Election season kicks off with surprises | The Weekly Wausonian

Wausau news for the week of Dec. 7, 2023

Dec 07, 2023

We’re into December, and this year that means the pre-cursor to the spring election season.

It looks likely Wausau will have three candidates for mayor, including incumbent Mayor Katie Rosenberg, city council member Doug Diny and challenger Chris Wood. We highlighted an earlier story about Wood, who is running for Wausau mayor as an openly anti-Semitic candidate.

So far, as of The Wausonian’s press time, only Tom Kilian has announced he would not run for city council. Former County Board Member and Judicare attorney William Harris has filed to run in his place. And one other challenger, Victoria Tierney, filed to run for District No. 9.

Incumbents Carol Lukens (1), Gary Gisselman (5), Sarah Watson (8), Lou Larson (10) and Chad Henke (11) all filed to run again, according to city records. Michael Martens (2), Doug Diny (4), Becky McElhaney (6), Lisa Rasmussen (7), and Dawn Herbst (9) have not yet filed candidacy paperwork.

On the county side, three county board members — Michelle Van Krey (1), Dave Oberbeck (10) and Bruce Lamont (36) filed non-candidacy, meaning they don’t intend to run again.

So far, nothing has been filed in the Wausau School Board race, the district’s clerk says.

Paid subscribers last week read our monthly Wausau Tavern Report detailing noticeable police incidents around Wausau after dark. Consider a paid subscription today to support local journalism and see all The Wausonian has to offer.

What else in Wausau?

PFAS suit: The city of Wausau filed a lawsuit last week against the manufacturers of PFAS-containing products, seeking to recover some of the money spent mitigating those PFAS levels. Writer Devon Welsh helps to explain the Wausau PFAS lawsuit and what it means for taxpayers.

Weathering retirement: Meteorologist Tony Schumacher announced last week he is retiring. Schumacher worked in the business for 30 years, 20 of that for WAOW. He was regularly in the top three in City Pages annual Best of the Wausau Area reader survey.

Around the metro

Water rate meeting: The village of Kronenwetter held a forum to talk about proposed sewer rate increases in the village. Those rates will increase 53% in response to the Rib Mountain Sanitary District building a new treatment plant.

Morgue business: Marathon County recently chose Miron Construction to manage the construction of the county’s Regional Forensics Science Center, otherwise known as the morgue. The county chose Miron over Boldt though Boldt’s bid was lower and it scored higher on the ranking criteria the county uses. Deputy County Administrator Chris Holman told The Wausonian that because it was close, county administration interviewed the two companies and then chose Miron.

Business

Children’s opening: The Children’s Imaginarium opened its doors officially on Wednesday, an event that was at least eight years in the making. See The Wausonian’s full write-up on the Wausau Children’s Imaginarium.

Plant PFAS: Workers at 3M plant are now being given bottled water to drink after testing at the Wausau plant revealed levels of PFAS much higher than state drinking water standards. According to WPR, drinking water tested at 520 parts per trillion for two PFAS compounds - much higher than even the 70 parts per trillion the EPA had been recommending.

Entertainment

Thursday, Dec. 7: Charlie Parr is one heck of a musician. The Americana singer, typically armed with a resonator guitar, can fill a room with just his instrument and his voice. He has numerous albums and has toured all over the world. Parr is a powerhouse, and he’ll be bringing his talents to Sconni’s Alehouse and Eatery. Joining him is Reverend Meantooth and Kevin Troestler, names that could (and have) headline a show on their own. Check out the event page for more.

Fri-Sat, Dec. 8-10: Speaking of Christmas classics, A Christmas Carol, written originally as a story by the great Charles Dickens, is definitely included in that category. The folks at the Wausau Community Theater always do a stellar job with this piece, and it’s definitely worth your time checking it out. This is a great work to enjoy with the whole family, and along with The Nutcracker could be part of your Christmas tradition. 7:30 pm Friday and Saturday, 2 pm on Sunday. See their event page for more info.

Saturday, Dec. 9: Cruisin Round is a self-described hippie band, and taking one look at them, you can see why. But don’t mistake that for a lack of talent - these are excellent musicians and their jam-band style will make for a great evening of entertainment. And it’s at Malarkey’s, one of Wausau’s first real hot spots for music (and yes, with proper homage given to the late, missed Scott Street Steak and Pub). 8 pm. Check out the website for more.

Saturday, Dec. 9: It’s incredible to believe that the Holiday Makers Market has been going on for six years! Hosted at Whitewater Music Hall, explore local vendors making everything from canned beets to decorative bowls to homemade candles, pottery, Indian baked goods… the list goes on. 4-9 pm. See the event page for more details and a link to the full vendor list.

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

Girls basketball: Wausau area teams are off to a rough start on the season. D.C. Everest lost to Wisconsin Rapids 68-28 and Wausau East lost to SPASH 86-73; Wausau West plays its first game against Merrill Friday.

Boys hockey: The Warriors once again are off to a strong start to the season. Wausau West beat Merrill/East 18-0, with the shutout putting them at 2-0 in the Wisconsin Valley Conference. They’re currently tied with SPASH for first place, reviving their rivalry from last season.

Girls hockey: The Central Wisconsin Storm are off to a thundering season so far. The Storm beat Middleton Coop 7-1 to improve to 4-0 on the season. The Storm haven’t allowed more than one goal against them so far this season.

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