Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Top Stories May 19th

Committee Forwards MVP Liquor License Revocation
5/19/09 - The Beaver Dam Administration Committee last night held a license revocation hearing for MVP’s Sports Bar. During the two-and-a-half hour hearing, the city heard testimony from the Chief of Police, the overnight shift commander and two people involved in a fight earlier this month. The city’s attorney said the tavern’s management was reluctant to get police involved. Jonathan Gaspero testified that bouncers refused to call the police after one of his friends sustained a broken nose and the other a fractured cheekbone and skull cap. Attorneys for MVP’s said the punishment does not fit the crime and pointed out that the recent fight was the first time the bar was ever cited for anything. MVP General Manager James Lebeau said his bouncers followed procedure by separating both parties involved in the fight, asking them if they need medical treatment and escorting them to their car. The committee unanimously approved a motion to forward a report to the full council that details support for a liquor license revocation. The report could be considered as early as the council’s June meetings.

Demerit Point System Doesn’t Get the Votes
5/19/09 - The Beaver Dam Common Council last night voted down a demerit point system for local taverns. The vote was 4 to 7. Under the plan, demerits would have been given to bars for such violations as serving minors, excessive noise or failing to notify the police of a fight.. Taverns in violation could have had their license suspended or revoked. Several local tavern owners voiced their opposition to the plan prior to the vote.
Suspects Arrested in Waupun after Robbery in FDL Co.

5/19/09 - We should learn more today about four people who were arrested at gunpoint by Waupun Police and Fond du Lac County Sheriff's deputies last night. The quartet is suspected of a robbery that occurred in Fond du Lac. They were arrested during a high-risk traffic stop and jailed in the Fond du Lac County Jail. The traffic stop occurred just before 7 p.m. (KFIZ)

H1N1 Flu Virus Shuts Down Lodi School District

5/19/09 - Wisconsin schools continue to struggle with the latest flu virus. In Lodi, the primary and elementary schools are closed for the rest of the week. And Lodi’s middle school and high school are closed today, while officials decide if they should also be shut down for the week. Columbia County health officer Susan Lorenz says school closings are not advised unless large numbers of students and staff members are absent, thus making the schools hard to function. Lodi Superintendent Michael Shimshak said the elementary school had a 26-percent absentee rate yesterday. And the primary school had a 12-and-a-half percent absentee rate. Almost 750 youngsters attend those two schools. The Lodi School District had seven confirmed swine flu cases at last word. Wisconsin reports 765 confirmed cases at the moment. About two-thirds are in Milwaukee County.

BD School Board Approves the Hiring of Middle School Principal

5/19/09 - The Beaver Dam School Board approved the hiring of Ben Jones as the new middle school principal last night. From the Baraboo School District, Jones will be replacing Rich Brouillard who’s retiring in mid-July after four years on the job. Superintendent Don Childs says Brouillard will assist Jones in getting acclimated with the district and the middle school. Jones is slated to start July 1st.

Childs against Merit Pay for Teachers

5/19/09 - Beaver Dam Superintendent Don Childs disagrees with a research institute calling for merit pay for teachers. As part of proposals calling for major changes in the way public schools give and evaluate achievement tests the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute also says educators should pay teachers based on their student’s performance. Childs says its unrealistic to think it could work in the public sector considering all the issues that surface when it’s implemented in the private sector. Teacher unions oppose the idea, and there’s a state law against it. But the studies’ authors say it works in two private schools and two charter schools – and they say the law against teacher merit pay should be repealed. However, Childs says he hasn’t seen anything to make him think it could work and thinks educators need to find another option to help increase students test scores.

Authorities Looking for Serial Killer in Milwaukee

5/19/09 - At least five prostitutes in Milwaukee were killed by the same person in the last 21 years. That’s what authorities said yesterday, when they announced a new task force to find the murderer. The prospect of a serial killer first came up in January, when new D-N-A evidence cleared Chaunte Ott in the 1995 slaying of teenage runaway Jessica Payne. Ott was freed from prison after police learned that somebody else’s D-N-A was also found on Payne and two other murder victims. Police believe the serial killer had sex with Payne, but somebody else murdered her. Police Chief Ed Flynn and District Attorney John Chisholm say new D-N-A technology has linked three other victims to the serial killer. And the State Crime Lab is testing D-N-A from about two dozen other murdered prostitutes to see if there are any more matches. Authorities do not know who the suspect is. Flynn and Chisholm say the person is not listed in the state’s D-N-A data-base. Since 1996, all convicted felons in Wisconsin have been required to leave samples for the data-base. Chisholm says the members of the public may later be asked to voluntarily leave D-N-A samples. He says new technology can identify relatives through their D-N-A. So far, Flynn says the same D-N-A has been found on one woman killed in 2007, one in 1997, two in ’95, and two in ’86. Five were African-American street prostitutes, and Payne was a white drug user. All the slayings took place on Milwaukee’s north side.

Neumann Trial Continues

5/19/09 - The prosecution will keep making its case today at the Wausau trial of Leilani Neumann, the woman accused of praying instead of getting help for her dying daughter. Yesterday, Everest Metro police officer Scott Marten said he saw a house in chaos last March when he went to see if 11-year-old Kara Neumann was all right. He said Kara appeared malnourished, skinny, and frail – and her father was pushing on her chest to get her to breathe. Once at the hospital, Marten said relatives walked in circles around her bed and prayed for some time. Earlier yesterday, the defendant’s sister-in-law said Leilani Neumann knew Kara was gravely ill the day before she died. The 41-year-old Neumann said she didn’t know her daughter had diabetes.

Armstrong Supports Smoking Ban in WI

5/19/09 - Lance Armstrong is among those congratulating Wisconsin for becoming more smoke-free. The former world cycling champion came to the Badger State last year to campaign for the statewide public indoor smoking ban which Doyle signed into law yesterday. The governor said Armstrong called his office to give his best wishes. The final opposition was removed when the state’s Tavern League agreed to a compromise which delays the start of the ban until July fifth of next year. With limited exceptions, the law still allows smoking outdoors. But it will no longer be allowed inside restaurants, bars, and other indoor workplaces. At bill-signing ceremonies in Milwaukee, Madison, and Green Bay, Doyle assured doubters that smoke-free businesses can thrive. Over three-dozen communities will still enforce their local smoking bans until the statewide one takes effect.

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