2/4/10 - A packed city council chambers in Fox Lake erupted in applause last night following the council’s rejection of a bid to build an equalization basin in the Industrial Park. The city is under a court order to upgrade their wastewater treatment system to avoid bypassing their treatment plant during times of heavy rain. Prior to the vote citizens expressed a number of concerns about the nearly 1.2-million-dollar basin, including the increase it would cause to residents sewer and water bills. Council president Tom Bednarek says the city will now have to concentrate on an alternate plan worked up by a citizen’s committee. That plan consists of, among other things, having private citizens replace their sewer laterals, and putting in more efficient eaves troughs and down spouts. It’s unknown what the response from the state justice department will be to last nights vote, but some officials believe fines could be handed down.
Columbus Nearing Compliance in Wastewater Case
2/4/10 - Negotiations between Columbus and state regulators over city wastewater collection and treatment conditions are winding down. In 2006 the Department of Natural Resources and Department of Justice notified the city they would be fined if they did not comply with mandatory changes. Since then the city has corrected many of the problems. Plans are also underway for a major upgrade including plans for a regional wastewater system with neighboring Fall River. Administrator Boyd Kraemer met with DNR and DOJ officials last Friday to document the progress Columbus has made complying with the 2006 “stipulation and consent orders.” DNR officials agreed to confirm in writing that the city has met deadlines imposed in the initial orders. Meanwhile, Fall River is working on their letter of “Intergovernmental Agreement” and seeking a federal loan to complete the Village’s part of the regionalization project.
Kewaskum Man Killed in Washington County Crash
2/4/10 - Washington County Sheriff’s officials tell us that a 59-year-old Kewaskum man died yesterday from injuries suffered in a three car accident on Highway 60 in the Town of Polk. The man’s car crossed the centerline and sideswiped an SUV sending his car spinning into the path of another car. He was taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital in West Bend where he died. Also hurt in the accident were a 28-year-old Slinger woman and an elderly Florida couple. (KFIZ)
Stimulus Jobs Being Accounted For
2/4/10 - The White House says over 10-thousand jobs were created or saved in Wisconsin by the federal stimulus program in the last three months of 2009. But the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says about four-thousand education jobs were counted twice, because they were created before last October and were counted again in the new report. And officials say those numbers will continue to be carried over in each subsequent report at least until the end of the school year. Chris Patton, who oversees the state government’s stimulus funding, says he has asked agencies and counties to determine how the money is used on an annualized basis – so the job creation numbers will be consistent and accurate. Meanwhile, the U-S Inspector General’s office is auditing state education departments to see how they’ve spent their stimulus money. They’ll audit Wisconsin’s 481-million-dollars in school funding on Monday.
State Coming into Line with Federal Tax Rules
2/4/10 - Wisconsin is one step closer to getting in line with federal tax rules on retirement accounts. The Assembly Small Business Committee and the Senate Financial Institutions panel both voted yesterday to have the state follow federal contribution limits for accounts like I-R-A’s. If they don’t change, Wisconsinites would have lower limits than the rest of the country starting next year. Also, Wisconsinites making over 100-thousand-dollars a year could move money from traditional I-R-A’s into Roth I-R-A’s without paying a penalty. The head of the Assembly committee, Stevens Point Democrat Louis Molepske (mo-lepp’-skee), says the state is making a major commitment to retirees, plus those trying to save for their retirements. The committees also want permanent approval for a provision that lets military members withdraw from their I-R-A’s without penalty if they’re called to active duty. Molepske says all the proposals are heading to the Joint Finance Committee. He says there’s a “strong likelihood” they’ll be signed into law by the end of the current legislative session in the spring.
Some Guard Members Heading to Help Earthquake Victims
2/4/10 - The Wisconsin National Guard is joining the relief effort in Haiti. Three soldiers from the Joint Force Headquarters Detachment will go to Florida next Tuesday. They’ll fly supplies and people between Florida and earthquake-ravaged Haiti starting a week from today. Two more Wisconsin soldiers will provide relief later on – and their mission will last about a month. Also, a member of Milwaukee’s 128th Air Refueling Wing will be a civil engineer in Haiti for four months. National Guard officials say troops from over 20 states are helping Haiti recover.
