By Shereen Siewert, Wausau Pilot & Review Editor and Publisher

Happy Monday, readers.

And what a weekend it was, filled with an array of emotion. On one hand, we celebrated as the SpaceX blasted two astronauts into space. My hands shook and my heart pounded watching the liftoff, and I couldn’t help but flash back to the Challenger disaster, which I saw from my high school classroom in 1986. The SpaceX, though, has been an amazing success, and we’ve been following developments on that front all weekend.

One of my favorite grad school professors was fond of saying, “Anything you can imagine is possible.” It is so inspiring to see this particular vision come to fruition.

On the other end of the spectrum, though, the violence that erupted in our state and throughout the nation in the wake of George Floyd’s death is unspeakably horrific and difficult to watch. While violence is never the answer, we know the national conversation about this issue is a crucial one. We applaud Wausau Police Chief Ben Bliven’s willingness to be part of that conversation, and his commitment to ensuring that his department has a team of officers who stand in stark contrast to those involved in the Minneapolis incident.

You can read more of his comments here.

As the weather warms, there are signs that life is starting to get back to normal in some ways in our area. Some churches reopened for the first time in months. The Farmer’s Market in Wausau on Saturday was bustling with activity. Lake Wausau on Sunday was dotted with boats and kayaks as people emerged from their homes and enjoyed the sunshine and warm(ish) temperatures.

This week, the city’s Parks and Recreation committee will decide whether to open any of Wausau’s municipal pools, a decision that has twice been delayed. Weston will make their decision this week, too, and we’ll report on that when we know the outcome. We’ll also let you know the outcome of a debate in Wausau over whether to keep playgrounds open this summer, a decision that will also come out of the Parks and Rec meeting Monday.

We’re also quite interested to see where the conversation goes surrounding proposals for Wausau’s former incubator site on Cleveland Avenue, given the property’s documented environmental history.

Finally, we’re also going to take a look this week at the results of long-awaited environmental testing in Riverside Park, tests that Citizens for a Clean Wausau spent years fighting for.

Don’t forget, your opinions are welcome. We gladly publish letters to the editor from members of our community. Please include your name and city of residence – anonymous letters are not published. Email us or use this form.

We’re still working from home, so the best way to reach us is by email, rather by phone. You can get in touch with me at [email protected]. For advertising inquiries, email Darren at [email protected].

Have a great week, and thanks for reading.