KRONENWETTER − Voters in the village of Kronenwetter will have one extra hour to vote Tuesday after a court-ordered extension following delays due to technical issues earlier in the day Marathon County Clerk Kim Trueblood and Kronenwetter Village Clerk Jennifer Poyer filed a petition for an extension earlier in the day “after technology issues caused significant delays at the Kronenwetter Municipal Center,” according to a release from the Marathon County Clerk’s Office Polling site officials switched to paper poll books around 10 a.m. “We understand the frustration this caused for voters,” Trueblood said “Extending polling hours in the Village of Kronenwetter by one hour ensures that every eligible Kronenwetter resident has the opportunity to cast their ballot.” All other polling sites in Marathon County will close at 8 p.m. Trueblood and Poyer will work with the Wisconsin Elections Commission to determine the cause of the issue All 11 of Kronenwetter’s wards vote at the same location. The village was using Badger Books to check voters in to the polling location. The village’s Express Vote electronic voting machines are optional to use, according to the village website Election Day is Tuesday. Here's what Wausau-area voters need to know. Erik Pfantz covers local government and education in central Wisconsin for USA TODAY NETWORK - Wisconsin and values his background as a rural Wisconsinite. Contact him at epfantz@gannett.com Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInKRONENWETTER (WSAW) - Kronenwetter’s clerk is adding to the list of village staff resigning Bobbi Birk-LaBarge submitted her resignation letter to the village president stating her last day will be Nov Birk-LaBarge told NewsChannel 7 in an email that she wishes “nothing but the best” to the next clerk and stated her reasoning is explained in her 15-page resignation letter Ken Charneski’s actions and treatment of her as her reason for leaving NewsChannel 7 emailed Charneski for comment but has not received a reply as of this publishing This story will be updated if one is received “The unethical behavior I have endured from your elected official Trustee Ken Charneski has created an environment in which I no longer feel respected I have always valued the friendships I have built with Municipal Staff and deeply troubling behavior from Trustee Ken Charneski has had a significant impact on my physical and mental health causing my mind to go to places it never should,” the letter reads It continued by noting litigation the village is involved in Charneski brought a civil suit against the village at the beginning of the year Birk-LaBarge also stated she sent a cease and desist letter to Charneski on Aug 16 instructing him to stop violating the village’s policies and ethical standards “The ongoing violation of this legal and ethical directive by Trustee Ken Charneski has caused significant concern for the Village’s reputation and future stability This situation has eroded the trust I once had in the leadership of the Board and it is clear to me that I must step away to maintain what is left of my personal and professional dignity.” “In a recent email to District Administrator Greg Doverspike Greg Doverspike that he is undeterred by some board members’ criticism or smear/intimidation tactics and will do what he can to convince the board to see the problem (meaning my position as village clerk) is resolved ‘permanently.’” She said Charneski then emailed the exchange to village staff She attached the email chain to her letter Birk-LaBarge noted the village adopted a code of conduct ordinance 10 days after the cease and desist letter was sent She blames the board for not protecting village residents and employees “Trustee Ken Charneski is quick to side with those who oppose me or file complaints against me and my position as village clerk Neither he nor the board has ever allowed me to share my side of the situation to ensure a fair and comprehensive understanding of many unfounded complaints against me Trustee Ken Charneski has reverted to recruiting members of the community to file complaints including false accusations and misinformation about my actions and my decision-making.” NewsChannel 7 reached out to village president but did not receive a response as of this publishing Five complaints have been filed against Birk-LaBarge with the Wisconsin Elections Commission since March The WEC determined the complaint Doverspike filed was improper because he does not live in Kronenwetter Much of the email chain Birk-LaBarge attached in her resignation letter is the subject of the most recent WEC complaint Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInMADISON (WMTV) - Wisconsin lawmakers held a public hearing to talk about a bill that would create new penalties for the crime of sextortion This comes after a 15-year-old victim of sextortion took his own life in March The Wisconsin Assembly Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety discussed Assembly Bill 201 hoping no other child falls victim and feels that there is no way out Brittney Bird testified in front of the criminal justice and public safety committee 15-year-old son had taken his life,” she said She says an online scam known as sextortion is to blame for Bradyn’s death Bird is now working with legislators to strengthen penalties for the crime