Regan Buchholz can certainly tell a tall tale. As proof, the Bonduel man was just named the winner of the 2025 Burlington Liars’ Club contest.

According to Buchholz, “My parents were so poor that they had to bury Grandfather naked just so my dad had a suit to wear to the funeral.”

The retired letter carrier said it was only the third time he entered the contest.

The season of giving has passed, but the season of diseases is wreaking havoc in Shawano County as cases of cold, flu, COVID-19 and more are on the rise.

Nick Mau, Shawano-Menominee Counties Health Department director, said ThedaCare Medical Center-Shawano is full, with some of the more serious cases being transported to the New London hospital and other nearby facilities.

As winter storms impact communities across the Upper Midwest, Aspirus Health is urging residents to take precautions when shoveling snow to avoid injury.

Occupational therapist Nathaniel Kropidlowski said improper body mechanics, lack of preparation and poor equipment are leading causes of strain and accidents during this common winter chore.

Change was a common theme for most of the top stories that made headlines in this year’s Shawano Leader.

Students at Oconto Falls Middle School walked through the doors of a new building in the fall, while the community bid its farewell to the former Washington Middle School that was later demolished.

In January, the Washington Middle School English Language Arts Department announced it was making plans for the community to say goodbye to the old school as the school district prepared to open the new Oconto Falls Middle School.

Looking at both the future and the past has resulted in a good outlook for Wittenberg during the year 2025.

Topping the list of stories was the push for a new museum in the village that resulted in a gift from the Nueske family. Across town, new apartments breaking ground filled the second slot in the Wittenberg Enterprise and Birnamwood News’s top 10 list.

Here’s a look at what made headlines in 2025: