Monday, May 31, 2010

Top Stories, May 31st

Route Change For Beaver Dam Parade

5/31/10 - There is a slightly different route this year for the Beaver Dam Memorial Day 2010 Parade. Organizer Lois Levenhagen says because of the reconstruction of the Tower Parking lot, the parade will be starting at Front and Spring Street and then proceed down Front Street/ Park Avenue to Veterans Memorial Park at Oakwood Cemetery. In the past the parade had started at the intersection of Front and Center. The theme this year will be “Veteran: The True American Idol.” Before the parade starts, at 8:45am, there will be a wreath-laying ceremony in the Tower Parking Lot, where a wreath will be tossed into the water honoring servicemen and women lost to sea. That, too, is a change of locations from years past as it had traditionally been held at the Center Street Bridge. The ceremony from Oakwood Cemetery begins at 10:15am and will be broadcast live on WBEV. The guest speaker this year is World War II veteran Roland Zuelsdorf.

Stabb: ‘Vietnam Vets Finally Get Recognition’

5/31/10 - The Commander of the Beaver Dam AmVets called the recent tribute to Vietnam veterans in Green Bay “moving.” Chuck Stabb was one of 26,000 veterans who filled Lambeau Field last week for the three-day welcome-home event for those who never received a proper homecoming. Stabb says a lot of veterans went away with the feeling that after 40 years they finally got some recognition. There were 1244 empty, white chairs set out on the grid iron for the event, for the Wisconsin residents killed or missing in action in Vietnam.

Rollover Victim Flighted To Froedtert

5/31/10 - A Waupun man was injured in a rollover accident late last night in the Town of Chester. According to the Dodge County Sheriffs Department, Anthony J. Tibbits was injured on Milligan Road around 11pm. The 25-year-old was taken by Flight for Life to Froedtert Memorial Hospital. No word on the results of a legal blood draw performed by the Milwaukee County Sheriffs Department. Also yesterday, no injuries were reported following a rollover on Highway 68 in the Town of Trenton just before 6am. Also, no injuries were reported after rollover on County Trunk S and Highway 26 around 11:30pm last night. Car deer accidents are on the rise. The Dodge County Sheriffs Department responded to four such accidents between 8:30pm and 10:30pm last night.

Bear Spotted Near Wash- Fondy Co Line

5/31/10 - There were several reports of a black bear spotted near the Fond du Lac and Washington County border Sunday. The Fond du Lac County Sheriffs Department notified the Washington County Sheriffs Department around 8am Sunday that a black bear weighing 250 to 300 pounds had last been seen near Highway 45. A short time later, a Village of Kewaskum police officer saw a bear – possibly the same one – on Highway 28 on the east side of the village. There was another sighting around 8:30pm Sunday night on the patio of a home on North Mill Road in the Town of Kewaskum. The bear was not aggressive but those in the area are being urged not to leave food outside and to secure garbage. The DNR has been contacted and is investigating.

Insurance Mandate Takes Effect Tuesday

5/31/10 - Starting tomorrow, all Wisconsin drivers have to carry liability insurances on their vehicles. State officials say they don't know how many of those drivers will obey the new law. Right now, an estimated 14 percent of Wisconsin drivers are uninsured. A spokesman for the insurance industry says the new law likely won't change things much. There will always been a group of drivers who don't carry insurance. If the economy gets worse, he says the number will go up -- no matter what state law requires. The new law isn't expected to create a barrage of applications at Wisconsin insurance offices from uninsured drivers trying to get covered.

Turnover In Legislature

5/31/10 - More fresh faces and energy, but less experience - that's what is in store for the Wisconsin Legislature in its next session. A lot of veteran lawmakers are stepping aside. The latest count has 21 members announcing they won't run for reelection, plus, two members of the Assembly are giving up their current seats to run for the Wisconsin Senate. Senator Alan Lasee, and representatives Polly Williams and Spencer Black, have served a total of 91 years in Madison. That's a lot of knowledge of state government. Lawmakers leaving point to desire to run for higher office, to advancing age, to what is often called the toxic environment at the Capitol.

NTSB Med Flight Report Likely This Summer

5/31/10 - Two years later there is still no official ruling on the cause of the fatal crash of a medical rescue helicopter. The crash killed Doctor Darren Bean, nurse Mark Coyne and pilot Steve Lipperer May 10, 2008, near La Crosse. No date has been set for the release of the final report, but one official with the National Transportation Safety Board says it could come this summer. NTSB records reportedly suggest foggy conditions caused the fatal accident.

Racine Humane Society Gives Expired Vaccines

5/31/10 - Several hundred Wisconsin dogs and cats will have to be vaccinated again. They were apparently given expired rabies vaccines between last December and last week. Countryside Humane Society in Racine just learned of the vaccines being expired at that time. An expert on animal vaccinations at the University of Wisconsin says the expired vaccines are probably still effective, but the state will not recognize them as valid if they were past the expiration date. State officials and the vaccine maker agree that the animals need to be re-vaccinated to be sure.

DNR Seeks Deer Count Volunteers

5/31/10 - The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources wants you to volunteer to help it complete several projects studying the state's deer population. The DNR wants volunteers to build deer traps, to participate in deer captures and put radio collars on those captured deer. The DNR will use about two million dollars in funds from the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act. The projects will start this year and, in some cases, run for several years. The state is also asking landowners to let it do some research activities on their property. So far, about a dozen Wisconsin landowners have agreed. Most of the work will be done by DNR researchers, the University of Wisconsin, and two environmental groups.

Fallen Solders Face ID Theft

5/31/10 - Identity theft is a growing problem and that's a fact the families of some soldiers are learning. Two men and a woman are accused of stealing the identities of Wisconsin soldiers who were killed in action in Iraq. Bob McLeod and James Larson, both of Green Bay, and Tina Mitchem of Milwaukee, were arrested last week on parole violations that showed up on a computer during a traffic stop. When the investigation went further, police found that the three had tried to pass counterfeit checks in the names of the dead soldiers. Authorities have contacted the families of the soldiers and the case has been passed on to prosecutors.

No Call List Deadline Today

5/31/10 - If you want to avoid annoying calls from telemarketers, you have until the end of the day today to sign up to the latest No Call list. Department of Consumer Protection spokesman Brock Bergey says nearly 38 thousand new phone numbers were added to the list in just a few hours Thursday afternoon, causing online registration to be temporarily unavailable. Bergey says the agency’s Internet service provider assures them that peak usage will diminish, so, if you weren’t able to register, simply try again. Those who register by the end of Memorial Day will be on the list that takes effect July 1st. Otherwise, Bergey says you’ll have to wait until October.

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Top Stories, May 30th

Markesan Man Arrested On Fleeing Charges

5/30/10 - A Markesan man faces felony fleeing charges after reportedly running from authorities Saturday. Benjamin Wills is accused of striking a front end loader in Markesan and leaving the scene. According to the Dodge County Sheriffs Department, Markesan Police sent out a bulletin last night alerting local officials that the 27-year-old Wills might be in the Beaver Dam area. The suspect called Markesan Police a short time later to report the vehicle stolen but they instead took him into custody early this morning and had the vehicle towed to an impound lot. Authorities are investigating and felony charges are pending.

Fond du Lac Rep Authors Doc Shopping Bill

5/30/10 - New legislation signed by the governor will monitor prescriptions for addictive drugs or painkillers. Fond du Lac state Representative John Townsend authored the bill to cut down on what is called “doc shopping.” Townsend says several physicians approached him about the abusive practice where patients go from clinic to clinic in search of a doctor to write a prescription for those drugs. In the past there has been no way to know how many different clinics that person may have visited recently trying to score addictive prescription drugs. Townsend says some people also use “doc shopping” to get pills they can sell on the black market for a tidy profit. He says some can carry price tags of up to 50 dollars per pill. The legislation will create a system to monitor the prescriptions that are issued through those types of clinics. It will be overseen by the state Pharmacy Board.

Portage Fresh Start Gets Funding

5/30/10 - Nine Wisconsin programs that help at risk youth learn construction skills are getting more money. Governor Jim Doyle has announced that more than a million dollars will be given to Wisconsin's Fresh Start program, a statewide effort that provides at risk youth with an opportunity to get a high school diploma while developing construction skills. The program also provides homes for low and moderate income families. State Commerce Secretary, Aaron Olver, says the program benefits both the teen workers and the economy of the state. Fresh Start typically receives funding from both the state and federal government. The new money is partly federal stimulus dollars. Projects receiving the largest amount of this year's funding include Portage, Waupaca, Wautoma, Hatfield, Alma Center, Baraboo and Wausau.

Statewide Radio System Expected Next Year

5/30/10 - Wisconsin is expected to have a statewide emergency radio system up-and-running by next year. But state auditors say there are unresolved issues – and local governments are worried that the costs of hooking up to the new radio system would be extremely high. The Legislative Audit Bureau issued its findings this past week about a project that’s been going since 2007. The auditors said officials need to give legislators an update on their progress – but they also found that the funding approved for the project in the last fiscal year was spent appropriately. About 15-million dollars in federal funds have been allocated for a statewide radio system to help authorities respond to disasters like severe weather, terrorism, and cyber attacks. Besides the concerns about local funding, the auditors said the proposed system would use V-H-F waves that don’t penetrate through buildings as well as other bands. And it would be hard to use in larger areas with a lot of emergency radio transmissions. David Steingraber of the state Office of Justice Assistance told the audit bureau the radio system is scheduled to start up in December – and he’ll give lawmakers an update by the end of August.

Marquette U Looks To End Stalemate

5/30/10 - Marquette University confirms it is in discussions to end the stalemate over the Milwaukee school's decision to rescind a job offer to Seattle University professor Jodi O'Brien. Marquette had offered the position of dean of the College of Arts and Sciences to O'Brien. Then, on May 6th, it took the offer back, citing concerns about some of her writings. The school has said its decision has nothing to do with O'Brien's sexual orientation. She is openly gay. The Marquette decision stirred controversy over the mission of Catholic higher education, academic freedom and the role of gender and sexual orientation in institutions of higher education.

Colon Looks For New Job

5/30/10 - State Representative Pedro Colon is looking for a new job. Just last week the Democrat from Milwaukee announced he would not run for reelection, then he resigned from the governing commission of the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District. Colon says he is applying for the position of deputy director of legal services at the MMSD. Colon had to resign from the commission to avoid a conflict of interest as he applies for the new job. Colon graduated from the law school at the University of Wisconsin in Madison in 1994.

Biskupic Cleared of Wrongdoing

5/30/10 - The review took two years. Now the Department of Justice has cleared former U.S. Attorney Steven Biskupic of any wrongdoing in the prosecution of Georgia Thompson. Biskupic was an appointee of President George W. Bush. He was accused of prosecuting Thompson for partisan reasons at the time. She had been convicted of improperly steering state contracts to a firm with Democratic party connections. A federal appeals court later tossed out the conviction. The feds say there was no evidence Biskupic was ever told his job was in jeopardy. The report says he took special steps to keep politics out of the case by enlisting the support of state officials who were Democrats. The internal review was requested in 2008 by an assistant U.S. Attorney General to clear the air.

Car-Deer Crash Season

5/30/10 - Wisconsin State Patrol Major Dan Lonsdorf says we see a spike in car-deer crashes every June. Lonsdorf has some advice on how to avoid the season’s hazard. He says if you see a deer cross the road, don’t look where he’s going – look where he came from. There’s often a second deer right behind him. Dane County had the most motor car-deer crashes reported in 2009 with 873. Waukesha County was second with 680, followed by 648 in Shawano County, where more than half of all reported crashes involved deer.

Dietician Urges Safe Food Prep

5/30/10 - It’s a holiday – not a time to get sick. Registered dietitian Barbara Troy has some advice to ensure you don’t get sick from food not prepared or stored properly. Troy is a clinical assistant professor at Marquette University. She says be careful with proteins, especially raw meat. Although cured meats like sausages and hot dogs are generally considered to be a little more sustainable she says exercise caution there as well. For foods coming from the grill, it’s recommended they be left out no longer than an hour in temperatures of 90 degrees or more. As far as leftovers, she says in a fridge of at least 40 degrees Fahrenheit, ground meat products should be eaten within a couple of days. Other meats such as roast have a longer shelf life.

Computer Printer Counterfeiter Apprehended

5/30/10 - It wasn't the most sophisticated effort to counterfeit money. Authorities in Franklin say a 16 year old boy make photocopies of a 20-dollar bill, then used those copies to pay for a pizza. Police say he used a computer and a printer to complete his scheme. At least four of the phony 20-dollar bills were given to Toppers Pizza delivery drivers. Police were called when workers at the pizza restaurant noticed all the bills had the same serial number.

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Top Stories May 29th

Reeseville Man Killed in Accident

5/29/10 - A 79-year-old Reeseville man was killed yesterday while returning to his home after getting the mail. It happened in the Town of Lowell around 3:15 p.m. Authorities’ say Edward Hahn drove his Mule, a vehicle similar to a Gator, to his mailbox and was attempting to cross back over Highway G when a northbound Jeep collided with him. The Dodge County Medical Examiner pronounced Hahn dead at the scene. The driver of the Jeep, 60-year-old Harry Schoephoerster of Reeseville, was not injured. The crash remains under investigation.

Accidents Send Three to the Hospital

5/29/10 - A couple of late night crashes sent three people to the hospital. Authorities say a 35-year-old woman was drunk and not paying attention when she collided with another vehicle on County Trunk T-W in the Town of Oak Grove. The woman, as well as the 35-year-old driver of the other vehicle, were taken to the hospital and she was later issued multiple citations. A second accident was reported in the Town of Leroy on Highway 49 near County Trunk Y-Y. Police say a 72-year-old woman left the road and crashed into a utility pole. She was later taken to the hospital and We-Energies was called out to fix the pole.