with a bill called Bradyn’s Law he wanted to have dogs and travel and have a family,” Bird said hoping no other family ever must endure the heartbreak she’s lived with for the past month and a half Sextortion is when scammers target people and coerce them into sending explicit images or videos They then threaten to release the content unless the victim pays them money Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle were receptive and emotional during the hearing “Not only do we have a child but a family that has to deal with it and a community as well,” Representative John Spiros (R - Marshfield) added They also thanked Bird for telling her son’s experience “We are so sorry for what happened,” Representative Jodi Emerson (D-Eau Claire) said “I think true heroes are when people take the hardest thing that ever happened in their lives and are determined that’s not going to happen to others.” saying their kids are going through an identical situation “Nobody talks about it because people think it’s shameful,” Bird explained I have never felt ashamed or feel like we need to hide this or anything.” a suspect would likely be charged with “threats to communicate derogatory info” or “solicit intimate representation from a minor.” Both charges carry a maximum sentencing of three and a half years in prison Bradyn’s Law would provide the victim or victim’s family with a payment from the Department of Justice’s crime victim compensation fund if the victim is injured or dies because of the crime Everest’s superintendent also provided comments during the hearing Wednesday He says the district will hold an event next week for families to discuss risk factors of being online If sexual photos or videos taken of you before you were 18 are online, Take It Down will remove them for free If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health If you or someone you know is dealing with suicidal thoughts call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or text "Hopeline" to the National Crisis Text Line at 741-741 KRONENWETTER – Luke Bird peeked his head into his stepson Bradyn Bohn's bedroom at about 10:30 p.m The two would FaceTime every night until they both fell asleep Gusts of wind from a winter storm could be heard a promising sound for any teenager anticipating a Wednesday morning snow day announcement allowed her son to hang out at her hair salon while she bleached his friend's hair The boys eagerly plotted their snow-day plans growing ever likelier with the worsening weather no signs at all that anything was amiss," Bird said a note stuck to her husband's computer that read It didn't make sense to anybody who knew Bohn He had no history of mental health concerns He loved being part of his school baseball team spending the last four summers traveling with his teammates for games an intensity that captured the profound empathy he carried for others "We were going to go to concerts this summer Bird can't shake a conversation she had with Bohn in October after one of her friend's sons died by suicide She wanted Bohn to know he could always talk to her if he was struggling the idea of suicide was unfathomable to Bohn fits into a disturbing online trend that has been flagged by the FBI and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children for a number of years and is now the fastest-growing cybercrime targeting children in North America Sextortion is a form of child sexual exploitation that involves threatening or blackmailing children often after tricking them into sending them nude or sexual images The scammers threaten to go public with their photos if they don't comply with their demands coercing them into sexual activities or sending additional sexual content These criminal scammers target all young people, but in 90% of financial sextortion cases, the victims targeted are teenage boys between 14 and 17, according to a June 2024 report from the nonprofit Thorn done in partnership with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children "These people are targeting kids who have everything to lose." these kids are athletic and successful and applying to colleges and in relationships," Bird said The number of reports of online enticement, a category that includes sextortion, grew by more than 300% between 2021 and 2023 the CyberTipline operated by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received more than 186,800 reports Sextortion cases have led to at least 30 deaths by suicides, according to the tallies done by USA Today's in-depth reporting on the topic the Wisconsin Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force has already received 103 cybertips related to sextortion Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul told the Journal Sentinel the number of reports will easily outpace the 237 cybertips the task force received in 2024 this is occurring in the middle of the night or when the parents are not there so that child has a lack of support in that moment," Rifenbark said "The offenders are well-versed in removing support from that child." they build fake profiles.Sexploitation wasn't a term Bird had heard before she discovered the frightening underworld that ensnared her son And although she doesn't know the specifics of what happened to Bohn in the hours between March 4 and 5 Offenders will sometimes exploit young women first