Top Stories October 1st

BDHS Volleyball Raising Awareness/ Money for Breast Cancer

10/01/09 - The Beaver Dam High School girl’s volleyball team is playing today to not only beat rival Hartford, but also to raise money for a local breast cancer fund. October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Volleyball coach Melissa Gehring says each member of the team – freshman to varsity – is raising money as part of their “Dig for a Cause” campaign. Donations were raised based on the numbers of “digs” made in each match. A “dig” means to prevent a spiked ball from hitting the ground. The team is also selling pink “Dig For A Cause” t-shirts tonight, and again on October 13th when they play Watertown. There is also a raffle with a variety of prizes. Gehring says the girls have really been getting into the spirit of things. Both matches, the one tonight and on October 12, will have a “pink ribbon wall” where people can hang signs “in honor” or “in memory” friends and family members. The money that is raised will be donated to the Beaver Dam Community Hospital Foundation Breast Health Program.

Suspected Outhouse Bomber Arraigned

10/01/09 - One of the three Beaver Dam men suspected in a pair of mailbox and outhouse explosions was in court for an arraignment hearing Wednesday. 21-year-old Michael K. Peters pleaded “not guilty” to felony charges of Possession of Explosives for an Unlawful Purpose. Peters is charged along with 20-year-old Kyle Livingston and 19-year-old Stephen Peterson with the bombings of a mailbox in Burnett and a port-a-potty at Lost Lake Park this past April. The trio was apprehended with the use of in-store video surveillance after allegedly purchasing the explosive components at a Beaver Dam retailer. One of the suspects also returned to the scene of the crime to survey the damage. Investigators say they used a pipe bomb and, in the case of the porta-potty, also used liquefied gas. Livingston and Peters face up to 25 years in prison while Peterson, the purported ringleader, faces a total of 105 years in prison, if convicted. Peterson entered a “not guilty” plea at arraignment earlier this month; Livingston will be in court for a plea hearing Thursday. Peters has a plea hearing scheduled for November 11.

Daytime Burglary Suspects Pleads Not Guilty

10/01/09 - The man accused in connection with a string of residential burglaries in and around Dodge County entered a “not guilty” at arraignment Wednesday. Oscar Jasper Jr., a Milwaukee man who had been living in Beaver Dam after his release from prison, is charged with five felony counts of Burglary, Theft and Felon in Possession of a Firearm, along with a handful of misdemeanors related to the daytime burglaries last October. The 47-year-old was apprehended with the help of video surveillance footage after he tried to sell stolen tools outside a Beaver Dam business in the days after the burglary. Jasper stole mostly firearms, jewelry and tools from homes in the Towns of Shields, Hubbard, Oak Grove and in Juneau; several of the items were recovered from a pawn shop in Milwaukee. The penalties carry a maximum penalty of over 48 years in prison but because Jasper is a repeat offender, he could have up to another 30 years added to his sentence. He is being held on a $20,000 cash bond.

Wind Farm Bill Signed

10/01/09 - A bill signed by the governor will require Wisconsin's Public Service Commission to come up with a list of regulations for wind farms. The new rules will supercede any existing limitations on turbine setbacks and height. Developers have said they are hurt by the different rules and ordinances local governments have in place. A task force recommended a uniform set of rules to be in place statewide. Governor Doyle says this legislation will be good for the wind businesses -- and it will mean jobs for Wisconsin.

Gas Continues Price Decline

10/01/09 - A year ago gas prices saw a downward drop that eventually averaged out at under a dollar, 70 cents a gallon across Wisconsin. They’re going down again, but Triple-A Wisconsin says it’s unlikely they’ll go below two dollars again. On December 12, the statewide average for a gallon of regular unleaded hit a low of one-66. Gas in Beaver Dam is $2.39, one penny below the statewide average.

BDPD Investigates Burglary

10/01/09 - The Beaver Dam Police Department is investigating a burglary at an apartment on the 800 block of South Lincoln. According to department records, entry was gained through an open patio door. Alcohol, cash, clothes and a Blackberry were stolen. Anyone with infroamtion is asked to contact the Beaver Dam Police Department or the anonymous We-Tip hotline at 800-78-CRIME.

Felons Voted in November

10/01/09 - State officials say they have identified 195 convicted felons who might have voted illegally in last November’s presidential election. Government Accountability Board spokesman Reid Magney said municipal clerks would help double-check the list to make sure it’s accurate – and the final number might end up being less. The agency will give prosecutors the names of the felons no later than October ninth. Board officials came up with the list by comparing the names of eligible voters with those on probation, parole, or extended supervision. It’s against the law for convicted felons to vote until they’ve served all their time – including any supervision after they’re released. A bill in the state Legislature would ease up on the prohibition, and allow felons to vote once they’re no longer behind bars.

FL Approves Basin Bid

10/01/09 - The Fox Lake City Council passed a motion earlier this week that awarded a contract to build an equalization basin. 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. The contract was awarded to Town and Country Construction in the amount of about $1.2-million-dollars, though there are a number of contingencies, including the city receiving grant monies from the Clean Water Fund. Another contingency that would allow the city out of its contract would be if the city is successful in reopening the judgment and renegotiating a new settlement with the Department of Justice. The city was under an October 1st deadline to approve the contract and get all the paperwork for the grant submitted to the DNR.

Deer Donations Enter 10th Year

10/01/09 - This is the 10th year of Wisconsin’s deer donation program to feed the needy. Hunters have donated almost 70-thousand deer since 2000. It has made three-point-one million pounds of venison, which have been donated to food pantries throughout the Badger State. The D-N-R started the program to try-and-get hunters to shoot more antlerless deer, as part of the ongoing effort to reduce an over-sized herd. Officials thought hunters would not shoot extra deer unless they had someone who needs the food. The D-N-R says dozens of butcher shops in over 50 counties will take part in this year’s donation program.