Woman Injured after Hitting Train
2/5/09 - A 41-year-old woman was seriously injured after hitting a train at the railroad crossing on Highway 151 near the Highway 26 overpass in the Town of Chester. Dodge County Sheriffs Sergeant Dave Weninger says Jacquelyn Buelow was driving south on Hwy. 151 when she hit the last of 12-cars on the train just after 8:30 last night. Buelow was trapped in her car after the collision. Once out she was taken to the hospital and eventually flown by Flight for Life to UW-Hospital in Madison. Her condition is unknown. Weninger says alcohol was a factor in the crash and authorities issued the Buelow citations for O-W-I 4th offense and Operating after Revocation. Buelow was not wearing her seat belt.
No Place for Threats in Prayer Debate
2/5/09 - Threats have reportedly been made against Dodge County Board Supervisor Dean Fuller, whose actions led to the current rethinking of prayers before meetings. Those on both sides of the issue are condemning those threats. Anne Laurie Gaylor of the Freedom From Religion Foundation says threats are “not playing nice” and shows how divisive religion is in government and demonstrates why it doesn’t belong. One area pastor we spoke - Pastor Mark Swanson of the Trinity United Methodist Church in Beaver Dam – does believe there should be prayers before meetings but he condemned the threats against Fuller calling them “completely inappropriate.” Swanson says such threats are “not a Christian response” and he would “not claim that person as being part of the Christian community.”
As for the legal aspect of prayer before government meetings, Dodge County’s Corporation Council says it is constitutional as long as a number of guidelines are followed. Attorney John Corey says those include not mentioning one religion over another. The question of prayer at meetings has come to the attention of the public after Supervisor Fuller filed a complaint with the Freedom From Religion Foundation claiming Dodge County had allowed a Supervisor to mention Jesus Christ and Christianity during prayer, which they claim is unconstitutional. Corey says a way to avoid any issues would be to hold a prayer before a meeting starts. The board was scheduled to have a time of silent contemplation during their February meeting so nothing will change this month. However, there is no word on what might be done before their meeting in March.
We’ll be looking at the issue of prayers before municipal meetings on WBEV’s Community Comment on Tuesday, February 17. We have invited, or will invite, representatives from the Freedom From Religion Foundation, local churches and the county board to discuss the matter.
Fox Lake Council Waives Fine
2/5/09 - The contractor who oversaw the rebuilding of the Highway P culvert just south of Highway 33 in Fox Lake will not be fined for completing the project two weeks late. That’s after the City Council approved a motion last night to waive the nearly $6,000 in fines on the condition that the town board passes a similar motion next week. The contractor, Kinas and Koplan, had set a completion date of November 30th but did not complete the project until the middle of December. Under the contract entered into with the city and town they were eligible to receive fines of $400 for every day over the deadline. However, in his recommendation to the council last night, City Administrator Bill Petracek said in the engineering company’s opinion the timeline was an aggressive one and when they factored in the weather and availability of materials they felt waiving the fine would be the best course of action. The culvert under Highway P/Trenton Street had been closed since June 14th after it washed out during the massive flooding in the area.
Digital Conversion Switch Delayed
2/5/09 - It’s a good thing the vote to delay the switch to digital television yesterday didn’t come down to one vote because Congressman Tom Petri accidentally voted against the measure. The Republican from Fond du Lac says he must have pushed the wrong button on the voting equipment. He says his position is clear: he voted for the delay when it came up last week and he has gone on record as having meant to vote ‘yes’ yesterday. The boxes cost around $60, and the government has set up a program to distribute $40 coupons to help consumers with the cost. But there are still millions of households waiting to get their coupons - 4,000 in Petri’s district alone. The congressman says its clear that we need to provide more time so “people won't suddenly find that their TV sets have gone blank."
Columbus Holds Mayoral Debate
2/5/09 - The four City of Columbus Mayoral candidates debated for nearly two hours in front of a packed Senior Center crowd last night. Former Mayor Peter Kaland, former School Board member and Recreation Committee leader Bob Link, Current Mayor Nancy Osterhaus and former Mayor Art Westergaard Jr. answered prepared questions for almost two hours. Columbus is unique in having two former Mayors, one incumbent Mayor and one former City Council member running on the Feb. 17th primary ballot.
Columbus Gets Money for Flood Damages
2/5/09 - The City of Columbus has finally received the bulk of the money that it will be paid for damages incurred during the June, 2008 flood. Reviews between FEMA, the Wisconsin Department of Emergency Management and City officials finally resulted in payments of nearly $155 thousand dollars to the City over the past week. The amount was about 28 percent of the $554 thousand requested by City claims. City Clerk Anne Donahue said that flood relief money for the repair of the Dam was NOT approved in the payments.
