Wausau Pilot and Review · Kronenwetter, WI
By Shereen Siewert | Wausau Pilot & Review WAUSAU — The average Marathon County homeowner will pay about $53 more in county taxes next year after supervisors Tuesday fell one vote short of shrinking an 8.2% levy increase. The 2027 budget the Marathon County Board adopted 30-5 raises the property tax levy to $66.25 million, up $5.02 million from this year. Nearly two-thirds of the increase, $3.2 million, comes from the financing plan for the county’s new $55 million Highway Department facility in Kronenwetter, which shifts the county’s full annual debt payments onto property taxpayers. “This 8% increase is totally egregious,” Supervisor Tim Sondelski said before supervisors voted down his amendment to trim $1.75 million from the increase.
Wausau Pilot and Review · Wausau, WI
Nearby: Wausau, WIVoting is open in the Cutest Pet in Marathon County contest, and the next two weeks decide which pets earn a place in the 16-pet bracket. Every approved entry in Wausau Pilot & Review’s contest is now in the Open Round, which runs until 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4. Readers can browse the full field and vote on the contest page, and half of all vote pack sales, after refunds, go to Moments Foster Care, a Wausau-area animal rescue. Two ways to vote Every reader gets one free vote a day for any pet in the round that is open, confirmed with a code sent by email. No purchase is necessary. Vote packs add more: $5 for five votes, $20 for 25, $50 for 75, $100 for 200 and $250 for 600. Readers may buy as many packs as they like, and each pack goes to the one pet the buyer chooses. Votes count once the payment goes through, usually within seconds, and show on the pet’s page. Vote packs are purchases, not donations, and are not tax-deductible.
Wausau Pilot and Review · Wausau, WI
Nearby: Wausau, WIWausau Pilot & Review Staff WAUSAU, Wis. — A 39-year-old Weston man has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for trafficking methamphetamine while awaiting sentencing in a separate state drug case. Mark Wortham was sentenced last week by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson after pleading guilty Aug. 26 to possessing 50 grams or more of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and maintaining a property for drug trafficking, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Wisconsin. Federal prosecutors said Wortham sold drugs to a confidential informant five times between May and November 2025 from his home in Wausau. At the time, he was out on bond awaiting sentencing in a state drug trafficking case. A subsequent search of the home uncovered nearly 200 grams of various controlled substances, more than $5,000 in cash, a digital scale, drug paraphernalia and a hidden storage compartment in a staircase, prosecutors said.
Wausau Pilot and Review · Wausau, WI
Nearby: Wausau, WIBy Shereen Siewert | Wausau Pilot & Review A failed plan to cut the number of Wausau council committees could resurface as the council’s rules committee begins a broad review of how alders do business. Alder Matt Hoenecke told the Rules Review Committee on Monday that he plans to bring the idea back at the committee’s next meeting. He cited complaints about the number of meetings and about items that pass through several committees before reaching the full council. “I think it warrants a closer look to see if more alders on fewer committees means more efficient city business, means more eyes on the issues before it comes to council,” Hoenecke said, adding that he was not yet saying consolidation is the answer. Mayor Doug Diny proposed shrinking the council’s committee structure at the start of the term in April. The plan drew a 6-5 majority but fell short of the two-thirds needed to change the standing rules.
Wausau Pilot and Review · Wausau, WI
Nearby: Wausau, WIBy Shereen Siewert | Wausau Pilot & Review A Wausau committee on Thursday takes up assessments for five streets set for 2027 rebuilds, Kolbe & Kolbe driveway requests, vacant city land, accessible parking and leaf pickup. For property owners along those five streets, Thursday’s vote is the first formal step toward assessment bills. City Engineer Allen Wesolowski told the committee in October that those bills typically run $3,000 to $5,000, according to draft minutes of that meeting. The Infrastructure and Facilities Committee meets at 5 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 407 Grant St. City staff recommends approval of every action item on the agenda. The preliminary resolution covers South 11th Avenue from West Thomas Street to Flieth Street; Ethel Street from Grand Avenue to Zimmerman Street; and Emerson Street, Mount View Boulevard and Pied Piper Lane, each from Ethel Street to Eau Claire Boulevard.
Wausau Pilot and Review · Wausau, WI
Nearby: Wausau, WIBy Shereen Siewert | Wausau Pilot & Review WAUSAU — A former Wausau City Council president says city staff, not alders, let a lead pipe ordinance stall for two years, then blamed the council for lost state loan forgiveness. “Waiting until the matter is on fire and then blaming the council is a cop out,” Lisa Rasmussen wrote in a public comment responding to a Wausau Pilot & Review story on social media. Rasmussen was council president most recently from April 2024 until she lost her seat in April 2026. In a Nov. 4 memo, Public Works and Utilities Director Eric Lindman wrote that Wausau’s 2027 lead pipe project scored too low for state principal forgiveness because the council “did not pass the LSLR Ordinance prior to the application submission,” the Pilot reported last week. A citywide project saw no forgiveness, and $4.1 million for homeowners’ lines came as a loan instead. The dispute matters for taxpayers.
Wausau Pilot and Review · Wausau, WI
Nearby: Wausau, WIBy Shereen Siewert | Wausau Pilot & Review WAUSAU — Residents on Tuesday urged Wausau leaders to formally end the city’s Flock camera contract by Sunday, as alders adopted a 2027 budget that leaves out the $50,000 payment. “Covering the cameras stops their use, but only written notice ends the contract and the remaining payments of up to $100,000,” Courtney Olsen told the Wausau City Council. Olsen thanked alders for their Oct. 27 vote to stop using Flock data and cover the cameras, and said public works crews covered them Monday. She asked the city to send Flock written notice under Section 11.16 of the contract by Nov. 15. She said the section lets the city leave for non-appropriation “without penalty or other cost.” Olsen told the Finance Committee earlier Tuesday that the next invoice is expected around Dec. 15, and that sending notice by Sunday would let 30 days run before then.
Wausau Pilot and Review · Merrill, WI
Nearby: Merrill, WIWAUSAU ? Whether you are looking for holiday decor for your home, special treats to serve at your holiday parties or the perfect holiday gifts for those on this year’s gift-giving list, central Wisconsin artists, crafters, makers, vendors and small business owners have the perfect solution. Stop at one (or more!!) of the many art, craft and vendor fairs and makers markets planned in the Wausau area this holiday season and you are sure to find the one-of-a-kind items you are looking for. Here’s a list of events taking place in the Wausau area between now and Christmas. Saturday, Nov. 14 Merrill City Wide Fall Craft & Vendor Sale ? 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 14 at 10 locations throughout Merrill. Over 300 crafters and vendors will be selling handmade crafts, Christmas gifts, fall decorations, jewelry, candles, bakery, cosmetics, children’s books and more. Participating businesses include Les & Jim’s Lincoln Lanes, 1208 N. Center Ave., 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Merrill Expo Center, 303 N.