Top Stories April 28th

State Keeping Close Eye on Swine Flu Virus

4/28/09 - More possible cases will be checked today, to see if anybody from Wisconsin has come down with the swine flu yet. About 10 Wisconsinites who had flu-like symptoms tested negative after returning from Mexico – where almost 150 people have died from the latest outbreak. Milwaukee area hospitals say they’ve treated three people who were suspected of having swine flu. The state has doubled its reserves of anti-viral medications. And Governor Jim Doyle has urged everyone to stay calm, have clean hands, and stay home and contact a doctor if they get flu-like symptoms.

The swine flu contains genes from pigs, poultry, and humans. And state veterinarian Robert Ehlenfeldt has urged swine-and-poultry farmers to be more vigilant, and make sure the virus does not enter or leave their facilities. He says farms already have strong bio-security measures in place. You may have heard of the swine flu before, but it has never been as prevalent as it is now. U-W Madison researcher Christopher Olsen said only 50 human cases were reported throughout the world from 1958-through-2005. A pregnant 32-year-old Wisconsin woman died from the disease, after having contact with pigs at a fair in the southeast part of the state in 1988.

New Administrator in Dodgeland

4/28/09 - Annette Thompson is the new District Administrator in the Dodgeland School District. The school board unanimously approved her contract at last nights meeting. Thompson has been with the district for 22 years, most recently serving as the school psychologist and the gifted and the talented Coordinator. Thompson is scheduled to begin the new job on July 1st.

Underage and Binge Drinking Discussed in Columbus

4/28/09 - The Columbus School Board heard sobering news about kids and drinking at last night’s meeting. Former School Board President Trish O’Neil told the Board recent statistics and survey results indicate Wisconsin has the highest rates of underage drinkers and binge drinkers in the nation. O’Neil says the problems are prevalent in Columbus as well, citing a survey in which 38-percent of 8th grade students that had previously consumed alcohol said they were involved in binge drinking. Binge drinking is defined has having more than four drinks in one sitting. O’Neil says a major problem is that some parents laugh about it when a teen is allowed to drink to excess without considering the damage that could be done to a developing mind and body. From now until graduation billboards for the campaign against underage drinking will be seen throughout the Columbus and Fall River areas.

Inmate Accused of Assisted Suicide In Court

4/28/09 - A state prisoner, charged with helping a convicted killer commit suicide, made his initial appearance yesterday in Dodge County court. Joshua Walters allegedly talked 20-year-old Adam Peterson into hanging himself on January 10 inside the cell they shared for less than one month at the Dodge Correctional Institution. According to the criminal complaint, the 20-year-old allegedly talked Peterson into the suicide, even after Peterson expressed hesitation because his family would be visiting soon. Walters reportedly talked Peterson into writing a suicide note, in addition to helping him tie the noose and checking to make sure it would hold his weight. Worried that he was making too much noise, Walters is even said to have moved a chair out of the way because Peterson was kicking it while he flailed at the end of the noose. Walters maintains he was asleep during the suicide and woke up to Peterson hanging from the bunk at which point he called officers to the cell. If convicted of the assisting charge, Walters could have as much as 10-years added to his current sentence. He’ll be back in court June 11. Peterson was convicted of killing Joel Marino in Madison last year and had previously attempted suicide at the Dane County jail.

WCI Prisoner Appears on Attempted Homicide Charges

4/28/09 - An inmate at the Waupun Correctional Institution could have 133 years added to his life-sentence for attempting to murder a fellow prisoner over a handball game. Alfredo Vega is charged with three felony counts of Attempted Homicide, Reckless Injury and Aggravated Battery. Tensions had been brewing between the two following a disagreement as to whether a ball was in or out-of-bounds. It continued to escalate, with the victim reportedly taunting his attacker over a period of months saying things like “I own the court.” On February 9, Vega allegedly stabbed the 43-year-old inmate in the abdomen with a pair of scissors. The victim – apparently unaware of the stab wound - pulled his attackers sweater over his head and repeatedly punched Vega in the face until he was bloody and disoriented. Vega reportedly said, “I got him, he’s been threatening me for two months and I finally got him.” He later denied having a pair of scissors. Vega will be back in court on May 14.

Bond Set at $20K For Accused BD Child Rapist

4/28/09 - A Beaver Dam man accused of raping two young girls had cash bail set at $20,000 during an initial appearance yesterday in Dodge County court. Robert Contreras is charged with five felony counts of sexual assault and child enticement and two misdemeanors counts of Sex With A Child. The 36-year-old is accused of raping a preteen girl in March of 2008 and a teenage girl on several occasions beginning in May of 2006. The assaults reportedly stopped when Contreras was sent to prison in March of 2008 for his 5th OWI offense. If convicted, he faces a combined total of over 226 years in prison. Contreras will be back in court May 7.