Parkhurst Arrives in Africa

5/29/10 - Beaver Dam-native Cassie Parkhurst has arrived safe and sound in the village of Banju-A in Tanzania, Africa where she’ll spend the next four months building three libraries. Parkhurst is with the Tanzanian Education Project, and is making her second trip to the impoverished east African country in the past two years. In a blog she is periodically updating she said her group is very excited to start building the libraries, fixing a school bus and laying the plans for the projects to come. With the help of her home community of Beaver Dam, Parkhurst packed a crate the size of a Buick with education supplies. The 20-foot container is filled with books, sports equipment and school supplies and arrived in the nearby village of Dar es Salaam on May 13. Due to problems with so-called ‘duty-free’ paperwork, the group was forced to come up with unexpected fees of about $500 US dollars at the shipping port. Unfortunately, Parkhurst says they’ll be forced to use money that otherwise would have been put towards addressing the serious needs of the project. She says though that they are hopeful the container will arrive sometime next week so they can start building the libraries.

Take Precautions if Leaving this Weekend

5/29/10 - If you and your family are leaving town this holiday weekend, there are some things to keep in mind to keep your home safe. A police officer says first and foremost use your locks. Jason Weber with the Wisconsin Crime Prevention Practitioners Association says many burglaries to homes and cars happen when are they are left unlocked. The virtual world is also a place where criminals case out homes. Weber says beware of posting too much information about travel plans on social networking sites.

Big Weekend for the Wisconsin Dells

5/29/10 - Wisconsin Dells business are hoping a “tremendous summer season” starts this holiday weekend. Tom Diehl of the Tommy Bartlett Show says a good weekend could represent up to six percent of the show’s business for the summer. He’s hoping for up to 100 thousand visitors to the area through Monday. Diehl says most of the major attractions have upgraded this year, after tourism largely returned to the Dells last summer. It’s been almost two years since flooding caused a breach in Lake Delton, draining it. It’s also been just a year since the water was restored.

Rep. Wood is Free

5/29/10 - State Representative Jeff Wood is a free man – at least for now. The Chippewa Falls independent was released from the county jail in his home community early yesterday morning. He served about two-thirds of a 45-day sentence for his drunk driving arrest in Columbia County in December of 2008. Wood still faces charges of driving under the influence of prescription drugs in Monroe and Marathon counties. His jail term was reduced by 11 days for good behavior, and two days for time he served earlier. Wood also had work release privileges to carry out his remaining legislative duties from his home. The Legislature adjourned for the year in late April, and Wood is not running for re-election this fall.

Salmonella Poisoning in WI Confirmed

5/29/10 - Wisconsin has its first case of salmonella poisoning that’s linked to raw alfalfa sprouts. The U-S Centers for Disease Control says 28 people have gotten sick in 10 states. More information about the Wisconsin case was not immediately available. Caldwell Fresh Foods of Maywood California ordered a nationwide recall of its alfalfa sprouts last week. The products were sold in over 400 Wal-Mart stores in 15 states. California has 14 salmonella cases, including three new ones reported yesterday. New cases were also confirmed in Illinois, Missouri, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Idaho, and Oregon.

Graduates Struggling to Find Jobs

5/29/10 - U-S employers expect to hire five-percent more college graduates than a year ago. But with unemployment at 8-to-10-percent, this spring’s grads are still finding it tough to land a job right out of school. Joe Trovoto graduated from U-W Madison this month with degrees in history, journalism, and mass communication – and the only open positions he could find in those fields are internships. Greg Krejci of U-W Milwaukee says companies are looking for more interns than a year ago. And even though they may not pay the bills, he says the most important thing a student can do is to get at least some kind of relevant work experience. Marquette has seen more potential employers at job fairs. But career services manager Kristin Finn says competition remains high for the relatively few jobs available.

June is a Bad Month for Car vs Deer Accidents

5/29/10 - Many people think the worst time for car-deer accidents is in the fall. But actually, the state D-O-T says June is either the worst or second-worst month of the year for deer crashes. That’s because pregnant does are looking for remote places to give birth – and fawns wander away after being separated from their mothers. Last year, Wisconsin had over 16-thousand vehicle-deer accidents. Officials encourage drivers to be most watchful for deer in the early morning and the evening hours, when the animals are the most active. If you see one deer, another is probably close by.

