Good morning.
The time is 722.
Overcast guys and 59 degrees in downtown Wasop.
We are live from our studios at the corner of Washington Street and North 3rd Street in downtown Wasop.
I'm Chad Holmes, a lot of Ian Welsh.
Ian, good morning.
Good morning, Chad.
We will have more with Ian in just a little bit, but sitting across the table from me.
as she does every other Thursday morning, is the chairperson of the Democratic Party of Marathon County, Nancy Stencil.
Nancy, good morning.
Good morning.
It's always good to see you.
And every couple of weeks, there's never a shortage of things to talk about in this.
Never a dull moment.
I swear I would love to have a few dull moments.
I think
I
would
too.
It'd be a lot more fun.
I
really would like a few dull moments.
I wanted to start with, because since we last talked, some news involving the Dropbox investigation involving
Mayor Doug Dini that a special counsel, press special prosecutor has been named.
And it turns out to be Eric Tony, the district attorney of Fond du Lac County, who also happened to be the Republican nominee for attorney general just a couple of years ago against a AG call.
I guess I'll just say, what was your response to the news that Eric Tony?
Could this
get any crazier?
I guess I'll start there.
I'll just go back to the fact that if Mr. Denny would have just said in the beginning, wow, I screwed up.
I should not have done this.
This whole thing could have been a slight rubber band.
I hate to say the words, forgive and forget.
Fest up to it to be given.
I guess I shouldn't have moved that things would have moved on But this just keeps getting deeper and deeper and it really has to make you wonder of all special prosecutors the state of Wisconsin you could have named Why this one?
Eric Tony in addition to being the Republican nominee for Attorney General two years ago
Also is on record concerning this issue
drop box.
Yeah, and that's the thing that I think is even more disturbing because when you go into whether you're I will say the example of the ethics committee because I will go back to a complaint I made a few months ago when the mayor nominated as a
I would say when you're not actually on the committee, but you're waiting in case somebody can't do the job, whatever.
Yeah, I can't do the
word either.
I know.
It's too early here.
But when he named Kevin Hermanine to the spot to be an alternate on the committee.
Yeah,
that was one.
And
then
you picked somebody
from Tom Tiffany's office, too.
But the point is not just the name Kevin Hermanine.
It's not the fact he's a Republican or a former.
Coney chair for the Republicans.
It was the fact that he gave $5,000 in this very issue that he was going to be asked to make a decision on it's similar here with Eric Tony because it's not a case where he has not said anything concerning drop boxes during that campaign He said that basically they did it
right out.
He's in lockstep with what the mayor had said,
right?
So why are you getting these kind of people on there or like?
It's trying to get something from Tom Tiffany's office
segue him in to be on that ethics committee, too.
I mean, the people of Washington really need to take a good look at that.
I know a lot of them have a lot of them are commenting on the money that's being spent on this.
For something that this was the clerk's job.
The clerk did her job.
She did it well.
Yeah, I mean it's been you're
gonna carry this out for how long and for how much
it's almost been 11 months to the day Yes, I mean it.
Yes, and it's again when you talk about investigations I've said this so many times.
I'm getting tired of appearing myself say it is that this is a case where it's sort of all out there.
I mean Yeah, we had a Supreme Court decision that said drop boxes were legal in the 2024 election.
Yes, we had advice given to the mayor
that said, no, you cannot remove the drop box.
It's not your job.
We had pictures of him in his hard hat and his vest, removing the drop box.
He has not denied that he moved the drop box.
What are we investigating here?
Is either right or it's wrong?
Isn't that straightforward?
I mean, yes.
I think it should be straightforward.
Yes.
And another thing, and I think I said this to you previously as well, one thing that I'm finding a little bit disconcerting is certain.
folks who have been asked to provide communications are kind of not coming out and saying, here's what.
the marriage and we talked about, if you ask me specifically about it, this is too broad.
These are public servants who are trying to hide behind, I think, language instead of just putting the information out there.
And I find that just discerning as well.
But again, it's just one of those cases where 11 months in, we're gonna have to continue to deal with that.
I know,
yeah.
How much longer is this gonna drag out?
How much more money is it gonna cost the loss of taxpayers?
And also,
Sort of a bigger point and I mentioned this to you before is why is it whenever we have these kind of situations whether with the president of the United States whether in the state of Wisconsin whether locally and I'll use the example of Ken star back in the white water and then that's expanded investigation then a couple of years ago when
Robin Voss, when he wanted to investigate what he thought were improprieties in voting, decided to name Michael Gabelman, the former conservative Republican Supreme Court justice.
