Good morning.
It is Tuesday, November the 4th of 2025.
Currently in downtown Wausau, cloudy skies, temperature of 31 degrees.
I am Chad Holmes.
It is the WXCO morning report.
Part of mornings with Pat Crite Low on 98.9 WXCO online at wxco.fm mobile devices and Alexa by searching WXCO and on the Civic Media app.
Well, whether wise it
It looks like it will be a fairly nice day, at least in terms of the temperatures.
There is a chance of sprinkles late this afternoon, but otherwise mostly cloudy and the high reaching up near 56 degrees.
So again, for this time of year, rather a warm day coming here to Wausau and the Wausau Marathon County area.
Tonight cloudy, a slight chance of rain or low of 39 and then good looking day tomorrow, mostly sunny skies.
just a tick cooler in a high of 52.
In fact, as we go towards the end of the work week into the weekend, we look for temperatures to start to dip just a little bit.
49 under mostly cloudy skies on Thursday, a chance of rain, a slight chance of rain on Friday, otherwise mostly cloudy and 48.
And then Saturday, we'll see high temperatures.
Looks like not even getting out of the 30s in fact for the whole weekend and into early next week.
We expect some much cooler weather Saturday mostly cloudy a chance of rain or even snow in the afternoon a high of 38 partly sunny Sunday 35 and then mostly sunny Monday 35 so again enjoyed this temperatures in the mid maybe even upper 50s today because it will not stay that way as we get towards the weekend and
I think that's actually a good thing to have nice cold weather.
Maybe weather that you'd rather be indoors in this weekend because then
You can go indoors and see Ian Welsh this weekend because he'll be part of a production with the Wausau Community Theater, Sweeney Todd, which will be performed on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Friday and Saturday night, and then Saturday and Sunday afternoon at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point at Wausau campus, the James F. Benega Theater, and across the way behind the glass is our in-studio engineer, our in-studio producer, Ian Welsh.
Ian, good morning.
Good morning, Chad.
Yes.
So I mean, it's going up, it's only a few days away.
And the weather will be nice because then people want to go indoors and see you in action Friday through Sunday.
So again, the weather is actually, I think, going to be, it's not going to be so bad that people can't go out and drive, but it's not going to be the kind of weather that people want to go out and maybe have some outdoor activity.
So it may just work out perfectly for you and the rest of your company with the WC team.
I think so as well.
It's a good way to bring people in.
In
fact.
are loaded in our first tech rehearsal for the show and you know a few bumps along the way but that's usual for the first rehearsal of tech week and you know overall there's things we can work on but there's also things we did pretty well in and we can only get better from here so you know one day at a time but really it's all gonna it's all coming along very nicely
it really is.
In fact, coming up tomorrow morning, we will have an opportunity to learn more about this show, learn more about the people involved in this show as well as coming up tomorrow morning.
We will be joined by...
Somebody I'm not sure exactly who's gonna be here, but the surprise folks that are involved in Sweeney Todd from the WCT So we'll have an opportunity to learn more about the show give you more information about the show tomorrow morning here on this very WXCO morning report Also coming up this week on Thursday.
We'll talk more about what's going on with the theater and the arts as we have our every other week visit with Sean Wright the executive director of the grant
Theater and also the Wassa Performing Arts Foundation.
It is starting to get into the busy time for Sean and the folks over at the Grand.
So we'll talk about some of the great productions that will be getting set to come here in the month of November and as we get closer and closer to the holiday season as well.
And then coming up on Friday, we'll be talking about the weekend sports with Paul Mickley.
So that's still to come for the rest of this week.
Are you used to the new time yet?
because over the weekend we had the end of daylight savings time, the beginning of standard time, which is the way it should be all the time in my opinion, but I'm not gonna dig down that rabbit hole quite yet.
But a lot of- I was
able to change my clocks and I wasn't, I woke up at the right time, didn't have any issues with that, but
it was nice to get an extra hour of sleep.
