Contamination found on mall site | The Wausonian
Contamination found on mall site | The Wausonian
The Weekly Wausonian, July 8, 2021 | Your guide to Wausau news
A DNR responsible party letter was sent to city officials last week explaining the environmental contamination found on the Wausau Center site and what the city should do about it.
The DNR letter explains dry cleaning chemicals were found on the site. A previous report from the DNR listed dry cleaning chemicals as one potential contamination on the site.
Developers are currently redeveloping the Wausau Center site, with plans to turn the site into a series of mixed-use buildings, primarily focused on residential. The city in its development agreement remained the responsible party for any contamination on the site.
Read the full DNR letter for yourself.
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What else in Wausau?
A fight in the Marathon County Jail started over a Bucks playoff game, according to court records. One man was watching the Bucks game and complaining about the results, and another gloated that the Bucks won. The two fought in the bathroom, and were both charged with battery by prisoner.
Retired police chief Tracey Kujawa received a chief of the year award for 2020. The state chiefs association bestowed the honor on Kujawa, who served as both Wausau and Stevens Point’s first female fire chief. Kujawa retired in April, and staff interviewed by the police and fire commission said they wanted someone just like her for their next chief.
A celebration of life will be held later this month for the late D.C. Everest football coach Wayne Steffenhagen. Steffenhagen won 278 games, five WIAA State Championships, one WIAA Championship runner up and 18 Wisconsin Valley Conference titles. He was also known for building character and instilling life lessons in his players. The ceremony will be held July 24 at Stiehm Stadium.
Around the Metro
The Marathon County Sheriff’s Office is investigating why tornado warning sirens went off early in the morning on July 4. Sirens at The Landmark building and in Rothschild went off around 1 am July 4. The investigation was still ongoing Wednesday, Sheriff’s Office investigators told The Wausonian.
County leaders Wednesday were expected to choose providers to partner with for the first broadband projects to extend service to rural areas. The county’s task force will select providers to partner with to apply for Public Service Commission grants in order to build projects. The county for more than a decade has been trying to address the rural broadband issue but finally could see some progress in the coming years.
Entertainment
This weekend sees the first Taste ‘N Glow Balloon festival at the grass drags track in the town of Stettin. Replacing the event held at the Wausau Airport, now the event will take place at the grass drags track in the town of Stettin. The event runs Friday to Sunday and is similar to the old balloon fest but with local food vendors, a laser show and some other additions. See the whole Taste N Glow schedule here.
Aaron Lee Kaplan will be bringing his signature delta blues style to Timekeeper Distillery 7 pm Friday. Kaplan draws from a variety of influences and his particular style is sometimes called Twisted Blues. Come on down to Timekeeper and try one of their signature mixology cocktails while you take in the blues.
Vada’s Rockhouse would be a hard band to miss — its lead singer has bright green hair and would definitely stand out in a crowd. Come check her and the band at 5 pm Saturday at the Tiki Bar on Lake Dubay. Vada’s Rockhouse has the 80s glamour style down, and has a summer of shows booked throughout the state, so check them out while they’re in town. Bring your lawnchairs.
The Iola Car Show happens to be this weekend too. If you haven’t been, the Iola Car Show is the Woodstock of car shows — it’s huge and is so big Iola residents set up garage sales and kids start lemonade stands to capitalize on all the foot traffic through the otherwise quiet village of around 1,300. (It’s also worth checking out the Lutefisk dinner and associated Norwegian themed events during the winter in Iola.) This year’s car show has a 70s theme with celebrity guests including 70s bombshell Linda Vaughn. Check out the Iola Car Show website for more.
Sports
The Wisconsin Woodchucks finished the first half of the season in second place in the Northwoods League’s Great Lakes West division, one game behind the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders. The Chucks got off to a rough start in the second half, losing a stunner July 6 to the Battle Creek Bombers 21-7. The Chucks are on the road until Monday, when they host the Lakeshore Chinooks at 6:35 pm.
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