Top Stories April 6th

Kelm Pleads Not Guilty to Drug Charges

4/6/09 - The 20-year-old Beaver Dam man charged following the suspected drug-related death of a UW-Milwaukee student last week entered a not guilty plea in court over the weekend. Troy Kelm was charged in Milwaukee Friday with three counts of selling drugs and one count of drug possession. He plead not guilty to all four charges. A criminal complaint says Kelm sold Luke Murphy half a pill of suboxone for $5 last Sunday and also told him not to take it while drinking. The 19-year-old freshman was found dead the next day in a friend's dorm room. The complaint says Murphy had been drinking before he took the drug. It also says Kelm told investigators he had been taking various drugs and using alcohol since he was 17 and began taking suboxone to get off heroin. A preliminary hearing for Kelm is set for Friday and he remains in in jail in lieu of $20,000 bail.

New Chief Starts Work in BD

4/6/09 - This is the first full week on the job for the new Beaver Dam fire chief. Alan Mannel, a second generation firefighter, came to Beaver Dam from the Matteson, Illinois Fire Department where he was a Lieutenant who served as arson inspector and EMS Coordinator. He is also a certified paramedic, and he says his background will bring valuable expertise to the city’s fledgling paramedic program. He says the first days have gone great. After getting acquainted with his staff, Mannel says he logged a lot of miles meeting with local emergency management representatives and getting a lay of the land. Mannel, who describes himself as a family man, is married with two kids. His son is in eighth grade and daughter a freshman in college. He replaces George Sheets who resigned abruptly in the weeks following the June floods last year, after 18 months with the department.

BDUSD Singles Out Outstanding Alum/ Friends of Education

4/6/09 - The Beaver Dam School District held their 13th Annual Wall of Fame Induction Ceremony last night. Wisconsin State Veterinarian Dr. Robert Ehlenfeldt was recognized as this years Outstanding Alumni. Ehlenfeldt was able to draw a connection between himself and the first-ever Wall of Fame Inductee, Fred MacMurray. He says when he discovered the film star was from his hometown he asked his grandmother if she knew him. His grandmother said, “Know him, I turned him down for a date.” Ehlenfeldt was introduced by his former chemistry teacher, Elaine Possin, an educator he credits with inspiring him early on to work hard toward achieving his dreams. Former Elementary School principal and long time district volunteer Bob Gartzke was singled-out last night with a Friends of Education Award. In fact, Gartzke was Dr. Ehlenfeldt’s principal when he went to Washington Elementary School. The Exchange Club of Beaver Dam was also presented with a Friend of Education award for their long history of community service and continued efforts to search for meaningful and innovative ways to empower youth. Representatives with the Exchange Club will join Bob Gartzke and Dr. Ehlenfeldt with us on Community Comment this afternoon at 12:35pm.

Kamps Honored

4/6/09 - A founding member of the Beaver Dam Community Theater was honored this
weekend. Friends, family and colleagues gathered Saturday afternoon to celebrate the four plus decades that Annette Kamps has dedicated to theater and the arts in the Beaver Dam area. Kamps officially retired from both the Community Theater and Arts Association last Tuesday. Community Theater Board President Roger Van Haren detailed her accomplishments, starting with the establishment of the theater in 1964, then the creation of the kid’s Tell-A-Tale Theater ten years later, the purchase of their current building in the 80’s. He says her biggest feat was creating a paid position seven years ago that only she could do and convincing the board to hire her. Van Haren says, “it worked, but she is done, so now what are we going to do?” In the end, the honoree choked backed tears as she thanked the audience, saying she looks forward to being a continued part of the arts in the Beaver Dam area and calling her retirement, “just the beginning.”

Marshall Man Killed After Trailer Falls on Him

4/6/09 - A 36-year-old Marshall man was killed Saturday after a trailer he was working under fell on him. Ronnie Joe Morton was working on a trailer in Dane County late Saturday morning when it fell and caused significant injuries to his chest. The Dane County Sheriff’s Department says Morton was repairing the trailer, which was supported by jacks, and the weight of the trailer caused the jacks to shift. Morton had rented a shed on the property.

Executive Committee to Meet This Morning

4/6/09 - A committee of Dodge County Supervisors will meet this morning to discuss a resolution involving prayer at their full-board meetings. In the past, at the beginning of their meetings, the board would be lead in a prayer by Supervisor Randy Grabel. After a complaint by a Supervisor earlier this year about the prayers concentration on one religion the county’s corporation counsel set about preparing a resolution that would allow for a prayer of some type without offending anyone. The main part of the resolution will require it to happen before the actual business part of the meeting begin. The meeting will start at 9:30 at the administration building in Juneau.

Booze and Texting Leads to Crash

4/6/09 - Text messaging and driving at the same time is very dangerous. But when you add in alcohol it becomes even more treacherous. A 23-year-old man learned that the hard way last Thursday in Waupun. Authorities say the man was text messaging while driving on East Main Street around 8pm when he hit a parked car. The man later blew a .14, nearly the double the legal limit of .08. The man was arrested for OWI and inattentive driving. No one was hurt in the incident.