Top Stories March 10th

Wind Advisory Tonight into Tomorrow

3/10/09 - Hold on to your hats tonight and tomorrow morning as the National Weather Service has issued a Wind Advisory for our entire listening area beginning late tonight into tomorrow morning. That means sustained winds of 25 to 35 miles per hour with gusts of up to 50 miles per hour. Authorities are also worried about possible flooding in low lying areas and roadways as today’s rain will cause the snow to melt faster. At least one road had to be closed yesterday in the Town of Hubbard after a school bus slid off the road due to deep water. With the wind will come much cooler temperatures as we’ll struggle to get into the 20’s tomorrow.

Committee Advancers WDS Hiring

3/10/09 - The Beaver Dam Operations Committee last night voted 4 to 2 in favor of hiring WDS Construction as the general contractor for the city’s downtown redevelopment plan. Aldermen spent nearly two hours questioning WDS Vice President Steve Westra (pictured) about the details of the contact for demolition, culvert removal and partial restoration. WDS was hired to provide the city with a maximum cost of the project. Westra says demolition costs for the nine downtown structures are $630,000 while removal of the culverts is capped at $200,000. The figures include $75,000 for contingencies. Westra says one of the biggest unknowns is the condition of the riverbed underneath the century-old buildings and the possibility of contaminated soil. Another exemption that could not be factored into the maximum cost is the issue of the common wall surrounding the Fountain Inn Tavern. The structure is targeted by the DNR for demolition but owner Jay Hoeft has no plans to sell his property to the city. A tentative completion date indicated in the contract is September 30. The Operations Committee will review suggested contract changes next Monday prior to consideration by the full council. Also Monday night, the council will consider borrowing $1.76 million to cover the costs of property acquisition, demolition, culvert removal and partial restoration. It will also allow the city to maintain a $150,000 balance in their capital improvements fund.

Hoefs Accused of Snow Club Embezzlement

3/10/09 - A Beaver Dam woman is accused of embezzling from the Fox Lake Snowmobile Club. Jennifer Hoefs is charged with a felony count of Theft in a Business Setting for allegedly stealing nearly $13,000 over an 18-month period when she worked as treasurer for the organization. According to the criminal complaint, the 35-year-old wrote checks out to herself and cashed them to pay bills as she was going through a divorce. Hoefs had a signature bond set at $1000 and has a preliminary hearing scheduled for April 23. She faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

Concrete Works Charged With Not Working

3/10/09 - A Beaver Dam man faces a felony charge of Theft By Contractor for failing to complete a construction project for the Lowell Fire Department. Casey McNicol of Concrete Works Unlimited is accused of accepting $5700 in cash for materials last year and then using those materials on another project. The 27-year-old had a signature bond set at $1000 and a preliminary hearing scheduled for March 26. McNicol faces up to three-and-a-half years in prison and fines of up to $10,000 if convicted.

BD Man Charged with Electronics Thefts

3/10/09 - A Beaver Dam man is charged with Theft for allegedly stealing stereo equipment from Audioworx Unlimited in Burnett. Kendall Schlagel stole over $5000 in electronics last summer. The owner of the store said he thought the 22-year-old was his friend until he saw all the stolen property in his truck. Schlagel faces up to 9 months in prison if he’s convicted. Signature bond was set at $500 and a return date scheduled for April 4.

Defendant Implies Threat Toward Deputy

3/10/09 - A Columbus man is accused of making threatening statements to sheriffs deputies following a court appearance. Josiah Allen Kaiser was at a Temporary Restraining Order hearing last month and learned his firearms would not be returned. As the 29-year-old exited the proceeding, deputies say he became verbally abusive and began posturing in a threatening manner. According to the criminal complaint, Kaiser stared the deputy down and said he doesn’t “have any problem getting rid of any cops.” He reportedly refused to leave the lobby of the courthouse until he was persuaded by another officer. Kaiser faces 90 days in jail if he is convicted on the misdemeanor Disorderly Conduct charge but because he is a repeat offender he could have two years added to his sentence. A signature bond was set at $500 and a return date scheduled for April 6.

Day Sentenced, Again

3/10/09 - A 49-year-old man has now been convicted twice of attempting to silence a boy he sexually assaulted, as well as his family. David A. Day was sentenced in Washington County yesterday to 30-years in prison for soliciting his brother to kidnap the mother of the 12-year-old boy he had assaulted and kill her unless the boy and his father convinced a judge they had lied about the assault. That sentence will run concurrent with the 24-years he received in Dodge County last year. In that case, Day attempted to hire a fellow inmate at the Waupun Correctional Institute to kidnap the boy’s five siblings, ages 10 to 17, and kill them. Day was sentenced in 2006 to 25-years in prison for the actual sexual assault and that sentence will also run concurrent to the other charges.

Stem Cell Research Restrictions Lifted

3/10/09 - President Obama has reversed predecessor's restrictions on embryonic stem cell research funding. Ed Fallone, President of Wisconsin Stem Cell-Now, says the move is evidence that President Obama is separating politics and ideology from scientific research. Some conservatives have long favored research of adult stem cells, while equating embryonic testing with taking a life. Fallone believe both methods have their place. He says the increased resources will make it easier to recruit scientists. Under the previous restrictions, established in 2001, there were "a number of very talented young researchers" who were turned off from entering the field. Fallone adds the move by the President only opens to the door to more federal funding but does not specifically allocate money.

Christian Population in Wisconsin Down 15% since 1990

3/10/09 - Wisconsin is less Christian and more secular than two decades ago. The American Religious Identification Survey says 76-percent of Badger State residents identified themselves as Christian last year. That’s down from 91-percent in 1990. The percentage of Wisconsinites who are Catholic fell to 29, down 10-percent over the last two decades. the Reverend Steven Avella of Marquette University says some of the Catholic decline might be due to the growth of mega-churches which are non-denominational. Fifteen percent of Wisconsinites did not declare a religion last year – up from six-percent in 1990. Annie Laurie Gaylor of Madison’s Freedom from Religion Foundation was happy about that. She says America appears to be following the path of Europe by becoming more secular.

Deer Heard Estimated at 850,000

3/10/09 - The state D-N-R has come out with a much smaller estimate of Wisconsin’s deer herd than a year ago. Officials said yesterday there are about 850-thousand deer outside the southern zones with chronic wasting disease. D-N-R experts are still trying to determine the numbers within those zones. A year ago, Wisconsin was estimated to have one-point-seven million deer. But hunters who didn’t see the animals last fall couldn’t believe those numbers. The D-N-R’s Keith Warnke said the estimate was quote, “a little bit high.”

Deputy Chases Suspect in His Underwear

3/10/09 - A Kenosha County sheriff’s deputy was in his underwear when he and a bank president teamed up to nab an apparent drunk driver. Deputy Russell Preston was home in Racine last Thursday night, getting ready for work, when a pick-up truck hit a utility pole. It skidded into his front yard and then drove off. Preston ran out to chase the driver on foot, wearing nothing but boxers, socks, and a T-shirt. Johnson Bank president Dick Hansen saw the accident, and motioned for Preston to get in his car. They followed the alleged drunk driver for a few blocks before they caught him. They held the man for Racine Police officers, who made the arrest just moments later. Hansen said Preston immediately identified himself as a deputy. And the bank president took him at his word, saying, quote, “It’s not like he was wearing a badge.” The 32-year-old suspect was arrested for O-W-I, hit-and-run, criminal damage, and driving without a license.