Wausau schools has a new boss | The Weekly Wausonian
Wausau news for the week of Dec. 19, 2024
NOTE: The Wausonian typically doesn’t publish a Weekly Wausonian the week of Christmas. But, this year The Wausonian doesn’t intend to take the week off, so keep an eye out for some posts outside of Christmas. Merry Christmas, dear readers!
The Wausau School District officially has a new head honcho as the district faces a tough challenge around its elementary schools.
Cale Bushman was officially named the district’s next superintendent this week. That comes after Bushman served in the role in an interim capacity since last March, when Keith Hilts retired from the position.
Besides inheriting Hilts’ position, he also inherits a challenging problem for the district: enrollment. With declining birth rates in the Wausau area, enrollments have shrunk with it, and that means declining state aid which is based on student counts (a rough approximation is $10,000 per student) and increasingly empty buildings.
The district this month heard a plan to close four elementary schools in the district, since the 13 elementary schools in the district are only 70% full. So far online commentary has been somewhat mute, compared the backlash a previous plan that would have completely upended the district’s school structure was ultimately shot down by the school board.
But how much scrutiny the elementary plan will face when it comes to a vote is still anyone’s guess.
This week The Wausonian visited Wausau’s newest cocktail bar, Juliett. And it’s already making quite the splash:
The Wausonian also tracked down the name of the person involved in the Rib Mountain high-speed pursuit. And he has quite a history:
What else in Wausau?
Henderson’s out: James Henderson, the city’s Human Resources Director, resigned this month, according to a copy of the resignation letter The Wausonian obtained. Henderson’s resignation letter was short and to the point with no explanation for his departure. Henderson was vocal about his concerns about the city’s pay structure and often expressed concern for costs to Wausau taxpayers.
Community on Call activated: The city activated its Community on Call program for the first time last Thursday and Friday. The Community on Call program began last year as a way for organizations to volunteer their extra space to help house the homeless in freezing temperatures.
New downtown streets could be constructed as early as April: New downtown streets could be constructed as early as April, according to a city engineer. Becher-Hoppe is 90% completed with the design of the new streets, which could see Third Street and Jackson Street get extensions through the former mall site, and Washington to be reconstructed. If all goes according to plan, work on those streets would begin in mid-April.
Landlord wins reversal of nuisance property designation: City police issued a chronic nuisance property designation to a building after one drug incident in which the landlord cooperated with law enforcement. The city’s Public Health and Safety Committee Monday overturned the designation after building owner Chad Thompson successfully argued that he had cooperated with police in helping them arrest drug dealers operating out of one of his apartment units. Thompson had called police anonymously to report the suspected drug activity because he feared potential retaliation.
Ash assistance: Wausau residents can now apply for assistance to have their ash trees removed. The WI Department of Natural Resources awarded $500,000 to the city of Wausau to help residents have their ash trees removed. Ash trees are susceptible to the invasive Emerald Ash Borer beetle, which kills the trees once it invests them. That makes them liabilities because of the danger of them falling once dead. Those interested in applying should look into it at www.marathoncounty.gov/urbanforestry.
Business
Venado opens in Dudley Tower: Venado opened its cafe in the Dudley Tower this week. The cafe, on the first floor, provides a much more spacious location for the wine bar and cafe.
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Entertainment
Friday, Dec. 20: A whole lot of yogis were excited to see that Kirsten Holmson was back to teaching yoga in Wausau. Formerly operating under Community Soul, she now operates Shift Yoga Studio in the same location. And she has a pretty cool event planned to close out the season. Holmson will host a Winter Solstice Experience with a restorative yoga practice, a yoga nidra sleep practice and singing bowls. (And keep an eye out in January when she will host a yoga experience at the Grand Theater as well!). 5:30-7 pm. See the event page for more.
Friday, Dec. 20: Mia Brown is a Wausau native, and she’s a local girl done good story. She’s currently signed with Big Timber Entertainment and has released a number of singles including “Just Maybe” in November. Inspired by Amy Winehouse, her voice is pretty incredible - she hits the high ranges while retaining a depth few are capable of, whether it’s country or pop. Brown is joined by Jordan Miles, who many might remember from Wausau band Substyle. Combined with his keyboard skills, this should be one epic show at Uncommon Pints. 7 pm. See the event page for more.
Saturday, Dec. 21: There’s something about The Nutcracker Suite that just gets me in the Christmas mood. I’ll take Tchaikovsky over Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer any day. So this event holds some appeal. Held at the St. Stephen Lutheran Church in downtown Wausau, this promises not only a night of classical Christmas music, but includes a full candlelight experience. Enjoy the atmosphere as the Lisetto String Quartet performs everything from classic carols to Debussy and Tchaikovsky. (There is also a Friday show but it has nearly sold out.) 8:30 pm. Starting at $25. See the event page for more.
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 East and Wausau West both got off to a strong start with wins in their first Wisconsin Valley Conference game. The Lumberjacks defeated Merrill 66-49 and the Warriors defeated SPASH 55-50. Both teams play home games at 7:15 pm Friday.
Girls basketball: D.C. Everest and Wausau West are tied for Third place in the Wisconsin Valley Conference after losses Friday. The Evergreens lost to Marshfield 47-36 and West lost to SPASH 74-40. Both teams are 1-1 now.
Boys hockey: Wausau West and D.C. Everest are tied for first place in the Wisconsin Valley Conference, but SPASH remains undefeated. (SPASH has only played two games compared to four for Everest and West.) The Warriors beat Merrill/East 13-0 Tuesday, and the Evergreens beat Merrill/East 3-1 Thursday. Wausau West also beat Everest 4-2 on Saturday.
Girls hockey: The Central Wisconsin Storm got back to their winning ways this weekend with a pair of wins over St. Croix Valley (Saturday, 6-2) and Coulee Region (Tuesday, 7-0). The Storm now have a 6-1 record this season.
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