Oconto County Sheriff’s Department

Oct. 16

Rep. David Steffen, R-Howard, honored Deputy Chief Ryan Pecha as the 2025 First Responder of the Year for the 4th Assembly District. Deputy Chief Pecha’s extensive service to the community prompted his nomination and selection for this recognition.

Throughout his 21 years as an EMT and firefighter, Pecha has gone above and beyond in dedicating himself to serving and protecting the people of Oconto.

Scammers convince consumers to invest their money in fraudulent schemes by using many different tricks — even romance.

Consumers can protect themselves from heartbreak and devastating financial loss by learning how these scams work and how to identify them.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension has announced the launch of two interactive workshops, part of a brand-new curriculum aimed at providing education and resources to farmers and rural communities. These workshops will focus on critical topics such as health care, health insurance, and childcare.

Members of the Shawano County Capital Improvement Projects Committee have prioritized four needs for the 2026 year and laid out general guidance for work in 2026-30.

Projects tapped for next year total $1,183,570.

They include:

Shawano County will borrow up to $3 million as a stopgap measure to balance its 2026 budget.

The money will be used to pay for projects that include road construction, road maintenance and other capital improvement costs.

The county’s executive committee voted Oct. 15 to borrow up to $3 million at 5.5% interest from Premier Community Bank.