Council races heat up | Weekly Wausonian

Wausau news for the week of Jan. 1, 2026

First off, Happy New Year! Thanks to everyone who supported The Wausonian this year. Wausonians love local news, truly local and independent, and it shows! And a huge shoutout to our wonderful sponsors who helped make this publication possible - you guys are the best! Thank you all! Here is to an even better 2026.

Now, the news.

At first, the city council looked to be light on challengers.

That’s all changed.

As of the day after Christmas, there are potentially five contested races for Wausau City Council.

District 1 council member Carol Lukens will likely face a challenger in Mary Kowatch.

Tom Neal in District 4 will likely face a challenger in Vylius Leskys, who offered a challenge last election sparking a primary, only to drop out shortly after the ballots had been set.

Becky McElhaney’s seat in District 6 could now be challenged by two: Mario Diaz, and former city council member Keene Winters. Winters at the end of his term ultimately was awarded a $97,000 settlement, $92,000 of it paid for by a local foundation, stemming from an incident in which he alleged berated the transit director, and Winters’ challenge to that investigation.

Matt Hoenecke looks likely to challenge Lisa Rasmussen in District 7.

And as previously reported, Timothy Howe and Bruce Trueblood will challenge for the seat to be left by Chad Henke, who filed non-candidacy earlier in December.

That’s more than the current number of potential contested races on county board, should they all pan out. As of Tuesday, the last update, only three appear to potentially be challenged. Six current county board members filed paperwork indicating that they won’t run again. One of those seats, District 1, is now being sought by former Wausau mayor Katie Rosenberg. Four county board seats have no one running in them as of the last update.

What else in Wausau?

One dead following Wausau house fire: Police say one person is dead following a fire at a house on Wausau’s Southeast Side Saturday. Officers were the first on scene to a fire in the 400 block of Fleming Street on Saturday where they removed a 68-year-old woman from the house. The resident, whom police identified as Julia Thompson, was transported first to a local hospital and then to Madison. On Monday she died of injuries sustained in the fire. Police say the fire is under investigation but warned of handling smoking materials. (Police say Thompson called because her couch was on fire and she didn’t think she could safely exit the house on her own.)

Local GOP leader entering the race for Congress: The former head of the Marathon County Republicans appears to be running for Congress. Kevin Hermening, who has a financial planning business and until recently was the chair of the Marathon County Republican Party, told media outlets this week that he expected to file a statement of candidacy Tuesday. Hermening was a Marine who survived the Iran Hostage Crisis and runs Hermening Financial Group.

Man arrested on suspicion of arson: A 30-year-old homeless man was arrested Dec. 22 on suspicion of attempting to burn a building. Dion McDuffy pleaded not guilty to negligent handling of burning materials as a repeat offender and criminal damage to property. A court ordered a $500 signature bond and he is under court order to have no contact with any Marathon County Kwik Trip, according to court records.

Around the metro

Weston prepares for garbage handler switch: The village of Weston residents will start to use their new garbage cans from Harter’s starting Jan. 1, village staff say. The village this year switched from Waste Management to Harter’s, which the city of Wausau uses. The seven-year contract includes a new annual fee for residents of $202.50, versus the old $167.

Sponsored by

Business

Clean Slate announces it’s closing: Last summer the owner of Clean Slate said the business was for sale — not closing, as one other media outlet claimed. But now it’s official. The owner announced on social media this week that the coffee shop would be closing effective immediately. The coffee shop had won a number of best in the area awards in previous years.

Entertainment

We pushed out Your Wausome Weekend Guide a little early this week because it contained our New Year’s Eve guide - but there are still plenty of non-New Year’s Eve events to check out!

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

Sports

Girls hockey: The Central Wisconsin Storm came out 2-1 in the Culver Cup in Verona over the long weekend. The Storm got off to a strong start, beating Brookfield 4-0 and Cap City Cougars 3-0 before falling to Superior in the final game in a tight 4-3 loss. The Storm are 6-3-1 on the season and get back to Wisconsin Valley Conference action on Jan. 6.

Junior league hockey: The Wausau Cyclones won a tight contest against the Rochester Grizzlies Monday, the team’s last game of the year. The Cyclones took the lead in the second period and held on to a 2-1 win, bringing them to 16-11-0 on the season, good for third place in the NA3HL Central Division.

---

Email me at brian@thewausonian.com. And as always, thanks for subscribing to The Wausonian! If you haven’t subscribed yet, check out the free and paid options below to help support local journalism:

Interested in a group subscription? Keep your employees or management team informed with a group subscription with The Wausonian. Don’t let your team be left in the dark! Interested in 25 employees or more? Email me at brian@thewausonian.com for rates.