Rhinelander could lose paper mill

By The Associated Press

CREATED Feb. 17, 2013

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RHINELANDER - Rhinelander could be the next Wisconsin community to lose its paper mill.
 
The sprawling Wausau Paper plant on Boom Lake has provided thousands of workers with solid wages over the years and is a centerpiece of Rhinelander's industrial base.
 
But there's concern that the northern Wisconsin city of 7,800 could go the way of Port Edwards, Kimberly, Neenah, Ashland and most recently, in 2012, Brokaw. All of those Wisconsin communities have lost their paper mills as the industry contracts under market pressures that include cheaper products from China.
 
Mosinee-based Wausau Paper announced last month that it is putting its mills up for sale in Rhinelander, Mosinee and Brainerd, Minnesota.
 
So far, there have been no takers.