before targeting boys like Bohn. The offenders will get young women to send explicit photos using similar blackmailing tactics, Rifenbark said. Other times, the offenders will create synthetic content, often referred to as "deep fakes," from existing profiles or by using AI-generated images "This is an area where we know AI-generated technologies risk playing an increasing role in the ease and the velocity and the scale at which financial sextortion grooming and sexual exploitation at large can happen," said Melissa Stroebel vice president of research and insights at Thorn the scammers build fake profiles on Facebook which includes sending friend requests to people in the target's social media network to give the appearance of mutual friends More: Sextortion is the fastest growing cybercrime in North America. Here's how to keep your child safe. Instagram and Snapchat are the three most common social media platforms used to make first contact with children A message from a pretty young woman pops up and the fact that she has mutual friends with the target disarms them and creates a false sense of trust About 65% of the children who engaged with these perpetrators are prompted to move to a secondary platform sometimes chat messengers with little to no security measures like WhatsApp or Telegram the perpetrator persuaded him to move the conversation to Telegram Bohn was told he needed to send money or face major consequences One of the signature tactics offenders employ is to falsely tell the child they've broken the law by sending nude pics and will be put on a sex offender list if they don't comply with financial demands Another is to tell them they will share the photos with everyone the child knows from parents to teachers to friends and girlfriends to college admissions Part of what makes teenagers feel they can't step away is that offenders will message relentlessly If you don't send me this money in 30 seconds I'm sending these photos to everyone you know "We recently told Bradyn he would always be better than his biggest mistake 'You're going grow up and you're going to f--- up one day and you're going call me because I want to be there.'" Within hours of endless torment and threats "My son was emotionally and psychologically tortured for hours," Bird said The new effort to expand digital citizenshipThe days and weeks since Bohn's death have left the greater Wausau community reeling and Bohn's family is determined to spread awareness of this dangerous form of child exploitation has also taken up measures to help parents and students better understand the nefarious nature of these offenders Bohn's death triggered many hard topics in the tight-knit community who serves as the mental health navigator in the DC Everest School District As the district contends with the complicated grief of Bohn's death administrators also recognize the need to spread awareness has been talking with his team about what conversations are possible given the fact that Bohn's death is still an active investigation Nye emphasized that some of the responsibility for talking with students will invariably fall on parents and caregivers Children need to feel comfortable going to them without fearing they'll get in trouble or be shamed for sending nude photos over the internet Digital citizenship is already built into school curriculum Schools initiate conversations with students as early as third grade about their digital footprints Earlier efforts emphasized strangers online and basics of password and device security Students learn about the dangers of cyber crimes "We do need to be more explicit about emerging risks like sextortion," Nye said The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has an online safety education program called NetSmartz which provides age-appropriate videos and activities to help teach children be safer online Rifenbark encourages parents and teachers to share these videos and guidelines with students early and often "The conversation in our community is happening regularly now which is so important for our kids," Jacobson said "It's important for our kids that they hear adults talk about it so that they can talk about it and ask questions about it." He couldn't bear thinking his parents would be hurt that all his friends would think of him a certain way," Snyder said "I hope the message that comes out of this is These are evil people committing criminal acts." Snyder has been talking to Luke and Brittney Bird, and with Bohn's father, Parker, who fully supports spreading awareness but requested not to be included in media coverage. Snyder has also been talking with Kaul and the state Department of Justice, which released a resources guide after Bohn's death through the state DOJ's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Snyder is fast-tracking a bill that would put teeth into the penalties behind sextortion "Having a statute specifically addressing this issue be helpful," Kaul said "It would give prosecutors an additional tool to use … and would help establish precisely what it is investigators need to look for in these types of cases." the bill would named "Bradyn's Law," in Bohn's memory then he will be remembered as the person who helped us begin to not let this happen again," Snyder said Bird can't stop thinking about the house rule about her children's use