I think it's easier this time than it will be in the-
Spring because yeah, because then you you spring forward and all of a sudden you If you if you kind of miss here in the fall You have an extra hour because you gain that hour So it's like, you know, if you think it's oh, I'm running late No, actually, you know, you have another hour if you think if you thought hey, I got be there at eight o'clock all of a sudden.
Oh
It's only seven o'clock.
So, you know, so I think you're okay.
But if you mess up in the spring, all of a sudden you'll find yourself an hour late and probably getting yourself into some cause a little trouble.
Yeah, difficulty with the boss or whoever it may be.
So folks, and again, just trying to figure out the sleeping patterns and the like.
I find myself again, trying to get the rhythm going here early on.
But I don't mind the change.
I think it's nice to have it be a last week.
At this point it was dark outside and now it actually we're starting to get a little bit of light So it's good to see a little bit of light here in the morning.
Oh, yeah But again, it looks like it should be a pretty good day.
Otherwise if you like to be out and about yesterday was so windy I mean, did you notice that
last couple of days has been
Pretty windy.
It was kind of surprising
actually.
I mean, it was really the leaves are blowing around everywhere The leaves were out of control yesterday as I was walking around it was But today actually the winds are going to be light so it's
Whatever happened, that wind blew through and it's much more light here today.
We'll be back at 722.
But coming up next, it's an information update, news, weather and sports as you get at the top and the bottom of every hour here on 98.9 WXCO.
And then after that, it's more of mornings with Pat Critello here on 98.9 WXCO.
you
WXCO morning reports part of mornings with packed right low on 98.9 WXCO WXCO dot FM mobile devices and Alexa by searching WXCO and on the civic media app.
The time is 723.
Currently 32 degrees in downtown Wausau live from our studios at the corner of Washington Street and North Third Street in downtown Wausau.
I am Chad Holmes along with Ian Welsh.
In the past hour or so it was announced that the
46th president of the United 46th vice president of the United States Dick Cheney has passed away at the age of 84 and Been looking at some of the social media reaction and there is a lot of folks I would say in some cases I think understandably showing some joy in this I Want to spend a few minutes
trying to put Dick Cheney in a full perspective.
Because as opposed to somebody like Donald Trump, when that day comes, when Donald Trump passes away, I don't think you can... Donald Trump, you're not going to be able to say, well, he did this, that was a good thing, or that, that was a good thing.
There's been very little of that.
But I want to try to put into perspective, for those of you who only know Dick Cheney as perhaps...
one of the architects of the Iraqi war, one of the architects of the whole idea of the phony weapons of mass destruction that led the United States into that tragic conflict, that maybe there is more to Cheney.
And again, I'm not saying that the first line of his ultimate obituary here later today that we see, we'll talk about his role in the phony...
weapons of mass destruction debate that occurred in the run-up to the Iraqi war and the George W. Bush administration.
But I'm thinking that maybe a few of you are not familiar with the entirety of Dick Cheney's career.
In fact, I am a very big historical nut.
And one of my favorite books is an old book that was written almost 50 years ago.
Still on my bookshelf and I've read it numerous times.
It's called We Almost Made It.
It was the story by one of the ad men, one of the advertising executives that worked on the Gerald Ford campaign of 50 years ago, the 1976 presidential election.
Many of you probably don't know that as a very young man.
50 years ago, if you were in the United States of America 50 years ago in the aftermath of Watergate,
Gerald Ford became president and historians I think for the most part agree that he was somebody that was able to bring the country back together in significant ways after the disaster of Watergate the resignation of Richard Nixon and One of the people that was there closest to Gerald Ford from
1974 to 1977 when he was president was Dick Cheney Dick Cheney was the chief of staff for Gerald Ford and in fact if you go back and it's very interesting you talk about people changing and So often you'll think well people change for the good and I think sometimes people change for the not so good Dick Cheney as Chief of Staff to Gerald Ford Ford I would call a traditional Republican conservative
Pre-Reagan, pre-W Bush, pre-Trump, because nowadays what a, I would call mainstream Republican is, is very different than what it was pre-Ronald Reagan to begin with.
