Tribute to Veterans
11/12/08 - WBEV announcer John Moser (far right) and host Bob Frankenstein with the Beaver Dam American Legion during yesterday’s Tribute to Veterans. Pictured R-L: Bob Koch, Army; Don Zilisch, Army Airborne; Dick McMillan, Army Airborne. For clips of yesterday’s four-and-a-half hour broadcast, please tune into WBEV 1430AM during our top-of-the-hour newscasts.
Pearl Harbor Survivor Dies at Ceremony
11/12/08 - A World War Two veteran collapsed-and-died during a Veterans’ Day ceremony in West Bend. 85-year-old John Weinberger fell while standing at the Washington County Historical Society’s Veterans Memorial. He was one of two county veterans to survive the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. In 2006, he returned to Hawaii to place a wreath close to where he stood on the U-S-S Whitney. Relatives said they were shocked by Weinberger’s death – but they said they were comforted in knowing he was surrounded by his fellow veterans.
State Budget Deficit Expected to Top $5-Billion
11/12/08 - Governor Jim Doyle says he’ll keep trying to avoid a sales-or-income tax increase. But he won’t guarantee it, as the expected deficit in the next state budget has grown to over five-billion-dollars. It’s the highest funding gap in state history. Doyle managed to avoid raising the state’s two main taxes in 2003, when he closed a three-point-two billion dollar shortfall. But he said yesterday, quote, “If you finally get to a point where you would just have to destroy schools – or have such high tuition increases at the university that ordinary people wouldn’t be able to afford it – then you have to look at everything.” Doyle says his top revenue goals are new taxes on hospitals and oil companies. Republicans say it’s the wrong time to raise taxes. Assembly Minority Leader Jeff Fitzgerald says lawmakers should not put the state budget over families’ budgets.
No New Coal Plant for Alliant
11/12/08 - Alliant Energy, which serves a large portion of Dodge County, says it’s unlikely it will appeal yesterday’s rejection of a new coal-fired power plant on the Mississippi River in Cassville. The state Public Service Commission voted 3-to-nothing against the one-point-three-billion dollar project. They said the price-tag was too high, and it would not reduce the emissions that cause global warming. Alliant says it’s disappointed, but it will keep looking for ways to meet the state’s growing power needs. Unlike other projects, this one didn’t get the normal “not in my back yard” opposition from locals. In fact, Cassville and Grant County overwhelmingly supported the new plant because of the jobs it would have created.
Juneau Mill Rate to Stay the Same
11/12/08 - The City of Juneau’s mill rate for 2009 will stay exactly the same as this year’s. That’s according to Clerk-Treasurer Dennis Sheldon who says it will stay at $7.56 per $1,000 of assessed value. That means if a property is valued at $150,000 the owner will pay around $1,100 for the city portion of their tax bill. Sheldon says keeping it at the same rate was a request from the Finance Committee and it forced him to make tough cuts, including a number from the capital improvements budget. The public hearing for the Juneau budget will be held next Thursday at City Hall.
Juneau Looking for Ward 1 Alderperson
11/12/08 - The common council in Juneau is looking for a new alderperson in Ward One. Mayor Ron Bosak read the resignation letter of Alderman Dennis Druecke at last nights meeting. After thanking Druecke for his service Bosak went on to ask council members for suggestions on replacing him. Anyone who lives in Ward 1 is eligible and is asked to call or stop ball City Hall for an application.
Columbus Pushes Off Decision on Police and Fire Chiefs
11/12/08 - Filling City of Columbus Fire and Police Chief positions with permanent appointments is not likely to happen till the middle of next year. Council discussions last night deferred any changes in job descriptions for the two permanent department chiefs till the Council has enough information on staffing options and salaries. Council President Ed Parpart said he felt that the Council was in agreement there is NOT going to be a full time Fire Chief at this time. Mayor Nancy Osterhaus said acting Police Chief Dennis Weiner has been doing a good job in the position since his appointment in early March.
Highway 151 Project to be Completed this Week
11/12/08 - The state department of transportation says their project on Highway 151 in Beaver Dam should be finished no later than this Friday. The project was scheduled to be completed at the end of October but was pushed back twice. Project Manager Jim Buschkopf tells us crews are putting up signage and the last of the cable guard this week. The project, which started back in the middle of August, was slated to involve bridge and pavement rehabilitation, pavement marking and placement of high-tension cable guards.
Local Clerks to Confirm Personal Data of Voters
11/12/08 - The state Justice Department says it feels vindicated by yesterday’s decision to double-check new voter identities over the last three years. The Government Accountability Board voted to make local clerks confirm the personal data of everyone who registered since the start of 2006. But the panel told the clerks to wait until it creates guidelines, so everybody does the job the same way throughout the state. The board first told clerks it only had to double-check the identities of those who registered since early August, when a data-base that links voter information to their other public records went on-line. Attorney General J-B Van Hollen sued the board, saying the federal law required the checks to start in 2006 in order to fight fraud. Democrats and others said Van Hollen and others were just trying to discourage folks from voting. And a Madison judge rejected his lawsuit late last month. Van Hollen has since appealed. And spokesman Kevin Saint John says Van Hollen will not drop the appeal until the identity checks are finished. Two county clerks asked the board to wait until after next spring’s elections to require the data-checks. The panel did not take up that request.
