Marathon County goes back to drawing board on marijuana "decriminalization" |Weekly Wausonian
Marathon County goes back to drawing board on marijuana "decriminalization" |Weekly Wausonian
Wausau News for Jan. 6, 2022
A proposed ordinance that would have reduced fines for possession of less than 25 grams of marijuana is heading back to the drawing board.
The ordinance, which would have reduced a possession of marijuana charge to a fine of $50 instead of the current $250 in Marathon County (state statutes allow from $5-500 for the offense) will be referred to the county’s Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee for further reworking.
The move came after a long meeting in which several members were confused about how the ordinance would actually work. County Board Chairman Kurt Gibbs suggested that would be the best course of action to hammer out the details of the proposal, with representation of all areas of county criminal justice able to weigh in. “I don’t think this is ready for prime time,” Gibbs says.
What else in Wausau?
The Wausau City Council will see two primaries in the spring election. Carol Lukens, John Kroll and William Bublitz will contend for District 1, currently held by Pat Peckham. Peckham announced to he wouldn’t run this year. And, in District 4, Jesse Kearns, Doug Diny, Katherine Tracey and Vada Perkins will vie for the seat currently occupied by Tom Neal. Neal also filed non-candidacy.
Five candidate will vie for three Wausau School Board seats next spring. Incumbents Jon Creisher, James Bouche and Jane Rusch will face challengers Kayley McColley and Joanna Reyes.
Wausau could see a new liquor distribution center if ultimately approved by the city council. The $6.5 million facility would be located in the business park and will create at least 13 jobs. Badger Liquor is paying $59,000 for the property and is asking for no city incentives for the business park location.
City leaders negotiated a new contract for the second Riverlife development, a condo project - but the new contract leaves off a planned amphitheater. City leaders said it made more sense for it to be a separate contract but members of the Economic Development Committee warned developers to leave space for an amphitheater because that was an important selling point in selecting the project over others that applied.
Around the metro
Rib Mountain Sanitation District leaders shut down a town well with higher than safe standards for PFAS. Sanitation officials says the water is safe to drink, and Well No. 1 will remain shut down until further investigation and testing can happen.
This year’s county board races will see a record number of contested races, with 19 contested seats this April. Five incumbents filed non-candidacy this time around, and two more simply never filed to run nor non-candidacy paperwork. Here is a complete list of the candidates running this year.
Entertainment
It’s a weird time for entertainment. Two shows I picked out were canceled because members tested positive for COVID. Stay saf e out there my friends.
Some of you might remember the old radio variety shows, where a mix of musicians would get together and have a grand ole time on the radio. Whitewater Music Hall has been aiming toward that with its Wood and Wire Sessions, and they’ve got a great one coming up today (Thursday) with Pat Wiley, Joe Cronick (of Handpicked) and Nate Cover bringing on the bluegrass tunes! And pair that with a crafted beer the music hall brews, and that’s a nice relaxing night. 8 pm. See the event page for more.
Granite Peak has really done some interesting things lately with their events — and this is a good one. Family Festival No. 1 happens all day Saturday at Sunday at the ‘Peak, with scavenger hunts, groomer riding, and other fun kid activities. But most importantly there’s a 20-minute fireworks festival and torchlit parade Saturday night. Roast some s’mores by the fire (Fun Fact: Did you know adding raspberries is an amazing hack to make them taste even better? Bring some along for an added treat), check out the show and have a great time with the family. Details here.
Reverend Meantooth may or may not be a familiar name to you, but 20 Watt Tombstone might be. Reverend Meantooth is the nome de plume of the frontman for that band, which is Wausau-based but travels all over the country on various tours. Meantooth put out a single called Take My Soul, and if that trips your trigger, you’ll want to check him out at Cruisin1724 this Saturday. He’ll be joined by Cody James. See the event page for more details.
Sports
The Wausau West Hockey Team remains in first place with a 3-0 record in the Wisconsin Valley Conference. The Warriors last beat Wisconsin Rapids in a close 5-4 battle, with Grant Halmstad scoring the winning goal for the Warriors. D.C. Everest is 1-4 in the Valley and East/Merrill/Newman is 0-4.
The Wausau West Girls Basketball Team is leading the Wisconsin Valley Conference with a 3-0 record. Warrior Alexis White is leading the Valley in shooting percentage with a .739 percentage. West will host Marshfield at home 7:15 am Friday. D.C. Everest is 1-2 in the Valley Conference and Wauau East is 0-3.
Wausau West Boys Basketball Team is the top of Wausau area schools in the Valley Conference at 1-1. Everest and East are both 0-2. SPASH currently leads the conference with an undefeated 4-0 record.
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