BD High On List For Stimulus Funds

4/28/09 - The city of Beaver Dam is high on the list to receive federal stimulus dollars to upgrade their outdated sewer treatment plant. Utility Director Don Quarford continued to detail the $16.9 million dollar green project in committee last night. Because the plan would covert municipal and commercial waste into electricity-producing biogas, state officials are telling Beaver Dam they are “seventh” on the list to receive Clean Water stimulus funds. The plan would allow the city to pre-treat waste from Kraft Foods and convert it to biogas which will be used to generate electricity, saving the city about a quarter million dollars a year in electricity costs. In addition, Alliant Energy will buy surplus electricity from the city, estimated at another quarter million dollars annually.

Stimulus funds would cover up to half the costs of the upgrade. The remaining money would come from low-interest loans. A 2007 facilities plan to upgrade the sewer treatment plant would have increased sewer bills to $50. This new green approach would allow the city to keep bills below $40. The city needs to act fast, though. The council will be asked to approve the funding for designs specifications next Monday. The application deadline in June 30 and the project needs to be shovel-ready by August.

Authorities Looking for a Cause of a Fatal Accident in Winnebago Co.

4/28/09 - Investigators say it might take a few weeks to figure out why seven vehicles collided on the Highway 41 freeway in the Fox Valley. 42-year-old Mathew Yost of Germantown was killed, and three others were hurt. It happened during yesterday morning’s rush hour on the freeway near Little Chute. A 37-year-old Greenville woman was in critical condition at last word at a Neenah hospital. Authorities said a minor accident happened first, causing a traffic backup. The major crash happened when a semi-truck hit the back of the final car that was stopped. That caused a chain reaction, and six other vehicles were damaged. The semi was owned by Marathon Cheese Transport of Marathon. The crash happened near a 12-mile construction zone on Highway 41. But state transportation officials said there was no work taking place at the time, and it did not appear that the project played a role in the mishap.

Walker Expected to Announce Candidacy for Governor

4/28/09 - The campaign for Wisconsin governor begins today, more than 18 months before voters make their choice. Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker will make five appearances around the state, as he becomes the first of at least three major candidates. Former Racine area congressman Mark Neumann is expected to run against Walker in a Republican primary. And most indications are that Democratic Governor Jim Doyle will go for a third four-year term in 2010. The 41-year-old Walker has run Milwaukee County’s government for seven years, and was in the state Assembly for nine years before that. Walker has said he’ll focus on Doyle and his state budget – which Walker calls a “sell-out to liberal special interests, turning back the clock to the same kind of hopelessness Wisconsin had in the early ‘80’s under Tony Earl.” Walker also said he’d be a champion of “limited government, economic growth, and personal freedom.”

Farmers Loving the Rain

4/28/09 - The rains have been a blessing for Wisconsin farm fields. Officials said almost two-thirds of the state had adequate soil moisture as of Sunday. Madison’s rainfall was almost four-and-a-half inches above normal since the start of the year. But even with all the downpours, the year’s precipitation is still below normal in Eau Claire and La Crosse. And much of northeast Wisconsin is still hurting for rain. Officials said almost a quarter of the state’s farm fields remain very short of moisture – while 18-percent have surpluses. Farmers in Jefferson, Washington, Sauk, Oconto, and Barron counties report some losses in their winter wheat crops. Oconto and Sauk counties also had winter-kill in their alfalfa, and some other counties say it’s too early to assess the winter damage. About 58-percent of the Wisconsin oat crop is planted, 10-percent above normal for this time of year. Corn planting is also underway, with six-percent in the ground – most of it in southwest Wisconsin. But soils are still too cold in much of the state to handle the corn yet.

Woman Goes for Banana’s, Wins $5.6M

4/28/09 - A woman from Arlington is Wisconsin’s newest millionaire. Priscilla Hollis cashed in her winning Megabucks Lottery ticket yesterday. She won five-point-six million dollars by matching all six numbers in last Saturday night’s drawing. Lottery officials said Hollis drove to the Kwik Trip in Windsor to buy gas and bananas, and she picked up a two-dollar ticket in which the computer picked her numbers. She must still decide if she’ll get the entire prize in 25 annual installments, or choose a smaller lump sum. If she wants it all now, she’ll get two-point-four million dollars after taxes.