of phones did well in school and had the discipline of an ambitious young athlete Bohn was still a child developing decision-making and impulse control Those elements made him and others like him especially vulnerable to scammers from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children boys are less likely to report because there's been less attention paid to male victims of sexual exploitation Thorn has been tracking sextortion cases dating back to 2015 2021 marked the year North America saw a swift rise in cyber crimes against boys and young men that generally has higher-risk tendencies and isn't typically included in conversations related to sexual abuse it's so important for parents to let their children know about these criminal acts "The whole world is in your kid's bedroom at night when you're asleep," Bird said If you or someone you know has information on potential child exploitation you can report it to NCMEC online at https://report.cybertip.org/ or by calling 1-800-843-5678 a 24/7 statewide confidential reporting system run by DOJ’s Office of School Safety Reports can be made online at https://speakup.widoj.gov/ Natalie Eilbert covers mental health issues for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. She welcomes story tips and feedback. You can reach her at neilbert@gannett.com or view her X (Twitter) profile at @natalie_eilbert Marathon County supervisors have identified three parcels of land in the village of Kronenwetter they would like to buy for a new Highway Department headquarters Two committees voted last week to recommend spending close to $800,000 for the purchases a proposal that will be taken up by the full board at its next meeting on April 22 Two of the three parcels are currently owned by Wisconsin Public Service (WPS) and are located southwest of Wausau Homes and east of the Weston Power Plant would give the county a little over 18 acres of space which is slightly below what the Highway Department needs The total cost of all three parcels is $794,715 based on offers to purchase reviewed and recommended by members of the Infrastructure Committee and Human Resources as the other two had just arrived earlier that day according to county administrator Lance Leonhard Leonhard said buying the three contiguous parcels would give the county about 50 percent more land than it has now on West Street which includes 7.88 acres for the existing Highway shop plus vacant land and the existing medical examiner’s office “It certainly allows for a better development and better flow than what we currently have on our current site,” he said Supervisors also signaled that they are interested in purchasing five mostly residential parcels adjacent to the WPS land The committees met in closed session to discuss negotiating strategies for those parcels If the county were to buy all eight parcels reviewed at last week’s meeting it would have about 24 acres of land to build on which is enough for the Highway Department’s needs Access to the new site would also be greatly improved over what is available now at the intersection of West Street and 17th Avenue “We do have enough land down there,” he said we could always put in what’s called a twiddle lane - kind of like a left-hand turn lane - if we would ever have to do something in the future.” Without buying the five additional parcels – which add up to roughly 6.2 acres – Griesbach said his department would not have space for on-site storage “We’d kind of be in the same boat we’re in right now at our Wausau facility,” he said “If there’s a major washout on the weekend or we need do something in a hurry we have no room for spare gravel or culverts.” Board chairman Kurt Gibbs asked if the county would still have to pay an estimated $5 million to relocate a satellite shop near the Central Wisconsin Airport in Mosinee if the 18 acres were purchased Griesbach said it would be “a little tight,” but he believes those facilities could be moved to the site in Kronenwetter and allow the department to go from five to four sites According to a letter from Kronenwetter’s planning and zoning director all three of the parcels that were recommended for purchase are zoned B3-General Commercial which would allow a Highway shop as a “public service” building Griesbach said he also spoke to the village about the facility’s water needs (800,000 to 900,000 gallons per year) said the county would probably want to rezone the four residential properties into B3 and make it all one parcel if they were all purchased noted that a bulk of the land the county is looking to purchase is already tax-exempt because it is owned by the WPS utility so it would not take a lot of value off the tax roll Griesbach said the eight parcels paid a combined total of just over was how the county’s large plow trucks would handle the Cedar Creek interchange to the north Supervisor Gayle Marshall noted that the interchange has a very short runway for getting onto Interstate 39 and a lot of passenger cars have a hard time getting up to the 70 mph speed limit “I can’t imagine that trucks are going to have an easy time doing that,” she said Griesbach said the bridge on that interchange is wide enough so trucks can use the outside edge and should have enough room to get up to speed in time to merge “A majority of the time our big trucks go out is during a snowstorm