County morgue set to open in July | Weekly Wausonian
Wausau news for the week of May 8, 2025
County officials say the regional forensics science center, or county morgue, is expected to complete construction in June and officially open in July.
Medical Examiner Jessica Blahnik, who will become the director of operations under the new restructuring, says the county has hired a Chief Medical Examiner and Deputy Medical Examiner for the forensics center, and is currently in the process of hiring an autopsy supervisor.
The office’s opening is a long time coming - this reporter first broke news about the project in 2015. The idea is that forensic autopsies (such as those that must be performed when a crime happens) can be done locally and save county staff and deputy time and money transporting bodies to Madison, one of only three centers in the state. Other counties also plan to use the center, bringing in revenue for the county to support the center.
Meanwhile, Blahnik says that starting at the end of the month the office will already start performing autopsies locally at an alternative site until they move into the new building in July.
Are expensive local political races coming to an end? We look at spending in the Weston/Kronenwetter village president races and what it means for high-spending political races:
Are high-spending local races coming to an end?
The two races for village president - in Kronenwetter and in Weston - seemed to buck the trend in spending on local races that have become commonplace as of late.
What else in Wausau?
RiverLife Park vendor backs off of running concession stand: The vendor the city approved to run the concession stand at RiverLife Park this summer - the owners of Sawmill Trampoline Park - backed away citing family health issues, Parks Director Jamie Polley told the Parks and Recreation Committee Monday. That leaves the city currently without a vendor as the other vendor in contention had backed out before the decision was made. Parks staff are coming up with options, which might include city staff operating the stand. The city plans to hold a special meeting to hear those plans and make a decision.
City nixes potential ban signage from council chambers: City leaders decided not to move forward with an idea to restrict signage in the council chambers during meetings. That was one of several rules presented for discussion at the city’s Rules and Review Committee. The Committee expressed concerns about First Amendment violations and city council member Terry Kilian said that as long as the signs aren’t disruptive or being used dangerously, they are an important part of expression in a democracy.
City receives responses for infill lots: After struggling with finding developers to build houses on city in-fill lots (city-owned lots without houses), city leaders now say they’ve received interest from three builders interested in developing modular homes on those lots. The city’s Economic Development Committee Tuesday voted to approve the list of developers and allow the city to work with them depending on who has the best fit and price for each project.
Near-lakefront city-owned property sale draws controversy: The city’s Economic Development Committee narrowly approved a deal to sell a series of lots in the 200 block of Wyatt Street to a young contractor who wants to build a house there for about $1,000. The city-owned site does have contamination from a past owner who performed automotive work in the backyard and is in a flood plain, making building harder. But it’s also near Lake Wausau, and some committee members said it should sell for much more. And, a neighbor who is also on the lake association told the committee no one in the association was aware the property was available. The deal will need to go before the city council for approval.
Around the metro
Jake Langenhahn resigns from the county board: County Board Member Jake Langenhahn turned in his resignation to the Sheriff (as is standard procedure) on April 25, according to a copy obtained by The Wausonian. The county is currently advertising to fill the vacancy.
Business
Bull Falls Brewery unveils new logo, opening target: Bull Falls Brewery’s new owner unveiled a new logo for the business. Renovation on the building continues, according to a recent Facebook post, and now the new owners say the brewery should be open “just in time to kick off summer.” Check out the logo and the new Facebook page here.
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Entertainment
A British invasion, Children’s Festival, Reptiles and plenty of music and dance in this week’s Wausome Weekend Guide. Check out all there is to do in the Wausau area - we packed this one full of options for you!
Your Wausome Weekend Guide
Welcome to a brand new feature of The Wausonian: The Wausome Weekend event guide. We happen to think there are a lot of cool things to do in the Wausau area on any given weekend, and so every week we put together this guide for you. Use it as your guide to weekend fun and Wausau nightlife, and share it with your friends!
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
Softball: D.C. Everest has proven to be unbeatable this year as the Evergreens notched another win, 11-0 (five innings) against Wausau East Tuesday and a 1-0 win against SPASH on Wednesday. The Evergreens are now 9-0 and leading the Wisconsin Valley Conference.
Baseball: Wausau West and Wausau East both improved their records with wins on Tuesday but they still trail D.C. Everest, which holds a 6-0 record and leads the Wisconsin Valley Conference.
Girls soccer: Wausau West is tied for first place with SPASH as both notched wins Tuesday. The Warriors defeated Wisconsin Rapids 5-0 Tuesday to improve to 3-0, giving them a slight edge over SPASH at 3-1.
Boys Tennis: Last Thursday’s matches were postponed which leaves a four-way tie for first place among Wausau West, Wausau East, SPASH and Wisconsin Rapids at 1-1. Marshfield currently leads the Valley at 2-0. More matches are scheduled for today (Thursday).
Thank you!
To the Wausau Golden K Kiwanis Club for allowing me to speak to you about The Wausonian and about journalism on Monday morning. I appreciate all the great questions!
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