Rothschild/Schofield pool could have its last year | Weekly Wausonian
Wausau news for the week of Thanksgiving, 2025
The Rothschild/Schofield Aquatic Center could see its last year of operation in 2026 as the commission governing the pool explores options to share Weston’s instead.
The Rothschild/Schofield Aquatic Commission instructed Rothschild Administrator Ryan VanDeWalle to explore details of a potential partnership agreement with Weston to use its pool. That came after the commission approved the 2026 budget for the pool.
The pool loses about $96,000 per year, VanDaWalle says, but the main issue is that one of Domtar’s coal plants will be decommissioned in 2031. With that comes the loss of some $650,000 in payments in lieu of taxes. Another power plant will convert to natural gas, VanDaWalle says.
The village needs to find a way to make up for that loss of revenue so taxpayers don’t find themselves with a huge bill in the 2030s. And, he says, useage of the pool has decreased over the years.
Commission chair Jason Jablonski told the commission that he also works in the school district and that they’re seeing smaller class sizes as birth rates decline. That’s also meant fewer customers for the pool over the years and that isn’t likely to change.
VanDaWalle will bring a potential agreement back to the commission to review along with some increased data. Preliminary ideas from discussions so far included the village and the city paying a $3 per resident rate to off set costs of residents of both municipalities using the pool at a normal rate. But none of that is finalized.
How much did the Diny Ethics Complaint cost taxpayers? And how much did it cost the mayor? We looked into it in our latest story:
How much did the Diny Ethics Board case cost?
In January, several Wausau citizens signed a letter accusing the mayor of violating the city’s ethics code.
And subscribers read our latest Wausau Tavern Report. Since the details are hit and miss, we go the extra mile to dig up more details on some of the calls:
The Aftershock noise battle continues | Wausau Tavern Report
We think Wausau gets pretty interesting after dark. Here are the significant police calls to Wausau taverns for the last month, plus information about liquor licenses and other bar-related matters.
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What else in Wausau?
Budget veto override: The city council didn’t take long to pass an override of Mayor Doug Diny’s veto of the 2026 budget. The council voted 9-2 to override Diny’s veto. Diny vetoed the budget out of concern for what he called a “tax hike setup” coming for 2027. In his veto message, Diny included a plan to cleave the city parks department from the county in a move he believes will save money. The original budget passed 10-1, and the override needed eight votes to pass.
Diny appoints new ethics board member: Now that the ballot box complaint is over, the city appointed one of three positions to the Ethics Board it plans to by April. The city council by a vote of 9-2 approved appointing Chris Filtz to the Ethics Board to replace the seat held by Doug Hosler. Two members served past their terms to finish the ethics complaint, and the city council wouldn’t approve new appointments while the complaint was adjudicated.
Firefighter accused of medication theft/misconduct pleads not guilty: A Wausau firefighter accused of stealing medications entered a not guilty plea in court Friday. Jared Thompson is accused of stealing drugs from Wausau Fire Department supplies and using them himself, until an alert firefighter noticed and helped bring the matter to authorities. Thompson was bound over for trial Friday. He’s currently free on a $25,000 signature bond.
Around the metro
Trial for former Riverside chief set for April: A Marathon County judge set a new trial date for a former Riverside Fire District chief accused of sexual contact with a child. Robert Bowen is now slated to appear for a trial in April on charges that include felony child enticement. A trial was originally set for November. Bowen is currently free on a $15,000 cash bond.
Man dies in town of Texas crash: Sheriff’s Officials say a 72-year-old man is dead following a one-vehicle crash in the town of Texas Saturday. The driver, William Kibler of Rhinelander, was pronounced dead on the scene following the crash near the intersection of Highway W and Alamo Road. The investigation is ongoing, Sheriff’s Officials say, and they did not name a cause of the crash.
New Kronenwetter board member appointed: The village board appointed a new member to replace Dan Joling, whose seat became empty when he was appointed village president to replace Dave Baker. The board on Monday appointed Mary Jensen, who has lived in the village since 1978 and spent 52 years in the health care field. She will fill the seat through April 2027.
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Business
Zastrow the Beer Man starts expansion project: Beer distributor Zastrow the Beer Man announced it has begun its 64,000-square-foot expansion in Merrill. The central Wisconsin and northern Wisconsin distributor says it is expanding because of adding new brands and something coming that the company says it isn’t ready to reveal yet.
Entertainment
For those not out in the woods, there are still plenty of things to do this weekend, including meeting Santa, live music and and even a production of Madagascar. (Go Kowalski the Penguin!) See it all in Your Wausome Weekend Guide:
Looking for kids/family events? Check out the full listing from The Wausonian’s partner Wausau Mama, who puts together a weekly listing of children/family activities.
Sports
Girls basketball: D.C. Everest got off to a rough start in its first non-conference game of the season against Appleton West, falling 38-30. The Evergreens got off to an early lead with a series of three-pointers, but the Terrors worked their way back to claim the win. The conference season officially kicks off Dec. 5.
Girls hockey: The Central Wisconsin Storm had a blistering season last year, but got off to a rough start Tuesday. The Storm dropped their opening game against the Lakeshore Chinooks 2-1 in a tight battle at Marathon Park. The Storm will play again over Thanksgiving Weekend in the Gobbler Cup.
Junior league hockey: The Cyclones got off to a rough start last weekend with a 7-4 loss to Peoria Friday, but avenged themselves Saturday by beating the Mustangs 9-2 on Saturday.
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