The standing committees stand | Weekly Wausonian

Wausau news for the week of April 30, 2026

The number of Wausau’s standing committees will not change after Tuesday’s City Council meeting — though Mayor Doug Diny in a follow up press release hinted the idea wasn’t dead.

The decision came after a procedural twist-filled saga that put the new assistant city attorney through his paces, and comes after the majority of council members voted in favor of reducing the committees.

Why? Essentially, the council voted not to suspend the rules, something that typically is routine, which meat the move would have required a 2/3 majority.

That meant that despite a vote of 6-5 in favor of the plan, the motion failed for lack of the larger majority required.

And that came after Diny relinquished the gavel to new Council President Terry Kilian so he could participate in the vote and discussion.

Diny stated in a press release sent out Wednesday morning that the committee restructure issue isn’t over. “We will bring this reform back soon and give the majority’s position a fair opportunity to succeed,” Diny wrote.

The Wausonian was one of only two media outlets at Monday night’s meeting in Ringle — and the stories of coordination, devastation and hard work to restore the town after the tornado hit were eye-opening. Here’s what we learned:

On a more positive note, it might have seemed odd for the owners of ERA Pancakes and Cafe to open a new restaurant right across the street — but here is why EJ’s Diner is working:

And when someone attacked an area bar owner, they found out the hard way that was a bad idea. Read that and more in our Wausau Tavern Report.

What else in Wausau?

Balloon rally signals bad weather could be costly for event: The Taste N’ Glow Balloon Fest had difficulty with weather the past two years — and another bad year could make it the last one, its leader says. The city’s tourism commission awarded the balloon glow $20,000 in room tax dollars, but that came after Taste N’ Glow President Brandon Jelik told the commission that the balloon fest lost money the past two years because of rain on one of the two days. “We’re at the point where if we don’t have a good year, it may be the last,” Jelik told the commission. The fest originally was held at the Wausau Airport by Wausau Events, but after a second cancellation in 2021 due to COVID, the original organizers moved the fest to the town of Stettin. That fest later went to Visit Wausau.

Aspirus fires senior health official after Trump assassination-related post: A health official at Wausau-based Aspirus appears to have been fired over uproar related to a social media post. Aspirus Senior Vice President Brian Kellar commented on Minocqua Brewing Company owner Kirk Bangstad’s post cheering on the recent attempted assassination of the president — Kellar posted a photo of himself wearing a shirt from Minocqua Brewing Company with the letters “FDT” and holding a koozie with the #FreeBeer, signaling the free beer Bangstad has promised in the event of the current president’s demise. Kellar in his comment said he was sharing the shirst and koozies around. Kellar didn’t appear to have an active LinkedIn or Facebook account at the time of this reporting. CEO Matt Heywood in a post on Aspirus’ Facebook didn’t name Kellar but said it had fired an employee for social media activity that caused “extensive external commentary.” “Recently, we learned of an employee whose social media activity did not align with our shared values," Heywood said. "That individual is no longer with our organization."

Around the metro

Sheriff investigating stabbing in Norrie: A 58-year-old town of Norrie man is in custody after Marathon County Sheriff’s officials say they are investigating a stabbing in the town. Timothy Anker was arrested Sunday on charges of first degree reckless homicide after deputies found his brother, Thomas Anker, 57, with stab wounds in his home in the 183000 block of Norrie Road. Deputies attempted life-saving measures but ultimately Thomas Anker was pronounced dead at the scene. Timothy Anker is being held on a $75,000 cash bond and is currently facing charges of possession of a firearm as a felon, according to Marathon County Court records.

Highways X, XX to close next week for construction: Highway X and XX in the village of Kronenwetter are expected to close next week, county officials say. The road will close May 4 for resurfacing, and work is expected to be complete by mid-June. Specific end points weren’t identified in official communication, but based on the map appears to cover County Road X/XX generally from the Rothschild area east toward Howland Avenue, including the curve near Crystal View Drive and Pleasant Drive.

St. Vincent de Paul bought land near ALDI: The St. Vincent de Paul organization has purchased land next to ALDI in Weston, according to real estate transaction records. According to transaction records, the St. Vincent de Paul Cabrini Conference purchased the lot at 6001 Birch Street in Weston in October for $230,000. Weston Village Administrator Jami Gebert told The Wausonian she was aware of intentions to build there but the village had not yet received a proposal and is in the pre-application phase of development. The Wausonian reached out to St. Vincent de Paul leadership to learn more and will update readers in future editions.

County Board approves reduced fees for debris from Ringle tornado: The Marathon County board approved reducing the tipping fees at the Marathon County Landfill for debris from the tornado that struck the town of Ringle earlier this month. The board stopped short of eliminating the fee entirely, citing operational costs to run the landfill and concerns about it impacting FEMA reimbursement, which happened after a disaster in the 1990s. Ringle residents under the reduction would pay just under $37 per ton to remove their debris.

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Business

New business in Malarkey’s set to open soon: The new evolution of Malarkey’s Pub will open this week. The business, now called Faraway Place, will host a grand opening party with bands on Saturday. New owners bought Malarkey’s Pub in 2025 and opened a wrap restaurant called Mumble Wrap on the side that previously housed Townies restaurant. The business then closed to re-brand and start a new restaurant, with Mumble Wrap slated to move.

Hot Wok temporarily closed: Rumors about Hot Wok Chinese Express in Schofield appear to be true - at least temporarily. The business has signs on its door saying it’s temporarily closed, and that appears to have been the case for a few weeks now. The business gave no indication of when it might reopen.

Venado slated to open next week: Venado Wine Bar is slated to open next week, according to its owners. The wine bar closed after a burst pipe damaged the premises, resulted in a great deal of needed cleanup. The bar will hold a grand opening on May 8.

Entertainment

Faraway Place, the new evolution of what was Malarkey’s Pub, holds a grand opening with funky-rock jam band Ifdakar. Plus a ladies powerlifting meet, a popular pianist and a teacher comedy coming to The Grand, a mineral show and so much more in Your Wausome Weekend Guide.

Sports

Baseball: D.C. Everest defeated Wausau East 10-3 Thursday to gain the top spot amongst Wausau area teams. The Evergreens are now in third place in the Wisconsin Valley Conference at 2-1, behind SPASH and Marshfield.

Softball: D.C. Everest defeated Wausau East by a blistering 21-7 Tuesday to become the top Wausau area team. The Evergreens are 3-2, behind SPASH and Marshfield (both with 4-1 records).

Girls soccer: D.C. Everest defeated Marshfield 4-2 Tuesday to pull even with Wausau West for fourth place. Wausau West had a game past The Wausonian’s deadline on Wednesday evening - check the online edition for an updated score.

Boys tennis: D.C. Everest won a tight matchup against Wausau East, defeating the Lumberjacks 4-3 to move to second place. The Evergreens share first in the Wisconsin Valley Conference with SPASH at 2-0.

Lacrosse: The Wausau Wolfpack girls lost 11-10 to Waunakee Friday, and a Monday game was postponed. Wausau is still 2-0 in the Bay Valley Conference and 3-2 overall. The Wolfpack boys haven’t played since our last update.

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