New faces on the Wausau School Board, the mall closes for good, and more
New faces on the Wausau School Board, the mall closes for good, and more
The Wausonian, April 8, 2020
Three new members were elected to the Wausau School Board Tuesday. Karen Vandenberg was the top vote-getter, with Cody Nikolai and incumbent Patrick McKee also earning full board seats. Jon Creisher came in fourth, earning a one-year board seat.
Vandenberg, Creisher and Nikolai ran a co-campaign, with their names appearing on campaign signs and literature. The three became involved in school board politics following the summer decision to start the fall virtually.
The election results mean incumbent Board President Tricia Zunker will no longer be on the board. Kay Gruling and Nicolas Bisgrove also ran but fell short Tuesday.
What else in Wausau?
Marathon County Corporation Counsel Scott Corbett was elected to serve as Marathon County’s new judge for the new sixth circuit court branch. Corbett defeated Daniel Cveykus, a local defense attorney and Kronenwetter’s municipal judge, to earn the seat.
The city is set to consider two new proposals for the Riverlife development area. One, from Mitch Viegut and company calls for a three-story, $8 million building and is asking $688,000 in tax incentives. The other, from T. Wall of Middleton, is calling for three four-story buildings valued at $24 million, and is asking for $2.5 million in tax incentives. City leaders will make a decision at a future meeting.
The Wausau Center mall, first opened in 1983, is now closed. The group that owns it, Wausau Opportunity Zone, says the last tenant has closed up in the mall and demolition will start on the building in May, and continue throughout the summer.
Around the metro
George Peterson hung on to his Rothschild Village President post, fending off a challenge from Kenneth Merritt. Merritt convicted earlier this year of sending a harassing letter to his neighbors. An investigation also linked him to threatening letters sent to neighbors with Biden political signs, but a judge decided there wasn’t enough evidence to convict him.
Incumbents Barb Ermeling and Nate Fiene along with Hooshang Zeyghami were elected to the Weston Board Tuesday. A previous post had two of the winners incorrect. The Wausonian apologizes for the error.
Entertainment
Krestfall will hit the Cruisin 1724 Saturday starting at 9 pm. Get your headbanging ready, cause these guys pack a metal punch, mixed with some more melodic elements. See more here.
If country is more your speed, enjoy some of that and some beer. Mattea Joy will hit Bull Falls Brewery 6 pm tonight (Thursday), which will coincide with Pizza Kiln serving their delicious wood-fired pies starting at 4 pm. Check it out at Bull Falls. Bull Falls will also host Bock Fest 1 pm Saturday, featuring the Schmidtkickers.
If games are more your speed, The Gaming Emporium is hosting a Magic The Gathering standard tournament 5:30 pm Friday. Bring your own standard legally constructed deck. Random drawing for foil packs, and all 3-0 finishers get a promo foil pack.
Sports
A Wausau West graduate is aiming for a spot at the Tokyo Olympics. Brooke Jaworski, who holds three state titles in track and field, is preparing for the Nationals in Eugene, Ore., and hopes to qualify for the Olympics. See Channel 7’s full story about Brooke.
On the pod:
CORRECTION:
A previous version of this post had incorrect winners for the Weston Village Board race. The above post is now correct. The Wausonian apologizes for the error.
Got a tip? Correction? Idea? Let us know at keepitwausome@gmail.com! All rights reserved, Wausome Media. The Wausonian is a free weekly summary of the week’s news, with semi-regular investigative pieces, delivered to your inbox every Thursday morning.
Want more? Check out City Pages to read the full weekly issue online every week.