Wausau News: Diversity Affairs Commission could be on chopping block

The Weekly Wausonian for March 31, 2022

Mar 31, 2022

The A Community For All resolution became the hot button issue of 2021. Now, there’s an effort to nix the commission that started it all.

The next county board following the April election will look at a proposal that would eliminate the Diversity Affairs Commission. The group has drawn criticism for putting forth policy while many of its members are unelected community members.

The A Community For All resolution became a hot button issue last year, with even the New York Times weighing in (which annoyed area liberals and conservatives alike).

The resolution came up a lot in candidates interviews, both positive and negative. Check out our election preview coming soon.

Long form this week

The Wausonian

Child care in Marathon County is entering crisis territory

When Wausau’s new Community Development Director first accepted her job, she told The Wausonian that she saw child care as an economic development issue. That might initially seem odd if you’ve never had to navigate the world of work and child care. Those who have, however, understand completely…

3 years ago · 1 like · 1 comment · B.C. Kowalski

What else in Wausau News?

An attorney for Council Member Deb Ryan is threatening lawsuit against the ethics board that investigated her. According to the letter, Ryan’s attorney accused the board of editorializing in its dismissal of the complaint against her. Ryan was accused of spreading false information about County Board Member Will Harris and trying to get him fired. The letter, sent to the city attorney but provided to The Wausonian, asks the city attorney to intervene with some kind of plan within 48 hours. Ryan is also planning to seek reimbursement for legal fees from the city to the tune of $15,000-$20,000.

The city’s Historic Preservation Commission is still trying to have John Marshall Elementary School designated a historic landmark. Now it is sending a letter to the Wausau School Board, whose leaders convinced the city’s plan commission to put the brakes on the process fr six months. School officials want to complete a facilities plan before having one of its schools designated a historic landmark, which limits what a building owner can do with it.

City leaders on Friday started giving out bottled water to residents as the city works toward solutions to remove PFAS from its water — but quickly ran out. The city Friday announced it had bottled water for residents and took pre-orders for filter pitchers — but the city ran out by Monday afternoon already. All six Wausau wells tested for PFAS, a carcinogen, above new recommendations by state regulators.

Wausau Business

Fixations (formerly knowns as Vino Latte) in Weston is going to be sold, according to a post on their social media account. The business is up for sale on the Woldt Realty site, with two listings for $329,000 and $399,000. (Woldt has the listings behind a sign-in process that doesn’t appear to work.)

Share The Wausonian

Wausau Events Highlights

Thursday, March 31: I might be a bit biased here, since the pianist and I are former classmates, but this looks intriguing: UWSP graduate Rie Tanaka is joining forces with Yuki Tokuda to present Iridescent Blue, 7:30 pm at Michelsen Hall in Stevens Point. Iridescent Blue combines Tanaka playing some of the most difficult piano solos in all of music with Tokuda’s dance choreography for a stunning show. I’ll be there, anyway. Free. See the event listing for more details.

Sunday, April 3: Maybe this is a little too much classical music this week, but hey, it’s season appropriate. The Grand Theater will be hosting Handel’s Messiah. And the best part is, it’s free! The Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra will play The Messiah which includes the iconic “Hallejuah” — but for real, the whole show is incredible. Thought free, The Grand is recommending reserving your tickets. Check out the event listing here.

Friday, April 1: I know I’ve mentioned before how it’s great that we have comedy again - but it bears repeating. This week high-energy comic Chris Barnes is coming to Bantr, which is part of the new Koo Coo’s Comedy Nest shows. Barnes has performed with the likes of Sinbad, Andrew Dice Clay and John Mendoza, to name a few. He’ll be joined by Minneapolis-based comedian Trever Anderson, who’s also a rising name in the comedy world. Come get some laughs! 9 pm. See the event page for ticket info.

Wausau sports

The Wausau Woodchucks are already adding to the team. This week the Chucks signed freshmen catcher Collin Reuter from BYU and outfielder Zach Levensen of Miami to the team. The Chucks have now signed roughly a dozen players since February as it prepares for its first season as the Wausau Woodchucks (after having been the Wisconsin Woodchucks for many years).

On the pod

Misty Lee Poenhelt was one of the first hemp farmers in the state of Wisconsin when the state opened up its program. This week we talk to Misty about how it’s going and some the challenges of being a pioneer in this industry in the state. Check out the video version below or search Keep it Wausome on iTunes, Spotify or your preferred podcast app:

Thanks for reading The Wausonian! If you’re not already subscribed, you can sign up for free to get this roundup sent to you every Friday. Or, consider a paid subscription to get all The Wausonian’s content.

As always, please email tips or corrections to keepitwausome@gmail.com.