Wisconsin
Here’s who will appear on your spring ballot for Wisconsin Rapids mayor and other local seats
Residents will vote for Wisconsin Rapids mayor and Common Council, Wisconsin Rapids School Board and Wood County Board in the spring 2024 election.
WISCONSIN RAPIDS – Wisconsin Rapids and Wood County voters will find a mix of incumbents and new faces on their ballots for the spring election.
Candidates had until 5 p.m. Tuesday to file their nomination papers for Wisconsin Rapids mayor and Common Council, a municipal judge position, Wisconsin Rapids School Board and Wood County Board.
Nomination papers can be challenged for things like issues with signatures or addresses for three days following the nomination paper filing deadline. A primary will be held Feb. 20 for seats with more than two qualified candidates, and the spring general election between the top two candidates will be held April 2.
The Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune compiled the following list of candidates for the spring election. To learn more about registering to vote and to find your polling place, visit My Vote Wisconsin.
Wisconsin Rapids mayor
Wisconsin Rapids voters will be selecting a new mayor this spring. Mayor Shane Blaser announced Oct. 18 that he will not be seeking reelection. In Wisconsin Rapids, the position of mayor is a two-year term. Because there are four candidates for mayor, a primary will be held Feb. 20 to narrow the candidates to two.
Candidates for mayor: Tom Terry Mews, Nicholas Palmquist, Preston M. Seitz and Matt Zacher.
Wisconsin Rapids Common Council
Wisconsin Rapids alderpersons serve two-year terms with half the seats up for election each year. In 2024, the even-numbered districts, 2 through 8, will be on the ballot. Donald Jay Bemke, who currently represents District 8, has filed a notice of noncandidacy, which means he will not be a candidate for his seat.
Candidates for District 2 alderperson: Dean Veneman (incumbent)
Candidates for District 4 alderperson: Jeff Penzkover and Tom Rayome (incumbent)
Candidates for District 6 alderperson: Dennis Polach (incumbent)
Candidates for District 8 alderperson: Madalyn Palmquist and Jaime Sparkes
Wisconsin Rapids Municipal Court
The Wisconsin Rapids Municipal Court judge seat will be on the ballot this spring. Peter Kastenholz last won the seat in 2020. The municipal judge seat is a four-year term.
Candidates for municipal judge: Peter A. Kastenholz (incumbent)
Wisconsin Rapids School Board
Three of the seven seats on the School Board are up for election. A primary will not be required because there are only five candidates. School Board members serve three-year terms. Current board member Larry Davis is not seeking reelection.
Candidates for School Board: John Benbow Jr. (incumbent), Katie Bielski-Medina (incumbent), Christopher D. Inda, Craig Manka and Elizabeth St. Myers.
Wood County Board
All 19 Wood County Board seats are up for election this spring. Board members serve a two-year term. Current board members Ed Wagner (District 4), Adam Fischer (District 5) and William Winch (District 9) are not seeking reelection.
Candidates for District 1 supervisor: Dave LaFontaine (incumbent) and Wayne Schulz
Candidates for District 2 supervisor: Donna Rozar (incumbent)
Candidates for District 3 supervisor: Tom Buttke (incumbent)
Candidates for District 4 supervisor: Russ Perlock
Candidates for District 5 supervisor: Timothy Hovendick
Candidates for District 6 supervisor: Allen W. Breu (incumbent)
Candidates for District 7 supervisor: Bill Voight (incumbent)
Candidates for District 8 supervisor: Jake Hahn (incumbent)
Candidates for District 9 supervisor: Scott D. Brehm
Candidates for District 10 supervisor: Lee P. Thao (incumbent)
Candidates for District 11 supervisor: Jeff Penzkover (incumbent)
Candidates for District 12 supervisor: Laura Valenstein (incumbent)
Candidates for District 13 supervisor: John A. Hokamp (incumbent)
Candidates for District 14 supervisor: Dennis Polach (incumbent)
Candidates for District 15 supervisor: Bill Clendenning (incumbent)
Candidates for District 16 supervisor: Lance A. Pliml (incumbent)
Candidates for District 17 supervisor: Joseph H. Zurfluh (incumbent)
Candidates for District 18 supervisor: Brad R. Hamilton (incumbent)
Candidates for District 19 supervisor: Bill Leichtnam (incumbent)
More local news: Wisconsin Rapids has a new taxi provider. Here’s what riders need to know.