No Winner in Wednesday Powerball Drawing
2/4/10 - The Powerball jackpot is at 140-million-dollars for the next drawing on Saturday. Nobody won the top prize last night. And nobody from Wisconsin won the second prize, either. One player in the Badger State won 20-thousand-dollars by matching four regular numbers, the Powerball, and the Power Play multiplier of two. Almost 23-thousand Wisconsin players won something. Last night’s numbers were 17, 22, 36, 37, and 52. The Powerball was 24. Saturday’s cash option is almost 69-million for a single winner who takes the whole prize now.
Meanwhile, 41-hundred Wisconsin players won prizes in the state’s first Mega Millions drawing on Tuesday night. It’s another multi-state lotto game, similar to Powerball but smaller. The biggest Wisconsin prize was 600-dollars for a player who matched four of the five regular numbers, plus the “Megaplier” of four. The next Mega Millions drawing is tomorrow night, and the jackpot is 20-million dollars.
Waupun Beautification Committee Looking For Input
2/4/10 - Officials in Waupun are looking for community input as they begin the process of beautifying an open space on Main Street. Melissa Hunt with the Waupun CDA Beautification Committee says they are targeting the lot at 423 East Main Street. Hunt says the submissions can be in a detailed plan or a general idea for either the total space or a section. She says they are interested in any and all ideas. Ideas must be submitted by Friday, February 26. The committee will then review the ideas and have an open house concerning the plan for the space. Hunt says that some or all of the submitted plans might be chosen. The committee plans to get started in the spring with most of the work projected to be completed by fall. Ideas can be emailed to Hunt at melissa@fcedc.com or dropped off at Waupun City Hall.
Gypsy Moth Battle Continues
2/4/10 - The battle against the gypsy moth resumes this spring in at least portions of four southeast Wisconsin counties. State and local officials say they are planning an aerial spraying assault against the pest that threatens trees in Milwaukee, Racine, Waukesha and Washington counties. The spraying is scheduled to start between mid-May and early June. A public meeting on the spraying program will be held next Thursday at the Muellner Building in Wauwatosa.
Ripon Man Cleared Of Child Sex Crime Charges
2/4/10 - A state appeals court cleared a Ripon man yesterday of a charge that he tried to arrange sex with a 14-year-old girl. The Second District Court of Appeals said a Manitowoc County prosecutor knew that the woman really 28 – but he falsely suggested to a jury that she was 14. That helped convict 53-year-old Clifford Bvocik of using a computer to arrange a child sex crime. He and the woman both joined a sex-related Web site for adults. Authorities said the woman listed her real age on the site. But she later lied to Bvocik about being 14 to try and drive him away. He continued to try and meet her, though, and she later called police. A Manitowoc officer then pretended to be the girl in their web chats – and Bvocik was arrested when he met her.
Chase Suspect Bound Over
2/4/10 - A Fall River man accused of leading authorities on a high-speed chase that at times reached speeds of 130-miles per hour entered a “not guilty” plea yesterday to a felony charge of Fleeing and Officer. Mayville police attempted to pull over Peter Brockman for an alleged broken taillight around 8:30pm on November 5. A chase ensued that started on Highway Y and continued to Highway 49 before the suspect lost control of his vehicle on East Main Street in Waupun. The vehicle jumped a curve before coming to rest about five-feet from a residence. The 24-year-old abandoned the vehicle and took off on foot. He managed to elude officers and a K-9 unit but was taken into custody the next morning after being spotted at a gas station using a pay phone. Brockman has court activity on the calendar for next month.
CCAP Censorship Bill Advances
2/4/10 - Wisconsinites are one step closer to losing their access to many of the state’s popular on-line court records. The Assembly State Affairs Committee reached a 3-to-3 deadlock Wednesday on a bill to let people see only those cases that end in convictions. And panel chairman Fred Kessler broke the tie by voting to send the measure onto the full Assembly. Kessler, a former circuit judge in Milwaukee, is a co-sponsor of the bill. But he says it might have a hard time getting enough support among majority Democrats in the Assembly to get it passed. The state court Web site gets four-million hits a day. The bill would prevent people from getting information they now get on pending cases, and those with no convictions. Those in the judicial system would still get full access to the site, along with law enforcement and journalists. All the records would also remain available at county courthouses.
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