Lead talks | The Weekly Wausonian
Wausau news for the week of Aug. 1, 2024
Wausau leaders this week announced a meeting in August to address concerns about an ordinance that would require residents to replace their lead service lines.
The ordinance comes as the city is in the process of replacing 8,000 lead service lines in the city. The city is using money set aside from the bi-partisan infrastructure bill, but leaders early on weren’t clear that the money comes in a combination of grants and loans, and the city must accept both.
Rules coming down the pike will require the city to replace residents’ lines when they replace the public side of the line, so the ordinance would be required in order for the city to ensure it can replace its own lines.
But that led to people worried they would be forced by the city to replace the lines at their own expense. City Council President Lisa Rasmussen echoed the sentiment of many council members that they would limit line replacement in order to eliminate costs for users. The plan would have replaced all the lead lines within five years but this would make it take longer.
You can read The Wausonian’s deep dive into the lead pipe replacement plan (paywall removed) and how it got off the rails here:
Subscribers this week also read about how The Wausonian helped save the Wausau’s tavern report so the public can be better informed.
What else in Wausau?
Hate crime charges: Former mayoral candidate Christopher Wood is facing hate crime charges after an incident at a westside Kwik Trip in which he allegedly used the N word multiple times during an altercation. Wood faces disorderly conduct with a hate crime modifier, something rarely used in Marathon County. Read more details here: Christopher Wood faces hate crime charges.
Around the metro
Stay of revocation: An appeals court judge put an injunction on the revocation of Minocqua Brewing Co.’s conditional use permit to operate its brewery. The trouble stemmed from the county accusing Bangstad of violating ordinances with his beer garden. Bangstad says he offered to fix all the problems in October after tourist season but says the county rejected that offer. An appeals court put an injunction on enforcing the revocation until the appeals case can be heard.
Backyard Amazon: A new distribution center for Amazon officially opened its doors last week. The 79,000-square-foot facility is meant as a “last mile” facility getting items to customers’ doors. The Wausonian reported on how Weston approved TIF funding for Amazon without knowing who the company was - which means the public didn’t know either.
Ringle crash: A 63-year-old Rhinelander man is dead following a one-vehicle crash last week Thursday on Highway 29 between highways Q and Y. Authorities are still investigating what killed Keith Johnson. Debris from the crash could still be seen at the site Friday afternoon.
Deer hunting at the park: Marathon County will hold another deer hunt at Big Eau Pleine Park to help thin the herd - but the Parks Commission voted against holding a special permit hunt. The county considered doing so in order to better track harvests - but commission members decided staff would just work harder to get those hunting within the park to report their harvests to county officials.
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Entertainment
Thursday, Aug. 1: Taking the kids to a movie is a time-honored tradition - but did you know that doesn’t necessarily mean sitting in the air conditioning? The Wausau/Marathon County Parks Department is hosting another movie in the park. This time, the featured film is Wish, a Disney animated film from last year. Wish is the story of 17-year-old Asha, a girl who is surprised when she wishes upon a star while in need and as a result meets a real-life, magical falling star. Together they work to defeat the evil sorcerer and restore peace to the world. Bring your lawn chairs and blankets and enjoy the show. 7 pm. Free. See the full line-up and more details on the event page.
Fri-Sat, Aug. 2-3: Let’s face it, Pizza on the Farm at Stoney Acres Farm is always a joy even when there is no music. Enjoying a pizza on a sunny Friday evening with a beer in hand and friends around is just a good time waiting to happen. Add in some live music, even better. This weekend has an interesting double header - Matt and Jody from The Station will kick things off on Friday, and Tyler Vogt and the Local Heroes (of Malarkey’s fame) will make Saturday something special the following day on Saturday. Pizza runs 4-8:30 pm, and music typically starts at five. See more at Stoney Acres’ website.
Tuesday, Aug. 6: The Wausau Police Department has been holding this cookout for a number of years now - it’s a great excuse to head on down to the 400 Block, meet some of the K9 cops, bring the kids to check out the police and fire vehicles, and have some free eats cooked up by the boys and girls in blue (with some help from the fire department too). The police put on this event to express their support for the community, and hey, food is always appreciated. 11 am. Free. Check out 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
College baseball: The Wausau Woodchucks put up a pair of losses in its last two games - something rare for the Chucks this season. So rare, in fact, that the only other back-to-back losses happened in early June. The Woodchucks lost 11-8 to Green Bay on Monday and 9-4 against the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters. The Chucks headed to The Rafters’ home turf Wednesday after The Wausonian’s press time. Despite that, the Woodchucks still lead their division in the second half of the season, half a game ahead of the Madison Mallards, as the season winds down. The Chucks already secured a playoff spot with their first-half performance.
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