Well, in 1976, Ronald Reagan ran against Gerald Ford for the Republican nomination for president.
And part of the book was about that.
And Dick Cheney was a Ford guy.
He was...
Considered one of them the part of the moderate rank or wing of the Republican Party He was known as somebody who did his job exceptionally well during the Ford administration Cheney then went on to become a congressperson from the state of Wyoming respected congressmen in Wyoming Then he became the secretary of defense under George HW Bush very well respected during very
Difficult times changing times with the fall of the Soviet Union and all that had to do with the military establishment and people said that Dick Cheney was an outstanding Secretary of Defense during the George H.W.
Bush administration and then Things seemed to change when he became the person put in charge of George W. Bush's search for a vice president
And in the end, the search committee led by Dick Cheney ended up choosing Dick Cheney as the vice president.
There was a thought that he was going to be the adult in the room for George W. Bush.
Many thought of him as an inexperienced and maybe even underqualified person to be president of the United States.
Well, Dick Cheney became a very powerful vice president.
Dick Cheney...
was one of the people that was in the year of George W. Bush, one of the people in the aftermath of 9-11 that said, go for Iraq.
Go for Iraq.
And the run up to that war is one of the most disgraceful periods in our country's history.
And I think, again, that when the ultimate legacy of the late Dick Cheney is written, it's going to start with his role.
leading this country to war on false premises.
But I think you would be well-served to look at his career as a whole and also maybe take lessons from this.
That the move of the Republican Party in the post-Reagan era that's led ultimately to Donald Trump has taken what I would say
Good moderate Republicans in directions that they would not otherwise have gone and led to I think tragic circumstances both for the country and for the individuals involved So Dick Cheney former vice president of the United States of America died last night at his home in Wyoming at the age of 84 The time is 7 29 Information update including the farm report coming up and then more of mornings with Pat Crite low
We'll be back at 752 here on 98.9 WXCO.
If you want me you can find me left of center off of the strip in the outskirts
And welcome back it is the WXCO morning report part of mornings with pack right low on ninety eight point nine WXCO online at WXCO dot FM Mobile devices and Alexa by searching WXCO and on the civic media app
The time is 7.53.
Currently, you overcast guys and 32 degrees here in downtown Wausau.
We are live from our studios at the corner of Washington Street and North Third Street in downtown Wausau.
Chad Holmes along with Ian Welsh.
And Ian, did you know it's election day?
No, I did not, actually.
I don't think you're the only one because here in Wisconsin, there's really no major elections out there.
Maybe in some local areas there is, but basically this...
election day.
It is the first election day really since Donald Trump won a year ago.
And you look at, and I was kind of looking at this because really today the only contest that folks are really keeping an eye on, there are two gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey.
Expected that the Democrats will win that, both of them.
New York City, of course, has a mayor's election.
going on today, and it's quite a battle, as you have, I think, mainstream Democrats a little nervous.
They have Republicans who may be thinking, well, there's an opportunity.
If the winner is Zoran Mandamni.
He is a 34-year-old Muslim state legislator who identifies as a democratic socialist, backs radical changes to address economic inequality for reasons that are, I think, wrong in my mind.
Some major Democrats have not endorsed Mondami, even though he had won the Democratic primary over former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.
Cuomo has run as an independent and, frankly, has run a disgusting campaign.
And I wanted to mention here that today, November the 4th, is the 17th anniversary of a famous event in history.
And it's an event that I think we can put our arms around and hope that maybe we're turning a corner again.
17 years ago today and tonight,
Barack Obama was elected president of the United States He became the first person of color ever to become president of the United States and He ran on a platform of hope and change and that this country could be better than it has been and coming off the disastrous George W. Bush presidency and I think it kind of connects with today's news that
George W. Bush's vice president Dick Cheney passed away last night.
There was an idea that Barack Obama could come in and provide a different kind of leadership, an uplifting kind of leadership, which I think he did for the next eight years.
In fact, when he left office, he was a very popular figure.
