Around Town
IOLA UTILITY BILLS: There has been some commentary on Facebook concerning Village of Iola Utility payments not being received when they have been deposited at the box at Depot Street Station. Some residents complained that they had received an interest penalty on their next bill because they hadn’t paid the previous bill. According to Village Clerk Laura Krogwold, “This is the first time I am aware of any issue with the utility drop box. With the current condition of the postal service, we are continuously working with customers who have lost payments in the mail. We have a process in the office set up for lost check cases, and customers don’t get charged late fees. All they need to do is contact our office, and we work with them. If there are questions regarding utility accounts, the clerk’s office is the place to come, not Facebook.” Best practice with all payments made electronically or via check, to any vendor, is to always make sure it has been processed. Reconciling your bank statements monthly is the best way to catch is something that has not been processed.
WATER PROBLEM: Water at the Iola-Scandinavia Elementary School has been temporarily shut off to the building on Wednesday, Jan. 28. Students were sent to the middle/high school until the issue was resolved.
Around the County
HIT AND RUN DRIVER SOUGHT: Authorities in Waupaca are asking for the public’s help in identifying the owner and driver of a vehicle involved in a Monday morning, Jan. 26, hit-and-run. Read the WFRV story here.
Around the State
ANOTHER SAND MINE PERMIT: The Village of Kronenwetter reversed a planning committee decision in a 3-2 vote with two abstentions, approving a conditional use permit for a sand extraction site. The planning committee originally denied the permit due to noise, quality of life, and developmental concerns. In October 2025, Milestone Materials submitted a conditional use permit for 36 acres of land between Maple Ridge Road and Beranek Road. Read the WSAW story here.
HOUSE FIRE: Police in Shawano are investigating a house fire that claimed the life of one person whose body was discovered inside. One adult was found inside and was pronounced dead at the scene. Read the Wausau Pilot & Review story here.
NO KINGS IN WISCONSIN’S EAST WING: The Dairyland Sentinel ran a story about State Rep. Brent Jacobson’s bills to restore legislative oversight of Wisconsin agencies. The proposal comes in response to the court’s decision in Evers v. Marklein II and was developed from the Speaker’s Task Force on Rulemaking. Read the story here.
Interesting Facts
While browsing the internet, some interesting facts emerge that are worth sharing. These are a few recently seen.
“GREAT SCOTT’: You may have used the exclamation “Great Scott”, but where does that come from and who is the Scott? It was Gen. Winfield Scott, hero of the Mexican-American War and a Whig Party candidate for U.S. President. As to the “great”, it might refer to his height of 6 feet 7 inches and weighed 230 pounds in his prime.
