Jim Erickson has worked at the Webster School District as the superintendent for 17 years. After a difficult decision, Erickson has decided that at the end of the 2019-2020 school year, he will be stepping down and retiring.

Boating is a big business in this region. Burnett County has over 500 lakes and Boone Docks Marine in Siren was recently named a top seller in lift and dock sales by Hewitt.

Election season continues in Burnett County. Two villages held their caucuses and both ballots will have four candidates vying for three seats for the spring election.

A soil scientist recently gave a presentation at the Government Center stating there are risks as well as benefits, it all depends on management.

WEBSTER––The Webster village board is looking at replacing street light poles on State Highway 35. However, it could be quite costly depending on the material they use. 

GRANTSBURG––The Grantsburg Public Library was full of constituents for a listening session held by State Senator Patty Schachtner. Over 50 attended the event which focused primarily on the proposed concentrated animal feeding operation or CAFO.

State Senator Tom Tiffany is making his way around the region as he continues his campaign to fill the seat of Sean Duffy in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Highway Commisioner Mike Hoefs gave an update to the Infrastructure committee after state Department of Transportation (DOT) officials came to Alpha with a preposition about the speed limit on State Highway 70.

“It’s going to be really great for the community.”

It may seem like an ordinary statement or possibly obvious, however, Sheriff Tracy Finch was very proud to report that her department is fully staffed.

A group of birdwatchers identified 35 different species of birds at Crex Meadows Wildlife Area and a total of 1360 different birds were spotted even in the cold of December in Wisconsin.

Former members of the Burnett Dairy Cooperative have filed a civil lawsuit against the co-op, citing violation of due process when terminating their membership.

The Foxhole Bar & Lounge is the fundraising arm of the American Legion Post 185 in Grantsburg. It was dubbed The Foxhole since its creation in 1919. The Grantsburg Historical Society building in Grantsburg used to be a church before it became the original location of the legion when it w…

Two people were pronounced dead after an accident in the Town of Grantsburg. Burnett County Dispatch received a call Dec. 28 for a semi versus automobile on State highway 70 at Williams Road in the town of Grantsburg, according to the Burnett County Sheriff’s Office.

Over the last ten years the Sentinel has put out hundreds of editions along with countless special sections. The Sentinel staff went through the archives to find the best stories from the last ten years.

Open cases have gone down in the county, but a large majority of them– possibly as much as 80% - are criminal cases that take up valuable time and resources for the court system.

The Webster school board recently voted to pass a referendum vote that will appear on the ballot April 7. The referendum is not to exceed $6.5 million.

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.

There will be 72 Grantsburg children this year that will be receiving Christmas gifts thanks to Darla and Cliff Harper’s Country Store and the local community.

Burnett County winter riding season kicked off Dec. 16 with a good layer of snow to start the season.

Over Thanksgiving weekend Burnett County and the whole state was hit with a massive snowstorm. Much of the North Midwest was hit by huge amounts of snow while surrounding areas were drowned by rain.

In November, a group of Webster High School students headed south to experience the culture and sights of Belize, Guatemala and Mexico.

Memories from Decembers in Burnett County

The young writers of Burnett County have submitted their responses to the following prompts:

The Public Safety committee approved purchasing a second K-9 unit to help get drugs off the streets of Burnett County.

In November 2018, wolves killed Laurie Groskopf’s 11-year-old hunting dog in Oneida County. That was nine years after wolves killed another of her dogs.

Burnett County is covered a blanket of snow. However, winter riding season does not begin until later this month. 

Burnett County is following a similar trend the whole state of Wisconsin is seeing – less deer are being harvested during the opening weekend, according to the preliminary data.

Burnett County Circuit Court Judge Melissia Mogen has issued a preliminary injunction and temporary restraining order against Wood Lake Camp and Retreat, LLC. The ruling halts all construction activities until the case is resolved at trial.

Something as ordinary as pull tabs can be so beneficial to others.

Hunting still reigns supreme in Burnett County. Last weekend hunters of all ages and all backgrounds went out hoping to get that prize buck.

A pair of Republicans came through Burnett County recently to announce their campaigns in two different races.

Dan Milligan lost his job 14 years ago and soon after decided he would buy his next job after realizing the job market wasn’t giving him any options. He bought the Trade Lake Store in May 2007 and said business, like the area in general, has been up and down throughout the years.

Twenty-five years ago on the 12th of November, the Grantsburg High School hockey players held their second annual “Miss”ter Pageant to raise money for the Youth Hockey Program.

GOVERNMENT CENTER––The fines for illegally transporting aquatic invasive species will be going up thanks in part to a group of citizens that said the fines were too low.

GRANTSBURG––Burnett County law enforcement agents executed a search warrant in Grantsburg at a home known for being a nuisance property.

Former Burnett County District Attorney William Norine is still facing scrutiny after creating conflicts of interest with defendants in Burnett County even though he may not have been prosecuting their case.

GRANTSBURG––McNally Industries welcomes many visitors throughout the year to their facility to show and explain to people all the things they do with the military.

WEBSTER––A group of teachers and administrators recently returned from a conference where the main topic was personalized learning.

The Siren School Board faced backlash from the Native American community after denying a motion that would work towards ending the use of Native American symbols and mascots in Wisconsin schools.

GRANTSBURG––Twice a year Grantsburg students prepare for the real world. These students end their day with a lunch at the Crex Convention Center.

On a recent Friday afternoon, Grantsburg fourth graders learned to play the challenging game of chess in less than an hour.

The National Honor Society is an organization that seeks high school students that exhibit four main characteristics, scholarship, leadership, service, and character.

On October 31 of 1991, Burnett County experienced one of their largest snowstorms to date with between 22-28 inches of snowfall. It became known as the Great Halloween Snowstorm, which is still brought up in conversation every Halloween.