Pearl Harbor Survivor Dies at Ceremony
11/12/08 - A World War Two veteran collapsed-and-died during a Veterans’ Day ceremony in West Bend. 85-year-old John Weinberger fell while standing at the Washington County Historical Society’s Veterans Memorial. He was one of two county veterans to survive the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. In 2006, he returned to Hawaii to place a wreath close to where he stood on the U-S-S Whitney. Relatives said they were shocked by Weinberger’s death – but they said they were comforted in knowing he was surrounded by his fellow veterans.
State Budget Deficit Expected to Top $5-Billion
11/12/08 - Governor Jim Doyle says he’ll keep trying to avoid a sales-or-income tax increase. But he won’t guarantee it, as the expected deficit in the next state budget has grown to over five-billion-dollars. It’s the highest funding gap in state history. Doyle managed to avoid raising the state’s two main taxes in 2003, when he closed a three-point-two billion dollar shortfall. But he said yesterday, quote, “If you finally get to a point where you would just have to destroy schools – or have such high tuition increases at the university that ordinary people wouldn’t be able to afford it – then you have to look at everything.” Doyle says his top revenue goals are new taxes on hospitals and oil companies. Republicans say it’s the wrong time to raise taxes. Assembly Minority Leader Jeff Fitzgerald says lawmakers should not put the state budget over families’ budgets.
No New Coal Plant for Alliant
11/12/08 - Alliant Energy, which serves a large portion of Dodge County, says it’s unlikely it will appeal yesterday’s rejection of a new coal-fired power plant on the Mississippi River in Cassville. The state Public Service Commission voted 3-to-nothing against the one-point-three-billion dollar project. They said the price-tag was too high, and it would not reduce the emissions that cause global warming. Alliant says it’s disappointed, but it will keep looking for ways to meet the state’s growing power needs. Unlike other projects, this one didn’t get the normal “not in my back yard” opposition from locals. In fact, Cassville and Grant County overwhelmingly supported the new plant because of the jobs it would have created.
Juneau Mill Rate to Stay the Same
11/12/08 - The City of Juneau’s mill rate for 2009 will stay exactly the same as this year’s. That’s according to Clerk-Treasurer Dennis Sheldon who says it will stay at $7.56 per $1,000 of assessed value. That means if a property is valued at $150,000 the owner will pay around $1,100 for the city portion of their tax bill. Sheldon says keeping it at the same rate was a request from the Finance Committee and it forced him to make tough cuts, including a number from the capital improvements budget. The public hearing for the Juneau budget will be held next Thursday at City Hall.
Juneau Looking for Ward 1 Alderperson
11/12/08 - The common council in Juneau is looking for a new alderperson in Ward One. Mayor Ron Bosak read the resignation letter of Alderman Dennis Druecke at last nights meeting. After thanking Druecke for his service Bosak went on to ask council members for suggestions on replacing him. Anyone who lives in Ward 1 is eligible and is asked to call or stop ball City Hall for an application.
Columbus Pushes Off Decision on Police and Fire Chiefs
11/12/08 - Filling City of Columbus Fire and Police Chief positions with permanent appointments is not likely to happen till the middle of next year. Council discussions last night deferred any changes in job descriptions for the two permanent department chiefs till the Council has enough information on staffing options and salaries. Council President Ed Parpart said he felt that the Council was in agreement there is NOT going to be a full time Fire Chief at this time. Mayor Nancy Osterhaus said acting Police Chief Dennis Weiner has been doing a good job in the position since his appointment in early March.
Highway 151 Project to be Completed this Week
11/12/08 - The state department of transportation says their project on Highway 151 in Beaver Dam should be finished no later than this Friday. The project was scheduled to be completed at the end of October but was pushed back twice. Project Manager Jim Buschkopf tells us crews are putting up signage and the last of the cable guard this week. The project, which started back in the middle of August, was slated to involve bridge and pavement rehabilitation, pavement marking and placement of high-tension cable guards.
Local Clerks to Confirm Personal Data of Voters
11/12/08 - The state Justice Department says it feels vindicated by yesterday’s decision to double-check new voter identities over the last three years. The Government Accountability Board voted to make local clerks confirm the personal data of everyone who registered since the start of 2006. But the panel told the clerks to wait until it creates guidelines, so everybody does the job the same way throughout the state. The board first told clerks it only had to double-check the identities of those who registered since early August, when a data-base that links voter information to their other public records went on-line. Attorney General J-B Van Hollen sued the board, saying the federal law required the checks to start in 2006 in order to fight fraud. Democrats and others said Van Hollen and others were just trying to discourage folks from voting. And a Madison judge rejected his lawsuit late last month. Van Hollen has since appealed. And spokesman Kevin Saint John says Van Hollen will not drop the appeal until the identity checks are finished. Two county clerks asked the board to wait until after next spring’s elections to require the data-checks. The panel did not take up that request.
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