people will be watching for them anyhow at that point,” he said Members of the two committees also devoted some of their time to reviewing options for selling or rebuilding at the existing Highway Department shop and on other countyowned land along West Street south of Marathon Park Based on estimates from a local contractor a side-by-side comparison showed that constructing a new shop at the existing location would cost $42.7 million versus $40.9 million for building at the Kronenwetter location “There’s no concrete numbers until we draft plans do final plans and we go out for bids,” Griesbach said The biggest cost differences come from needing to build a replacement for the Mosinee site if the headquarters stay where it is and for demolishing the old buildings at the existing site If the county were to tear down all of its buildings on West Street and put the roughly 12 acres up for sale he said the estimated sales price would be about $1.2 million according to an appraisal done by Phillips Valuation & Consulting of Wausau if the county were to sell off two existing buildings – a warehouse and the medical examiner’s building – it could get an estimated $1.4 million with a combination of maybe some commercial and residential Noah Phillips of Phillips Valuation said any developer that would want to buy the entire 12 acres of land would likely want to split it up into multiple parcels for a mix of development which would significantly increase the value of the land “The variables and the possibilities are really endless,” Phillips said Before the county could move to sell off the site for redevelopment the county board would have to amend its West Side Master Plan which calls for possibly building a new ice arena and other park facilities near the intersection of West and 17th The board recently approved $690,000 in repairs to the county’s existing ice rinks in Marathon Park but several supervisors said they would like local hockey teams to take the lead on any new facility LOOKING TO BUY - The map above shows land in the village of Kronenwetter that Marathon County is looking at purchasing for a new Highway Department headquarters The three parcels outlined in white will be considered at the county board’s next meeting and the five other marked parcels are still the subject of negotiations Despite objections from village of Kronenwetter residents and some last-minute reluctance among a few supervisors the Marathon County Board voted Tuesday to purchase three parcels of land along Old Business 51 as the possible site of a new Highway Department shop the board approved a resolution to buy two parcels owned by Wisconsin Public Service and another owned by a private party for a combined price of $794,715 All of the parcels are currently zoned commercial and no rezoning would be needed to build a Highway facility on the 18-plus acres of land Prior to voting on the motion to purchase supervisor Tim Sondelski made a motion to postpone action on the matter until county officials had a chance to discuss the proposed purchase at a public meeting in Kronenwetter While he supports the effort to build a new shop Sondelski said he received six emails and two phone calls from people in Kronenwetter who were upset with the lack of public involvement in the process “From everything these people have told me there hasn’t been any discussion at the village board meetings or the planning commission meetings,” he said Sondelski’s original amendment would have delayed the board’s decision until its May 15 meeting which would have effectively killed the existing offers to purchase because they expire before then Sondelski tried to amend his original proposal by requiring a special board meeting before May 1 His original motion to delay action until May15 was also defeated Even though the county is moving forward with buying the three parcels the board has not yet committed to building a new Highway shop on the site County officials are eyeing five other smaller parcels in the same area that would give the county a total of 24 acres to work with if they were also purchased county administrator Lance Leonhard said the county will continue to work with Kronenwetter to address any concerns including the village’s ability to provide 800,000 gallons of water or more per year for the proposed Highway facility Leonhard and highway commissioner Jim Griesbach have already had initial conversations with village officials about possibly building a new shop in Kronenwetter but neither the planning commission nor the village board have formally addressed the idea at a meeting Supervisor John Robinson said he believes there will be “ample opportunities” for the village to be involved in the site plan and for Kronenwetter to benefit by accessing the Highway Department’s brining operations and other services Robinson said negotiating the purchase of properties must be done in private because otherwise it could drive up the price the county would have to pay by attracting other offers If the board were to allow the current offers to purchase to expire he said the county would have to start negotiations again “I guarantee the price won’t go down,” he said “If the owners think that they might have leverage Board chairman Kurt Gibbs noted that WPS had not actually put its two parcels up for sale but it did offer to sell them