And now in this case, naming a Republican attorney general to investigate, why is it always that...
in these situations, whether it's investigating a Democrat or a Republican, it all has to be a Republican doing the investigating.
Is there a double standard here?
I think there is.
I really do.
And I try to remain objective about that.
You don't think, well, it's just me
thinking this, but
no, it's
you look
all the way down the line.
It always is.
I mean, why do you think they're going to tell you the truth or something and the Democrat won't?
I know that it's like you can trust the Republican to investigate, but
But it would be somehow tainted if it was a Democrat who was investigating.
And I find myself getting annoyed by that.
I do.
I mean, because it's unfair.
It's not equal justice again.
No.
And I think we just need to have equal justice in all these situations.
We do.
And unfortunately, in our society, and it's not just within the political realm, it's within just the normal legal realm where certain people that have certain political or economic powers seem to have advantages, which is big.
A
lot of it is the economic advantages.
Right there, you said a lot.
Yep, and we have more to say in about 20 minutes or so at 7.52.
We'll come back.
Have more with the Democratic Party of Marathon County Chairperson Nancy Stencil.
But coming up next, after an information update, it's back to Pat Critelow.
Mornings with Pat Critelow on 98.9 WXCO.
And welcome back, it is the WXCO morning report part of mornings with Pat Critello on 98.9 WXCO, online at WXCO.fm, mobile devices and Alexa by searching WXCO and on the Civic Media app.
Stick around at 8.06 Thursday, so I'll be joining Pat Critello to vent a little bit.
They say I get spicy once a while, and I think I'm gonna get spicy today, so we're gonna talk a few things on my mind.
How spicy can we get big without getting
in trouble?
There you go.
I'm still trying to find that line.
With the Democratic Party of Marathon, County Chairperson, Nancy Stencil, something that was actually, you know, listening to Pat Short earlier this morning, they were talking about three candidates over in the third on the Democratic side, trying to...
get Derek Van Orden to give up his part-time job of Congressman and go back to his full-time job of being a troll.
And then also in the eighth congressional district, apparently there was an event last evening where there were four Democrats who were thinking about running against, what's his name?
Trump endorsed Tony Weed.
I think of his name as Trump endorsed Tony Weed because back in that campaign last year, every time I'd be driving down 29 to the eastern part of the state, you'd see the signs.
for the campaigns and all that stuff.
And every sign was, it wasn't Tony weed.
It was Trump endorsed Tony
weed.
I know.
but there are four candidates who are showing interest in learning for that.
I want to ask you about in the seventh congressional district, because I haven't heard as much in terms of Democratic hopefuls to take away.
And who knows, it could be an open seat because we're hearing a lot of discussion about Tom Tiffany, perhaps throwing his hat into the ring.
He's
really been twang with that, hasn't he?
We do have a candidate, Chris Armstrong.
He was actually in Marshfield last night at their fair.
He's been making appearances all over the city.
state.
Um, we have done anybody else yet that has stepped up.
There's been a few rumblings.
There's a few people that are
well, tell him to give me a call.
We'd love to get him on the air.
Okay.
I will.
We'll reach some of the folks out here.
That would be fantastic or something is information I'd love to talk to him about the issues and that's terrific Is it too early for people or is it?
Should we be hearing a lot more about it?
I mean obviously because I
don't think it's too early
Unfortunately got a run a long time to raise the money and that's a sad aspect of our system
saddest part it really is but
you know that the seventh congressional for one is so huge.
I mean we got 26 counties.
Yes.
And
how do you
get to everybody but you know get get out to events and you know Chris is doing this kind of thing right now so he's kind of I shouldn't say talking to the choir he's showing up at picnics and stuff but he is also at least getting himself out there to like fairgrounds and things where
Others can talk to him as well.
We were talking before as well about you know the way to talk to voters in terms of how to because I mean whenever there is an election like 2024 there's so much talking about what went wrong or what went wrong more than actually what went right and I thought you had some really good thoughts in terms of how Democrats need to talk to voters
about the issues
Um, like at, at our fair, we did a straw straw poll.
The biggest things that came out there was social security and public education and the democratic socialist party had an event here in wasa and we talked to we, they used a big whiteboard and let's, you know, let's just hear from the audience.
What are the top issues?
