Hold that appointment | The Weekly Wausonian
Wausau news for the week of Feb. 27, 2025
After an eventful first Wausau Ethics Board meeting evaluating the complaint against Mayor Doug Diny and his removal of a ballot box (linked is our story on the Wednesday meeting), the city council on Tuesday considered an appointment by the mayor to the ethics board.
That didn’t fly.
Dylan Anderson, the appointee, appeared before the council and said he was interested in getting more involved with the community when someone he knows mentioned to him that there was an opening on the city’s ethics board. Anderson assists constituents for Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-Minocqua).
But while council members said he seemed like a fine candidate, most were concerned about the optics of a mayor appointing a member to a board that is currently investigating him.
“I received a lot of emails [from people who] were alarmed about the timing,” City Council Member Becky McElhaney said Tuesday. “And these are from people who I don’t normally hear from. This whole thing has taken up so much oxygen, I don’t want to put someone else in the eye of the storm.”
Watch the video here:
Diny responded that if the perception was that he was going to appoint someone friendly to him on the board, maybe he should seek an enemy instead.
The council tabled the move until either the investigation is complete or until the ethics board has so few members it would be unable to hold a quorum.
Wausonian readers this week saw the first story from our new music scene writers Emily and Caleb - check out their first story on Wausau’s underground music scene here:
And, in 2021 The Wausonian dug into the Minocqua Brewing Company SuperPAC, and found some strange payments to entities that didn’t seem to exist. Rob Mentzer of WPR recently looked into some of those same filings. And now there is a lawsuit against Bangstad and the SuperPAC. Read more here:
What else in Wausau?
Trails closed: Snowmobile and fat bike trails closed Monday as the subzero temperatures of a week ago transitioned in nearly spring-like high temps nearing 50 degrees. Cross-country skiing and snowshoeing remained open at Nine Mile but, according to online reports, conditions were deteriorating fast. Outdoor ice rinks also closed.
Not so fast: Last summer, The Wausonian wrote about a suspect Cody Mayotte, who led police on a high-speed chase from Kronenwetter to Wausau, crashing into a car on Grand Avenue near the police station. Mayotte recently pleaded guilty to two felonies and a misdemeanor, and will be headed to prison for three years (with five years on supervision).
Around the metro
Music video to promote the park: Wausau-based national touring act 20 Watt Tombstone recently released a music video produced to help fundraising efforts toward a $14.5 million revamping of Kennedy Park. The video, which can be seen below, features the band’s song Chosen Few, and was filmed at the skate park at Kennedy Park in Weston. Watch the video yourself below:
In search of a clerk (and much more): Kronenwetter’s village board Monday voted to keep looking for a clerk following a closed session. The village has been without a clerk since November, with Jennifer Poyer serving in the role in interim capacity. The village is also without an administration and a finance director. The latter resigned last year, and Kronenwetter had two administrators start and quit in 2024 alone.
Another fire chief resigns: The Wausonian ran a story about how the village of Maine seemed short-handed on firefighters after an incident with the previous assistant chief led to numerous firefighters resigning from the village. The Wausonian requested a resignation letter referenced in a recent meeting agenda and learned that Ben Clasen resigned Jan. 27. Clasen said he was not proud of the fire department as it currently stands and that he faced false allegations. The Wausonian is looking more deeply into this.
Sponsored by
Sponsored by
Sponsored by
Entertainment
Friday, Feb. 28: When I looked up Cameron Sonnentag, the first thing that comes up is a professional LinkedIn profile. She may be a creative strategist by day, but this Wausau native has a powerful, deep voice with a wide range. Sonnentag, along with Anthony Tranchita, will power through some country, soul, R&B, rock and pop for a nice night of sipping back on a few of Uncommon Pints… well, uncommon pints from breweries you don’t often see on tap. 7 pm. Check out the event page for more.
Saturday, March 1: One of the first songs that came up when I searched for Corey Rae White was called I wasn’t that go. The song has a decided southwestern country feel, and is about the Native American children being taken from their families and made to be more western. “It wasn’t that long ago, you were taken from home, forced out from home, you’re family didn’t know, and you didn’t come home.” That’s only one of the many tools in White’s toolkit. A musician with 30 years experience, he plays country, rock, blues, funk and folk. White’s an experienced and incredibly diversified musician and his stop to Malarkey’s is a must-see. 8 pm. See the event page for more.
Fri-Sun, Feb. 28-March 2: Calling all nerds! (I can say that, I am one.) This is your Super Bowl. Evercon runs from Friday through Sunday and while it’s billed specifically as a gaming convention, anyone who has been there knows it’s a celebration of all things included in the nerd-dom: Gaming, sci-fi, fantasy, comic books, and anything else that fits the genre. Test your skills in board and video games, enter the cosplay contest (dressing up as video game, anime or other characters, for those not in the know) or browse vendors for all the cool geeky stuff we all know and love. $60 for the weekend, day passes and kids passes available. 11 am to midnight Friday, 9 am to 10 pm Saturday and 9 am to 5 pm Sunday. See more and get tickets at the event page.
Bonus: The Chocolate Cafe is celebrating its one-year anniversary and one of the things included is a performance from 3-6 pm Thursday by The Wausonian freelance writers Caleb and Emily! Grab a treat and enjoy the performance.
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
Boys basketball: Wausau West and D.C. Everest battled for position all season. Now, with one game to go on the season, they are tied for third place in the Wisconsin Valley Conference. They each hold home games today and either could take the lead if only one of them wins. West hosts Merrill and D.C. Everest hosts Wausau East. Either way, the Warriors and the Evergreens will take each other on in the first round of playoffs March 7, according to the WIAA brackets.
Girls basketball: D.C. Everest lost its final game of the season, 51-33 last week. That leaves the Evergreens tied for third place with Wisconsin Rapids and Wausau West to close out the regular season. West will take on Hudson on Friday, and D.C. Everest will take on SPASH after winning a play-in game against Appleton West (57-54 in overtime). Wausau East lost a play-in game against Medford 75-27.
Boys hockey: In a reversal of the season’s fortunes, Wausau West is set to play in the sectional finals Friday while SPASH is already out of the tournament. The Warriors defeated Superior (4-3 OT) and New Richmond (6-5) to take on Eau Claire Memorial at 7 pm in Chippewa Falls. SPASH, which went undefeated in the regular season, lost 4-1 to Chippewa Falls. And the Evergreens defeated Wisconsin Rapids 5-0 before losing 5-1 to New Richmond.
Girls hockey: The Central Wisconsin Storm capped off a tremendous season with only four losses and have continued those winning ways into the post-season. The Storm ran through SPASH 4-0 to take on Hayward in the sectional final. The game will take place at the Wessman Ice Arena in Superior.