Chick-fil-A coming to Rib Mountain and election results | Weekly Wausonian
Wausau news for the week of Nov. 10, 2022
Votes were still being tallied as The Wausonian went to press, but it seems like Tuesday’s elections were a split between being very red locally, but blue statewide.
Tony Evers defeated Trump-favored Tim Michels, who in turn had defeated Rebecca Kleefisch in the Republican primary. Democrat Josh Kaul so far is keeping challenger Eric Toney at bay (Toney conceded) for Attorney General and Democrat Doug LaFollette holds a tight lead over Amy Loudenbeck in the Secretary of State race.
But, Republicans won three of five Congressional seats and Republican Ron Johnson seems to have held off Mandela Barnes in a tight race that hasn’t been called yet.
Locally, Cory Tomczyk, who is suing a local online newspaper and had a bizarre forum performance at the Wisconsin Institute for Public Policy and Service last month, sent challenger Bob Look packing easily (State Senate 29). And Pat Snyder earned another term by holding off Democratic challenger Kristin Conway (State Assembly 85).
Other interesting results include Stevens Point passing all of its road spending referendums, now a requirement following the controversy with Division Streets redesign. And it passed a resolution seeking the legalization of marijuana in the state.
Democratic sheriff’s office incumbent Mike Lukas held off a challenger in Portage County, and Republican Sheriff Ken Schneider did the same in Lincoln County.
Check every race through WAOW’s election results page.
What else in Wausau?
Something to bark about: Apparently a friend of a former dog park committee owner (whew!) has offered to provide some really nice tables for the city’s dog park, Two Hearts. Those tables will go under the new shelter, which is now erected at the park. Special correspondent and golden retriever Abby reports that the park is nice indeed.
Bad landlord (allegedly!): A Wausau landlord is facing felony charges related to a rental property he failed to upkeep. Bryan Morel is facing charges for theft, tampering with official notices (such as ones condemning the building) and providing unfit living conditions for his tenants at his Third Avenue building. The Wausonian will likely be digging into this one further. He’ll soon appear in court for a plea hearing.
Around the metro
Master plan cometh: DNR officials now say the State Natural Resources Board could vote on a plan to revise the Rib Mountain State Park as early as this year. DNR officials are working as fast as possible, so the board could vote on it late this year or early next year, project manager John Pohlman tells The Wausonian. The plan makes major changes to the park, including adding a lot of mountain biking and a potential corridor to Nine Mile Forest. See The Wausonian’s full post on the plan here:
New life for an old T-bird: Ok, so it’s a little outside of The Wausonian’s coverage zone, but anyone who’s traveled north to Minocqua or beyond will care about this: The old T-Bird Country railway bridge that was taken down recently has found a new home. The bridge is now located at Lakeland Union High School in Minocqua. The railway bridge was built in 1936 and shortly thereafter was spraypainted with “T-Bird Country.” It became a landmark for northward travelers since. Thanks to the efforts of Minocqua artist Bob Metropulos, organizers were able to raise enough to restore and relocate the bridge.
Business
Rib-fil-A?: The Wausonian confirmed right on deadline that a group of developers that includes Rolly Lokre of Lokre Companies and Mike Masgay of Tine Cellar and proposing a Chick-fil-A restaurant on Rib Mountain Drive. The town’s plan commission discussed the proposal Wednesday night but town staff confirmed rumors going around about a Chick-fil-A are true. The site will need to be rezoned to allow for a drive-through.
Entertainment
Friday, Nov. 11: Interested in trying Ballroom Dancing? Come down to the Elk’s Lodge at 6 pm to give Legato’s group classes a try. You don’t need to be an Elk’s member. Try out the group class for $5 from 6:15-6:45 pm, and/or the social dance from 7-9 pm for $15. See the event page for more details.
Friday, Nov. 11: And if you’re not a dancer, head on down to Whitewater Music Hall to check out a double film premiere by Dance for Screen. The organization bills itself as a workshop combining the storytelling qualities of dance with film. I don’t know what that means exactly but it sounds intriguing, and there is beer and cocktails by Night Tribe Cocktails on tap, so it promises to be a delightful evening. Check out the event page for more details.
Saturday, Nov. 12: The Wausonian has been following Bradley Sperger for some time. The musician is a one-man band, using live-looping to achieve the sound of a full band while being only one person. It’s really fun to watch him build a song, setting up the rhythm on drums then switching to bass, then grabbing the guitar and singing over it all. All against the fun backdrop of The Garage, which is quickly climbing the ranks of bars to see music at. The event details here. 7 pm.
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
Semi-pro hockey: The Wausau Cyclones lost a pair of games to the Rochester Grizzlies last weekend, losing 3-1 on Nov. 4 and 6-2 on Nov. 5. The Cyclones are 4-7-3 on the season so far (wins, losses and overtime losses) and fifth place out of six teams in the central division of the North American 3 Hockey League.
Thanks for reading The Wausonian! If you’re not already subscribed, you can sign up for free to get this roundup sent to you every Thursday. Or, consider a paid subscription to get all The Wausonian’s content.
As always, please email tips or corrections to keepitwausome@gmail.com.