One Dead, Three Injured in Highway 26 Crash
1/18/09 - An Illinois man was killed in a head-on crash late yesterday morning near Watertown. The Jefferson County Sheriffs Department says the man from Davis Junction was driving north on Highway 26 near Turf Drive when a Ixonia man driving southbound lost control of his vehicle, crossed the center line and the two cars collided. Both drivers and the other passenger of each vehicle were taken to Watertown Hospital. The Illinois man was pronounced dead there. Authorities have not yet released the names. The crash remains under investigation but alcohol is not believed to a factor.
Kuenzi Brother Suspect in ’04 Hit and Run Fatality
1/18/09 - One of the men accused of running over and killing deer with a snowmobile is a suspect in a hit-and-run fatality from 2004. 24-year-old Rory Kuenzi, his 23-year-old brother Robby, and 22-year-old Nicholas Hermes have been charged with a number of felonies in connection with the January 9th killing of five deer south of Waupaca. Authorities say Rory Kunezi also admitted to killing a sixth deer with his snowmobile. He says he butchered it and took it to his mothers. This isn’t Rory Kuenzi’s first run in with the law. Court records show that he is still considered a suspect in the 2004 death of Kevin McCoy who was hit by a vehicle while walking home from a party in Farmington. Waupaca County District Attorney John Snider said the investigation has been set back by a failed reconstruction effort. The case was later sent to the State Patrol for a reconstruction report. The State Patrol still has the case.
Bushey Back in Court Next Month
1/18/09 - A hearing on a plea agreement for religious leader Alan Bushey will be held February 5. The Necedah man is accused of helping Tammy Lewis keep the body of a 90-year-old woman hidden in a bathroom for two months. The two people continued to collect the dead woman's Social Security checks. Bushey is charged with hiding a corpse, two counts of causing mental harm to a child and two counts of theft. Tammy Lewis pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge and will avoid the more serious charges -- if she cooperates with prosecutors in the case against Bushey.
Salmonella Outbreak Possibly Caused by Peanut Butter
1/18/09 - A deadly salmonella outbreak has federal health officials asking consumers to avoid eating foods that contain peanut butter until they can learn more about the outbreak. However, the FDA says there is no evidence of problems with peanut butter sold in jars at grocery stores. Authorities are focusing on a number of peanut butter products produced at a Georgia Plant that distributes its products to institutions and food companies. Because of the concern, a number of manufacturers are recalling products made with peanut butter as a precaution. The outbreak is blamed in six death and more than 470 cases of illness in 43 states. Peanut Butter Recalls
Van Hollen Against Making 1st Offense OWI a Crime
1/18/09 - Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen says he's against making first-offense drunken driving a crime under Wisconsin law. Van Hollen says first-time offenders shouldn't be treated as criminals and labeled that way for the rest of their lives. He says the first offense can legitimately be called a mistake. Wisconsin is the only state that doesn't treat a first offense as a crime right now. It's a civil violation. Van Hollen says we're able to get more people into treatment programs because those first-time offenders are more willing to plead guilty. He thinks that may mean more first offenders never become second offenders, though the numbers to confirm that aren't available right now.
New Rule Would Not Allow Campaign Fundraising During Budget Process
1/18/09 - A new rule being studied at the Capitol would ban campaign fund raising while Wisconsin lawmakers are working on the budget. Assembly Speaker Mike Sheridan says his legislation would not only end the fund raising events, it would keep those lawmakers from accepting any donations during that critical time period. Watchdog groups have called for a rule like that for years. They say Wisconsin lawmakers shouldn't be taking campaign money from special interests who might be asking for favors in the next state budget. Sheridan is a Democrat from Janesville. He says the wording of his proposal is being strengthened right now. He says it would keep lawmakers attention focused on closing the budget deficit and growing the state's economy.
School Districts Play Waiting Game with State Budget
1/18/09 - Wisconsin school districts are waiting to see how state government leaders solve the budget deficit. A shortfall of more than five billion dollars over the two-year period is being projected. One western Wisconsin school district, River Falls, is projecting a two percent increase in state funding. That's less than normal, but they have no way to know if it's accurate. State Representative Kitty Rhoades says she doesn't expect a decrease in K-through-12 funding, despite Wisconsin's money problems. She says the governor has always said public school funding is one of his priorities. The problem for school leaders remains the same: they have to draw up a spending plan for their districts without knowing how much money they're going to get from a main source of revenue.
Democrats Asking for Price Tag of Lawsuit by AG Van Hollen
1/18/09 - Two Democratic lawmakers asked Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen again Friday how much the state Department of Justice spent suing election officials this past fall. Van Hollen, a Republican, filed the lawsuit in September, demanding the state Government Accountability Board verify the identities of tens of thousands of voters dating back to 2006 before the Nov. 4 election. Van Hollen contended the federal Help America Vote Act mandated such checks. Democrats accused Van Hollen of playing partisan games and trying to disenfranchise voters. Senator Mark Miller and Representative Mark Pocan, leaders of the Legislature's Joint Finance Committee, asked Van Hollen in October how much the state Justice Department had spent on the lawsuit. Van Hollen replied his agency had spent only 155 dollars. Miller and Pocan sent another letter to Van Hollen on Friday, branding the 155 dollar number as "obviously incomplete" and demanding a detailed accounting of attorney and staff hours devoted to the case along with corresponding salary and benefits for those positions.
