Second skier dies in Granite Peak crash | Weekly Wausonian
Wausau news for the week of Feb. 19, 2026
Two skiers have died so far this year while skiing at Granite Peak, the latest occurring this month.
Reports say Alexandra Blattner, 20 of Neenah, died Feb. 5 after she collided with a tree while skiing at the ski resort. Blattner was a UW-Oshkosh student.
That followed a male skier, who Channel 7 identified as Matthew “Matt” Ciolkosz, died after also crashing into a tree while skiing at the resort on Jan. 11.
Marathon County Sheriff Chad Billeb told The Wausonian that both deaths are considered accidental by the Sheriff’s Office. The Marathon County Medical Examiner’s Office also confirmed to The Wausonian that both deaths were ruled accidental.
The Wausonian reached out to Granite Peak for a statement and to ask if there are any safety changes the resort plans to make. As of Wednesday, no response has been received.
What does it take to actually rebuild a life in Wausau? It turns out, it’s not always easy:
The All Movement Store brings something unique to Wausau, and central Wisconsin - a store dedicated to yoga and dance apparel and supplies:
What else in Wausau?
Two move on in Wausau primary: Kristin Slonski and Keene Winters will move on to the April 7 election. Slonski received the most votes with 194, followed by Winters with 176. Mario Diaz was eliminated from the race with only 71 votes. See our Marathon County election guide (and bookmark it) to see this and other candidate interviews as we conduct them.
City to expand bike share program: The city’s Infrastructure Committee this week shifted its business model to a sponsorship model and unveiled plans to add bike stations. Assistant Planner Carrie Edmundson explained to the committee that the original pilot was just testing the bike share program, with two stations along the River’s edge trail in the RiverLife area. The new program would add stations potentially to Marathon Park, the new downtown developments and the west River’s Edge Trail. The idea, Edmundson explained, is that the bikes could now be used for transportation, solving the “last mile problem,” especially to the business park where city busses currently don’t go. The bikes would be funded by sponsors, and bikes would have the sponsor’s name on them. The five stations would cost $50,000 total, and city leaders hope to find sponsors for most or all of the cost.
Around the metro
Weston approves referendum language: The Weston Village Board on Monday approved the language for a referendum that will ask voters to approve an annual increase of $600,000 on the village’s tax levy. The increase is meant to pay for needed firefighters for the SAFER Fire District - that’s the village’s share with Rib Mountain to cover the cost of the firefighters. The motion passed 5-2 — board members Barb Ermeling and Joe Jordan said they disagreed with the amount included in the referendum.
County releases RFP for UWSP Wausau campus: Marathon County officials last week released a request for proposals for the UWSP - Wausau campus as the college plans to move in with Northcentral Technical College starting next fall. As The Wausonian previously reported, the county is looking for uses that take up at least one whole building, up to the entire campus, and county officials said they want proposed uses to add to the county’s tax base. UWSP-Wausau announced last year that it would be leaving the campus, after earlier admitting it was only using less than a quarter of the building space. Proposals are due March 31.
Four move on in Everest school board primary: Four candidates for the D.C. Everest School Board will move on to the spring election after Tuesday’s elections. Jennifer Douck, Yee Leng Xiong, Daron Juneau and Bill Wonway will move on after getting the most votes of the five candidates. Douck earned the most with 1,002 votes and Xiong garnered 960. Juneau received 790 votes and Conway received 517.
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Venado granted liquor license extension after burst pipe: The city’s Public Health and Safety Committee granted a 90-day extension to Venado Wine Bar after a pipe burst above their establishment. The burst pipe caused a significant amount of water damage, according to the owner, and a recent photo on Facebook showed the space completely empty of furniture and decor. The space is likely to be closed until the end of March, owners told the committee. Businesses with liquor licenses must remain open or risk forfeiting them, which is why they needed the extension from the committee.
Entertainment
Fire and Ice will take over the Children’s Imaginarium this week, raising funds for the downtown children’s center of learning and discovery. Plus a circus-themed dinner mystery, stunning Peking acrobats, your heavy metal bluegrass band and much more 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
Boys basketball: D.C. Everest remains on top of the Wisconsin Valley Conference after a win last Thursday. The 7-1 Evergreens defeated Wisconsin Rapids 81-45, giving them a two-game lead over Marshfield but now only a one-game lead over SPASH as the conference season nears its close.
Girls basketball: D.C. Everest remains the top Wausau area team in the Wisconsin Valley Conference, but a loss Friday dropped the Evergreens down the order. D.C. Everest lost to Wisconsin Rapids 46-33. That drops D.C. Everest to third place in the conference with one game left in the conference season.
Boys hockey: Wausau West will take on its first opponent of the WIAA regional playoffs today (Thursday). The Warriors will take on New Richmond, which defeated D.C. Everest 5-1 Tuesday to eliminate the Evergreens from the tournament. The Wausau East-Merrill Coop lost to Superior 6-2, marking its last-ever game as a team.
Girls hockey: The Central Wisconsin Storm will take on the winner of Northland Pines and SPASH Tuesday in their first round of the WIAA sectional playoffs. The Storm are a No. 1 seed after claiming a shared title for their first-ever Wisconsin Valley Conference season.
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