Top Stories May 26th

Memorial Day Observed

5/26/09 - Beaver Dam joined communities around the state and around the county in observing Memorial Day with a special tribute to our fallen veterans. The morning began with a wreath laying ceremony at the Center Street Bridge to honor those servicemen and women who were lost at sea. The Memorial Day Parade followed with floats, marching bands and all military braches and veterans’ service organizations represented. The morning concluded with a well-attended ceremony at Oakwood Cemetery. The special guest speaker was Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson. Abrahamson says she found the ceremony very moving and called Oakwood Cemetery a wonderful Memorial Park.

Doyle Says Cuts in Aid Won’t Result in Property Tax Increases

5/26/09 - Governor Jim Doyle says school districts won’t be able to rely on increased property taxes to make up for declining state aid. Last Thursday, the governor’s office announced that aid to schools in the next budget will be cut by 2.5%. School officials told us that the issue is not so much the cut but whether or not the legislature will suspend the 2% revenue limit for districts so they can collect enough money to cover the shortfall. Doyle says he has been working with the Obama administration and with the funding districts will receive under the Recovery Act they will get more money over the next two years than they get now. The governor says though (quote) “there will have to be some cap adjustments so that it doesn’t just go onto the property taxes.” Doyle says schools will have to be more creative and stretch resources.

BDFD Fights Back To Back Fires

5/26/09 - The Beaver Dam Fire Department responded to back-to-back fires yesterday, both of which were started by burning embers stoked by high winds. The first call came in just after 10am to W9566 County Trunk D in the Town of Beaver Dam. The resident was burning refuse and the high winds sparked a nearby woodpile. Three cords of wood were scorched. Firefighters returned to the station at 11:07am. At 11:08am, they were called out to W8188 Redwood Road in the Town of Trenton. Once again high winds carried a burning ember from the controlled burn, this time igniting bales of corn stalk used as bedding for cattle. Twenty-five bales ignited and Beaver Dam called in mutual assistance from four other departments. One Beaver Dam firefighter sustained a minor eye injury and was treated and released from the Beaver Dam Community Hospital.

Oakfield Fire Scorches 100 Acres

5/26/09 - Fire destroyed a barn and about 100 acres of corn stubble on Thill Road in the Town of Oakfield yesterday afternoon. Seven fire departments battled the blaze that caused the closing of Highway 151 for about an hour due to the embers and smoke. Fond du Lac County Sheriff's Sergeant Ryan Waldschmidt says the barn fire was likely caused by smoldering logs that were burnt near it earlier in the week. The barn fire in turn ignited the corn stubble fire. No one was hurt fighting either blaze. (1450 KFIZ)

2 Die in Weekend Motorcycle Accidents

5/26/09 - Two women riding on the back of motorcycles were killed in a pair of accidents in Fond du Lac County Sunday evening. The first died after the bike she was on swerved to try and avoid a vehicle coming around a curve on Highway S that was pulling a boat. A little later a 31-year-old West Allis woman died after the 32-year-old Campbellsport man driving the motorcycle she was on failed to negotiate a curve. Alcohol was a factor in that accident on Highway 67. (1450 KFIZ)

2 Hurt After Train Strikes Stalled Vehicle in Elm Grove

5/26/09 - Two people are hospitalized after a freight train hit a mini-van that was stuck in traffic while heading to a Memorial Day parade in the Milwaukee suburb of Elm Grove. 47-year-old Scott Partenfelder of West Allis was in critical condition at last word while 41-year-old Elm Grove police officer John Krahn was satisfactory. According to witnesses, the mini-van driven by Partenfelder’s wife Monica got stuck as it tried to speed off the tracks as the train approached. Krahn and Scott Partenfelder – who was driving his own vehicle – both ran to save the two in the mini-van. Krahn freed the woman just before the crash, but Partenfelder had trouble freeing his two-year-old son from a child safety seat. The train hurled the mini-van to a spot where it got crushed. The child amazingly escaped injury. But Krahn and Scott Partenfelder needed surgery. The parade was supposed to start an hour later, but it was canceled.

Large Drinking Party Leads to Charges

5/26/09 - A Wisconsin Dells man has been charged with organizing a large underage drinking party in Lake Delton, following a high school prom in nearby Portage. Authorities said about 50 students attended the April 25th party, but none of them are being cited. 19-year-old Ryan Field was charged last week with three Sauk County citations for selling alcohol to minors without a license, and allowing underage consumption. He’s due in court June 22nd, and he faces just over 16-hundred dollars in fines. Portage High School officials contacted police after seeing photos of a party on a school digital camera. Police said Field rented a house and bought the beer. The school said it punished the students under its co-curricular rules and athletic code. Reports quoted school and police officials as saying it would be extreme and counter-productive to add judicial punishment – and that’s why the drinkers were not cited.

No Call List Reminder

5/26/09 - If you want a little more peace and quiet, you have until Sunday to put your phone number on Wisconsin’s do-not-call list for telemarketers. The list is updated four times a year. And to stay on it, you must renew your registration at least once every two years. Those who sign up by Sunday will have their names added to the new list on July first. The list won’t be updated again until October. Glen Loyd of the state’s consumer protection agency says folks should not wait until the last minute. He says up to 100-thousand registrations a day are made just before each deadline – and that bogs the system down. Wisconsin has had a no-call list since 2003. Cell phones were added a few months ago. You can register on-line at NoCall-Dot-Wisconsin-Dot-Gov.

BadgerCare Plus to Accept New Applications

5/26/09 - The Wisconsin Department of Health Services says it will begin accepting applications for the expanded BadgerCare Plus Core Plan next month. That program covers primary and preventive care, along with generic drugs, for low-income adults without children. The application period opens June 15. That's two weeks later than previously expected because of the state's uncertain budget picture. The earliest benefits could be used would be July 15 now.