Top Stories September 26th

FL Council to Reconsider Tabled Motion

9/26/09 - A tabled motion to award a bid on an equalization bid will be reconsidered by the Fox Lake City Council on Monday afternoon. The city is under a court order from the state to upgrade their wastewater treatment system to avoid bypassing sewage during times of heavy rain, like they did in 2004 and 2008. At a special council meeting earlier this month a group of citizens asked that the city attempt to reopen negotiations with the Department of Justice based on the current economic times. The group and the council got together Thursday night to put together possible options to avoid building the basin, which is projected to cost between one-point-two and one-point-four million dollars. They’ll be meeting again on Wednesday but in order to be eligible for grant and loan money the city must award the contract and have all of its paperwork into the DNR by October 1st. Officials say the contract will be contingent on getting the money.

Barrett to Discuss Possible Governor Bid with Family

9/26/09 - It will be a family decision. As the pressure mounts on Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, he says he will consult with his family members before making an final decision about running for Wisconsin governor as a Democrat. Barrett says he's working on the job he loves -- Milwaukee mayor. He says he's going to sit down with the family and have what he calls a very private conversation about a very public job. Barrett is the choice of many Wisconsin Democrats after Congressman Ron Kind announced he wouldn't be a candidate.

Pressure Mounting on Wood to Resign

9/26/09 - Governor Jim Doyle says state Representative Jeff Wood needs to think about his future. Wood was arrested last week on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. That's the second time Wood has been arrested for the crime in less than a year. The governor says if Wood won't make the decision, his constituents will. Assembly Republican Steve Nass has called on Wood to resign. He says Wood's conduct is bringing disrepute to the Assembly and to the people of Wisconsin. Wood told a Chippewa Falls newspaper he has checked into an inpatient treatment program in Minneapolis.

Task Force to Track Down Ex-Convicts for DNA

9/26/09 - A former top official with the Madison Police Department will head a task force tracking down four thousand felons who need to give the state a DNA sample. Chuck Cole was an assistant police chief. His group will conduct its business a lot like another task force of retired detectives which track down sex offenders not on the state registry. State law requires the corrections department to take a DNA sample from every convicted felon in Wisconsin prisons. A recent review found that at least 12 thousand of those felons didn't have samples in the statewide database.

Acker Plea Deal Could Happen Next Week

9/26/09 - A plea deal could be finalized in court next week for a former suburban Milwaukee swimming coach accused of molesting numerous boys. 62-year-old Daniel Acker is due in court on Monday. He has pleaded innocent to felony charges for the alleged sexual assaults of two boys. Authorities said they believe Acker molested a number of other children over a period of years – but the statute-of-limitations and other factors prevented them from filing the charges they wanted. Acker was charged with the two molestations in April. Officers said Acker told them 16 years ago that he made advances to a 17-year-old boy who was living with him.

First Domino Transplant in State

9/26/09 - It's called a "domino" transplant. Surgeons at the University of Wisconsin Hospital in Madison have performed the state's first organ-switching transplant. Three teams worked more than a dozen hours on two patients. Joe Stoikes got the liver of a dead organ donor because he suffered from a potential fatal genetic condition. His liver was transplanted to Eino Ahlgren of Waukesha. Doctors say Ahlgren could show symptoms of the disease Stoikes had, but that won't happen for at least 20 years. Ahlgren is 58 years old. Both patients could be released to go home this weekend.

Green Bay Prisoners Rack Up Big Phone Bills

9/26/09 - The bars on a jail cell evidently don't always stop criminal enterprise. Investigators say more than a dozen Brown County inmates may have been part of a phone scam costing the victims thousands of dollars. There could be criminal charges on the way. Investigators say they're still counting the number of calls and victims, but one bill was for 24 hundred dollars. The inmates are accused of using software to make thousands of collect calls, charging them to five local law offices and a half-dozen county department offices. Brown County uses a private phone company. It says it has fixed the software problem.

Last Day for Some Harley Workers

9/26/09 - It was a somber day at the Harley-Davidson distribution center in Franklin Friday. No surprise, but 126 workers there were on their last day on the job. That plant will shut down by the end of this year. The lost jobs are a part of Harley's plan to cut more than a thousand positions, about half in the Milwaukee area. The Franklin operation opened a dozen years ago.

Old-Time Gathering Today

9/26/09 - The Old time Gathering in being held today. The event, now in its eleventh year, features hands-on, olde-thyme arts and crafts and other wholesome family activities celebrating America’s pioneering heritage. In addition to old-time music, dancing and food, the Old Time Gathering this year will feature an educational petting zoo, birds of prey with Barb Harvey, antique engines and tractors, a buckskinner’s encampment and a farmers market. The Old Time Gathering will be held from 9 am until 4pm today at the Dodge County Fairgrounds. Admission is free.