Top Stories May 13th

One H1N1 Flu Case Confirmed in Dodge County

5/13/09 - Health officials in Dodge County are reporting their first case of swine flu. Public Health officer Jody Langfeldt announced today that a county resident has been confirmed to have the H1N1 virus. No other details have been released. The news out of Dodge County comes one day after two cases of swine flu were reported in Columbia County. Health Officer Susan Lorenz says the laboratory-reported cases indicate that H1N1 is active in the county. The confirmed cases involve children from Columbia County who are students at Lakeside Lutheran and Deforest Middle School. Lorenz says school closures are not being advised unless a large number of faculty or students are absent and their absences interfere with the school’s ability to function.

Columbus Clean Up Continues

5/13/09 - The state fire marshal’s office is starting to investigate Monday night’s fire-and-explosions that destroyed a storage building at Columbus Chemical Industries. But with rain in the forecast for Columbus, Dodge County Sheriff Todd Nehls says officials are checking whether it’s safe to enter the burned-out facility – because some of the chemicals react negatively to water.

The company has hired North-shore Environmental of Germantown to handle the environmental aspects of the clean-up. The Madison firm of B-T Squared will monitor gases in-and-near the hottest areas, and they’ll test water wells. The federal E-P-A will also keep testing area wells to make sure the area’s drinking water remains safe.

Meanwhile, Dodge County Emergency Management Director Joe Meagher says they are keeping residents around the site appraised of what’s going on and says they haven’t ruled out the possibility of having to move people out of the area with the wind in the picking up. However, he says right now the air monitoring shows no dangerous pollution levels and there have no been no ill health effects from the smoky fire and its aftermath.

Officials from CCI have established a claims center for the public. If you have incurred damages or expenses as a result of the Monday night’s fire, please call 866 298-2658 to report your claim.
Meagher Says Emergency Responders Were Prepared

5/13/09 - Dodge County Emergency Management Director Joe Meagher says the Columbus chemical fire provided a hands-on learning experience for local emergency responders. He says the training his department and others in Dodge County have undertaken with each other in table-top exercises and simulations contributed to the success of the response. Emergency responders can’t plan for everything, but Meagher says because they build their scenarios around real life situations, emergency officials were prepared for many of the challenges they faced in the past couple days.

Swine Flu At Lakeside Lutheran

5/13/09 - Two cases of swine flu have been reported in Columbia County. According to Health Officer Susan Lorenz, the laboratory-reported cases indicate that H1N1 is active in the county. The confirmed cases involve a student at the Deforest Middle School and another at Lakeside Lutheran. Lorenz says school closures are not being advised unless a large number of faculty or students are absent and their absences interfere with the school’s ability to function.

Former Alderman Was Arrested For Taking Weapons From Suspected Outhouse Bombers

5/13/09 - Former Beaver Dam Alderman Clancy Knaup has a two-day jury trial scheduled next week on charges related to the alleged theft of guns from one of his tenants last year. The 33-year-old is also accused of stealing ammunition, bolt cutters, knives and body armor from the teenage tenant. At the time of the incident, Knaup told us his other tenants were scared by the “gun-wielding” teens and he was acting in their best interest when he took possession of the weapons. Attorney’s for Knaup filed a motion last week seeking to allow new evidence involving the alleged victim of the gun theft. It turns out, 19-year-old Stephen Peterson is one of three suspects in the recent bombings of a mailbox in Burnett and a port-a-potty at Lost Lake Park. Investigators say they used pipe bombs and, in the case of the outhouse, also used liquefied gas.
The motion also states that Peterson damaged the apartment he rented from Knaup, by shooting bullets into the walls. Knaup, in fact, denies that he was trespassing. In the motion, Knaup says he learned Peterson was slowly destroying the interior of the apartment and placed a notice on his door stating that he would be exercising his right to inspect the dwelling. Knaup says he made the decision to go into the apartment after hearing more tenant complaints regarding Peterson’s “continued, frightening conduct.” Knaup was arrested that same night and charged with one count of Disorderly Conduct and one count of Criminal Trespass. The motion hearing is scheduled for this Friday. The two-day jury trial is scheduled to begin next Thursday.

Fox Lake RDA Narrowly Approves Land Transfer

5/13/09 - After heated debate, the Fox Lake Redevelopment Authority last night narrowly approved a transfer of land in the Industrial Park to the city. The land is needed to construct a court-mandated water basin that will be only used in instances of extreme flooding. A 2007 Department of Justice court order was issued followed heavy flooding that occurred in April of 2004 resulting in wastewater bypassing the treatment plant and settling into surrounding wetlands. The city is planning to construct a wastewater storage basin and implement other sewer replacement or repair projects as part of the court order. The total cost is estimated at $1.8 million, paid for with low-interest federal loans and utility fee increases. Opponents of the land transfer cited the estimated $52 utility fee increase over eight years in raising objections to the plan. Authority member Tim Streich compared the proposed solution to putting a pail under a leak and said taxpayers can’t afford to throw their money down a hole. But Craig Kunkel of Kunkel Engineering stressed that alternatives to the mandate would cost taxpayers even more money. Kunkel said if the Authority were to have voted against the transfer, he would recommend the council move forward with condemnation proceedings and take the land. The vote was 4 to 2.