City leaders were scheduled Tuesday to approve an amendment to its agreements with Wausau Opportunity Zone and T. Wall Enterprises to allow T. Wall to delay its mall redevelopment project with the city.
But The Wausonian noticed something was amiss when no agreement with WOZ was included in the Wausau City Council’s meeting materials.
Turns out, there is a reason for that. City Attorney Anne Jacobson confirmed that the city is still negotiating with WOZ over its statement that it would pay for any costs incurred by the delay. Apparently, the city and WOZ don’t see eye to eye on just what those costs are, exactly.
Mayor Katie Rosenberg says the city council will probably take up the issue at its first October meeting. The city set a deadline of 60 days and only half of that has passed so far, she says.
What else in Wausau?
Substitute teacher cleared: A Wausau substitute teacher accused of two counts of felony sexual assault of a child was cleared following a three-day trial. Zachary Robins was found not guilty Sept. 21 by a 12-person jury and his case was dismissed. Robins was accused of inappropriately touching two students. The jury deliberated for less than an hour before reaching the not guilty verdict.
Around the metro
Hidden investigations: The Wausonian wasn’t the first to break a story about Everest Metro Police Chief Clayton Schulz facing sexual harassment allegations. But, The Wausonian was the first to publish a letter seeming to conclude that investigation. According to a letter from Von Briesen, dated in early August, says it conclude Schulz’s conduct didn’t meet the level of sexual harassment but was very unprofessional, and as part of the firm’s recommendations, Schulz should undergo sensitivity training. Click the above link to see the full story.
No more COVID mandates: The Marathon County Board approved a resolution that bans any mandates concerning COVID-19, including for vaccines, masks and isolation. The county added county employees, in additional to Marathon County residents, to that resolution, and eliminated “unless required by law.” The meetings at the board and committee level were contentious, and some in the county tried to get Chair Kurt Gibbs to allow Dr. Pierre Kory, an Ivermectin advocate, to speak at the board’s education meeting. Gibbs, according to advocates, did not allow the speaker. Gibbs did not respond to The Wausonian’s request for comment on the matter.
Brazilian buyer: A company based in Brazil is buying the motor and engine division of Beloit-Regal, which includes Marathon Electric. Only press releases confirmed the pending sale at $400 million.
Sponsored by
At Venado Cerveceria, it’s always wine time. Open 4-8 PM Tue - Thur & 4 - 9 PM Fri & Sat. Located at 209 Grant Street, downtown Wausau.
Entertainment
Thurs-Sun, Sept. 28-Oct. 1: The Central Wisconsin Book Festival is pretty new compared to many events around here, but it’s really grown into quite the weekend. Featuring four days of events ranging the gamut of book genres held in Wausau, Stevens Point and Wisconsin Rapids. The most popular appears to be a talk from an author who focused on Frank Lloyd Wright - so much so that they added a second event. Check out the entire event lineup here.
Sunday, Oct. 1: Looking for something to do with the kids? Willow Springs will host its Harvest Fest this weekend, featuring a craft section, bounce house, face painting, and live music among other fun activities. There will be a breakfast from 9-11 am, a charcoal chicken and ham buffet from noon-3 pm plus wagon rides all day. And of course, you can’t miss the corn maze, which will be open for the fest. 9 am. Check out the website for more details.
Fri-Sat, Sept. 29-30: One of the first paid writing gigs your Wausonian editor ever booked was covering snowmobile races for an online sports magazine. So, I’ve always been a little partial to them, with the screaming engines and tight maneuvering. The grass drags and swap meet will be ongoing Friday and Saturday at the Trailmates Snowmobile Club at 140914 Stettin Drive. Gates open at noon on Friday and 8 am on Saturday. Watch various classes of snowmobiles race across the grass, plus watch the dirt pullers tear up the separate dirt track, and browse numerous vendors on the site. $10 per day, no weekend passes. Check out the event website for more details.
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
Football: The Warriors’ undefeated run has come to an end as D.C. Everest and Wausau West are now tied for second place with a 3-1 record. West lost to SPASH 27-7 on Friday, leaving SPASH as the only undefeated team in conference.
Volleyball: D.C. Everest remains the top of the Wausau areas teams. The Evergreens are 5-1 in the valley, behind only Marshfield, after D.C. Everest beat Wausau East on Thursday.
Girls tennis: Wausau West tennis appears unstoppable heading into the Wisconsin Valley Meet today (Thursday). The Warriors are undefeated in the conference with a 6-0 record. The conference meet will cap off the season ahead of the playoffs.
Boys soccer: The Evergreens remain dominant in the Wisconsin Valley Conference with a 5-0 record. D.C. Everest defeated Wisconsin Rapids 1-0 Tuesday and look well poised heading into playoffs soon.
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