Boy Falls from Ski Lift in Oconomowoc
2/5/09 - A 10-year-old boy survived after he fell 30-feet from a chair on a ski-lift in Oconomowoc. Police said the boy was unconscious right after he fell at the Highlands of Olympia ski hill around 5:30 last evening. He was later in stable condition at Milwaukee Children’s Hospital with a broken arm. Police Chief Dave Beghun said it did not appear that the ski-lift malfunctioned – but investigators are still trying to figure out why the incident occurred.
Board Aprroves 2nd Trimester Abortions
2/5/09 - After hearing three hours of emotional comments on both sides, a U-W Hospital board agreed to allow late-term abortions at a Madison outpatient clinic. The vote was 11-to-3 yesterday to provide abortions for women who are 19-to-22-weeks’ pregnant. The U-W and Meriter Hospital had proposed the idea after a Madison doctor who had performed such abortions retired in December. No one else in the city does those procedures. Board chairman David Walsh called the second-trimester abortions “the worst kind of service” among those who believe life starts at conception. But he said women have a constitutional right to those abortions – and a great, full-service institution should do it if no one else will. Walsh said the chance of a public backlash was worth the risk. Opponents said they would boycott U-W Hospital, and stage demonstrations outside the clinic. Doctors expected to perform about 120 abortions at the Madison Surgery Center each year. That center’s board could act on the plan by the end of the week. But officials said it could still take weeks or months for the procedures to begin.
Less Money Coming to Wisconsin in Senate Version Stimulus Bill
2/5/09 - The Democratic Policy Committee says Wisconsin schools and governments would get less under the Senate’s economic stimulus bill than the House version. The agency said the Badger State would get three-point-one billion-dollars from the Senate package, compared to four-point-three billion in the House plan. But the Senate’s proposal includes more benefits for individuals – including a tax credit of up to 15-thousand-dollars for anyone who buys a new home. Yesterday, Wisconsin’s Herb Kohl and Russ Feingold joined other Democrats who fought off efforts to reduce the size of the stimulus package. The home-buying credit increased it to around 920-billion-dollars – or 100-billion more than what the House okayed a week ago. Among other things, Kohl and Feingold helped Democrats preserve a “Buy American” provision that requires stimulus projects to use domestic iron-and-steel. But after Obama expressed concerns, the Senate modified the requirement to make sure that U-S trade agreements are not violated. Final Senate action on the stimulus plan could come as early as tomorrow. Then a conference committee would hammer out the final package.
2/5/09 - A 41-year-old woman was seriously injured after hitting a train at the railroad crossing on Highway 151 near the Highway 26 overpass in the Town of Chester. Dodge County Sheriffs Sergeant Dave Weninger says Jacquelyn Buelow was driving south on Hwy. 151 when she hit the last of 12-cars on the train just after 8:30 last night. Buelow was trapped in her car after the collision. Once out she was taken to the hospital and eventually flown by Flight for Life to UW-Hospital in Madison. Her condition is unknown. Weninger says alcohol was a factor in the crash and authorities issued the Buelow citations for O-W-I 4th offense and Operating after Revocation. Buelow was not wearing her seat belt.
No Place for Threats in Prayer Debate
2/5/09 - Threats have reportedly been made against Dodge County Board Supervisor Dean Fuller, whose actions led to the current rethinking of prayers before meetings. Those on both sides of the issue are condemning those threats. Anne Laurie Gaylor of the Freedom From Religion Foundation says threats are “not playing nice” and shows how divisive religion is in government and demonstrates why it doesn’t belong. One area pastor we spoke - Pastor Mark Swanson of the Trinity United Methodist Church in Beaver Dam – does believe there should be prayers before meetings but he condemned the threats against Fuller calling them “completely inappropriate.” Swanson says such threats are “not a Christian response” and he would “not claim that person as being part of the Christian community.”
As for the legal aspect of prayer before government meetings, Dodge County’s Corporation Council says it is constitutional as long as a number of guidelines are followed. Attorney John Corey says those include not mentioning one religion over another. The question of prayer at meetings has come to the attention of the public after Supervisor Fuller filed a complaint with the Freedom From Religion Foundation claiming Dodge County had allowed a Supervisor to mention Jesus Christ and Christianity during prayer, which they claim is unconstitutional. Corey says a way to avoid any issues would be to hold a prayer before a meeting starts. The board was scheduled to have a time of silent contemplation during their February meeting so nothing will change this month. However, there is no word on what might be done before their meeting in March.
We’ll be looking at the issue of prayers before municipal meetings on WBEV’s Community Comment on Tuesday, February 17. We have invited, or will invite, representatives from the Freedom From Religion Foundation, local churches and the county board to discuss the matter.