Things like public transportation, public education.
These were the top things that people need to be talking about.
Um,
You know if you're a Democrat, I mean it's a given.
Of course you support gay rights.
Of course you support Accessible, you know abortions and things like this, but the people on doors and whatnot want to talk about like how they're gonna get from point A to point B What's gonna happen with their schools how you can put food on your table
meat and potatoes issues?
Yeah, and things that affect you every
single day
and the thing about
when you say that, when people talk about those kind of issues, those are the last issues Republicans want to talk about.
Exactly.
They want to talk about social issues all the time.
Right.
If you could be talking about, you know, like, gosh, we need, you know, health care and this, that, oh, but those Democrats are taking this away from you
or they're taking that away
from you.
You
know, frankly, again, there's that old adage, God gays and guns.
That's what they love to talk about.
Yep, exactly.
And how does that affect?
your ability to pay your rent or pay your mortgage or buy groceries or this time of year.
I made a posting the other night.
I rarely buy clothes.
I just wear them out.
But I got to the point where, oh, we're starting a new high school sports season.
I have to go out and be in public and dress tonight.
And I went and shopped in very little, very little.
And I couldn't
believe how much money.
I couldn't believe how much it cost just to get a couple of pairs of pants and a couple of shirts.
And I'm thinking, well, the parents that go out there who have two or three or four kids this time of year.
Imagine getting a kid ready for school now.
I thought of that too.
And that is one thing we should bring up too.
We have another Indivisible has a protest this weekend along with Marathon County Dems and they are doing a drive for school supplies So it's not just getting out there and creating public awareness, but it's also helping families in need and The Democrats too have we have put the invitation across the aisle.
Oh, yeah
to the Republican Party of Marathon County.
I haven't heard anything yet, but
To pay down school lunch deficits.
That's gonna be our our our give for the month of September any public school in in Marathon County Please give so the kids can eat
And that's it.
I mean and do what matters and also for the candidates
it can be so easy to fall into the rabbit holes to respond to what they're saying.
And I think that going into 2026, having a laser focus, having as simple as possible bullet points is probably the way for success.
How would you run your
household, you know?
You just mentioned again the indivisible event, what's again the details on that?
Yeah,
indivisible event is on Saturday, noon to two, Rib Mountain.
We have the Marathon County Labor Day parade coming up and there's a parade route change and that starts at Marathon Park.
Labor Day, Monday, line up at three, parade at four, and as usual, be in front of Tom Tiffany's office on Friday, and they aren't turning on the sprinklers anymore.
I don't know what's happening.
I gotta go home and
show her now.
See what happens when you get a little publicity?
Right, get on the
Rachel Maddow show and things really shape up really fast, don't they?
All right, well, you're staying busy.
It's always good to see you, and we'll catch you again in two weeks.
Sounds good.
Stick around.
We have an information update coming up, and then Pat Crite Low is back with Brittney Merlowe looking at the weather and...
guy know it's me that's coming up so stick around and we'll have more here on 98.9 WXCO
Welcome back.
It is the WXCO morning reports part of mornings with pack right low on 98.9 WXCO online at WXCO FM mobile devices and Alexa by searching WXCO and on the civic media app The time is 8 23 overcast guys here in downtown Wausau We are live from our studios at the corner of Washington Street and North 3rd Street in downtown Wausau 60 degrees is the temperature.
I am Chad Holmes joined again by our in-studio engineer
Ian Walsh, Ian, good morning.
Good morning, Chad.
How are things with you?
Well, pretty good, actually.
I did see something really interesting as I was driving from my other job.
My other job to a...
You're busy, busy.
Yeah, but driving along the back road towards Mozhanee,
I saw something crossing the road and it was a big something so I was looking and I thought it was a cat as I get a little closer, closer I see the actual shape of it and I realized that it's a turtle it's a turtle that was just crossing someone's driveway it wasn't even like halfway on the road yet but there was like five cars coming in the opposite direction and thankfully
They slowed down, but I seriously hope that somebody helped, you know, maybe get the turtle further along the road, because you don't see that too often around here.
How did the turtle cross the road?
Yeah, that's a good joke.
To get the other side.
And
also, my dad and I were able to watch the end of the Brewers game.
and it was close they were they almost tied the game but they uh couldn't quite be the cubs in that game but the good thing is they have another game this afternoon so hopefully they can make a comeback
Yeah, the Brewers have now lost three in a row to the Cubs.
