The John Marshall historic saga endures | Wausau news
The Weekly Wausonian for Oct. 20, 2022
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The debate about whether or not to declare John Marshall Elementary School a historic landmark rages on.
On the surface it would seem pretty simple — the building is more than 100 years old, and it’s pretty obvious walking the halls of the school that this is a historic place.
But not everyone is happy about the idea. The Wausau School District is in the midst of restructuring its schools in the face of inequalities because of low student populations. That almost certainly means consolidation of some schools. Declaring any school historic could hamper what is done with that school. Grant was declared historic recently which helped prevent a mega school from being erected on the site.
Plus, old buildings come with increased maintenance and update costs.
Still, residents are concerned about losing neighborhood schools, and past consolidation plans were quickly scrapped out of concern for that very reason.
For those interested, the city’s Historic Preservation Commission will hold an information meeting 6 pm Wednesday, Oct. 26 at city hall. No action will be taken. It’s for info only.
What else in Wausau?
Eastbay layoffs: Eastbay/Footlocker is going to lay off more than 200 employees starting early next year, according to a letter the company’s general counsel sent to the DWD and Mayor Katie Rosenberg. See all the details we know here.
Affordable housing: City leaders chose Commonwealth Development Companies to develop a 50-unit, four-story building on the 700 Grand Avenue site, which was once home to Vino Latte and currently contains a community garden and orchard.
Wausau’s Walter White?: A 40-year-old Wausau man is facing federal charges of possession of meth with intent to sell it. Anthony Anderson faces a minimum of 10 years in federal prison and up to life after he was arrested in August in possession of roughly 50 grams of meth, police say.
Closing clubhouse: Despite intense political pressure from people of all partisan leanings and a growing mental health crisis, North Central Health Care closed Community Clubhouse last week. The clubhouse provided a communal gathering place for those with mental health challenges. NCHC is closing the clubhouse as it wrestles with millions in operational budget shortfalls.
Drunken driving danger: Police arrested a man this past weekend who they say drove drunk and crashed
into the entrance to the Eau Claire River Conservancy. The driver, who was cited with first offense of drunken driving (a civil offense), was not identified but also had been swerving in and out of oncoming traffic on Grand Avenue prior to the crash on E. Kent Street.
Around the metro
County tax hike: County tax rates will be going down, but most property owners will still see a hike on their county tax bill. That’s because property values have continued to skyrocket. The average Marathon County homeowner (with a house valued at $193,000) would see an increase of $74 on the county portion of their 2023 tax bill.
Trails closing for the season: Nine Mile Forest horse and mountain bike trails are closed for the season. But you can still check out Big Eau Pleine’s great trails, which don’t close. And of course Ringle is a great option for mountain bikers.
Retiring administrator, branding: Merrill’s administrator retired this week after a controversial final few years. Dave Johnson drew ire from residents and business owners who claimed he’d mistreated them, and he survived former Mayor Derek Woellner’s attempts to oust him. The biggest controversy came when the city’s residents were surprised with a much higher tax bill. As Johnson retires, the city is working on a rebranding campaign that includes a pastel-colored M in Merrill and a font similar to Facebook’s.
Entertainent
Fri.-Sat., Oct. 21-29: Downtown Wausau has a whole lot of haunted spots to scare your pants off. That includes the Grand Theater, The Downtown Mission Church (the stories from those who worked there in the Rogers Theater days are spine-tingling) and the Marathon County Historical Museum. Learn all about their stories in the Wausau Paranormal Society’s annual ghost tours. They’re fascinating even if you ain’t afraid of no ghosts (If you didn’t catch that Ghostbusters reference, go watch it). See the event page for more details.
Friday, Oct. 21: Who says Megadeath-style metal is dead? Killing Rapunzel (I guess ironically given its name) is keeping that hard-driving metal alive as it takes to the Homestead on 52 this Friday. You know what you’re in for here: Hard-driving overdriven guitars, furious drumbeats with a double-kick drum and furious tapping-style guitar solos. They’re joined by The Deadlights. Go let your hair loose this Friday. More details on the event page.
Thurs.Sat., Oct. 20-22: If the theatre is more your forte, then UWSP’s theater department has you covered. They will be putting on a production of Wolves this weekend, about a girls soccer team and their various dramas and dreams told through six games and the events surrounding them. Many might be unaware but UWSP’s theater department is sought after as one of the top schools in the state. Come see why this weekend. See more info, ticket information and a promo video on the theatre department’s Facebook page.
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
Silent Sports: Matti Rowe of Longmont, Colo. won the 2022 Ironbull Red Granite Grinder. Rowe won with a time of 8 hours, 44 minutes and 33 seconds. Top female finisher of the race was Maria Statz of Wisconsin Rapids, who finished with a time of 10 hours, 22 minutes and 29 seconds. See the full race results and photos here. The race drew hundreds of riders from multiple states to the fourth running of this race.
Girls tennis: Wausau West’s Mia Bailey lost in the first round of the WIAA state tournament. She lost by default according to the tournament bracket. Alexis Kloth of West also lost by default. SPASH’s Tatum Thielman won her first round in three rounds, 6-1, 1-6, 10-6, before losing in the second round to end the Valley’s representation in the tournament.
Football: Wausau West defeated D.C. Everest pretty handily, racking up a 40-15 score to finish out the season last Friday. With the win, the Warriors finished the conference season in a three-way tie for first place with Marshfield and Wisconsin Rapids. West will face off against Rapids in the first round of the playoffs at home Friday; Everest will head to Hudson Friday.
Boys soccer: Despite going undefeated all season, D.C. Everest lost its first round in the WIAA state tournament to Eau Claire North Tuesday. The Evergreens tied 1-1 in regulation but lost 3-2 in overtime. Wausau West lost 2-1 to SPASH Tuesday and Wausau East lost to Marshfield 2-2(5-3).
Volleyball: D.C. Everest will face off against SPASH 7 pm Thursday at home to kick off the WIAA state tournament run. West will head to Eau Claire Memorial and Wausau East will head to Eau Claire Memorial.
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