He had approval ratings, believe in the upper 50s, even around 60%.
And then you think if that was the case,
If Barack Obama came in during a very difficult time of economic unheaval, the Great Recession, and was able to have eight years of slow, steady progress without a sniff of corruption and leave the office with the country in a much better place than it was as a popular figure, you would think, why then would the country turn to a man like Donald Trump?
Who is the opposite of Barack Obama in every possible way the exact
opposite?
And now Donald Trump is back again, but a year after he was elected for a second time His approval ratings are in the tank.
There was a poll that I saw yesterday on CNN that
37% approved, 63% disapproved, which is the highest mark.
That's even higher by a percentage point than after the January 6th insurrection and everything that went around with that in 2021.
I'd say he's losing his momentum a little bit.
Yep.
And I saw a posting this morning that talks a little bit about where we are and where we could be and maybe a little bit of optimism.
It's from a
Person named Elias Isquith from Vox Vox.com.
What did they say?
And Cuomo has run a very ugly campaign, but it looks like it's not gonna work
as Mondami appears to be winning and winning big.
But he said, I'm under the influence of living in New York City as Cuomo and his allies try to finish one of the ugliest campaigns in recent memory, as hideously as possible.
So take this all with a grain of salt.
But I just feel like this country is not as mean and as brutish and as nasty as these people seem to.
The other thing I'd warn, and I'm totally influenced as we all are,
in my opinion, the dynamics of the era in which I came of age.
In a sense, as a political observer citizen, so my time frame of presence is 2004 to 2009, suppose, all of which to say Obama looks very large in my political psyche.
That said, I can't help but feel like Trump and his allies, among whom I'd count Cuomo, are wildly overestimating how much Americans want the character of daily life to be defined by the kind of bullying
petty, trollish sadism they call toughness.
That is not to deny that Americans can get in that mood, but it isn't a register they want to live in 24-7 for four or more years.
There's also the Mr. Rogers side of Americans, the impulse to see ourselves in Mr. Rogers and other sentimental representations of a kindly and welcoming community.
And I just feel like these people are sewing the wind for another vibe shift one that is aggressively idealistic and optimistic and almost utopian and that focuses on affirming the ideal of America as a land of kind hardworking people who want to protect and respect each other and grow together And I think here on this election day in between last year's election
where Donald Trump was elected and next year's midterms where hopefully there's another sea change that maybe the American people are ready for hope and change like we saw with Barack Obama when he was elected 17 years ago today.
There's definitely a shift happening.
Top of the hour news coming up here on WXCO.
WXCO morning report part of mornings with Pat Crite low on 98.9 WXCO online at WXCO dot FM mobile devices and Alexa by searching WXCO and on the civic media app 36 degrees are up about four degrees in the past hour Still mostly cloudy skies here in downtown Wausau.
We are live from our studios at the corner of Washington Street into our third Street in downtown Wausau
As I said earlier, the temperatures expected to be pretty mild today.
High temperatures into the mid fifties.
But boy, by the time we get towards the weekend, temperatures will drop into the thirties and get a real dose of fall like weather.
Ian Walsh across the way.
Are you looking forward to snow?
Are you somebody that likes the winter?
Are you looking forward to
having a chance to
be out there?
I don't mind it.
It's just mostly the the ice and the wind.
You have to be careful of because
Especially if you have like a, you know, a heart, a freeze and the roads get slippery and you really have to test your brakes a lot for extra time and make sure you're mindful of everyone else around you because a lot of times when the weather is bad, people like to drive a little funky.
Well, have you, have you, have
you started driving better?
Cause I know that you were a little lead foot there.
And I yelled at you when I saw you going the wrong way down the street one day.
So
I have been working on it.
I've been doing better.
I've been making sure I pay attention to those one way signs.
Just try to ease up on the gas a little bit, because sometimes I like to, you know, well, like you said, a lead foot.
So I need, so I'm happening.
improving and getting better at that.
Coming up two weeks from tonight.
I'm one aspect of the winter that I look forward to is the winter high school sports season.
