Priority meeting | Weekly Wausonian
Wausau news for the week of May 14, 2026
The Wausau City Council will hold a meeting soon to discuss priorities for the upcoming budget — something advocates of the proposal say is already called for in city documents, but hasn’t ever happened.
The council voted 9-2 Tuesday to hold a committee of the whole — essentially the entire council acting as a committee — to discuss budget priorities that will shape the budget the council will ultimately approve in fall.
Council Member Sarah Watson said she brought the idea forward (along with council member Carol Lukens) because she noticed the budget book said the council would discuss priorities in March, but from her experience, that never actually happened.
Not everyone was in favor of the idea, however. New council member Bruce Trueblood said the council already discussed priorities at its council retreat, including cutting taxes and addressing affordability, so he didn’t see the reason for it.
But new council member Kristin Slonski said she’d spoken with department heads and many told her they wanted more direction from council on budget priorities. So it made sense to meet to further discuss priorities for the 2027 budget.
The idea isn’t new. Marathon County has implemented a similar process in which county leadership starts gathering budget priorities and discussions earlier in the year.
The Wausonian got an exclusive — St. Vincent de Paul bought land in Weston and plans to build a second location. Here are the details:
And subscribers this week got an in-depth look at Wausau/Marathon County’s real estate market:
What else in Wausau?
Aspirus holds groundbreaking for hospital expansion: A new expansion project for Wausau Aspirus Hospital broke ground last week. The expansion will include 64 total new beds including 48 intermediate care beds and 16-bed observation unit. The expansion also includes advanced diagnostics, specialized care units and expanded surgical facilities. The $227 million expansion is the largest in the company’s history, Aspirus officials said at the initial announcement.
Around the metro
Town of Day man charged in death of multiple dogs: A town of Day man is accused in the deaths of several dogs after deputies investigated the situation at his home on Folz Road in April. Joseph Carey faces eight felony counts of mistreatment of animals resulting in death after deputies responded to a complaint about the dead animals. He also faces 13 misdemeanor charges related to the investigation. Deputies say they found eight dead dogs on the property when they investigated, and ten more in emaciated condition that were taken to the Marathon County Humane Society. Carey is currently free on a $5,000 signature bond, according to court records. Carey is due back in court for a preliminary hearing on Monday.
Child care program helps to add 16 new teachers: A county-funded program to help train child care teachers and help bolster teachers in Marathon County led to 16 new teachers, the program’s administrators say. The Child Care Foundational Training and Stipend Program, run by nonprofit Childcaring, also helped create two new family child care programs, says director Kelly Borchardt. Nearly 150 families and roughly 170 children were able to receive child care because of the program, she added. Marathon County funded the program with $200,000 of funds from the American Rescue Plan Act to help address the shortage of child care providers in Marathon County. There are now 70 facilities in the county, down from 98 in 2020 and 199 in 2012.
Chief Deputy: Squads at the breaking point: Marathon County’s chief deputy says the office is “at the breaking point” with its squads at the county’s most recent public safety meeting. Funding for the vehicles has been flat for about 13 years while vehicle costs continue to rise. Marathon County Chief Deputy Bill Millhausen told the committee one squad blew an engine after 160,000 miles — and without enough funding the office chose to spend $7,500 to replace the engine instead of replacing it. Staff hopes to come back soon with a funding plan as new vehicles would need to be order in the next six weeks to still get delivery of vehicles this year.
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Business
Grand Daddy’s for sale: Grand Daddy’s Gentlemen’s Club is for sale, according to real estate listings. The property is listed for sale either as a building for a new use or for the business itself, according to a real estate video created for the site. Currently the property is priced at $750,000. The business remains open in the meantime, according to Grand Daddy’s social media.
Planet Fitness moving to old Shopko site: Planet Fitness is moving to the former Shopko site on 17th Avenue. The fitness facility has been advertising the move and signs are up at the new location.
Entertainment
The Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum kicks off a new exhibit dedicated to the art of printmaking this weekend. But that’s far from the only Wausau event choice this weekend as Nevermore on Third hosts a punk show, the Wausau Downtown Airport plays host to a Pilot for a Day program, and the library hosts a session on spice blends for grilling. It’s quite the collection this week in Your Wausome Weekend Guide!
Sports
Baseball: D.C. Everest moved into second place in the Wisconsin Valley Conference after a win against Marshfield Tuesday. The Evergreens shut out the Tigers 2-0, giving the team a 6-2 record. D.C. Everest now trails only SPASH, which has a 7-1 record.
Softball: D.C. Everest narrowly lost a game in extra innings to Marshfield, remaining the top area team in third place in the Wisconsin Valley Conference. The Evergreens kept it close, but ultimately fell to the Tigers 7-6 in eight innings Tuesday. D.C. Everest is 4-4 in conference play this season, trailing Marshfield and SPASH which are tied for first.
Girls soccer: Wausau West is now tied for first in the Wisconsin Valley Conference after a tight win against Wisconsin Rapids. The Warriors took the game Tuesday 1-0, remaining undefeated in conference play at 4-0. That ties them with SPASH.
Boys tennis: Wausau West defeated crosstown rival Wausau East Thursday, but the Lumberjacks remain ahead of the Warriors in the overall standings. The Warriors defeated the Lumberjacks 4-3 Thursday. But Wausau East has more overall points, currently placing them in third place in the Wisconsin Valley Conference, behind SPASH and Marshfield.
Lacrosse: The Wausau Wild boys team defeated Pulaski 12-5 Thursday but lost to Superior 8-5 Saturday. The Wild are now 2-4 in the Bay Valley Conference. The Wausau Wolfpack girls team lost to Appleton Tuesday 8-6, but split a pair of games on Saturday. That puts the Wolfpack at 4-1 in conference play this season, good for third place behind Bay Port and Appleton.
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