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Closed detention
Jail staff down 13 as county closes juvenile secure detention facility
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County corrections officials are working
to fill 13 vacancies in the Marathon County Jail as the county last month closed its juvenile detention facility.
The county first made the decision to shut down the county’s shelter home for youth in December, and Social Services is working on finding alternative places to house individuals who need those services. But on March 25, with so few corrections officers to staff the jail, the county made the decision to close the secure detention facility.
There were nine vacancies in the corrections division when the decision was made, says Marathon County Chief Deputy Chad Billeb. As of last week, that number increased to 13. The office has had trouble hiring deputies and dispatchers in the communications center as well, Billeb says. They are down nine people in the communications center, Billeb says.
The county plans to open the juvenile detention facility in September, Billeb told City Pages.
Few of the juveniles in the detention center were actually from Marathon County. Many were from other counties, something that brought in revenue to Marathon County from other counties where the inmates came from.
Portage County has a bed set aside exclusively for Marathon County to house any juveniles sentenced, and other county facilities in counties such as Eau Claire or Green Bay can be used.
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Forensics science center could get $2 million in ARPA funds
A new regional morgue, now being called a forensic science center, could receive $2 million in American Rescue Plan Act dollars.
The county’s public safety committee voted last week to approve allocating $2 million toward the center, which is expected to cost between $6-8.3 million, depending on the size of the center and construction costs inflation.
The county has been working on a plan to build a forensics science center since 2015, when City Pages first broke the news. The center would not only save the county money in law enforcement time in sending bodies for forensic autopsies to Madison or Milwaukee, it would help dozens of other counties in the northern half of the state have autopsies performed. Right now only Madison, Milwaukee and Fond du Lac have forensic pathologists who can perform autopsies in situations in which a crime has been committed.
Marathon County Board Vice Chair Craig McEwen says the decision only allocates the money for potential use toward the morgue. It’s meant to be similar to how some funding toward the Warm Water Therapy pool helped spark private donations to fund the project. But if that money never materializes, the ARPA funds could go toward something else instead.
The move comes as the number of deaths in the county continues to rise. Total number of death cases in Marathon County doubled from 2012 to 2021, going from 664 cases to 1,334. And total death investigations also doubled, from 237 in 2012 to 575 in 2021.
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Two more prosecutors coming to county
Marathon County will receive funding for two more prosecutors to help deal with the court backlog.
The two prosecutors were from a larger announcement by Gov. Tony Evers of 30 prosecutors statewide to deal with backlogs in the court system due to the pandemic and the rise of violent crime in the state. The state allocated $50 million in federal funds to help with court backlogs, violent crime increases and other criminal justice issues.
County leaders would need to fund additional support staff, possibly with ARPA dollars, in order support the additional prosecutors.
NTC will create communication technologies program through $250k grant
Northcentral Technical College will create a new Center of Excellence in Communication Technologies after receiving a $250,000 grant last week.
NTC announced the grant from the Dick Dudley Foundation last week, which will help the school form Studio 7. Studio 7 will bring NTC’s graphic communication technologies, printing, marketing, web design, digital marketing and video production programs all under one collaborative program, NTC officials say. That makes it unique in the state.
Studio 7 will bring those programs all together into a rebuilt space around the video production area, NTC officials told City Pages. The space will focus heavily on video production and animation, and could serve as a space for community partners to work on projects as well.
Dick Dudley brought one of the first TV stations to Wausau in the 1950s, and so the donation is fitting to honor his memory, family members say. “We expect great outcomes from this partnership, including exciting new career opportunities for NTC communication graduates,” says Ann Dudley Shannon, president of the Dudley Foundation. “We are excited and proud to participate in this project and are grateful for our ongoing partnership with NTC.”
Kronenwetter village race will see recount
The village of Kronenwetter will see a recount in what has already been a record-setting election for the village.
Ballot totals after the village canvassed the results Monday showed Danielle Bergmann, who was initially listed as taking the last of three seats, tied with Timothy
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Shaw, who initially had placed fourth. After the canvas, Bergmann and Shaw both had 606 votes. Shaw requested a recount.
The election is significant for Kronenwetter as it had the most number of candidates ever to run for village board. The eight candidates faced off in a February primary ahead of April’s election.
The recount was scheduled for 9 am Wednesday morning, and was not complete in time for City Pages deadline.
City receives new buses, but driver shortages abound
Wausau held a ribbon cutting for its seven new buses; but the new vehicles come as the city’s transit department is short of bus drivers.
Transit Director Greg Seubert told City Pages that Metro Ride is short nine bus drivers, out of a total of 26 driver positions. Metro Ride has had to make changes to how it operates some of its routes to make up for the shortages.
That doesn’t impact the new buses. The city purchased them as part of a settlement from the class action lawsuit against Volkswagon, and the buses can only replace the city’s older vehicles.
The new buses also come at a time when the city is contracting with a consultant to evaluate Metro Ride and find ways to improve the service and make it operate more efficiently, if possible.
Man sentenced in 2018 homicide
A man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend’s father will serve the rest of his life in prison.
Marathon County Judge Greg Strasser on April 8 sentenced Lee Franck, 60, to life in prison without the possibility of parole in Marathon County Court. The sentencing came a little more than a week after he pleaded no contest to the charges of first degree intentional homicide.
According to police, Franck was in a relationship with the daughter of Lyle Leith, who police say was found dead in the garage of his home in the 1000 block of Kickbusch Street Feb., 2018.
According to criminal complaints, several days prior Franck had an argument with Leith’s daughter, who kicked him out of the house. Franck, who allegedly was drunk and on pain medication, told Leith and his daughter “I will ruin your life,” before he left the residence, police reports say.
The winningest coach in UWSP and WIAC women’s basketball history announced her retirement from coaching last week.
UWSP women’s basketball coach Shirley Egner announced April 6 she would retire after coaching the team for 33 seasons. In that time, Egner enjoyed a 572-292 record. She also led the UWSP women’s team to its secondever national championship in 2002. She’s also been named WIAC Coach of the Year four times in her career.
“I am beyond grateful to have spent 33 years mentoring young women at UWSP,” Egner says. “I tried to build this program as a contender each season by playing hard and being unselfish. Each year, we would strive for a culture of excellence on and off the court and to compete consistently at a high level throughout every game. I have learned so many invaluable life lessons from all of the players who have gone through our program. Thank you for shaping my life.”
Merrill superintendent announces retirement
At a Special Board Meeting on Tuesday, April 5, 2022, the Merrill Area Public Schools Board of Education approved the retirement of Superintendent Dr. John Sample. Dr. Sample has served the district as Superintendent for six years. Prior to this role, he was the Director of Special Education/Pupil Services for the district for eight years.
“I would like to thank Dr. Sample for his leadership and guidance of the Merrill Area School District”, said Board President Kevin Blake. “We wish him the very best in his upcoming retirement.” (Merrill Foto News)
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