Petri Talks Social Security
1/30/09 - Congressman Tom Petri was back in the area a day after voting against the stimulus package for a series of Town Meetings and an appearance on Community Comment. The Fond du Lac Republican fielded a variety of questions from our listeners and several focused on Social Security and related taxes. Petri gave us his opinion on an issue that came up on last week’s Community Comment with Mike Silva from the Social Security Office in Fond du Lac. A listener questioned why someone that makes a million dollars a year is taxed the same in social security taxes as someone who makes $106,000, which is the current wage cap. Petri says for one it’s a fairness issue in that social security payout is skewed in favor of people who earn lower wages, and if the amount of the pay-in is increased, those people will have to get a bigger pension, unless you short change them. Petri also says the self employed could also easily convert their wages to company dividends, which are not subject to social security taxes.
Dodge County Sheriff’s Department Wrap-Up
1/30/09 - A 26-year-old man was arrested last night after allegedly steeling a computer from a town of Beaver Dam residence that he was babysitting at. That’s according to the Dodge County Sheriffs Department. A 20-year-old woman says Bradley Sprague came to baby-sit for her while she was at work. While at work the woman received a phone call from a friend telling her that Sprague had stolen her computer and left the child home alone. Authorities located Sprague and arrested him on charges of Theft, Bail Jumping, Carrying a Concealed Weapon and one other charge. The computer stolen from the residence is still missing.
1/30/09 - A 19-year-old man was found passed out behind the wheel of his vehicle just before midnight. The Dodge County Sheriff’s Department says the man was parked in the middle of the road near the intersection of Highway 151 and Highway 33. When authorities attempted to awake the man he was unresponsive. Authorities took the man to the hospital for treatment and he was cited for OWI 1st Offense and released.
1/30/09 - Authorities are investigating a Breaking and Entering in the Village of Reeseville. The Dodge County Sheriffs Department reports a resident that lives on Jackson Street came home to find a number of drawers in the home opened and some pain medication missing. Authorities say the doors to the home were unlocked. The Sheriff’s Department and Reeseville Police Department are investigating.
Pineda Duque Sentenced
1/30/09 - A Mexican national was sentenced to nearly 4-years in prison yesterday for selling cocaine in the Watertown area. Perfecto Pineda Duque had previously pleaded guilty to charges of conspiring to possess cocaine with intent to distribute. The Department of Justice conducted wiretaps between July of 2006 and June of last year and monitored hundreds of calls detailing drug transactions in Dodge and Jefferson Counties. On June 19, authorities seized over $100,000 in cash, multiple kilograms of cocaine and several automobiles. Three defendants have already been sentenced and two others will be sentenced next month. Three suspects remain at large. Pineda will be deported after he completes his sentence.
Three Years for School Break-In
1/30/09 - Three years in prison for one of three men who burglarized St. Matthews Lutheran School in Iron Ridge. Luke Hudak pleaded “no contest” to a felony charge of Burglary related to the March 2006 break-in at the school, in addition to burglaries at St. Matthews Catholic Church in Neosho and St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Woodlawn. The 23-year-old Hudak stole $2500 in items intended for a fundraiser at the Iron Ridge school, including a digital camera, $150 tennis shoes, assorted gift certificate cards and gasoline cards. Authorities tracked the group through the gas cards after viewing in-store camera’s at the gas stations where the trio fueled up. Hudak was also sentenced to four years of extended supervision and was ordered to split restitution costs with the other perpetrators.
Burglaries in Waupun
1/30/09 - Authorities in Waupun are urging the public to secure their homes and businesses. Chief Dale Heeringa says there has been a rash of minor business burglaries over the past few weeks. He says most have been crimes of opportunity. Both Homan Auto locations were recently broken into as was TNT Sports Bar & Grill. There have been no home break-ins but Heeringa urges both business owners and residents to remain vigilant and report suspicious activity to authorities.
Middle School Student Strikes Teacher
1/30/09 - Charges of battery and disorderly conduct will be forwarded to the District Attorney’s office after a 14-year-old Waupun Middle School student allegedly hit a teacher in the face on Wednesday. That’s according to the Waupun Police Department, who says the girl was being taken to a “quiet area” in the classroom after flipping her desk over when she hit the staff member in the face. The student has also been referred to Dodge County Social Services.
Unemployment Up Throughout State
1/30/09 - Fond du Lac is the only metro area in Wisconsin that did not have record unemployment for December. All 12 of the state’s metros had higher jobless rates last month than in November. Fond du Lac was at five-point-nine percent, up one-tenth-of-a-point from the month before. Janesville had the state’s highest rate – eight-point-one percent, up three full points from the year before. It’s where last month’s shutdown of General Motors’ S-U-V production triggered a wave of other plant closings and layoffs. Madison continues to have the state’s lowest unemployment, at four-point-two percent. But it was the first time the Capital City ever surpassed four-percent for a December. Marc Levine of U-W Milwaukee says the numbers confirm the intensity of the recession – and no part of Wisconsin is immune.
