A Banger story | The Weekly Wausonian

Wausau news for the week of April 25, 2024

News circulated late Wednesday last week about the pending arrest of Minocqua Brewing Company owner Kirk Bangstad.

Just one problem: It wasn’t true.

The short version: Bangstad was supposed to appear in court that day in the latest hearing in the defamation case he lost to Lakeland Times publisher Gregg Walker. Bangstad says he wasn’t aware of the hearing until that day when his lawyer mentioned it. He was at his new Madison tap room and tried to convince the judge to hold a hearing over videoconference. The judge said no.

Walker’s attorneys requested an arrest warrant, since Bangstad didn’t show and hadn’t paid toward his bill yet (he’s appealing the ruling). It was entered into the court record that an arrest warrant had been issued.

But that was an error. The Wausonian contacted the clerk of courts in Oneida County and discovered no arrest warrant had been issued. Another source confirmed the listing was an error. The Wausonian was the first to report the story correctly.

As of today, some news outlets still haven’t corrected their false headlines.

As an update, Bangstad’s Facebook posts on his company’s page have been added as evidence in the court records, online court records show.

Read the whole story and how The Wausonian got the story right when so many others didn’t, and what else we learned about Bangstad’s mounting legal troubles:

Also, don’t miss our sit-down with new mayor Doug Diny. Read our takeaways or watch the full interview for yourself:

What else in Wausau?

Pickeball battle: Last week it was the official newspaper — this week it was pickleball. A designation of $135,000 of ARPA funds toward revamping an old tennis court at Alexander Airport Park and striping it for pickleball came under fire. New council members Terry Kilian and Victoria Tierney vote against the project, saying the city had more pressing needs than pickleball courts. But other council members such as Sarah Watson and Carol Lukens argued that only a small portion of ARPA funding went to outdoor recreation, something emphasized in the wake of COVID. Lukens added that there was also a $25,000 donation toward the renovations and that constituents were asking for it. Watch the full debate below:

Hiring the homeless officers: Police Chief Matt Barnes told the city’s Police and Fire Commission Monday that the city would be hiring the two new officers approved to help tackle the homeless situation downtown. But those officers, who could be on board as early as May, will backfill positions — the homeless officer team will be selected among current officers. Those officers could be on the street as soon as a couple of weeks, he says.

Fewer teacher cuts: The Wausau School District currently plans to cut 24.5 teacher positions in order to reduce a coming $3.5 million deficit. But now the district says many of those were reduced through attrition. Thanks to retirements, terminations and resignations, the district now says it will only need to actually let go 3.3 equivalent teachers. The district is considering opening up its retirement window again to allow others the choice of retiring - that might prevent even more teachers from being let go. The school board is also weighing whether to seek operational funding through a fall referendum.

Around the metro

Kronenwetter balks at code of conduct: The village of Kronenwetter Board balked at passing a code of conduct for its elected officials. Board member Alex Vedvik and others cited board members who have harassed village staff, threatened their jobs and refused to recuse themselves where appropriate. But board member Ken Charneski shot back that elected officials are accountable to their constituents through elections, and he didn’t see that a board could impartially judge other board members. Others decried some of the punitive measures they say the code contains. Charneski said the village would be opening itself up to a lawsuit if it passed the code. Board Member Kelly Coyle said that was ironic since Charneski is currently suing the village, which The Wausonian has covered extensively. The board sent the agenda item back to committee for further discussion.

Business

New Wausau Lounge: The owners of The Garage and Granite View Marketplace are slated to open a new bar: The Lounge Wausau. The business is slated for somewhere in the Rib Mountain area, but an exact location hasn’t yet been revealed. Keep an eye on The Wausonian for more.

Casa Amigos opens in old Perkins building: Casa Amigos is the latest restaurant to open in the former Perkins building on Grand Avenue. Reviews so far are very good, and the business’ Merrill and Marshfield locations are typically spoken well of.

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Entertainment

Saturday, April 27: It’s hard to believe that Sconni’s is only 10 years old - it seems like it’s been around forever! But the restaurant with great food and a huge selection of beer is 10 years old this year. To celebrate, Sconni’s is throwing a party with three big bands: Dig Deep, Reverend Meantooth and Warm Wet Rag, a tribute band to Ween. Show starts at 7 pm. Check out the event page for more.

Fri-Sat, April 26-27: OK, big confession time: I LOVE Chicago. To me they’re one of the best bands to come out of the late 60s/early 70s. And I truly believe that Terry Kath is one of the all-time underrated guitarists. Alive Again attempts to bring the magic of Chicago’s music to life with these two shows at the UW Civic Center for Engagement. The two performances by this Green Bay act are also a fundraisers for Community Ambassadors Through Music, part of the Community Foundation of Northcentral Wisconsin. I think they missed an opportunity to start the show at 25 or 6 to 4 (pm), but either way it ought to be a great show! 7:30 pm. $40, discounts for students, seniors and groups. See the event page for more details and tickets. (CORRECTION: An earlier version of this post had incorrect ticket prices.)

Saturday, April 27: There’s a lot going on this Saturday, that’s for sure! Coming to the well-loved Lamplight Sessions this Saturday is Riley Downing, a folksy/southwestern country style artist from Missouri. Joining Downing is joined by blues/folk singer Marty O’Reilly, another solid artist currently touring the Midwest before heading out to California. Check out Downing’s music below — it’s got a cool sound. 7 pm. $40. Find tickets at Lamplight Session’s page.

Looking for kids/family events? Check out the family-oriented listing from The Wausonian’s partner Wausau Mama, who puts together a weekly listing of children/family activities.

Sports

Baseball: D.C. Everest now leads Wausau area teams in the Wisconsin Valley Conference. The Evergreens beat Wausau West 5-4 Tuesday to grow to a 2-2 record, fourth in the Valley Conference behind SPASH, Wisconsin Rapids and Marshfield.

Softball: D.C. Everest has maintained a perfect record so far this season to lead Wausau area teams. The Evergreens (4-0) defeated Marshfield 1-0 Tuesday. They’re in second place behind SPASH (5-0), which has one more game played. But the Evergreens will have a chance to regain first as they take on the Panthers on their home turf today (Thursday).

Girls soccer: D.C. Everest, much like their softball counterparts, so far has a perfect season and is tied for first place in the Wisconsin Valley Conference. The Evergreens (2-0) defeated Wausau West 2-1 Thursday. They’re likely to cruise to a win today over last-place Merrill (0-2).

Boys tennis: D.C. Everest seems to have the teams to beat this year - its tennis team is tied for first place with a 1-0 record. The Evergreens take on Wausau East (0-1) today.

Boys lacrosse: The Wausau Wild took a loss against Appleton 10-9 earlier this week. You can watch the full game here.

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