and got upset before hanging up the phone, according to the Rice Lake Police Department.
Rice Lake police, the Barron County Sheriff’s Office and Wisconsin State Patrol responded to the scene, and the medical facility was secured.
Any patients who wanted to leave the facility were allowed to do so, authorities noted.
During the lockdown, law enforcement discovered there were similar threats, known as “swatting calls,” at other places across the state on Thursday.
At about 4:18 p.m., the lockdown was lifted, and authorities cleared the scene. Rice Lake police added that no one was injured during the incident.
The police department said it will continue investigating the threat with other law enforcement agencies.
The Rice Lake health center is roughly two hours northeast of the Twin Cities, and approximately 50 miles north of Eau Claire. The center’s website says it offers both inpatient and outpatient practice, covering a wide range of services.
A spokesperson for the health system told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS that the clinic was closed for the rest of the day Thursday, but hospital operations have since returned to normal.
“The safety of our patients and staff at Marshfield Medical Center-Rice Lake is our top priority,” the system added.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin’s highest-rated players in EA Sports College Football 27
With the release of EA Sports College Football 27 right around the corner, it’s fun to look at how the video game sees the Wisconsin Badgers.
These past two seasons have been down years, no doubt, but Luke Fickell did a great job in the portal this offseason and has begun to rebuild what was once one of the most prestigious programs in the nation.
This article can’t possibly include every Badgers player in the game, but their overall rankings range from 64 to 85.
Wisconsin’s sixth-highest-ranked player is a kicker, and that should say everything you need to know about how EA Sports feels about this team.
Highest rated Wisconsin Badgers in CFP27
- 85 Overall
- HB Abu Sama III: 85 Overall
- CB Javan Robinson: 85 Overall
- 84 Overall
- QB Colton Joseph: 84 Overall
- 83 Overall
- DT Hammond Russell IV: 83 Overall
- FS Marvin Burks Jr.: 83 Overall
- 81 Overall
- 80 Overall
- HB Bryan Jackson II
- HB Darrion Dupree
- DT Junior Poyser
- WILL Mason Posa
Of the 10 highest-ranked players, three are running backs. In total, five are on defense, four are on offense, and one is on special teams.
Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Jordon Lawrenz on X @jordonlaw_pxp.
Wisconsin
How much will Shawn Eichorst make as Wisconsin Badgers’ athletic director?
Reaction to Shawn Eichorst as potentially the next Wisconsin AD
On the Terrace View podcast, John Steppe and Mark Stewart give initial thoughts on reported connection between Shawn Eichorst and open UW AD job.
MADISON – Shawn Eichorst will start as Wisconsin’s athletic director with a higher annual salary than his predecessor.
Eichorst will make an annual salary of $1.6 million along with built-in annual increases and incentives, a university spokesman told the Journal Sentinel.
That is above Chris McIntosh’s $1.5 million annual salary for the 2025-26 academic year. (That consisted of $1 million from the university and $500,000 from the UW Foundation.) McIntosh’s salary was set to increase by $50,000 for each year of his contract, which would have gone through June 30, 2029.
It also is well above Marcus Sedberry’s $875,000 annual salary for the nearly three months when he was interim AD. Sedberry’s salary is set to return to $334,805 “plus any intervening pay adjustments,” according to the offer letter from April.
An open records request from the Journal Sentinel for Eichorst’s contract, which will include more details about the increases and incentives, is pending.
Eichorst previously served as the deputy AD and chief operating officer at Texas for the last eight years. He also was Miami’s AD in 2011-12 and Nebraska’s AD from 2012-17. Before Miami, the Lone Rock native spent five years working with the Badgers under Barry Alvarez.
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