More local news: Central Wisconsin law enforcement struggle to keep up with surge in requests for police video footage
Erik Pfantz covers local government and education in central Wisconsin for USA-TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin and values his background as a rural Wisconsinite. Reach him at epfantz@gannett.com or connect with him on Twitter @ErikPfantz.
About 1,000 animal welfare activists who tried to gain entry on Saturday to a beagle breeding and research facility in Wisconsin were turned back by police who fired rubber bullets and pepper spray into the crowd and arrested the group’s leader.
It was the second attempt in as many months by protesters to take beagles from the Ridglan Farms facility in Blue Mounds, a small town about 25 miles (about 40 kilometres) southwest of Wisconsin’s capital, Madison.
Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said in a video statement that 300 to 400 protesters were “violently trying to break into the property” and assault officers. He said protesters have ignored designated areas for peaceful protest and blocked roads to prevent emergency vehicles from entering.
“This is not a peaceful protest,” Barrett said.
The sheriff’s department said a “significant” number of people were arrested out of about 1,000 protesters at the site but did not give an exact total as they were still being processed as of the afternoon.
Protesters tried to overcome barricades that included a manure-filled trench, hay bales and a barbed-wire fence. Some protesters did get through the fence but were unable to enter the facility, where an estimated 2,000 beagles are kept, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde reflects on early March Madness exit
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde said the Badgers ‘thought we could do so many things’ in the NCAA Tournament before it ended abrupty with an upset loss.
Wisconsin men’s basketball has added a sharpshooting wing via the transfer portal.
Miami (Ohio) transfer Eian Elmer has signed with the Badgers, the team announced April 18. The 6-foot-7 wing will join UW with one year of eligibility remaining.
Elmer averaged a career-high 12.7 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting 49.8% from the field and 42.9% from 3-point range in 2025-26. His production helped the RedHawks go 32-2 and earn an at-large NCAA Tournament bid.
“We are really excited to add another excellent addition to our spring signees,” UW coach Greg Gard said in a release. “Eian brings a wealth of experience and scoring punch as a 6-7 wing. … A terrific shooter, his skillset and production fit excellently into our plan as we build out next year’s team. Throughout our evaluation process, our staff loved his size, power and skill and truly believe he will thrive in our system.”
Elmer is Wisconsin’s third transfer portal addition since the end of the 2025-26 season, joining former George Washington guard Trey Autry and former Hofstra forward Victory Onuetu. UW also added Australian guard Owen Foxwell.
The additions of Autry, Onuetu and now Elmer leave Gard’s staff with three more roster spots to fill ahead of the 2026-27 season.
The Badgers are looking to replace much of their production from a 2025-26 team that went 24-11. Nolan Winter is expected to be the team’s only returning starter after John Blackwell and Aleksas Bieliauskas entered the transfer portal and Nick Boyd and Andrew Rohde exhausted their eligibility.
MILWAUKEE – Friday’s severe storms have passed. And with that, the threat of any severe weather has also passed for the immediate future as no storms or rain are expected for several days.
However, plenty of damage remains across southeastern Wisconsin as of Saturday morning, in addition to the ongoing flooding threat.
Several area rivers are at flood stage, and there are multiple river flood warnings in effect.
FOX6 Weekend WakeUp on Saturday begins at 6 a.m.
On the scene in the morning
What we know:
Farmstead damage in Franklin
FOX6’s Hayley Spitler is in Franklin on Saturday morning, April 18, getting a daylight look at the damage from last night’s storms.
Storm damage in Caledonia
Friday’s storms left quite the mark across southern and southeastern Wisconsin, including at L and L Farms and Greenhouse in Caledonia.
FOX6 Weather Extras
Local perspective:
Meanwhile, FOX6Now.com offers a variety of extremely useful weather tools to help you navigate the stormy season. They include the following:
FOX6 Storm Center app
FOX LOCAL Mobile app
FOX Weather app
Maps and radar
We have a host of maps and radars on the FOX6 Weather page that are updating regularly — to provide you the most accurate assessment of the weather. From a county-by-county view to the Midwest regional radar and a national view — it’s all there.
SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News
School and business closings
When the weather gets a little dicey, schools and businesses may shut down. Monitor the latest list of closings, cancellations, and delays reported in southeast Wisconsin.
FOX6 Weather Experts in social media
The Source: Information in this post was compiled by the FOX6 Weather Experts.
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