12/24/2025

ASHLAND - A 22-year-old Ashland man has received 180 days in jail and two years’ probation in Bayfield County for a 2022 crash that killed his best friend and seriously injured another person. The Ashland Daily Press reports that despite facing over 14 years for negligent operation and reckless driving homicide, Judge Kelly Thimm cited Marcus Agostine’s remorse for the accident. Agostine admitted to driving over the speed limit, and immediately accepted accountability, apologizing in court, expressing deep regret for the death of one of his friends and the serious injuries of another.

12/24/2025

EAGLE RIVER - A 42-year-old Lac du Flambeau man remains in the Vilas County Jail on a $300,000 cash bond. Brett La Barge is charged with attempted first-degree intentional homicide.  Investigators received multiple 911 calls Dec. 13 just before 1 p.m. reporting a hammer attack.  According to court documents, La Barge called 911 and said he had killed a police officer with a hammer. A second call came from a woman saying she received a call from a grandchild saying their mother had been killed.  When officers arrived, La Barge was standing in the doorway of the property. He was detained. Officers entered the home and found the woman lying on a bed in a pool of blood. A child at the home was not harmed.  During an interview with police, La Barge said he believed the woman had evil spirits and that voices told him to kill her and the child.  The woman remains on life support in serious condition from the attack. A judge has given La Barge until this Monday to obtain an attorney.

12/24/2025

BESSEMER - The Bessemer Area Schools Board of Education has reaffirmed its decision to decline the state’s 31aa funding unless the language is significantly altered by the December 30 deadline. School aid act funding supports essential services like staffing and safety measures. However, to receive it, schools must waive attorney-client privilege during investigations related to mass casualty events. Superintendent Richard Matrella reported the decision following the board’s December 19 meeting, when no indicated changes to the language were seen as of December 18. Matrella also stated that the waiver has caused widespread discontent, leading over 30 districts to file a lawsuit challenging the provision.