Weekly Wausonian | No varsity football for Wausau East this year
Weekly Wausonian | No varsity football for Wausau East this year
Wausau news for the week of July 29, 2021
Wausau East won’t have a varsity football team this year, Wausau School District officials say.
The high school didn’t have enough children sign up for football this year and the numbers won’t support a varsity team. The school will instead have an 8-man football team and a varsity reserve team, essentially a junior varsity team that has seniors on it.
School officials says that the situation is only for this year and that the school is working on building its program so there can be a full team next year.
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What else in Wausau?
North Central Health Care CEO Michael Loy has officially resigned, according to a news release late Wednesday. Loy was the subject of several closed session meetings of the NCHC Board about his employment. The board met last week in closed session but took no action following the meeting. Loy had been placed on administrative leave in late May. Jill Meschke has been serving as interim CEO.
Work could soon begin on the site that once housed Ponderosa Motel, which burned in a fire in 2015. Emmerich and Associates plans to build affordable housing on the site. Owner Arden Emmerich told The Wausonian that there were delays with state licensing but now work can begin in August.
City Council Member Tom Neal says he won’t be running for office in 2022. Neal, who serves as chair of the Economic Development Committee, told The Wausonian that he might be leaving District 4 when asked why he wasn’t running.
Around the metro
Marathon County Chief Deputy Chad Billeb says he plans to run for Marathon County Sheriff in 2022. Marathon County Sheriff Scott Parks says he doesn’t plan to run for his seat again. Billeb served not only as Chief Deputy but also as undersheriff — that experience makes him a good candidate for the role. Parks in the same release endorsed Billeb for the position. The election comes in fall of 2022.
The village of Weston is considering changing the name of Schofield Avenue to something leaders there say is less confusing. Village President Mark Maloney says businesses in Weston on Schofield Ave. are often confused and think they live in Schofield. Potential replacements were discussed at a recent village meeting but nothing has been solidified. Maloney talked about potentially reaching out to the public for suggestions.
The new Riverside Fire Station is slated to finish construction by this fall, Rothschild Administrator Gary Olsen says. The $5.5 million building is on schedule and under budget, Olsen says. The new building will house the Riverside Fire District, a merger of the Rothschild and Schofield fire departments.
Entertainment
What started out as a small sports festival has turned into a major event. This weekend the Hmong Wausau Festival will take place all day Saturday and Sunday at the Marathon County Sports Complex. The event features games, sports such as volleyball, flag football and soccer, plenty of food vendors, and music and entertainment. The Hmong are an important part of our community and the event draws people from throughout the Midwest, so come check out what has become one of the biggest events of the summer. See the Facebook page for more details. $7 Saturday, $5 Sunday.
Back for its seventh year, the Paddle Pub Crawl is slated for this weekend. Meet up around noon for the group photo near the Eagles Club, and join the barhopping journey along the Wisconsin River down to Trail’s End. Or, start the morning at Trail’s end so you can make a full loop back, requiring no shuttle. The event is free, completely self-supported and each paddler is responsible for their own safety. See more on the Paddle Pub Crawl’s Facebook page.
Check out the latest Wood and Wire session 7 pm today (Thursday) at Whitewater Music Hall. This week’s guest is Pat Wiley, a stalwart of the bluegrass music scene in Central Wisconsin. See Whitewater Music Hall’s Facebook event page for more details. $5 suggested donation, all goes to the artist. Whitewater Music Hall will also be serving its new line of fancy hot dog creations.
Sports
Stephen Reid on Monday became the second Wisconsin Woodchuck in history to hit four home runs in one game. Reid acheived the feat in a 19-5 road win over the Green Bay Booyah in Green Bay. The Chucks are now half a game out of first place in the second half of the season, trailing the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders. The Chucks last home game is Aug. 13.
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