Top Stories April 7th

Vessey Named New Superintendent for BDUSD

4/7/09 - The school board in Beaver Dam decided to promote from within in finding Superintendent Don Child’s replacement. The board voted last night to hire current Human Resources Director Steve Vessey to take over the top job when Childs retires next summer. Vessey has been a teacher, assistant principal at the middle school and high school, and he is also currently serving as the principal at South Beaver Dam. Board President Bev Beal-Loeck and Childs both say that vast amount of experience will be a benefit to him in his new position. Vessey says he’s excited about the new job and looking forward to learning from Childs over the next year and half. His official first day on the job will be July 1st of 2010.

Executive Committee Delay’s Decision on Prayer Resolution

4/7/09 - A committee of the Dodge County Board pushed back a decision on a resolution that would allow prayer before their full-board meetings. County Clerk Karen Gibson suggested some changes on how the religious figure to lead the prayer would be selected so the county’s corporation counsel asked that he have some time to look them over. 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, which Supervisor Eugene Wurtz says is unacceptable to him. Wurtz says the county should fight any group that says they can’t have prayer in their meeting, including the Freedom from Religion Foundation who contacted the county after a supervisor filed a complaint with them regarding the prayer’s concentration on one religion.

Corporation Counsel John Corey told the committee he based the resolution on a federal court case that ruled prayer held before a meeting was legal. The Executive Committee will meet next Monday to decide whether or not to forward the revised resolution to the full board for approval on the 21st of this month.

Election Day

4/7/09 - It’s Election Day in Wisconsin. But the polls will be pretty quiet in places without hot local contests. Kevin Kennedy, head of the state’s elections agency, says there has not been strong public interest in either of the two statewide races. His office predicts a 20-percent turnout. However, a number of areas in Dodge County could see a higher turnout, including in Horicon where a school funding referenda is on the ballot. Polls opened at 7am this morning and close at 8pm. Once they close tune in to 1430 WBEV or 95.3 WXRO for complete election coverage of the 39 contested races in our area.

BD Looks To Put More Cops On The Street

4/7/09 - The city of Beaver Dam is pursuing federal stimulus dollars to fund two more police officers. The Common Council last night approved a resolution to submit an application for a Community Oriented Policing Hiring Recovery Program Grant. Deputy Chief Dan Schubert (pictured) says the additional manpower would be used to fill a vacancy on their third shift and also create a full-time drug officer. The grant will pay the salary and benefits for the first three years of a full-time law enforcement position. The city would have to pay the fourth and final year of the position, but has no obligations after the fourth year. The city would also have to pay the overage for wage and salary increases, in addition to other incidentals like the testing, uniforms and equipment. The total cost to the city over the four years would total just over $100,000. Schubert says after four years, the officers could take the place of retiring personnel.
Abel Praises BDFD

4/7/09 - Beaver Dam Alderman Howard Abel took a couple moments before last night’s council meeting to applaud the Beaver Dam Fire Department. Abel had a heart attack on February 19 and credits the quick response of EMT’s for his survival, saying “they saved my life.” Abel says we've got the finest of emergency responders in Beaver Dam. The Ward 4 Alderman says he is doing well, and he recently brought the EMT’s chocolate and flowers.

Bookout Accused of Embezzlement

4/7/09 - A Waupun woman is accused of embezzling over $20,000 from Holiday Food and Sports. Rhonda Bookout, who was a manager at the stores in Waupun and Beaver Dam, is charged with a felony count of Theft In A Business Setting. According to the criminal complaint, the 42-year-old admitted to taking not only the money but also books of lottery tickets over a three year period. Bookout would reportedly scan the items, accept the money and then void the transaction. She says she paid back the money for all the lottery tickets, after she collected the winnings. If convicted, she faces up to six years in prison. Signature bond was set at $1000 and a preliminary hearing scheduled for May 21.

Fond du Lac Man Faces Child Enticement Charges

4/7/09 - A Fond du Lac man is charged with molesting a 16-year-old girl at a Beaver Dam motel. 34-year-old Roderick Lentz is charged with a felony county of Child Enticement and two misdemeanors related to the series of incidents that occurred in early January. Because Lentz has a previous conviction for Second Degree Sexual Assault of a Child, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole, if convicted. Cash bail was set at $25,000 and a preliminary hearing scheduled for May 21.

Jail Time for Ashippun Bar Burglary

4/7/09 - Four months in jail for a Hartland man who robbed the Ashippun Station Bar. Dayne Piehl pleaded “no contest” to a count of felony burglary and had six misdemeanors dismissed. The 33-year-old broke into the tavern in Janaury and broke into several video poker machines and a juke box. Authorities connected Piehl to the crime because of blood found at the scene on an ATM machine that he attempted to break into. Piehl was also placed on probation for five years and was ordered to pay $3000 in restitution.

Waupun Looking for New School Names

4/7/09 - After the massive refiguring of the district buildings a month ago the Waupun School Board is looking for new school names for the elementary and middle school. The district closed three elementary schools, which left Washington Elementary to house kindergarten through 2nd grade and the middle school to serve grades 3 through 6. Principal of the intermediate building Steve Buss initiated a contest among students moving into the buildings to come up with new names. He says they got a variety of suggestions but have forwarded a number of names to the school board including Rock River, Riverside, Riverview, Juniper Hill and Spring Street. The board will vote on the new name when they meet later this month.

Plane Stolen in Canada Leads to Chase Through Wisconsin

4/7/09 - A student pilot from Canada is in custody after he allegedly stole a single-engine plane in Thunder Bay, and led jet fighters on a pursuit through Wisconsin. 31-year-old Adam Leon finally landed the craft on a road in Missouri. And he was apprehended late last night after he ran away. Officials never learned what Leon was up to, because he never communicated with his pursuers. Officials say Leon stole the plane from a flight school about 2:30 yesterday afternoon. Wisconsin Air National Guard pilots intercepted the craft at the Upper Michigan border. The State Capitol was evacuated around five o’clock as the pursuit went through that area though folks in the building were not told why they were being evacuated. Governor Jim Doyle was in Chicago at the time. Many other workers had already gone home for the day.