1/18/09 - An Illinois man was killed in a head-on crash late yesterday morning near Watertown. The Jefferson County Sheriffs Department says the man from Davis Junction was driving north on Highway 26 near Turf Drive when a Ixonia man driving southbound lost control of his vehicle, crossed the center line and the two cars collided. Both drivers and the other passenger of each vehicle were taken to Watertown Hospital. The Illinois man was pronounced dead there. Authorities have not yet released the names. The crash remains under investigation but alcohol is not believed to a factor.
Kuenzi Brother Suspect in ’04 Hit and Run Fatality
1/18/09 - One of the men accused of running over and killing deer with a snowmobile is a suspect in a hit-and-run fatality from 2004. 24-year-old Rory Kuenzi, his 23-year-old brother Robby, and 22-year-old Nicholas Hermes have been charged with a number of felonies in connection with the January 9th killing of five deer south of Waupaca. Authorities say Rory Kunezi also admitted to killing a sixth deer with his snowmobile. He says he butchered it and took it to his mothers. This isn’t Rory Kuenzi’s first run in with the law. Court records show that he is still considered a suspect in the 2004 death of Kevin McCoy who was hit by a vehicle while walking home from a party in Farmington. Waupaca County District Attorney John Snider said the investigation has been set back by a failed reconstruction effort. The case was later sent to the State Patrol for a reconstruction report. The State Patrol still has the case.
Bushey Back in Court Next Month
1/18/09 - A hearing on a plea agreement for religious leader Alan Bushey will be held February 5. The Necedah man is accused of helping Tammy Lewis keep the body of a 90-year-old woman hidden in a bathroom for two months. The two people continued to collect the dead woman's Social Security checks. Bushey is charged with hiding a corpse, two counts of causing mental harm to a child and two counts of theft. Tammy Lewis pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge and will avoid the more serious charges -- if she cooperates with prosecutors in the case against Bushey.
Salmonella Outbreak Possibly Caused by Peanut Butter
1/18/09 - A deadly salmonella outbreak has federal health officials asking consumers to avoid eating foods that contain peanut butter until they can learn more about the outbreak. However, the FDA says there is no evidence of problems with peanut butter sold in jars at grocery stores. Authorities are focusing on a number of peanut butter products produced at a Georgia Plant that distributes its products to institutions and food companies. Because of the concern, a number of manufacturers are recalling products made with peanut butter as a precaution. The outbreak is blamed in six death and more than 470 cases of illness in 43 states. Peanut Butter Recalls
Van Hollen Against Making 1st Offense OWI a Crime
1/18/09 - Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen says he's against making first-offense drunken driving a crime under Wisconsin law. Van Hollen says first-time offenders shouldn't be treated as criminals and labeled that way for the rest of their lives. He says the first offense can legitimately be called a mistake. Wisconsin is the only state that doesn't treat a first offense as a crime right now. It's a civil violation. Van Hollen says we're able to get more people into treatment programs because those first-time offenders are more willing to plead guilty. He thinks that may mean more first offenders never become second offenders, though the numbers to confirm that aren't available right now.
New Rule Would Not Allow Campaign Fundraising During Budget Process
1/18/09 - A new rule being studied at the Capitol would ban campaign fund raising while Wisconsin lawmakers are working on the budget. Assembly Speaker Mike Sheridan says his legislation would not only end the fund raising events, it would keep those lawmakers from accepting any donations during that critical time period. Watchdog groups have called for a rule like that for years. They say Wisconsin lawmakers shouldn't be taking campaign money from special interests who might be asking for favors in the next state budget. Sheridan is a Democrat from Janesville. He says the wording of his proposal is being strengthened right now. He says it would keep lawmakers attention focused on closing the budget deficit and growing the state's economy.
School Districts Play Waiting Game with State Budget
1/18/09 - Wisconsin school districts are waiting to see how state government leaders solve the budget deficit. A shortfall of more than five billion dollars over the two-year period is being projected. One western Wisconsin school district, River Falls, is projecting a two percent increase in state funding. That's less than normal, but they have no way to know if it's accurate. State Representative Kitty Rhoades says she doesn't expect a decrease in K-through-12 funding, despite Wisconsin's money problems. She says the governor has always said public school funding is one of his priorities. The problem for school leaders remains the same: they have to draw up a spending plan for their districts without knowing how much money they're going to get from a main source of revenue.
Democrats Asking for Price Tag of Lawsuit by AG Van Hollen
1/18/09 - Two Democratic lawmakers asked Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen again Friday how much the state Department of Justice spent suing election officials this past fall. Van Hollen, a Republican, filed the lawsuit in September, demanding the state Government Accountability Board verify the identities of tens of thousands of voters dating back to 2006 before the Nov. 4 election. Van Hollen contended the federal Help America Vote Act mandated such checks. Democrats accused Van Hollen of playing partisan games and trying to disenfranchise voters. Senator Mark Miller and Representative Mark Pocan, leaders of the Legislature's Joint Finance Committee, asked Van Hollen in October how much the state Justice Department had spent on the lawsuit. Van Hollen replied his agency had spent only 155 dollars. Miller and Pocan sent another letter to Van Hollen on Friday, branding the 155 dollar number as "obviously incomplete" and demanding a detailed accounting of attorney and staff hours devoted to the case along with corresponding salary and benefits for those positions.
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