State-Funded Health Care Sees 35-Percent Increase in Members
1/30/09 - The number of low-income Wisconsinites getting state-funded health care has jumped by 35-percent in the last six years. Almost 927-thousand people are now in Medicaid programs like Badger-Care-Plus. That’s about one-in-every-six state residents. And it’s up from 688-thousand at the start of 2003, when Governor Jim Doyle took office. Officials say more employees have stopped offering health insurance, forcing their workers to use government programs. And 100-thousand people signed up for Badger-Care-Plus last year after the state made it easier to enroll. Health services secretary Karen Timberlake says layoffs from the recession have not directly increased enrollments in Badger-Care-Plus yet. But Senate Democrat Bob Jauch of Poplar says it’s only a matter of time. And with Medicaid facing a one-point-four billion dollar deficit in the next two years, Jauch says it would be a mistake to cut funds meant for preventive care.
Jefferson County Ethanol Plant Files for Bankruptcy
1/30/09 - One of Wisconsin’s nine ethanol plants has filed for bankruptcy. The board of Renew Energy in Jefferson voted this week to seek Chapter-11 protections. Board chairman Paul Olsen blames it on lower revenues, and a bank’s refusal to renew its operating loan. But he tells the Wisconsin Ag Connection that Renew Energy will keep making ethanol, and ill continue its state-of-the-art dry-milling of corn. He also said the plant is still taking orders for farmers’ corn that’s used to make the fuel. Olsen also told the ag news Web site that at least three other ethanol plants in Wisconsin are in danger of closing down by March first. He did not name them.
Koschnick and Abrahamson Hold First Debate
1/30/09 - State Supreme Court candidate Randy Koschnick accuses his opponent of siding with criminal defendants more often than the other six justices. Koschnick and Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson held their first debate of the campaign yesterday in Green Bay. Koschnick – a circuit judge in Jefferson County – said Abrahamson agreed with defendant’s 60-percent of the time as they tried to go free, seek new trials, or reduce their sentences. Abrahamson said she had no idea if the 60-percent figure is correct. A campaign aide later it was based on 200 criminal appeals the court decided from 2000 through last year. Abrahamson said she considers each case on its individual merits – and she does not let her personal views influence her rulings.
Tree Deadline Extended
1/30/09 - The deadline to order from the Small Packet Tree sales program in Dodge County has been extended. The Land Conservation Department still has several species of trees for sale, including red and white Oak, White Cedar and Norway Spruce. The trees are sold in bundles of 25 for $23 per bundle. The deadline to place orders has been moved up to February 27. For more information or to get an order form, contact the Dodge County Land Conservation Department at 386-3660.
1/30/09 - Congressman Tom Petri was back in the area a day after voting against the stimulus package for a series of Town Meetings and an appearance on Community Comment. The Fond du Lac Republican fielded a variety of questions from our listeners and several focused on Social Security and related taxes. Petri gave us his opinion on an issue that came up on last week’s Community Comment with Mike Silva from the Social Security Office in Fond du Lac. A listener questioned why someone that makes a million dollars a year is taxed the same in social security taxes as someone who makes $106,000, which is the current wage cap. Petri says for one it’s a fairness issue in that social security payout is skewed in favor of people who earn lower wages, and if the amount of the pay-in is increased, those people will have to get a bigger pension, unless you short change them. Petri also says the self employed could also easily convert their wages to company dividends, which are not subject to social security taxes.
Dodge County Sheriff’s Department Wrap-Up
1/30/09 - A 26-year-old man was arrested last night after allegedly steeling a computer from a town of Beaver Dam residence that he was babysitting at. That’s according to the Dodge County Sheriffs Department. A 20-year-old woman says Bradley Sprague came to baby-sit for her while she was at work. While at work the woman received a phone call from a friend telling her that Sprague had stolen her computer and left the child home alone. Authorities located Sprague and arrested him on charges of Theft, Bail Jumping, Carrying a Concealed Weapon and one other charge. The computer stolen from the residence is still missing.
1/30/09 - A 19-year-old man was found passed out behind the wheel of his vehicle just before midnight. The Dodge County Sheriff’s Department says the man was parked in the middle of the road near the intersection of Highway 151 and Highway 33. When authorities attempted to awake the man he was unresponsive. Authorities took the man to the hospital for treatment and he was cited for OWI 1st Offense and released.
1/30/09 - Authorities are investigating a Breaking and Entering in the Village of Reeseville. The Dodge County Sheriffs Department reports a resident that lives on Jackson Street came home to find a number of drawers in the home opened and some pain medication missing. Authorities say the doors to the home were unlocked. The Sheriff’s Department and Reeseville Police Department are investigating.
Pineda Duque Sentenced
1/30/09 - A Mexican national was sentenced to nearly 4-years in prison yesterday for selling cocaine in the Watertown area. Perfecto Pineda Duque had previously pleaded guilty to charges of conspiring to possess cocaine with intent to distribute. The Department of Justice conducted wiretaps between July of 2006 and June of last year and monitored hundreds of calls detailing drug transactions in Dodge and Jefferson Counties. On June 19, authorities seized over $100,000 in cash, multiple kilograms of cocaine and several automobiles. Three defendants have already been sentenced and two others will be sentenced next month. Three suspects remain at large. Pineda will be deported after he completes his sentence.
