Kronenwetter will get a new village president | The Weekly Wausonian

Wausau news for the week of Feb. 20, 2025

The village of Kronenwetter will be getting a new president.

Kronenwetter residents elected David Baker and Aaron Myszka to head on to the April 1 spring election. Baker took the top spot with 364 votes, with Myszka coming close with 333. Voll was a distant third with only 184.

Baker is a former county board member and Myszka is a newer village board member.

Incumbent Weston President Mark Maloney fared much better, leading the vote totals Tuesday. Maloney received 544 votes. He will face off with board member Jim Pinsonneault who got 288 votes. Hooshang Zeyghami was eliminated narrowly from the race with only 240 votes.

The leadership change in Kronenwetter comes after a period of trouble in the village. Employee turnover has churned in the village and lawsuits and harassment allegations have plagued leadership.

The Wausonian published candidate profiles for the Weston Village President race and the Kronenwetter Village President race.

This week The Wausonian attended the meeting about the new plans for Rib Mountain - one of only two journalists to do so:

What else in Wausau?

BREAKING: Wausau’s Ethics Board found that the complaint filed against Mayor Doug Diny violating the city’s ethics code was plausible (meaning the facts stated if true would constitute a violation) and elected to proceed with an investigation. The board will collect evidence and if it determines probable cause, the board could move to a hearing on the matter. The board’s now previous chair, Kay Palmer, recused herself from the complaint saying that in her role with the League of Women’s Voters she expressed an opinion on the matter. (And The Wausonian found Palmer signed the letter on Oct. 2 calling on the Attorney General to investigate the Diny ballot removal which led to a state investigation.) A more detailed story is coming soon.

Bowling alley fire: A fire at Day’s Bowl-a-Dome shut down the business on Sunday. Day’s owners posted on Facebook that they were working with a restoration company to shore up the building and then looking at the next steps to take. The Wausau Fire Department was investigating the cause of the fire.

Garbage in, garbage out: The city of Wausau is planning to seek proposals for a new garbage carrier. The contract with Harter’s ends in early 2026. The contract has an option for an extension, and members of the city’s Public Health and Safety Committee Monday said they were happy with the service and the cost, but Harter’s told city officials they would prefer to bid with other garbage haulers (likely because the contract only allows for a 2% annual increase, much less than inflation recently). So the committee decided to put it out for bid.

Around the metro

Mobile home park soon to be bulldozed: A mobile home park in the city of Schofield could be bulldozed soon. Back taxes on the property - totaling nearly $140,000 - would have to be paid by March 1 or else the county will take the property. And county leaders elected last week to designate $225,000 to clean up the site, which was designated a human health hazard. (Despite closing several years ago, the site has a rodent infestation and health department officials in a lawsuit said there was evidence of squatters living on the site.)

Snowmobile trails opened: County snowmobile trails opened last week, likely a relief for snowmobilers and retailers of the machines alike. Snow had been light in the early part of the season and with warm temperatures last season, snowmobile tourism suffered.

County fills District 24 spot: The Marathon County Board last week appointed a new board member to the District 24 seat. Nicholas Endres is the founder of Helping Hand Community Agency, a marketing and talent agency, and previously worked at County Materials and Del Monte. He fills the seat left by Mosinee Mayor Brett Jacobson, who resigned in early December.

Business

Jalapenos officially closes: Last week in The Wausonian, we reported that Jalapenos downtown had been closed for nearly three weeks, according to downtown sources. This week Jalapenos made it official, posting Monday on Facebook that they are indeed closing down.

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Entertainment

Thursday, Feb. 20: Carmyn Hoen graced the cover of City Pages way back in 2016. Today she is still going strong with her band The Third Wheels, and even got a chance to play the 400 Block last year. The band is known for its high energy and enthusiasm, and playing great renditions of cover music to keep you dancing and having a good time. The Third Wheels will take to Sconni’s, and thankfully with enough notice for us to let you guys know. Go check them out, grab a beer and be merry. 7 pm. See the event page on Facebook.

Saturday, Feb. 22: Billy Bronsted is a Wausau-based country musician and he’s really come into his own lately. His voice was already powerful when he released This Bed of Mine in 2017, but his vocals and his music in general really took off for the release of Rhythm, Racket and Romance in 2022. Bronsted brought the house down (until weather intervened) at the Rib Mountain Amphitheater over the summer (a special treat came when Jordan Miles joined on the keys). And he’s played Miles of Music in Appleton, not an easy gig to book. Bronsted’s been on a Wisconsin tour lately with a pretty solid schedule booked and this stop at the Intermission shouldn’t be missed. 8 pm. Intermission Bar on Facebook.

Saturday, Feb. 22: RITTZ might not exactly be what you think about when you think about rap. He’s got long, frizzy Weird Al hair that shoots out from underneath his stocking cap, and round John Lennon-eque glasses. In one of his most recent videos for a song called “Who” he seems to be chilling in a room that looks like a retired regional manager in Northern Wisconsin would live in. But when the beat drops, you hear he’s the real deal, spitting fast bars over a booming bass undercurrent. The Georgia native has been rapping since 2007, and based on the number of subscribers and views on YouTube, doesn’t look to be slowing down any time soon. 6 pm. $25 ($50 includes Q&Z Lounge).

Sunday, Feb. 23: There are two joys to magic shows. The first is the spectacle of what is actually being performed. And the second comes afterward, as you wonder, just how did they pull that off? The Magic of Rob Lake is a show that will inspire both of those joys. A finalist in 2018’s America’s Got Talent, Rob Lake has been called the World’s Greatest Illusionist by NBC (sorry David Blaine). His dazzling show will leave you bewildered, wondering as you leave how he did it, and how he did so in such style. 7 pm. $35-$82. See the event page for more.

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

Boys basketball: D.C. Everest notched a win and is nipping at the Warriors’ heels, but Wausau West remains the top Wausau area team as the season wins down. The Evergreens defeated 65-46 Tuesday, while top-ranked Marshfield defeated Wausau West 59-39. The Evergreens (5-5) have a chance to take the lead from the Warriors (6-5) next week as D.C. Everest takes on last-ranked Wisconsin Rapids and West takes on No. 2 SPASH.

Girls basketball: D.C. Everest and Wausau West are neck-and-neck in the Wisconsin Valley Conference but Everest is likely to finish the season on top. Everest took the lead from the Warriors after defeating Merrill 59-23 while Wausau West lost to Marshfield 79-47. Everest will clinch the No. 3 spot with a win over Wisconsin Rapids today (Thursday), which caps the girls basketball season. The Warriors have no games remaining this season.

Boys hockey: Both Wausau West and SPASH ended the season with wins, leaving SPASH the top Valley Conference team with a perfect 10-0 record. The Warriors finished 8-2, their only two losses coming to SPASH. Everest finished in third with a 6-4 record.

Girls hockey: The Central Wisconsin Storm finished with a loss, but losses were rare this season overall as the Storm cap the season with a 20-4 record heading into the post-season. The Storm dropped a 3-0 game to Bay Area in Ashwaubenon.

High school state curling championships: The Wausau West girls team took second place this weekend at the State High School Curling Championships. West lost to Portage in the final round. On the boys side, Portage bested SPASH for the championship. Wausau East and D.C. Everest also sent teams to the competition.

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