This never-ending series, a five-game series.
You don't see that very often.
It's a five-game series because they had a makeup game from a rainout earlier in the campaign.
Brewers won the first game of the series.
The Cubs have won the last three.
Final game coming up later today.
When you just thought maybe you could take a deep breath, maybe the Brewers were cruising towards the division championship.
All of a sudden, it was nine games.
the lead two days ago.
Now it's six games and Chicago has a chance to make it five games.
Obviously, if you're the Brewers, you want it to be a seven game lead heading out of town from Chicago and Wrigley Field.
But I think a pretty significant game.
And in fact, when you look at the records, the Brewers and the Cubs, the Cubs have a record of 73 and 54.
That is the third best record in the National League.
I mean, the first
Best record is the Brewers.
The Brewers are 79 and 48.
The Philadelphia Phillies have the second best record at 74 and 53.
So the Brewers, even with the three game losing streak, are still five games ahead of Philadelphia for the best record in the National League.
And the team that people thought were going to be the best team because they're spending all the money are the LA Dodgers, but they have a record that's only the fourth best in the National League.
They're 72 and 55 and they're in a battle with San Diego.
in the West division, but for the Brewers, it's important to win the division because then you can avoid that best of three first round series.
And that's been such a pain in the butt for the Brewers the last number of years.
Last year, they had the home field advantage for that wild card series, but they lost to the Mets and had their season come to a premature end, but you don't have to worry about that if you win the division.
And the thing about it as well, the Brewers have been so red hot.
But we still have quite a bit of time left in the regular season.
But the thing is, there's still so much time left in the regular season.
So it's like, man, if you've had a 11 game win streak and a 14 game win streak, you think, man, it's almost over.
No, we still got about a month.
month and a third left of the regular season.
So a lot of excitement there with the Milwaukee Brewers and again, the Brewers and the Cubs later on
today.
Yeah, I really hope they can get back on the ball.
Exactly.
Hey, and don't forget tomorrow here on.
Civic Media and 98.9 WXEL.
It is another free ticket Friday.
That's right.
Because on Fridays, we give you an opportunity to win tickets and they are good tickets, a four packet tickets to our seats that Civic Media has at American Family Field.
And I've been there.
I went to a game earlier this year, one game this year and I was able to use our Civic Media seats and they are fantastic seats.
It's actually in an area that's sort of
By invitation only you have to go through this door and have to show that you are actually ticket holders So it's actually you're behind the curtain a little bit.
So it's really really cool stuff.
So tomorrow throughout the day
Starting in the seven o'clock hour with Pat Critewell, you can be listening all day, all afternoon long, to win tickets to see the Breweries.
And it's a free ticket Friday.
I've listened to a Pat, and then listened to Matt and Aaron Ayer, and Tom Hartman, the Todd Alba show, and Maggie Dawn as well.
Each of those shows will give you an opportunity to win tickets to see the Milwaukee Breweries.
And right now,
Tickets are hard to come by.
In fact, I heard that basically this weekend when they returned home for a series with the Giants, the season of the tickets are basically sold out, almost sold out.
I think there may be a few, maybe obstructed view seats or whatever they may be.
So we're going to not only get you the tickets, but give them for free.
And then you can go see the Brewers in this pennant race as
well.
Plus you've never been to American Family Field before.
It is in...
Incredible.
Yes, it is.
And also incredible is the run you've been on recently with the number for the day.
Yes.
You had a winning record last week.
You're two for three this week.
A chance to clinch a winning week later on today.
And we'll do that as part of our final segment this morning.
So we'll be back at 8.52.
We'll have a topic and then a question for Ian Welsh to see if he can make it three out of four this week with our number for the day quiz.
But coming up next, it's more of Pat Kreis.
morning's with Pat Cricklow here on 98.9
WXCO.
you
back.
It is the WXO morning report part of morning to the pack right low 98.9 WXO online at WXO dot FM mobile devices and Alexa by searching WXO and on the civic media app.
If you missed in the first hour our discussion with Marathon County Democratic Party Chair Nancy Stenzel, you'll be able to tune into that as part of our podcast.
Again, the every day all of our local segments are put into one
tiny little half hour podcast and you can get it by going to wxco.fm and under news.
You'll see the WXCO news roundup and also our WXCO morning report.
And you'll get show notes, information, links, maybe the websites where the people are involved in our interviews are located.
But again, wxco.fm, go to the news section and WXCO morning report each and every day to get a podcast.