Three Years for School Break-In
1/30/09 - Three years in prison for one of three men who burglarized St. Matthews Lutheran School in Iron Ridge. Luke Hudak pleaded “no contest” to a felony charge of Burglary related to the March 2006 break-in at the school, in addition to burglaries at St. Matthews Catholic Church in Neosho and St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Woodlawn. The 23-year-old Hudak stole $2500 in items intended for a fundraiser at the Iron Ridge school, including a digital camera, $150 tennis shoes, assorted gift certificate cards and gasoline cards. Authorities tracked the group through the gas cards after viewing in-store camera’s at the gas stations where the trio fueled up. Hudak was also sentenced to four years of extended supervision and was ordered to split restitution costs with the other perpetrators.
Burglaries in Waupun
1/30/09 - Authorities in Waupun are urging the public to secure their homes and businesses. Chief Dale Heeringa says there has been a rash of minor business burglaries over the past few weeks. He says most have been crimes of opportunity. Both Homan Auto locations were recently broken into as was TNT Sports Bar & Grill. There have been no home break-ins but Heeringa urges both business owners and residents to remain vigilant and report suspicious activity to authorities.
Middle School Student Strikes Teacher
1/30/09 - Charges of battery and disorderly conduct will be forwarded to the District Attorney’s office after a 14-year-old Waupun Middle School student allegedly hit a teacher in the face on Wednesday. That’s according to the Waupun Police Department, who says the girl was being taken to a “quiet area” in the classroom after flipping her desk over when she hit the staff member in the face. The student has also been referred to Dodge County Social Services.
Unemployment Up Throughout State
1/30/09 - Fond du Lac is the only metro area in Wisconsin that did not have record unemployment for December. All 12 of the state’s metros had higher jobless rates last month than in November. Fond du Lac was at five-point-nine percent, up one-tenth-of-a-point from the month before. Janesville had the state’s highest rate – eight-point-one percent, up three full points from the year before. It’s where last month’s shutdown of General Motors’ S-U-V production triggered a wave of other plant closings and layoffs. Madison continues to have the state’s lowest unemployment, at four-point-two percent. But it was the first time the Capital City ever surpassed four-percent for a December. Marc Levine of U-W Milwaukee says the numbers confirm the intensity of the recession – and no part of Wisconsin is immune.
State-Funded Health Care Sees 35-Percent Increase in Members
1/30/09 - The number of low-income Wisconsinites getting state-funded health care has jumped by 35-percent in the last six years. Almost 927-thousand people are now in Medicaid programs like Badger-Care-Plus. That’s about one-in-every-six state residents. And it’s up from 688-thousand at the start of 2003, when Governor Jim Doyle took office. Officials say more employees have stopped offering health insurance, forcing their workers to use government programs. And 100-thousand people signed up for Badger-Care-Plus last year after the state made it easier to enroll. Health services secretary Karen Timberlake says layoffs from the recession have not directly increased enrollments in Badger-Care-Plus yet. But Senate Democrat Bob Jauch of Poplar says it’s only a matter of time. And with Medicaid facing a one-point-four billion dollar deficit in the next two years, Jauch says it would be a mistake to cut funds meant for preventive care.
Jefferson County Ethanol Plant Files for Bankruptcy
1/30/09 - One of Wisconsin’s nine ethanol plants has filed for bankruptcy. The board of Renew Energy in Jefferson voted this week to seek Chapter-11 protections. Board chairman Paul Olsen blames it on lower revenues, and a bank’s refusal to renew its operating loan. But he tells the Wisconsin Ag Connection that Renew Energy will keep making ethanol, and ill continue its state-of-the-art dry-milling of corn. He also said the plant is still taking orders for farmers’ corn that’s used to make the fuel. Olsen also told the ag news Web site that at least three other ethanol plants in Wisconsin are in danger of closing down by March first. He did not name them.
Koschnick and Abrahamson Hold First Debate
1/30/09 - State Supreme Court candidate Randy Koschnick accuses his opponent of siding with criminal defendants more often than the other six justices. Koschnick and Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson held their first debate of the campaign yesterday in Green Bay. Koschnick – a circuit judge in Jefferson County – said Abrahamson agreed with defendant’s 60-percent of the time as they tried to go free, seek new trials, or reduce their sentences. Abrahamson said she had no idea if the 60-percent figure is correct. A campaign aide later it was based on 200 criminal appeals the court decided from 2000 through last year. Abrahamson said she considers each case on its individual merits – and she does not let her personal views influence her rulings.
Tree Deadline Extended
1/30/09 - The deadline to order from the Small Packet Tree sales program in Dodge County has been extended. The Land Conservation Department still has several species of trees for sale, including red and white Oak, White Cedar and Norway Spruce. The trees are sold in bundles of 25 for $23 per bundle. The deadline to place orders has been moved up to February 27. For more information or to get an order form, contact the Dodge County Land Conservation Department at 386-3660.
No comments:
Post a Comment