A handful of family members were joined by a couple hundred Shawano residents Aug. 9 as they all paid their respects and said goodbye to a soldier killed at the start of World War II.

Shawano’s Herbert E. McLaughlin, 31, was killed at Pearl Harbor. His remains were not identified until December 2024.

The death of Herbert McLaughlin at Pearl Harbor spurred local VFW members to name their post after him — the Herbert E. McLaughlin VFW Post 2723.

Even before that, his death motivated his two older brothers to want to join the fight against the Axis powers of World War II.

Dean Seher, Herbert McLaughlin’s great-nephew, recently told their story to members of the VFW post.

Federal funds for libraries are expected to be slashed like many other programs, and that has Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez concerned.

Rodriguez went on a fact-finding mission Aug. 11 to the Gillett Public Library, and she spoke with Library Director Shannon Stoner and others about what the local library provides and what it needs to remain a vital community hub.

Jeannie Otto, who founded the 100+ Women Who Care chapter of Shawano County, was caught on a hot mic proclaiming “We have no money.”

Students and their parents got their first look at the new Oconto Falls Middle School on Aug. 4, eager to see how the new place could enhance their education much more than the former Washington Middle School.

Voters in November 2022 approved a $37.6 million referendum that enabled the new school along with security upgrades and roof replacements at Oconto Falls High School and Oconto Falls and Abrams elementary schools.