Top Stories March 28th

Two Med-Flighted after Serious Crash near Randolph

3/28/09 - Two men suffered life threatening injuries in a two-vehicle crash yesterday afternoon in the Town of Westford. The State Patrol says a mini-van driven by a 50-year-old Randolph man was northbound on Pleasant Road around 3:30 when he blew the stop sign at County Trunk AC and hit a SUV driven by a 28-year-old Fox Lake man. Med-Flight helicopters transported both men to the hospital. As of late Friday night the State Patrol had not released their names because of the serious nature of the injuries. An initial investigation shows that neither man was wearing a seat belt and its unknown if drugs or alcohol played a factor in the crash. Three other agencies assisted the state patrol.

Winter Weather Advisory for Dodge County

3/28/09 - Dodge County is under a winter weather advisory and Jefferson County is under a winter storm warning for tonight into tomorrow. The National Weather Service says snow will spread into the Dodge County area this evening with a chance for heavy snow at times. They say we could see 3 to 5 inches before it diminishes tomorrow morning. Meanwhile, areas to the southeast of Dodge County could see 4 to 7 inches, with the heaviest this afternoon.

Greenfield Authorities Call in FBI to Investigate Acker

3/28/09 - Authorities want to find out if a man accused of molesting dozens of young boys had anything to do with the disappearances of kids dating back to the 1970’s. Police in the Milwaukee suburb of Greenfield have asked the F-B-I to investigate those possible links. Deputy Inspector Brad Wendlandt told reporters yesterday that Daniel Acker’s home in Waukesha had a scale model of a police station. It had photos of missing and murdered boys from around the country, as depicted in news stories. Investigators said they also found toy cars in Acker’s basement which had the names of missing kids on them. And they found journals about a boy missing in the southwest Milwaukee suburbs in the 70’s. The 61-year-old Acker was arrested on Monday, and is facing a charge second-degree sexual assault of a child. He’s been a part-time swimming instructor for the West Allis-West Milwaukee recreation department – and police suspect him of molesting numerous boys for over 30 years. Officers say they’ve talked to four men in their 40’s and a 19-year-old man – all of whom were said to be among Acker’s victims. And police are asking other victims to step forward. To help the public, they’ve released photos of Acker taken at various times over the last three decades. Wendlandt says investigators have only scratched the surface of the case.

Watertown Man Facing Attempted Homicide Charges

3/28/09 - A 20 year old Watertown man will face felony charges, including the attempted homicide of an unborn child. The unnamed suspect was thrown in jail. He's accused of trying to kill his girlfriend's fetus by punching her in the stomach. Investigators say the suspect said he was going to kill the baby as he punched her. The woman is about 14 weeks pregnant. Watertown police arrested him Thursday after neighbors complained about a loud argument. He is expected to appear in court Monday. Prosecutors have the weekend to prepare their formal criminal complaint.

Mayoral Candidates in Columbus Talk Renovation of Fire and Police Buildings

3/28/09 - Columbus Mayoral candidates both called for a better way to bring the City’s Police and Fire buildings up to date. Candidate Peter Kaland said the problem the City has had repairing or replacing the Public Safety facilities has been a failure to look at the “whole picture.” Candidate Bob Link joined his opponent in criticizing past City efforts as short range attempts to upgrade Police and Fire Department buildings. The Mayoral race will be decided with the April 7th elections.

The Pro’s and Con’s of Police Department Consolidation

3/28/09 - With consolidation being discussed for three police departments in northwest Dodge County, we thought we’d ask a consolidated police department in the southeast portion of the county how it works and if it’s been a success. For the last decade, the Neosho, Rubicon and Ashippun Police Department, also known as the NRA, has covered the entire townships of Rubicon and Ashippun and all the villages in between including Neosho, Alderley and even part of Woodland. Assistant Police Chief Bill Linzenmeyer says it is a challenge to cover all 72 square miles evenly, and it’s a demanding job for a full-time department with part-time officers. But Linzenmeyer says the consolidation increases the labor force of the department and they are able to provide additional coverage because of extra monies available from each of the townships. Linzenmeyer says the key to success is not just providing equal coverage throughout the service area – that is important - but he says it’s just as important that the primary municipalities have a good working relationship. Sheriff Todd Nehls has sent letters to officials in Randolph and the city and town of Fox Lake suggesting that their consolidation into one police department could benefit all three municipalities. No action has been taken but the matter continues to be discussed in committee.

Tax Credits Coming

3/28/09 - Wisconsinites will get about two-point-three billion dollars in federal tax relief over the next two years under the economic stimulus package. Governor Jim Doyle said today the average family would get 506-dollars under the “Making Work Pay” credit that’s scheduled to start in April. Employers will include the credits in their tax withholdings, which means most workers should see a few bucks more in each paycheck. Low-income employees with no tax obligations will still get the credit – which is worth 400-dollars for single people and 800-dollars for married couples. It’ll be less for those making 75-thousand-dollars or more per year. Doyle says it’s part of an expected five-point-two billion dollars in tax relief for individuals and businesses under the stimulus package over the next three years.

Students in West Allis Suspended after Nude Photos Spread by Cell Phone

3/28/09 - Nine West Allis high school students will be suspended for circulating nude photos of other students using their cell phones. Eight of the nine attend Nathan Hale High School, while the other is a student at West Allis Central. A police spokesman says the photos were not sexually explicit, but school district officials say the incident is being treated very seriously. The parents of all the students involved have been notified. The head of the sensitive crimes unit for West Allis police says none of the students will be arrested.

Officials Looking at Uniform Policies for all Recreation Vehicle Users

3/28/09 - Fifteen of 23 snowmobile fatalities this winter are attributed to alcohol, and Mike Cerny, chairman of the state's Snowmobile Recreation Council, wonders whether law enforcement needs more tools. Cerny says Wisconsin is losing enforcement hour on the trails. Up for discussion between the snowmobile council, ATV and boating groups is a proposal for uniform penalties for all recreation vehicle users. Cerny said there's not much support for linking the first OWI on a recreational vehicle to driver's licenses. Along with the numerous deaths of drunk snowmobilers, the case of three men who used their sleds to kill deer has drawn a lot of media attention. Cerny says as far as public perceptions of his sport are concerned, the past winter has been the worst he's ever seen.

Cut Backs at Marian University

3/28/09 - Marian University of Fond du Lac is cutting three-and-a-half million dollars in spending. It has announced the elimination of 15 full-time positions and seven part-timers. It’s also scaling back contracts for 23 employees for a total personnel savings of two-and-a-half million dollars. The rest of the budget cuts will be things like shorter library hours and other operational costs. Marian, a Catholic school with 12-hundred students, had 22 fewer full-time enrollees than it projected for this year. Adult student sign-ups were also down. And officials expect more students to need financial aid next year, when enrollments are projected to drop again. The budget cuts were announced less than a week after school president Josefina Baltodano resigned. But Marian’s not the only Wisconsin private school that’s scaling back. Beloit College eliminated 34 jobs last November. And Wisconsin Lutheran College of Milwaukee is dropping its political science department.