And right now we are in the midst of our little break between the end of our coverage of high school fall sports, high school football and the start of the high school winter sports season.
And coming up here during the winter sports season, we will have live coverage of Wausau West High School Boys and Girls Basketball, Wausau West Warrior Hockey, Newman Catholic High School Boys and Girls Basketball, and Central
Wisconsin storm hockey so we'll have a busy winter and we'll be getting things underway two weeks from tonight yep two weeks for tonight so our first week of the season will involve high school girls basketball because the girls actually start off a week before the boys do
So, Tuesday, November the 18th, we'll have Wausau West against Pachele Catholic in the first game of the Warriors' new season.
And then on Thursday, November the 20th, we'll have our first Newman Catholic High School Girls basketball broadcast as they will take on North and Lutheran.
So again, Wausau West and Pachele on Tuesday the 18th, and then Thursday the 20th, Newman Catholic and North and Lutheran to start off our winter high school sports season here on 98.9 WXCO.
And why do we do it?
Because I know that you always are very aware of why we do it.
Why do we go around?
It's to be a very busy winter.
I'm going to be driving around in those winter nights with the slick roads.
Why do we do that?
It's because we are very, very proud.
I had to be the only.
Wokowasa radio station that covers play-by-play action of high school sports
exactly right And I am
looking throughout the year except for the summertime Yeah, we
did some Legion softball this summer so nice Yeah, remember that we have some Legion softball this past summer.
I'm sure we'll do it again this coming summer as well So yeah, we keep busy during the course of the high school season and again, and we don't take that lightly that
because there used to be another station or two that would broadcast high school sports, and they decided, no, we're not going to do it anymore.
And we think it's still very important to be there for the live coverage of our area student athletes.
And again, don't forget as well that we will have the Big High School Sports Show tomorrow evening.
It will be another fall.
We're getting close to the transition to winter for our Big High School Sports Show, but we're still focusing on high school football, the playoffs going on.
And tomorrow night, our coach guests
will be Paul Mickley.
He has not been on the big high school sports show this year.
So I got to get him on the Newman Catholic High School head football coach and Trieff Stoffel, the outstanding Mosini High School senior who's led the Mosini to the level three playoffs coming up this Friday night.
He'll be our student athlete guest at 7 0 6.
So that's tomorrow night 6 until 8 p.m.
The big high school sports show here on 98.9 WXCO.
You will not be here.
Nope, I will be
A tech rehearsal for Sweeney Todd.
Yeah, so I forgive you for that.
So nope, that's very important.
And again, we will have more about Sweeney Todd tomorrow
as
we'll have an interview with some of the cast members involved with you in that production that
will
be Friday night, Saturday.
two shows on Saturday
and
Sunday afternoon as well.
So we'll have more details on that on the program tomorrow morning.
But to wrap it up, it's time for our number for the day quiz.
Yes.
And every day we wrap things up, giving Ian three choices, one of which is our number for the day based on the math, one out of three, 33%.
Anything about 33% is a passing grade.
Anything below 33% is a failing grade.
We want a winning week, which is more right than wrong.
Three out of five on a grade is four out of five and a perfect week is always the gold star.
Perfect week is the big goal.
Five out of five.
And you still have a chance.
Is there off on the right track yesterday?
I got it right.
So you're one for one so far.
And today I mentioned.
It is election day.
We don't really have anything to vote for today.
17 years ago today was Barack Obama being elected.
Last election day was Donald Trump.
Our number for the day is how many days are remaining in the Donald Trump presidency?
How
many days?
How many days are left in the Donald Trump presidency?
Your choices are 1,173.
1,673.
2,173.
So 1173, 1673, 2173.
You know, I'm gonna say 1673.
Final answer.
There are 1,173 days remaining in the Donald's
smallest number.
Presidency.
So one out of two so far this week.
So on a good track though.
Well, have a good rest of your day.
You too, Chad.
Happy Tuesday, everybody.
Have a great day.
Tomorrow morning, make sure you join us.
