Researched by Michael J. Caylor Jr
3-7-79
The Lincoln County Board of Supervisors moved ahead last Wednesday with a proposed safety building to replace the aging county jail. After hearing reports and touring the present jail the board assembled for their afternoon session where they quickly agreed a referendum on the project was not needed. The Safety Building Committee report recommending construction of the $1.95 million dollar facility was eventually approved by an 11-8 vote. The board will now consider funding for the project at a meeting on March 20th where Ray Osness, a bond consultant, will discuss options. Some supervisors had hoped to just bring the current jail up to code, an option with a $550,000 price tag that some called a bandage approach.
The publisher of the Tomahawk Leader is dead after being stricken at work Saturday. According to Graham Foster, editor of the weekly Tomahawk Leader, Kenneth Keenan, age 52, was taken to Sacred Heart Hospital before being transferred to Wausau where he later died. Keenan purchased the Leader in 1955 from Willis and Lauren Osborne. He had worked at the paper since 1950 when he took over as the city editor of the publication. He was a graduate of the University of Minnesota.
Is this a sign of spring? Schielke’s Dairy Queen says they will be opening tomorrow! (I drove by Saturday, little bit of snow in the parking lot yet)
3-8-89
If you are looking to spend any time at Good Samaritan Health Center you will see a slight price adjustment starting in July. The hospital is required to post to publish adjustments to rate under federal law. If you are required to spend the night in the hospital now the cost will go up $12 to $177 per night. If you are planning to have a baby, your new cherub’s room will cost you $148 per night.
A front page story details the potential reorganization of Merrill Area Public Schools into a middle school format. Much has been written about the possibility of making the move in order to alleviate class sizes, and all the players realize the move to the middle school is inevitable, but now the costs of the change are coming into play. It is estimated the cost of upgrading the current high school would run around $113,000 while changes to the now Junior High would cost upwards of $50,000. It is also possible that the current high school will not have enough space to move the ninth grade into the building. The school board plans on making a decision on the matter by the end of the month.
On the basketball courts, the girls’ high school team was pushed out of the WIAA Sectional tournament by Shawano with a score of 70-47. Bob Yuska, head coach of the Jays, said after the game that Shawano’s strong physical play clearly dominated his team. The good news for the girls is three of the players were named All-Valley. Ginger Bonnell was the unanimous choice for the first team while Liesl Storm and Becca Bonnell topped the honorable mention list. The Merrill boys’ team defeated the conference champion Rhinelander in a stunning thriller on Merrill’s home court this past weekend. Shooting and rebound percentages clearly were the difference in the game with Merrill shooting 56% to Rhinelander’s 36% and the Jays out rebounding the Hodags 45-17. The boys now head to Green Bay for sectionals at the Brown County Arena, facing off against Pulaski who come into the tournament 18-4.
3-10-99
Local police officials are warning merchants to be wary of funny money. Counterfeit bills started showing up in the Wausau metro area in the past week, and now our local Hwy 51 Truck Stop has received a fake note. The Secret Service is investigating the incidents, which mainly involve fake $10 and $20 bills.
A now suspended Merrill teacher will appear in court later this month to face a felony charge of physical abuse of a child. Merrill Police interviewed over 20 witnesses to the event which led up to the charges although some of the witness statements are flawed as most of the witnesses did not observe the altercation which led to the charges. According to a 15 page criminal complaint filed in the circuit court the teacher became involved in an altercation with the student after he found him outside of his classroom rather than where he was supposed to be.
Dairy Queen has an ad on the entertainment page, and they are open for the season with Blizzards for just $1.99 with the flavor of the week being Butterfinger.
The Merrill High School girls’ basketball team is headed to Madison. The girls knocked off the D.C. Everest Evergreens 54-39 on Friday then defeated Menominee on Saturday by a score of 47-37 to improve to 19-5 on the season. The girls will take on West Allis on Thursday in the opening game of the WIAA playoffs. West Allis is 20-4 on the season. Wausau West defeated the boys’ team 44-33 in the Merrill regional to end that teams playoff hopes.