CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) - Twice this week I've visited a friend in the hospital. He is doing well. I've marveled at how medical technology has moved forward in leaps and bounds. His heart began racing last weekend. He pushed a button and a tiny machine on his chest began recording an EKG. Push another button, and it ...

CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) - Wausau needs some clear thinking on the buildings for its police and fire departments. Some very expensive projects are already out of the starting gate with little or no public comment or awareness. Wausau city leaders are interested in the old UW-Stevens Point building near Marathon Park. I...

CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) - New York City's socialist mayor Zohran Mandami campaigned on arresting Isreal's Banjamin Netanyahu and turning him over to stand trial at the International Court in The Hague. Only this month did our federal government give him a reminder about his role in U.S. foreign policy: he has none. B...

CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) Wausau has debated a wheel tax before. Each time it has been rejected. But like a vampire, a stake needs to be driven through the heart to finally kill it. In 2025 a wheel tax was proposed by Wausau's Department of Public Works. $25 added to each vehicle registration to pay for road maintenanc...

CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) - There are many anti-police activists in Madison who are trying to turn the shooting death of Corey Ruiz into George Floyd 2.0. Shame on them. The circumstances are not the same. George Floyd was handcuffed and subdued when officer Derek Chovin forced his knee into the back of Floyd's neck. T...

CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) "Behold, I am doing a new thing" sounds like something Jesus would say. He didn't. It's from Isiah. He told the Israelites what the Messiah would be like 800 years before Jesus. And Isiah spoke of a time of exile. Jews wondered aloud if they were indeed God's chosen people, or if the...

CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) - Tom Tiffany, republican candidate for governor, was asked if he would favor a California-style billionaire's tax. California voters are being asked to approve a one time tax on billionaires. It would raise an estimated $20-billion. The state would give it to illegal immigrants to pay for thei...

CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) - It's human nature to think that there must be a 'solution' to everything. Sometimes there isn't. Consider the wildfires in Canada. Canada has some unusual ideas about what to do about them. The Canadians suggest that the United States remove tariffs on lumber. No tariffs would lead to more lu...

CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) - I have never watched a WNBA game from start to finish. Caitlin Clark is the only player I know by name. But day after day my social media feed fills up with Caitlin plays. She's a next-generation talent. And, night after night, she's savaged by hard, dirty fouls. Apparently, the officiating ...

CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) - Here are some obvious questions for Tony Evers. Mandela Barnes was your running mate in 2018. He served as your lieutenant governor for your first term. You endorsed him as a U.S. Senate candidate in 2022. Why would you not endorse him this year as a candidate for governor? Sara Rodrigez ran ...

CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) - The people asked the prophet Malachi what the Messiah would be like. Jesus wouldn't arrive for another 500 years. The people already knew that the Messiah would sit on King David's throne. That was widely understood that he would be a powerful ruler and a miliary leader. Well, not exactly. Je...

CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) - I would have considered this an impossibility even just a few weeks ago. Could crazy-liberal Francesca Hong actually be the next governor of Wisconsin? And the answer today is, perhaps - in an election based totally on turnout and how the votes are counted. I DO think she will win the democra...

CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) - We learned this week that Wausau is interested in a new police station. The city is inquiring about the old UW-Stevens Point-Wausau building near Marathon Park. Not so fast. Our neighbors in Marshfield were gifted an existing building for their new police headquarters. It it will take at leas...

CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) - Let's imagine that I'm the biggest tax cheat ever. I take deductions that I'm not entitled to. I inflate expenses. I report charitable giving that I don't give. I lie about the profits and losses from my investment. If I was honest, my tax refund would come to about $5,000. But because I'm a...

CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) - I'm glad to have spent America's 250th birthday on a cross-country train trip. Chicago and St Louis are the two cities that separate the American East from the West. - cities built solely on our nation's commerce. The Great Lakes are where America's harvests are sent east. The Mississippi is ...

CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) - As we approach our nation's 250th birthday, it's important that we are able to articulate what makes America great. That is best seen by comparing us to other "free" nations. Obviously you wouldn't want to live in China, Cuba, Russia or North Korea - places were you could be dragge...

CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) - Until recently, I'd never heard of Hasan Piker. He's a far-left political commentator on Twitch. I'd never heard of Twitch either, until recently. He has 3.1-million followers and lives in a $2.7-million home in Hollywood - so he's doing better than me. Among his greatest hits: He's referred...

CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) - As America nears its 250th birthday, I'm surprised that some of our largest companies are not doing more to mark the occasion. American freedom and the mighty American economy allows them to make millions. So where is the bold, outward display of American greatness? Here are the 10 largest co...

CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) - Mark and Patricia McCloskey are wealthy. They live in Portland Place, a private gated community near St. Louis. Six years ago, something unusual happened. Hundreds of Black Lives Matter protesters got into Portland Place and began walking across the McCloskey's property. The wrought iron gat...

CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) - George Michael, the singer, died a rich man. His net worth was $128-million. After his death in 2016, his extraordinary level of charitable giving became known. He'd asked the people who received gifts from him not to tell anyone while he was alive. George Michael was the patron and co-founde...

CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) - I'm surprised by all of the political commentary that a socialist wave is rising after this week's primary results in New York. It's time to take a deep breath. Three far-left candidates won the primaries on Tuesday night. All were endorsed by New York's Mayor Zohran Mandani. What is there to...

CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) - Missy Hughes, who dropped out of the governor's race this week, was never going to win. Her exit also says something about the current state of the Democratic Party. She couldn't win anything. Hughes was, by far, the most moderate Democrat in the race. As the former secretary of the Wisconsi...

CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) - My oldest daughter went to college in Milwaukee, and continues to live there. She says Milwaukee is an underrated city. Perhaps. She knows Milwaukee better than I do. But if you're a young professional, Milwaukee isn't do-able once you have kids. The school system is notoriously bad. Incompet...

CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) - Would you take this bet? I bet you that between now and the 60-days of negotiations with Iran, that there will be U.S. military engagement. You'd be a fool to bet against me. Consider what's happened since the 60-day clock started ticking last Wednesday. Talks that were supposed to begin last...

CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) - I apologize for bringing up the hurtful past. Let us recall the time that Fred Phelps and his followers visited Wausau in 2003. They went around the country and protested outside churches that, they claimed, weren't strong enough in preaching against homosexuality. Fred Phelps was the founder...