Kicked out | The Weekly Wausonian

Wausau news for the week of June 27, 2024

Kirk Bangstad didn’t get too far into his speech before Oneida County’s Planning and Zoning Committee last week.

The chairman of the meeting tried to interrupt him as he brought up issues with the town and lawsuits to keep him on track, but the Minocqua Brewing Company owner just kept speaking, until finally the meeting adjourned. Bangstad kept talking to the audience during the recess.

When they returned, Bangstad was escorted out by police. The committee ultimately voted to suspend the conditional use permit that allowed Minocqua Brewing Company to operate its outdoor space. Bangstad in a follow-up video posted to Facebook said the move would cost him $300,000-$400,000 in lost revenue.

The dust-up is the latest in the long saga of the Northwoods brewing company. Bangstad is known for inserting his left political leanings into his business’ marketing and also runs a SuperPAC supporting left-leaning causes, which put him at odds with the area’s more conservative population.

Bangstad this year opened his taproom in Madison.

Paid subscribers last weekend read our newly expanded Wausau Tavern Report, and found out who is taking liquor licenses in the city (including a new type of restaurant Wausau hasn’t seen before):

And read about an upcoming story in The Wausonian this weekend, plus some other tidbits:

What else in Wausau?

Wausau suspect in Stevens Point beating heading to trial: One of three Wausau-area young men accused of beating to death an older man in Stevens Point is headed for trial. Brandon Boehm has been bound over for trial following a preliminary hearing. Police accused Boehm, Christian Emerson and Arlin Sangster of beating to death 61-year-old Donald Mitchell, Jr. of Stevens Point following an argument outside of the Cobbletone Hotel in Point.

New Wausau football team?: Organizers of a new football team in Wausau say they’re seeking players. The Wisconsin River Muskies is a new amateur football team based in the Wausau area. Organizers told The Wausonian that the team is seeking players over 18 to join the team and that while most players will probably have high school or college experience, anyone is welcome to try out. The team will hold a preview day noon-4 pm July 27 at the Greenheck Fieldhouse, with tryouts to follow in August.

Home invasion conviction and assault yields probation: A man convicted of breaking into someone’s house and assaulting them was given probation as the result of a plea bargain with prosecutors. Police say T'Eliq Whitelow, 19 of Wausau, broke into an east side home and when the owner of the house checked on the noise he and another intruder made, he hit the homeowner with his gun. He also hit the owner’s nephew. He will serve three years and face a prison sentence if he violates probation.

Around the metro

Death at Lincoln Hills School: The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday announced that a 16-year-old student there assaulted two staff members, hospitalizing one of them. On Wednesday, Sheriff’s Office officials announced that the person hospitalized, 49-year-old Corey Proulx, died of his injuries. The other staff member, a 25-year-old woman, received minor injuries and was released. Multiple agencies are investigating the incident.

Pine Crest sale delayed: Lincoln County leaders delayed the sale of its county-run nursing home, saying there were complications with the sale but declining to further elaborate. Lincoln County last year voted to hire a broker and had planned to sell Pine Crest to a company that would continue to run it as a nursing home. Advocacy group People for Pine Crest have been pushing for the county to keep the nursing home county-run and continue to call for that.

Business

Long live the PI: Owners of the Polack Inn on the north side of downtown Wausau confirmed they are planning to sell the business. The Polack Inn is known for hosting shows with hardcore music and has been a favorite of local and traveling musicians for some time. The transfer to the new owners will be complete July 1, and the bar will remain closed for some time as the new owners work on the building, PI’s owners say. See Milwaukee’s Midnight Reruns playing at the PI ten years ago:

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Entertainment

Thursday, June 27: Though I don’t know a lot about architecture, but I love taking walks around the historic East Hill District. So I definitely appreciate architecture! For those who also love architecture, this new event series is focusing on the Athletic Park neighborhood. Come take a walk, learn all about the architecture of the neighborhood from a historical expert and have some fun. Free. Dress for the weather and wear good walking shoes. Check out the event page for more information.

Saturday, June 29: Hey, sometimes you need balance in life. For example, a really long bike ride needs to be balanced with ice cream. Right? It’s basically science. That’s the idea behind the Tour ‘d Briq’s, a cycling event that has cyclists traversing between two and five Briq’s locations, eating ice cream along the way. The ride is a benefit for the Cycling Without Age program, in which cyclists called Pilots drive tri-shaw bicycles to help elderly and disabled people get the experience of bicycling without being able to ride a bike themselves. Suggested donation is $20. Registration opens at 10 am, ride starts at 11 am. Helmets required. Rain date is Sunday. Check out the event page for more information.

Saturday, June 29: Billy Bronsted is local to Wausau, and he’s become one of the top country singers in the state. He’s got two albums to his name: 2017’s This Bed of Mine and the latter Rhythm, Racket % Romance. He’s played the stage at Mile of Music in Appleton (not an easy event to get into), played plenty of other festivals and has been featured more than once on Bard Sessions. And in the summer months, what better place to see Billy Bronsted than high atop Rib Mountain, as the late Glen Moberg used to say? Concerts are free but a state park vehicle pass is required to park. ribmountain.org

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

College baseball: The Wausau Woodchucks suffered a rare loss Tuesday, 9-7 to the Lakeshore Chinooks in Mequon. Despite that, the Woodchucks remain 2.5 games into first place with a 22-6 record. As it stands the Chucks seem to be in good shape with roughly three weeks to go until the all-star break.

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