Fox Lake Council Waives Fine
2/5/09 - The contractor who oversaw the rebuilding of the Highway P culvert just south of Highway 33 in Fox Lake will not be fined for completing the project two weeks late. That’s after the City Council approved a motion last night to waive the nearly $6,000 in fines on the condition that the town board passes a similar motion next week. The contractor, Kinas and Koplan, had set a completion date of November 30th but did not complete the project until the middle of December. Under the contract entered into with the city and town they were eligible to receive fines of $400 for every day over the deadline. However, in his recommendation to the council last night, City Administrator Bill Petracek said in the engineering company’s opinion the timeline was an aggressive one and when they factored in the weather and availability of materials they felt waiving the fine would be the best course of action. The culvert under Highway P/Trenton Street had been closed since June 14th after it washed out during the massive flooding in the area.
Digital Conversion Switch Delayed
2/5/09 - It’s a good thing the vote to delay the switch to digital television yesterday didn’t come down to one vote because Congressman Tom Petri accidentally voted against the measure. The Republican from Fond du Lac says he must have pushed the wrong button on the voting equipment. He says his position is clear: he voted for the delay when it came up last week and he has gone on record as having meant to vote ‘yes’ yesterday. The boxes cost around $60, and the government has set up a program to distribute $40 coupons to help consumers with the cost. But there are still millions of households waiting to get their coupons - 4,000 in Petri’s district alone. The congressman says its clear that we need to provide more time so “people won't suddenly find that their TV sets have gone blank."
Columbus Holds Mayoral Debate
2/5/09 - The four City of Columbus Mayoral candidates debated for nearly two hours in front of a packed Senior Center crowd last night. Former Mayor Peter Kaland, former School Board member and Recreation Committee leader Bob Link, Current Mayor Nancy Osterhaus and former Mayor Art Westergaard Jr. answered prepared questions for almost two hours. Columbus is unique in having two former Mayors, one incumbent Mayor and one former City Council member running on the Feb. 17th primary ballot.
Columbus Gets Money for Flood Damages
2/5/09 - The City of Columbus has finally received the bulk of the money that it will be paid for damages incurred during the June, 2008 flood. Reviews between FEMA, the Wisconsin Department of Emergency Management and City officials finally resulted in payments of nearly $155 thousand dollars to the City over the past week. The amount was about 28 percent of the $554 thousand requested by City claims. City Clerk Anne Donahue said that flood relief money for the repair of the Dam was NOT approved in the payments.
Boy Falls from Ski Lift in Oconomowoc
2/5/09 - A 10-year-old boy survived after he fell 30-feet from a chair on a ski-lift in Oconomowoc. Police said the boy was unconscious right after he fell at the Highlands of Olympia ski hill around 5:30 last evening. He was later in stable condition at Milwaukee Children’s Hospital with a broken arm. Police Chief Dave Beghun said it did not appear that the ski-lift malfunctioned – but investigators are still trying to figure out why the incident occurred.
Board Aprroves 2nd Trimester Abortions
2/5/09 - After hearing three hours of emotional comments on both sides, a U-W Hospital board agreed to allow late-term abortions at a Madison outpatient clinic. The vote was 11-to-3 yesterday to provide abortions for women who are 19-to-22-weeks’ pregnant. The U-W and Meriter Hospital had proposed the idea after a Madison doctor who had performed such abortions retired in December. No one else in the city does those procedures. Board chairman David Walsh called the second-trimester abortions “the worst kind of service” among those who believe life starts at conception. But he said women have a constitutional right to those abortions – and a great, full-service institution should do it if no one else will. Walsh said the chance of a public backlash was worth the risk. Opponents said they would boycott U-W Hospital, and stage demonstrations outside the clinic. Doctors expected to perform about 120 abortions at the Madison Surgery Center each year. That center’s board could act on the plan by the end of the week. But officials said it could still take weeks or months for the procedures to begin.
Less Money Coming to Wisconsin in Senate Version Stimulus Bill
2/5/09 - The Democratic Policy Committee says Wisconsin schools and governments would get less under the Senate’s economic stimulus bill than the House version. The agency said the Badger State would get three-point-one billion-dollars from the Senate package, compared to four-point-three billion in the House plan. But the Senate’s proposal includes more benefits for individuals – including a tax credit of up to 15-thousand-dollars for anyone who buys a new home. Yesterday, Wisconsin’s Herb Kohl and Russ Feingold joined other Democrats who fought off efforts to reduce the size of the stimulus package. The home-buying credit increased it to around 920-billion-dollars – or 100-billion more than what the House okayed a week ago. Among other things, Kohl and Feingold helped Democrats preserve a “Buy American” provision that requires stimulus projects to use domestic iron-and-steel. But after Obama expressed concerns, the Senate modified the requirement to make sure that U-S trade agreements are not violated. Final Senate action on the stimulus plan could come as early as tomorrow. Then a conference committee would hammer out the final package.
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