Tune into the interview with the cast of Sweeney Todd.
Coming up this week, we'll be back then.
More of Mike Pat Crightlow coming up next here on WXCO.
I know I sound good.
And Ian, can you
hear OK?
It sounds good over here.
All righty.
Yeah, unfortunately, we have three here.
And again, as you both talk, try to be as close to the microphone as possible.
I mean,
if you need as close as possible, or just
like.
As pretty close.
I mean, Ian has an opportunity as well to move it up and down, but it's always better to be as close as possible.
eating the mic either so you know the old uh goldilocks not just right just right all right just one second here all right Ian are we ready to roll
all set over here as soon as you're ready all righty
we are set so we'll listen to the uh you can start it up whenever you're ready
all
right
Stand by, okay.
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.
And every time that we do have an interview, you can also check it out by going to youtube.com and the 98.9 WXCO channel as well because we post all of our interviews on our WXCO YouTube channel.
I am Chad Holmes joined again
by Ian Welsh.
Ian, good morning.
Good morning, Chad.
I know that you're excited about this segment, aren't you?
Yes, I am.
Because in fact, when we consider you, we have a rather large group from the Wasa Community Theater as coming up as we've talked about quite a bit already this weekend on Friday at 7 30 Saturday at both 2 p.m.
and 7 30.
And on Sunday at 2 p.m.
It is sweetie Todd.
the Demon Barber of Fleet Street that will be performing at the University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point at Wausau, and the James F. Venega Theater.
And very happy to welcome in three members of the company, our director, Andrew Spencer.
Andrew, thank you for coming on by.
Good to be here.
Vivian Novak.
Novak?
Novak.
Novak.
Mrs. Lovett, is that correct?
That
is correct.
Welcome to you as well.
And Nick Nuber, who plays the titular character, Sweeney Todd, and Nick, glad to have you.
Thanks for having us.
And of course, Ian, what is your part in this play?
Well, I am in the ensemble, but one of my main parts is a ballroom dancer.
Very
good.
Well, let's jump right in and talk about this, because this is a...
Show that is I think known well pretty well known for quite a long time.
I'm
sure
Andrew as the director I imagine that You had you have to decide show that you wanted to direct why this
one?
well When I was looking at what I would want to do in the fall WCT was seeking a director.
They actually were looking to do something a bit more classical for the fall they leaned into Sweeney Todd and
Of all of Sondheim's works, I would say Sweeney is in the top two for me personally.
My personal favorite is Sunday in the Park with George, but Sweeney is right up there, and a Halloween favorite in the autumn.
It's the perfect time.
Everything just sort of lines right up, so you're in the mood for it.
It's got a great story, bold storytelling, visionary music, and just incredible characters that will stick with people.
Honestly lifelong like once you've seen Sweeney Todd once and you've seen it beginning to end every twist every turn that goes along the way with the story it lives inside you and For people who have not seen it I would highly recommend you do see it and for people who do know the show and who have that feeling inside of them because they have Experience with it whether they've been in it in the past seen the movie seen it encountered it encountered the music
come out.
This is an incredible cast and incredible crew.
This show is going to knock your socks off.
You sound like Ian, because I've been saying the same thing.
I'm saying I'm coming to it, but he's not going to spoil it for me either.
But he says it's going to be a really.
Are you familiar?
I am not familiar, actually.
Oh,
oh, this.
Oh,
that I've heard the show, but I've never seen it.
I've not seen the movie or anything like that.
So I'm going in pretty, pretty open minded.
Honestly, that's probably the best way to experience.
And.
would be so honored if you would have your first Sweeney experience with us.
I certainly am.
And Ian has not spoiled anything.
He's not going to see said he's not going to spoil anything.
So I'm very much looking forward to seeing it.
Not giving anything away to see it first.
Vivian, let's talk about your character.
Mrs. Love it.
Could you talk?
Well, first of all, before we actually talk about the character, what drew you to the show?
Why did you decide that you want to be part of this?
I have been a fan of Sweeney Todd for as long as I can remember my sister.
