Wausau slated to welcome more refugees in short span | The Weekly Wausonian
Wausau news for the week of Nov. 21, 2024
The ECDC Community Development Center plans to bring in 140 refugees between now and Jan. 20, officials have confirmed to The Wausonian.
Marathon County Administrator Lance Leonhard confirmed to The Wausonian that Social Services has been informed of the move and is making preparations. For context, 75 refugees came between January and September of 2022.
“Our Social Services staff will then coordinate the necessary benefit evaluations for food share, medical benefits, and other support services,” Leonhard says. “I will be working with staff leadership from across our organization to ensure that we are ready to respond to any other requests for assistance through this process.”
Mayor Doug Diny was unaware of the new batch of refugees when The Wausonian reached out, but confirmed the same after speaking with the ECDC’s director.
Diny said he was informed by the ECD director that the total number of refugees planned through September 2025 has not changed. Refugees coming to Wausau through the program undergo extensive vetting before coming to Wausau. Many of the refugees have come from Afghanistan and Ukraine.
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What else in Wausau?
New soccer team ready to kick off (I had to): A new Wausau soccer arena soccer team, called the Conquerors, is ready to kick off its season next month. The team, founded by Marshfield pharmacist Dr. Alexander Eddo, is a League 2 arena team and has a coach from Portugal who was a former professional player. They kick off the season with a “friendly” match against the Milwaukee Wave on Nov. 30 and then the full season starts with their first game Dec. 14. Check out their website for more.
Foundry on Third begins leasing waitlist: Developers behind the Foundry on Third project say they’re starting the leasing process, including a waitlist, for the first-ever development project in the spot where the former mall was. The 150-unit apartment complex with retail space is slated to open Nov. 1 next year, and work has progressed steadily on the project since beginning construction.
No takers for Thomas Street parcels: City staff say they have a problem - there have been no takers for remnant parcels left over from the city’s reconstruction of Thomas Street. Several requests for proposals for the parcels have gone unfilled. City leaders are working on a plan to change that as the sites are suitable for modular homes. The challenge, Community Development Manager Tammy Stratz says, is that the manufacturers of the modular homes are interested but can’t be the ones to bid on the parcels - that must be done by contractors.
Business
Wausau’s newest cocktail lounge: Juliett, Wausau’s newest cocktail lounge, opened this week. The lounge is the brainchild of Jeff Dixon, who ran Nightribe Cocktails and is located on Third Street across the street from Downtown Grocery.
Patron releasing its own tequila: Patron restaurant, whose owners also started Jalapenos (they since sold that business), is releasing their own tequila. They’ll have a release party for it this Saturday. See the events below.
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Entertainment
Saturday, Nov. 23: A belly dancing troupe sounds like something a bigger city would have, but hey, we’ve got one right here in Wausau! Wild Trillium has been around for awhile now, and their dances are always a delight. The costumes are lovely, they sometimes incorporate swords into their performances, and it’s just a ton of fun. They’ve performed in a variety of places, but one of the best is Whitewater Music Hall, where you can enjoy one of their brewed-on-site beers — something a number of Wausonians are still unaware of. The orange backdrop of Whitewater’s tap room really fits the belly dancing theme well. 6 pm. $5.
Saturday, Nov. 23: It’s not every day that a local business releases its own tequila line! Patron all day will be serving drinks made their their new tequila, and from 6-9 pm Caleb and Emily will rock the place with their music. And for you night owls, DJ Rick will be spinning from 10 pm to 2 am, with a new food menu during that time.
Tuesday, Nov. 26: Some of you are obsessed with Christmas (hey, I see you, playing Jingle Bells and watching Charlie Brown Christmas before Thanksgiving). And if that’s you, the Festival of Trees is like your Super Bowl. The official festival of trees doesn’t kick off until Nov. 27, but one day early is the opening gala, and it should be quite the event! Stroll through the dizzying array of delightfully decorated trees, enjoy some refreshments, including of the adult variety, and make merry. You can still get home in time to watch Charlie Brown Christmas. 6 pm. $85.
Looking for kids/family events? Check out the family-oriented listing from The Wausonian’s partner Wausau Mama, who puts together a weekly listing of children/family activities.
Sports
Football: D.C. Everest football ran through a number of higher-ranked teams on its way toward the state championship game, but fell short in the semi-finals last week. The Evergreens lost 34-27 to No. 2-ranked Bay Port to end its season. The No. 7-seeded Evergreens sent several higher-ranked teams packing, including No. 1-seeded Waunakee, before falling to Bay Port.
New coverage: The Wausonian will be covering the new Wausau Conquerors as part of the weekly coverage.
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