Cellcom outage sparks backlash | Weekly Wausonian
Wausau news for the week of May 22, 2025
Customers last week were miffed about a cellular outage that Cellcom officials called a “cyber incident.”
Voice calls and texts went down starting Wednesday of last week, according to updates from the company on its social media pages. Cellcom officials hoped they would have the network back up and running by the end of the day, but made a public announcement after that didn’t happen.
Meanwhile, customers reported that the outages caused them to miss interviews, important calls from family and otherwise feel disconnected.
Service has since been mostly restored. Cellcom CEO Brighid Riordan said no sensitive customer data was compromised in the incident, which she outlined in a letter to customers.
Cellcom on Tuesday said they were “on the five-yard line” toward getting everything completely restored.
What else in Wausau?
Gov. Evers comes to town to fill potholes: Gov. Tony Evers appeared in Wausau Tuesday to kick off his “Pothole Patrol” tour. Evers and Mayor Doug Diny and members of the Public Works Department filled potholes on Forest Street near where it intersects with Jackson Street. The public appearance is the first between the mayor and the governor. Diny told The Wausonian despite the ongoing DOJ investigation there was no tension between himself and Evers, and the two appeared cordial during the event.
School district talking about wage increase amidst shortfall: The Wausau School Board’s Education/Operations Committee Monday approved a 1.5% raise for non-teaching staff as the district faces budget shortfalls following a referendum failure this spring. Some school board members questioned the low amount which isn’t keeping up with inflation, but others worried about making a decision when the budget isn’t final yet - preliminary budget proposals are calling for a 3% reduction for each department. The school board will still need to take up the raises at its regular meeting. It only applies to non-teaching positions because teachers will have to negotiate through collective bargaining.
Wangard unveils renderings for Riverlife project: The city’s Plan Commission Tuesday approved an updated site plan for Wangard Partners’ new 144-unit Riverlife housing project. The commission materials include renderings for the site, included below:
Around the metro
Marathon County Board Notebook:
The County Board appointed a replacement - Jerry Kurth - for Jacob Langenhahn, who resigned last month. No information about Kurth was included in the board’s meeting materials, but upon a supervisor’s request he explained he had been on a town board for 26 years. Kurth was also appointed to the Environmental Resources Committee.
The County Board approved a resolution that allowed attorneys pursuing a civil case against the manufacturers of opioid medications to those suits. Marathon County joined a number of other counties and municipalities in a class action lawsuit in 2018.
The County Board approved more purchases in the village of Kronenwetter for a highway department. Before that, County Administrator Lance Leonhard said he is working with one of the nearby landowners on a buyout. She had told the Kronenwetter Board previously that what the county was offering wasn’t adequate to cover the loss of her home. Leonhard told the board he had positive talks with the resident recently.
Weston bans firearms from municipal building: The Weston Village Board Monday voted to ban firearms from the municipal center and leave its up its signs prohibiting firearms. That came after a motion to allow firearms and take down the signs by Board Member Jamie Weiland failed on a 4-2 vote.
Board will appoint new trustee through application process: The Weston Village Board Monday voted to appoint a replacement to Jim Pinsonneault’s board seat through an application process. Pinsonneault, who ran for village president in the last election, announced his resignation at the start of the following village board meeting in April. Board member Jamie Weiland questioned why that process wasn’t used to appoint Hooshang Zeyghami, but Village President Mark Maloney said he announced prior to the election that if he won, he would appoint whoever didn’t “get in” and that the board approved that process.
Business
Open art studio: The RiseUp organization held a grand re-opening for its community art studio, now in the space formerly occupied by Voss Studios. The Wausonian will have a larger story on this new space over the weekend.
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Entertainment
Dig Deep, a Stevens Point bluegrass band that’s taken off in recent years, will take the stage at Malarkey’s; plus an adventure challenge, a silent book club, plenty of options for live music and more this weekend in our Wausome Weekend Guide!
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
Softball: D.C. Everest still leads the Wisconsin Valley Conference with a 10-1 record. And, with a two-game lead over SPASH and Wisconsin Rapids and only one game left in the season, the Evergreens are assured the conference title. D.C. Everest will play one more game Friday (postponed from Tuesday), hosting Wausau West (5-6) to close out the season.
Baseball: D.C. Everest (8-0) is still leading the Wisconsin Valley Conference but Wisconsin Rapids (7-3) is hot on their heels with three games left on the season. Everest will host Merrill today (Thursday) to make up for the game that was postponed Tuesday.
Girls soccer: Wausau West (6-0) shut out Merrill 4-0 last Wednesday to remain undefeated in the Wisconsin Valley Conference going into pool play. Everest is a close second place at 5-1 as the season nears its end.
Boys tennis: Wausau East lost to SPASH 7-0 Wednesday evening, leaving Wausau East in third place in the Wisconsin Valley conference ahead of the Wisconsin Valley Conference meet today (Thursday) that caps off the regular season. The Lumberjacks had been tied for second with SPASH, but SPASH’s shutout gave them the second-place spot.
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