Homeless counts | The Weekly Wausonian

Wausau news for the week of Jan. 30, 2025

City leaders now have a rough idea of how many homeless people are on the streets in Wausau.

Wausau Police Chief Matt Barnes says police officers made the rounds on one of the nights when the city’s Community on Call was in effect, in which organizations partner with the city to help house individuals during the coldest days.

Police went to every spot where they knew homeless people to be and found no one in those spots, he said. Barnes says that roughly 46 people were in shelter that night, so he estimates with a margin of error that the city needs shelter for about 50 individuals total.

That came in a joint meeting between the city and county around homelessness in Marathon County.

Controversy over the mayor removing a ballot box from the steps of city hall has erupted again as a group of citizens has filed a new ethics complaint against the mayor. Find out his attorney’s response, and what Diny said about city hall’s culture, in The Wausonian’s piece from yesterday:

Readers also got the latest tavern report, with some shocking news about our area taverns:

What else in Wausau?

Aspirus is expanding its Wausau campus: Aspirus announced recently that it is expanding its Wausau campus. The $227 million expansion will add 64 beds and new technology to the campus, and set it up for future growth.

Give me a break: A water main broke in Wausau Monday, closing down N. Sixth Street between Jefferson and Franklin streets. The break was fixed and the road reopened by Wednesday.

Around the metro

No more brown Kronenwetter water: The village of Kronenwetter finished installing a new $3.5 million filtration system on its well No. 2 last week. The system will help keep the water cleaner and prevent water that would stain clothing and sometimes smell bad.

Give me a break, part II: Some residents in the village of Weston found themselves without water as a break in the water lines occurred around the Camp Phillips Road area. Weston workers were able to get the break fixed and water restored the next day.

American Airlines adding flights to CWA: American Airlines announced it will add more flights and larger planes to its location at Central Wisconsin Airport. The airline plans to regularly have three flights to Chicago O’Hare and this summer will swap its 50-seat planes for 65-seat planes instead.

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Entertainment

Thursday, Jan. 30: Growing up, I always found “The Sound of Silence” to be both beautiful as a work of art and one of the iconic songs of the 1960s. As in, you hear it on a TV show and you know it’s meant to evoke the time period. Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel are two of the 60s greatest musicians and I can close my eyes and hear their wonderful vocal harmonies on command. They were a duo that was more than the sum of their parts (though I have a soft spot for “Call Me Al”). This show recreates the magic that was Simon and Garfunkel, which they’ve done in sold-out shows in more than 50 countries. 7:30 pm. $40-$75. Check out the event page for more information.

Friday, Jan. 31: There’s nothing quite like a good country band on a Friday night, and Honky Tonk Highway definitely fits the bill. The band combines veteran professional players with more than 100 years of experience between them to bring you everything from the latest country hits to the classics of the 70s, 80s and 90s and some of the best southern country as well. They play all over the Northwoods from Eagle River to Mosinee and they’ll bring their act to The Garage, a venue that’s become a music hotspot in the past few years. 7 pm. See the event page for more.

Saturday, Feb. 1: Joyann Parker might be based out of Minneapolis these days, but she’s a Wisconsin Girl through and through. In fact, she’s got a song that says so! Called Sconnie Girl, Parker uses the track to celebrate some of the joys of being a Wisconsin gal while including the obligatory line about cheering the Packers and how much the Bears still suck. Parker’s latest album, Roots, has charted at No. 10 on the Billboard Blues charts and her southern blues style will draw you in with its sincerity. She’ll be joined by Mark Lamoine, who plays one mean resonator. 8 pm. Check out more on the event page.

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.

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Sports

Boys basketball: Wausau West is now the top Wausau area team in the Wisconsin Valley Conference after a win on Tuesday. The Warriors defeated SPASH 55-49 to gain a 5-2 record, good for second place behind Marshfield in the Valley.

Girls basketball: Wausau West holds a slight lead over D.C. Everest, good for third place in the Wisconsin Valley Conference. The Warriors lost to SPASH 83-44 Tuesday, and D.C. Everest lost to Marshfield 51-33.

Boys hockey: D.C. Everest has now taken second place in the Wisconsin Valley Conference after a win against Marshfield Thursday. The Evergreens shut out the Tigers 5-0 and now hold a 6-2 record behind undefeated SPASH. The Warriors lost to SPASH Thursday 7-1. D.C. Everest will take on SPASH today (Thursday) at home.

Girls hockey: The Central Wisconsin Storm added one more win to its record Tuesday. The Storm defeated Wisconsin Valley Union 7-1 to improve to a 17-3 record. The Storm have three games remaining in the regular season.

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