97.5 WFHR and 105.5 WIRI, your Wisconsin Rapids Home for locally grown radio.
Here's your daily news roundup.
From the Wisconsin Rapids local newsroom, I'm Melissa K.
Last night temperatures as low as 9 below 0 with winds up to 7 mph made air temperatures
feel as low as minus 14 to minus 23 degrees.
15 brave and bundled volunteers gathered at the North Central Community Action Office
at 10.30 p.m. in Wisconsin Rapids to receive instructions, supplies, and resource information
before setting out for the point in time count.
Katie Schumer is the outreach case manager, coordinated and respecialist for North Central
Community Action Program.
I have banks over there that each group can take inside those banks are hygiene products,
hats, gloves, there's information in there for 211, there's information.
The point in time or pit count is a required count of sheltered and un sheltered people
experiencing homelessness on a single night in January.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development requires these numbers twice a year
to guide resource allocation and strategies.
Ham, an amateur radio operator's volunteer to coordinate between groups as they canvass
their assigned areas.
Mayor Madzacker was among the volunteers.
It's my first time out at just understanding that this actually happens as we're diving into
some of the issues we're having in the Wisconsin Rapids area.
Recent meetings between city and county officials are bringing to light some of the challenges
they face, one of the biggest being that each agency defines homelessness differently.
Thankfully on this chilly night in Wood County, the pit count was zero.
All right, we've got you.
Action, six.
You're a player.
Former Wasabeeer Katie Rosenberg is once again seeking elected office.
This time she's running for marathon county board in District 1.
Isabellaniato reports Rosenberg left Wasabeeer ship in 2024.
There are moments where you are offered an opportunity to reflect and I was offered that opportunity.
So I did.
Since leaving office, Rosenberg has taken on an appointment as the inaugural director of the Office
of Environmental Justice, which she says has allowed her to focus on issues that matter most to her.
But she says public service continued to pull her back in.
Earlier this year, she secured a seat on the Wasab Police and Fire Commission.
I thought, you know, why not?
Um, I'm not somebody who's afraid of putting myself out there.
That pull towards service, Rosenberg says, is lifelong.
I unfortunately grew up in a very engaged family from my grandparents to my dad to everyone.
So it's one of those things that kind of comes naturally.
Prior to being elected mayor, Rosenberg served on the county board from 2016 to 2020.
Her decision to run for county board again stems from the recent budget process.
After hearing discussions about selling the county nursing home and scaling back health services.
She wanted to make her voice heard to her representative on the board.
That was the moment where I was like, we can't do this.
Like, I need to make sure my, my person knows that I don't stand for this.
And like, I don't think our whole district does.
Rosenberg says county government is often overlooked, even though it affects daily life.
As she works to return to the county board, Rosenberg says her focus is on results.
I think it has to be about what are you doing for this community?
How can you help solve these critical issues that are facing us?
And that's not really the sexy part, but that's the part that matters the most.
The upcoming spring election will happen on April 7th and candidates are already prepping for their campaigns.
In Wisconsin Rapids, two candidates are running for mayor, incumbent mayor Matt Zacher and Tom Terry Muse.
Muse ran for mayor in 2024, receiving 650 votes to Zacher's 2229.
Two people are vying for the position of city attorney, incumbent Susan Schell and challenger Adam Vanderwerf.
In district four, Tom Reoam is challenging incumbent Jeff Penskelver for the position of alter person.
In district two, Sean Ryan is challenging incumbent alter person Dennis Pollock.
At the wood county level, Elizabeth Gebert and Emily Nolan Pluchek are running for circuit court judge branch three.
incumbent Donna Roser is being challenged for the county supervisor district two position by Nat Bremer.
Wisconsin Rapids and the Kusa Public School Districts will have referendums on the ballot.
WFHR will continue to bring you election coverage as we draw closer to the spring primary and February
and the spring election in April.
If you're in need of a photo ID to show at your voting location, citizens can get a photo identification card free of charge from the Wisconsin DMV.
There's no separate photo ID, but you must show an ID card to vote.
Valent identification for voting purposes includes a driver's license, identification card, military or student ID and others.
You can check the Wisconsin Elections Commission website for all valid forms of ID to vote.
To obtain your free photo ID from the DMV, you can start on their website to see what required documentation you will need at Wisconsin DMV.gov.
Local news at the top and bottom of every hour throughout the day or on demand any time at WFHR.com and WIRI.fm.
From the Wisconsin Rapids local newsroom, I'm Melissa K.
The Badgers bounced back.
Hi, I'm Mike Clemens with sports, college hoops. The Badgers had only scored 17 points at halftime.
Minnesota looked like they finally were on their way to getting a win at Wisconsin.
The Badgers came roaring back in the second half. Beat the Gofers 67-63. Wisconsin's Nick Boyd.
What was the key in the second best comeback in Badgers Basketball history?
Down in that situation, down 18 and a half, we just like, when we come out, we just got to communicate.
We just bring energy anyway we could. So being physical, I think really changed the second half.
NBA, it's the Bucks and the Wizards tonight in the nation's capital.
The NBA Trade Deadline now a week away.
NESPN, Sham Sharania says more rumors about trading on us.
The Bucks have indicated to rival teams that they would want as a price point a young blue chip talent in all this.
NFL, the Packers have a new linebacker coach. It's the Bill's defensive coordinator, Bobby Babish.
The Dolphins Jeff Haffley has now hired three of his assistants in Green Bay to join him in Miami with sports on Mike Clemens.
Mostly sunny today with a high right around 11 this afternoon. The wind won't be strong, but it will be enough to keep that windshield hovering around zero here for most of the day.
Tonight partly cloudy, down to four below zero for a low tomorrow sunshine with a high of 13.
I'm meteorologist Sean Cable.