Top Stories November 14th

Recounts Moves Forward in 47th District

11/14/08 - The votes will be recounted in the 47th Assembly District race next week. Maura Tracy with the Trish O’Neill (left) campaign tells us the paperwork was filed with the Government Accountability Board yesterday and the three counties that comprise the district – Columbia, Dane and Sauk – will conduct the recount process as early as Monday. O’Neill, a Democrat from Columbus, lost to Republican Keith Ripp (right) of the Town of Dane by 28 votes in the November 4th election, with nearly 32,000 votes cast. Independent candidate Dennis Hruby, also of the Town of Dane, secured just over 1300 votes. Ironically, Ripp had higher numbers than O’Neill in her home county and vice versa. The canvas of the district resulted in four more votes for both Ripp and O’Neill.

Marshland Burglary Suspect Bound Over

11/14/08 - A teenager arrested earlier this month following a burglary at two Horicon businesses was bound over for trial yesterday in Dodge County court. John Hady of Horicon waived his right to a preliminary hearing on two felony Burglary charges. The 19-year-old is accused of breaking into Marshland Pharmacy and stealing 7300 narcotic pills. He also allegedly broke into the Tan Down Under Salon and stole their cash register. Hady overdosed later that day; investigators found a medication bottle from the pharmacy at the scene. He initially told authorities he purchased the pills from the burglar and told them they were hidden in a wooded area. Officers staked out the wooded area but reportedly caught Hady retrieving the pills. He then identified a person he said stole the pills but upon investigation authorities learned the person in question was recovering from surgery at the time of the burglary. Hady then confessed to the burglaries. He faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted. Hady is free after posting a $1000 cash bond.

80 Years in Prison for Eden Child Molester

11/14/08 - A Fond du Lac County man will spend 80 years in prison for molesting two girls, and possessing thousands of pictures of child pornography. Circuit Judge Dale English said 28-year-old John LaGrew of Eden might have had the worst up-bringing he’s heard about in his 12 years on the bench. Still, the judge agreed with prosecutors that LaGrew was too dangerous to be free. Authorities were tipped off last August when a nine-year-old girl was visiting LaGrew’s mobile home. The investigation then led to a seven-year-old Ashland County girl and thousands of child-porn pictures – including those of the seven-year-old and another girl who was three. LaGrew was convicted in a plea deal of first-degree child sexual assault, possession of child porn, and child exploitation. Other charges were dropped.

Eagle View Developer Back in Court

11/14/08 - The developer of the Eagle View subdivision in Beaver Dam was bound over for trial yesterday on felony charges of Theft by Contractor. Karen M. Behnke-Knoblauch is accused of failing to pay a contractor $189,000 for work that was completed last year. The 53-year-old Pewaukee woman is accused of using a business loan from Equitable Bank for personal expenses. Nearly $100,000 was converted to cash while the remaining money was spent at two Milwaukee-area department stores. Behnke-Knoblauch faces up to 10-years in prison if convicted. An arraignment hearing is scheduled for December 3. The Eagle View subdivision is on the south side of Beaver Dam. There has been no home construction as of yet.

Clemans Steps Down

11/14/08 - The Dodge County Board is looking for a new Supervisor in District 14. That’s after longtime board member Floyd Clemans resigned his position earlier this month. There was no reason given for the resignation. The board was presented with the exact same issue earlier this when another longtime board member resigned just after the April election. In that situation Board Chairman Russ Kottke chose someone from that particular district and brought them in front of the full board for approval. Clemans represented a portion of the Watertown area.

Reverse 911 Approved

11/14/08 - Dodge County residents should expect a call the next time an emergency situation arises. The County’s Board of Supervisors approved a resolution that will implement a reverse 9-1-1 system. Emergency Management Director Joe Meagher says the automated system will allow county officials to call the more than 80,000 residents in the county to notify them about an emergency. The total cost of the program for the first two years will be $50,000, which would be covered mostly by grant funding. An amendment to the resolution will require the Emergency Management to present a comprehensive study to the county board 6-months prior to the expiration of the contract to determine the systems effectiveness. Meagher says the system will be in place by the first of the year.

Gas Dips Again

11/14/08 - Gas in Beaver Dam is down six cents over the past 24 hours to a low price of $2.11. The statewide average for unleaded regular is $2.12, three cents below the national average and a dollar cheaper than this time last year. Waupun, Fond du Lac, Ripon and Portage are at $2.12. Oconomowoc and Oshkosh are at $2.09. Wisconsingasprices.com lists dozens of cities across the state that are below the two-dollar mark. Appleton dropped to $1.98 overnight. The high price is $2.49 in Union Grove.

FEMA Aid Increases

11/14/08 - FEMA says a total of 125-million dollars in state and federal aid has been provided to Wisconsin residents and business owners affected by this summer's flooding and tornadoes. Win Anderson is a FEMA Agent working in Madison . He says his agency and the U.S Small Business Administration continue to award grants and low-interest loans, and he expects more money will be directed at disaster relief for months to come. Dodge County and 29 others were declared disaster areas after heavy rains and powerful storms swept through the state in June.

Interstate Open for Packers-Bears Game

11/14/08 - The state’s Department of Transportation says that both I-43 and Highway 41 will have all lanes open from Milwaukee north to Green Bay from noon today though noon Monday. That’s being done to accommodate traffic for the Green Bay Packer’s game at Lambeau Field Sunday when the Packer’s take on the Chicago Bears. DOT officials say there will still be construction barriers along the sides and in the center median of Highway 41 in the Fond du Lac area.

Food Drive Underway at BDHS

11/14/08 - The annual food drive at the Beaver Dam High School is underway. Organizer Bob Schwoch says the number of families eligible to receive a food basket has more than doubled from last year to 720. To get a basket a family must have a student in the district and be eligible to receive free and reduced lunch. Schwoch says they will be accepting cash and non-perishable goods through Monday November 24th. Friday is the last day for families to sign up to receive a basket. They will be delivered on Tuesday, November 25th by B-D-H-S students and other volunteers.

Oh-W-I!

11/14/08 - A Plymouth police officer had an unpleasant experience after arresting a drunken driver Wednesday. According to the criminal complaint 35-year-old Daniel Shilts Jr. managed to urinate through the screen in the squad car, onto the officer. Shilts has a history with authorities, which includes manufacturing nitroglycerin in his Waldo home, and three previous drunken driving convictions. His bail was set at $25,000 cash. He has a preliminary hearing next Wednesday.