Stories you might have missed from around Wisconsin.
Sheboygan: Committee approves over $461K for system upgrade after cyber attack.
Cyber-security has become one of the top priorities for businesses, consumers and communities. A cyber attack can wreak havoc. After learning their cyber network was accessed by an unauthorized user in October, the city of Sheboygan is making changes. Committee approval to allocate more than $461,000 in available tax funds could help the city bolster its cybersecurity protections after a recent cyber attack. The Finance and Personnel Committee authorized the reallocation of over $401,000 in property tax levy from the transit department and $60,000 in tax levy already reallocated for a defunct riverfront parking study toward the purchase of hardware and software for cybersecurity improvements. Finance Director Kaitlyn Krueger told the Sheboygan press that CARES Act funds were made available to the transit department for operating expenses this year. She said the exact amount needed for cybersecurity improvements isn’t determined yet, but city staff know “we have significant improvements we need to make in order to increase and improve our security posture.” In November, the city said it learned of a cyber-network attack Oct. 31 that included unauthorized access by users and a request that ransom be paid. Full Story
Mauston: School District likely to dissolve if latest referendum fails.
Wisconsin voters have been inundated with school referendums. There is no doubt that school funding is an important issue, but voters in Mauston have not been supportive of recent referendums. Due to that, the Mauston School District, which officials say is likely to dissolve in two years without additional funding, is putting its third operating referendum in less than a year on the Feb. 18 spring primary ballot. The Mauston School Board unanimously voted to put a four-year, $7 million measure on the ballot, which will include a primary election for state superintendent of public instruction. That same referendum failed by 69 votes on Nov. 5. According to the State Journal, in November, the district began the process of dissolving by the 2026-27 school year, saying it would no longer be able to fund operations. Mauston School District Superintendent Joel Heesch said area stakeholders advised him and the board to retry the $1.75 million per year referendum after the narrow rejection on Nov. 5. If the Feb. 18 referendum passes, the owner of a $200,000 home in the district would pay roughly $1,442 in school property taxes in 2025-26. That is a $130 projected decrease from the amount paid for the same home in 2023-24. Full Story
Wausau: “Boy with the Leaking Boot” water fountain statue returning to downtown Wausau.
An iconic statue that has not been on display since the closure and demolition of the Wausau Center mall will return to downtown. The “Boy with the Leaking Boot” water fountain statue is one of 25 in the world and was last publicly displayed at the mall prior to its demolition in 2021. Reporting in the Daily Herald said the Wausau Common Council recently approved its relocation to the future corner of Jackson and Third streets, near the Children’s Imaginarium. Mark Craig, manager of Wausau Center mall from 1996 to 2000 told the paper, “The statue is a big part of our community so I think it’s wonderful they’ve decided on a new location and we can all enjoy it again.” The statue was donated to the city by Sue Hammond Rae sometime before 1925 and resided in Hammond Park until an act of vandalism led to its removal in 1980. The statue’s future location will be built as part of the completion of a street construction project that is extending Third and Jackson streets through the former mall property. Full Story
