Top Stories April 25th

Two Developments Approved for Tax Credits

4/25/09 - Two downtown Beaver Dam developments have secured the tax-credits needed to move forward. The Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority has awarded Wisconsin Redevelopment LLC $667,000 per year for 10 years in low-income tax-credits. The funding will help with plans to convert the former Weyco Shoe Factory into a 33-unit, loft-style housing complex. Silverstone Partners Inc has been awarded $616,000 a year in WHEDA tax-credits to construct a 62-unit, two-story senior apartment complex on the former Thomas Chevrolet property. Securing the tax-credits was vital in both projects moving forward, but the developers must now sell the credits to investment companies. Wisconsin Redevelopment has until May 31 to exercise on option to buy the city-owned Weyco property. If it the projects move forward, ground could be broken this year with a completion date targeted as early as the fall of 2010.

Middle School Students Facing Drug Charges in Horicon

4/25/09 - A group of students at the Van Brunt Middle School in Horicon face charges for taking prescription drugs. Police Chief Joe Adamson says his department interviewed several students last Friday after staff reported a student who appeared to be under the influence of drugs. After speaking with students, teachers and staff officers detained several students who admitted possessing, consuming or distributing the muscle relaxant Clonazepam. Adamson says his officers were able to identify the student who distributed the illegal drugs, as well as all the students who received or took the drugs. The children were briefly detained by Horicon Police and released to their parents. Referrals have been made to Dodge County Juvenile Services for charges ranging from possession of a controlled substance to distribution of a controlled substance. One student was taken to Beaver Dam Community Hospital as a precaution after taking three pills and complaining of side effects. Adamson says the same types of illegal pills were confiscated from a group of juveniles earlier this month at Discher Park.

Arbor Day in Beaver Dam

4/25/09 - For the 18th straight year Beaver Dam has been named a Tree City USA. Jeff Roe presented the award to Mayor Tom Kennedy and Parks and Forestry Supervisor John Neuman at yesterday’s Arbor Day celebration. The event in included the planning of a non-fruit bearing Cleveland Pear Tree. Roe says trees are a vital component to a city as they can give a community its identity. There were four trees planted yesterday in a lot next to the MVP Sports Bar and Grill on Front Street.

Tax Collections Down

4/25/09 - It's another sign of the stagnant economy. Wisconsin's state tax collections are reportedly down four percent from last year. The latest figures were reported by the Department of Revenue yesterday. All taxes except the excise tax were down. The one dollar increase in the cigarette tax, which went into effect in January, boosted excise tax collections by 39 percent. Corporate taxes are off by 30 percent. Those dropping tax collections are a major reason the state's budget shortfall has been projected to be up to five billion dollars by the middle of 20-11.

Churches Still Waiting to See if IRS takes Action Against Them

4/25/09 - Nearly seven months after "Pulpit Freedom Sunday," 33 churches still wait to see whether the IRS is going to take action against them. Last September 28 pastors in those churches urged their congregants to vote according to conservative views on abortion and gay marriage. IRS code says churches can lose their tax-exempt status if they endorse a political candidate. Luke Emrich is pastor at New Life Church in West Bend. He says he is disappointed the IRS has not responded. Emrich and other pastors had planned a legal challenge had the IRS taken any action. Now, some experts say the Internal Revenue Service may do nothing.

Authorities in Madison Looking for Coyotes

4/25/09 - The US Department of Agriculature's wildlife services division has set up motion detector cameras on Madison's west side. They are trying to track coyotes after a small dog was attacked and killed last winter. The feds say the motion detectors are usually used to track wolves. Two cameras were set up in Madison's Highlands neighborhood. No one saw a coyote attack the poodle last February and the wildlife experts say its possible the dog was killed by a stray. The cameras haven't spotted a coyote in the area yet. They've been operating since March.

Parent’s Want Limits on Restraints and “Time-Out” Rooms

4/25/09 - Parents want lawmakers to put limits on the use of physical restraints and time-out rooms in schools and treatment centers in Wisconsin. One parent says his son suffered a broken elbow nine years ago when a school worker put him in a Marine hold. Several witnesses spoke at the Capitol this week, detailing student injuries from inappropriate restraints. One girl died at a Rice Lake residential treatment facility three years ago. Some reportedly suffered post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety problems after being held in seclusion.

Company Looking to Collect Rent from Man Killed in Fight

4/25/09 - Danielle Eckert says she doesn't know how her son could have sent in a termination notice -- since he didn't know he was about to die. Colin Byars was fatally punched outside a bar in Kenosha last February. Eckert is his mother. She's pretty angry that a Brookfield company is demanding rent on her son's apartment after he died. CCRT Properties wants to months rent, late fees and an extra 660 dollars for early termination of his lease. The rental company sent a letter to Byars' estate and to Robert Macedo, his former roommate. Macedo says he's been told, if Byars leaves, he has to leave. Byars left ... by dying.

20 Cat Skeletons Found in Appleton Apartment

4/25/09 - Appleton police say Lorie Kuehl told them she took in stray cats. The 41 year old woman has been charged with mistreating animals after the skeletons of about 20 cats were found in the apartment she apparently abandoned. Kuehl says she left the apartment when the cats living with her became aggressive. She evidently stopped by occasionally to feed the cats, but later stopped doing that. Kuehl's landlord called authorities after he found dead cats in a plastic garbage bag.

Waukesha Co. Deputy Facing Sex Crime Charges

4/25/09 - A retired sheriff's deputy from Waukesha County faces charges in alleged sex crimes involving two children. Terrence Greenwald was arrested Friday afternoon. He faces 19 felony charges of crimes against children aged 13-to-18. The criminal complaint accused Greenwald of committing sexual acts with a boy and girl starting in 1997 when they were young children. Greenwald retired from the sheriff's department in 2007 after nearly 13 years on the job.