- A power outage in downtown Appleton forced businesses and City Hall to close early, affecting 244 We Energies customers
- Traffic lights went out along College Avenue, causing backups and prompting the city to place temporary stop signs
- Power was restored by the afternoon, allowing businesses and events, including a scheduled concert, to proceed as planned
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
APPLETON, WI — A power outage Wednesday morning disrupted businesses and city operations in downtown Appleton, forcing City Hall to close early and affecting several establishments along College Avenue.
We Energies reported that 244 customers lost power due to an issue with an underground cable.
Among those impacted was Allayah Manns, a hair stylist at Shear Images by Carla.
"About 9:30 to 9:45 is when the power went out, and I had to call customers to let them know that we weren't able to service them today," Manns said.
The outage extended beyond businesses, affecting traffic flow as well. Traffic lights along College Avenue went dark, causing confusion for drivers and backups at intersections. City officials responded by placing temporary stop signs to prevent accidents.
At Gibson Community Music Hall, owner Dave Willems initially worried about whether his scheduled concert would go on.
"I think we can still have kind of a cool show, just be unplugged and totally acoustic," Willems said. "The band might be a little less excited, because they’re a trio tonight, so they’re looking forward to having a good time."
Fortunately, power was restored to Gibson Community Music Hall before the event, and refreshments remained cold.
By around 4 p.m., We Energies no longer reported outages in the downtown area, allowing businesses to resume normal operations.