And you can also subscribe on Spotify or Apple podcasts and be able to get our podcast that way as well.
different ways to tune in and hopefully you can tune in live every morning as we join you in the 22 and 52 minute after the hour segments here on 98.9 WXCO is part of the mornings with pack right little program quick note stick around when we're done here in just a few minutes from 9 to 11 a.m.
It's matinee on air Jim Santel will be joining Jane and Greg at 935 also
1006 this morning Kate Riley president and CEO of America's public television stations We'll talk about the closure of the corporation for public broadcasting and the effects that will be had on stations as well as their audience and some sports talk at 1035 with JR Radcliffe of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Did you notice last night because I know you were here for the big high school sports show yes, I was did you have a hard time finding parking?
Cause there's a lot of activity here downtown last night.
Yeah.
The parking was pretty, was always parked in the old was a ceremony parking.
Yeah.
I ran over there cause there was a very, a big event happening last night.
My, my mom and dad and my brother, Logan actually went to the event last night and they said it was a lot of fun.
Is that the 400 block, right?
Uh huh.
Yeah.
It seems like on Wednesday nights, a lot of those.
What was it called?
It was a, oh yeah.
It was the Hall Star under the oh, yeah concert event.
They have those happen every year.
Yep.
Yep.
It was a really awesome tribute band my mom was telling me about it was a journey a tribute.
Oh, wow, but no that she went to pretty late Yeah, it was like a six to eight Well, I mean it started at six, but then it was actually going till after they were there here when the Sun was when the Sun already said the
Stars were out.
There was good Music and some good food Vendors it well and from the pictures I saw it looked like there was quite a few people who came out for this event.
Yeah, that's
really for a fundraiser for
Veterans terrific.
It's always a great event and we have so many great events here downtown keeps the downtown vibrant and that's
important
and we're seeing
The building across the way here from our studio is really coming along.
It looks like it's getting very very close to opening up So again lots happening here in downtown Wausau Lots happening in high school football.
We have three games between tonight and tomorrow tonight a double header I will be at Tom Field for the Wausau West Warriors taking on superior season opener 630 for the pregame seven o'clock for the opening kickoff right here on 98.9 WXCO online at wxco.fr
mobile devices and Alexa by searching WXEO also tonight at 640 for the pregame 7 o'clock for the kickoff live on the sports to stream of WXEO dot FM and on the civic media app It's Newman Catholic at Florence so Newman Cardinals kick things off tonight on the road again You can get that one on the sports to stream Go to WXEO dot FM click on sports to at the top and then hit play and you'll be able to hear it live on your computer or better yet download
the Civic Media app.
It's a free app.
Go to your app store, search Civic Media.
And then once you have the app, open up the WXEO part of the app, click on Sports Tube, hit play, and you'll be able to hear it again live on your phone.
And then tomorrow night, WASA East opens up their season at Westby.
And we'll have live coverage of that one as well, starting with the pregame show at 6.35 in the opening kickoff at seven o'clock.
That's
on 98.9 WXEO.
wxco.fm mobile devices and Alexa by searching wxco.
So exciting times as we start another year of high school athletics.
Absolutely.
Exciting times as well because it's time for the number of the day quiz.
Yes.
Ian is two for three so far this week.
That means he's clinched a passing grade because passing grade is 33% or better because there's three choices, one correct, so 33%.
But now a chance for a winning week, which is more right than wrong.
If he gets it today, right, there'll be three out of four and clinch a winning week.
All right, your topic is the Boy Scouts.
Boy Scouts.
And the number for the day is, how many merit badges are currently available in the Scouts BSA program?
So how many merit badges currently available in the Scouts BSA program?
That's a good question.
Your choices are 109, 139.
Oh 169
Well that is a
quite a jump 109 139 169 How many bit merit badges are offered in the scouts BSA program?
Okay I'm gonna say final guess I'm gonna say a hundred and
39 is my final answer.
I'm gonna say 139.
The
number of merit badges currently available in the Scouts BSA program is 139.
Nice.
Winning week.
Well, that's a lot of badges.
It is.
A lot of opportunities.
That was in the Boy Scouts when I was a kid.
Three out of four.
Awesome.
Now go
for an A grade tomorrow.
Absolutely.
Have a good rest of your day.
You too Chad.
Happy
Thursday everybody.
Don't forget high school football tonight and matinee on air next on 98.9 WXCR.