to the county following a conversation with Griesbach said the village’s planning commission and board don’t normally become involved with proposed developments until a site plan or certified survey map is presented the county has not really made a formal plan to the village yet so that’s why the village doesn’t really know what’s going on with it,” he said acknowledged that “no one wants the new facility in their community” because of the loss in taxable property but he believes the Kronenwetter site presents a unique opportunity because much of the land is already tax-exempt due to it being owned by a public utility The other six-acre property being purchased paid $1,650 in total property taxes last year we’re simply looking at purchasing the property,” he said maybe the county board or a future county board will decide this isn’t something they want to go forward with At the board’s April 18 educational meeting two Kronenwetter residents spoke out against the county’s plans to buy land in their village said he fully supports the county’s efforts to upgrade its Highway Department facilities While the village could theoretically provide the extra 800,000 gallons per day needed for the Highway shop Dumais said he’s worried that it would force the village to pay for a new well and possibly a new water tower our current infrastructure can’t handle such a significant increase in demand without incurring some substantial costs for upgrades our village simply cannot afford,” he said Guy Fredel said the city of Wausau will benefit from the Highway shop moving off West Street and opening up new development opportunities at the intersection with 17th Street but Kronenwetter would lose out on similar opportunities to develop land along Old Highway 51 if a tax-exempt county facility was built there Fredel said Kronenwetter’s strategic and comprehensive plans have both identified the Highway 51 corridor as a prime location for commercial and industrial development but that won’t happen if a county shop is built there he said the village will be left to pay more for keeping up its roads without any additional tax revenue and we certainly don’t need heavy truck traffic generated by an entity that’s not paying a dime of taxes to our community,” he said suggesting that the county offer a payment in lieu of taxes to compensate the village In addressing the concerns about water consumption and traffic impacts Griesbach said he’s had several conversations with village officials about these issues and he thinks they can be handled he said the 800,000 gallons per year used by the Highway Department is less than what 11 homes consume and because most of that water is used to make salt brine for deicing a majority does not end up in the sanitary sewer system Griesbach said at most 55 to 60 employees would be coming in and out of the site every day for work He compared this to a gas station like Kwik Trip which brings in 1,500 to 3,000 cars per day or a fast food restaurant that draws 500 to 1,200 vehicles on a much smaller lot he said the plow trucks normally head out at about 4 a.m “The traffic I don’t feel is going to be a major issue there,” he said The Village Church Weston Power Station Gooding Park Cemetery THREE PARCELS PURCHASED - The Marathon County Board voted Tuesday to purchase the three parcels outlined in white The other highlighted parcels under negotiation Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInWAUSAU (WSAW) - Marathon County officials are working with local municipalities to determine why emergency sirens were activated early Sunday morning Marathon County’s Public Information and Communications Coordinator tells NewsChannel 7 that the county has confirmed the sirens in Kronenwetter and Rothschild sounded unexpectedly early Sunday morning Severson says they are working with their municipal partners to determine what caused the activation The sirens are owned by the individual municipalities the county 911 communications center activates the sirens Severson confirmed the 911 center did not activate them on Sunday morning Kronenwetter Communications Specialist and Deputy Clerk Jennifer Poyer says the village is currently investigating what caused the sirens to sound “The three sirens will be checked out by a technician to make sure there is no malfunction or mechanical problems,” wrote Poyer (WXCO) – Spring elections and significant delays more time given for residents to cast their ballots after a court order issues extension On Tuesday afternoon, the deadline to vote was moved to 9 p.m. in the Village of Kronenwetter. “Extending polling hours by one hour ensures that every eligible Kronenwetter resident has the opportunity to cast their ballot.” said County Clerk Kim Trueblood in a village press release. Officials say they switched to paper poll books at 10 a.m. on election day, after technology issues were causing significant delays. Voters that had tried to cast their vote in the morning, were leaving from the long wait times. The cause of the issue is unknown. Clerks Trueblood and Poyer will work with the Wisconsin Elections Commission to find out more. Polling places in all other Marathon County municipalities will close at 8:00 p.m. in accordance with Wisconsin election law. Want More Local News?We've got you. Scan it to get it. News Ethics and Standards | Privacy Policy