Top Stories April 12th

Fire Burns 25 Acres in Town of Beaver Dam

4/12/09 - An out of control grass fire burned about 25-acres of land yesterday in the Town of Beaver Dam. The Beaver Dam Fire Department says they responded to the scene at N5983 South Crystal Lake Road just after 11:30a.m. The owner of the property, William Kern, was performing a controlled burn when the wind changed directions and the fire started spreading. Firefighters were able to contain the fire to Kern’s property but 25-acres of mostly grass and some small wooded areas burned. The fire is just one of more than ten grass fires that have gotten out of control over the past week. Officials say with the lack of rain, dry air conditions, and strong winds these controlled burns can go wrong very quickly. They recommend calling your local fire department before burning to inform them of your activities.

Executive Committee to Meet and Discuss Prayer, Again

4/12/09 - A week after pushing back a decision on whether to forward a resolution that would allow prayer at its full-board meetings, a committee of Dodge County Supervisors will meet tomorrow morning to discuss a revised version. Last Monday, County Clerk Karen Gibson suggested some changes on how the religious figure to lead the prayer would be selected, so the Executive Committee pushed back the decision on whether to forward it to the full-board for approval until tomorrow. The resolution itself was created as a way to continue to allow prayer at the board meetings while also abiding by the law. The main part of the resolution would change when the prayer would take place, moving from the beginning of the meeting to before the meeting is brought to order. Tomorrows meeting will be held at 9:30a.m. on the first floor of the Administration building in Juneau.

Milwaukee Officer in Critical Condition after Shooting

4/12/09 - A Saturday afternoon shootout in Milwaukee leaves a uniformed officer and a private citizen both in critical condition. Police are still gathering evidence about the incident. The shooting happened Saturday at about 3:10 p.m. Police were responding to a report of a man with a gun. Before officers arrived they were told that their armed suspect was walking from the scene with a woman and a baby. When the man tried to run away on his own, witnesses say they heard the officer yell for the suspect to get down -- then they heard shots. Milwaukee police say the officer is 30 years old with seven years experience on the job.

Hayward Man Found in Namekagon River

4/12/09 - The Washburn County Sheriff's Office reports the body of 45 year old Randall Danczyk has been found. He'd been missing since Wednesday. Danczyk lived near Hayward. He had told others he was going to go kayaking on the Namekagon River. Authorities say his body was found in about 10 feet of water, near the Stinnett canoe landing between Hayward and Springbrook. An autopsy will be done.

Turbines Causing Issues with Weather Radar

4/12/09 - The latest to complain about big wind turbines is the National Weather Service. Meteorologists at the Weather Surveillance Doppler Radar operation at the Sullivan office say visual noise from the 36 wind turbines might distort severe weather readings on their radar. That could impact the effectiveness of storm warnings. The turbines are located on Butler Ridge Wind Farm in Dodge County. Computer programmers are trying to development new patches to the software so the radar can adjust.

Reforming Health Care a Group Effort

4/12/09 - In trying to reform health care, it's important to reach out to all the players involved. David Norton is a spokesman for Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. He says physicians, hospitals, insurers and drug companies can all be part of the solution. Although the cost of medications gets a lot of attention, Norton says drugs are just a fraction of the overall health care price tag – about a dime out of every dollar spent. He says 75 percent of all health care costs are driven by chronic conditions, so, preventing chronic conditions will drive down health care costs.

Two Drunk Drivers Crash into Each Other

4/12/09 - It's surprising it doesn't happen more often. Two drunk drivers run into each other on a Racine Street. It happened early Saturday. Police say a drunk driver was going very fast when he missed a turn and wound up going the wrong way on another street. His vehicle hit two parked cars, rolled and hit yet another car -- driven by another drunk driver. Four minor injuries resulted. Both men were ticketed. One was from Racine and the other from Pleasant Prairie.

Gorilla Goes Flying

4/12/09 - Are you missing a big stuffed gorilla? You can find him at the Minnesota Department of Transportation office in Duluth. DOT worker John Bray says he was driving over the Blatnik Bridge, from Superior to Duluth, Thursday afternoon when the big stuffed brown animal blew out of the bed of the truck ahead of him. Bray pulled over and traffic behind him stopped as he rescued the gorilla, bringing it to his office. He thinks the driver might be from Wisconsin because the truck was coming from that direction. Although the gorilla should have been tied down, for safety, the driver won't get a ticket.

Convicted Murderer to be Released in Rice Lake

4/12/09 - A convicted murderer will be released in the Rice Lake area next week. Fifty year old Mark Downing was convicted of second degree intentional homicide for a domestic related shooting. It happened in Turtle Lake in August of 1992. Downing is scheduled to be released into a transitional living facility that is monitored by the Department of Corrections. His living arrangement will include electronic monitoring and GPS along with a variety of sanctions and restrictions.

Madison Man Calls 911 22 Times

4/12/09 - First the man told Madison police he was shot. When they responded to his 9-1-1 call, cops found nothing there. Later he called 9-1-1 again, saying he'd been stabbed. And, at least once, he told cops he'd been kidnapped and robbed. Police say a 27 year old man called 9-1-1 22 times last Thursday, running officers all over the town. Two people have been arrested. Apparently, no one was shot, stabbed or injured in any way.