Baldwin Splits from Longtime Partner

5/29/10 - Madison Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin has announced she is separating from her domestic partner of the last 15 years. Baldwin was the first open lesbian to service Congress when she took office in 1998. Her office released a statement yesterday saying Baldwin and Lauren Azar are terminating their domestic partnership. Those two were among the first to sign up for Wisconsin's domestic partnership registry for same-sex couples last year. Azar is a member of the Wisconsin Public Service Commission.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Top Stories, May 28th

Babysitter Bond Set At $80K

5/28/10 - The Hustisford babysitter charged with Reckless Homicide was in Dodge County court Thursday for an initial appearance. The District Attorney asked to set cash bon at $250,000 for Renee S. Kuehl while a public defender asked that it be set at $5000. Judge Andrew Bissonnette ordered the 47-year-old held on an $80,000 cash bond. Kuehl is accused of inflicting fatal trauma on a 22-month-old boy she was babysitting in November of 2007. She says the boy fell down a flight of stairs after she accidentally left a basement door open. The Medical Examiner ruled the death accidental, but the case was revisited after authorities began an investigation into child abuse allegations from this past November. In the most recent case, Kuehl says she was outside babysitting a 2-year-old girl who was twirling like a ballerina and fell on concrete. She sustained two skull fractures, one on the top of her head and the other on the back of her head, along with a golf ball sized impact wound on her forehead and bruising under her right eye. A doctor from Children’s Hospital in Milwaukee said that the contusions came from “multiple different angles” and it didn’t make sense how one fall could cause all of the injuries, unless the girl had fallen down the stairs. Kuehl was also babysitting a 5-year-old child who told authorities that he thought the girl fell in the basement and saw Kuehl carry her into the living room to lay down. She faces up to 70 years in prison, if convicted. Kuehl requested a preliminary hearing, which is scheduled for next Thursday.


Dassey Retrial Request Filed

5/28/10 - Lawyers for Steven Avery’s nephew have explained again why he deserves a new murder trial. A 44-page request was filed this week in Manitowoc County Circuit Court, telling why Brendan Dassey should get a second trial in Teresa Halbach’s death. Prosecutors are expected to reply within the next month. Judge Jerome Fox held a week-long hearing on the request in January, and he has until July 26th to either order a new trial or send the request on to the state’s Court of Appeals. Milwaukee attorney Robert Dvorak and the Northwestern University Center for Wrongful Convictions say Dassey’s lawyers were ineffective in his original trial. And they said police used coercive techniques on Dassey, who was 16 and taking special education classes when he was arrested. Dassey confessed to police that he and Avery raped, shot, and burned Halbach at their family’s auto salvage yard near Mishicot in 2005. That was two-and-a-half years after Avery was freed from prison after serving time for a rape he did not commit. Avery is also seeking a new trial, and his case is now before the Second District Appellate Court.

BDPD Investigates $75K Theft At Apache

5/28/10 - The Beaver Dam Police Department is investigating the theft of over $17,000 in hardware from Apache Stainless. Officials with the company located at 200 Industrial Drive reported the theft to police on Wednesday but say the items were stolen over the past three to five weeks. Anyone with information should contact the Beaver Dam Police Department or the anonymous We-Tip hotline at 800-78-CRIME.

DNR Investigates Hustisford Fish Kill

5/28/10 - The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is investigating a substantial fish kill on the Rock River below the Hustisford Dam. The DNR’s Jim Congdon says fishery and water resource staff responded to citizen complaints earlier this week and discovered hundreds of small buffalo, carp and channel catfish along with about 100, seven to 15 inch walleye floating dead in the river below the dam. There were also some yellow perch, black crappie, white sucker and green sunfish. Congdon says when a substantial fish kill occurs, they mobilize staff to collect water samples and examine fish for any signs that contaminants may be involved. The DNR is monitoring the river’s dissolved oxygen levels, which in extreme heat – like the 90 degree weather we saw this week -- can become too low for fish to live, especially when water temperatures are high and water flow is low. Congdon says that it appears conditions have improved since the discovery earlier this week and healthy carp, buffalo, topminnows and bullhead were observed swimming in the impacted stretch of river.

SEC Approves Quad Merger

5/28/10 - The Securities and Exchange Commission has signed off on Quad-Graphics proposed acquisition of World Color Press of Montreal, Canada. World Press will hold will hold a special meeting for shareholders on June 25 to vote on the transaction. Quad – the nation’s largest privately-held commercial printer and one of Dodge County’s biggest employers – will go public once the deal is finalized. The combined operation will have 30-thousand employees. World Color C-E-O Mark Angelson said when the merger was first announced in January that there would not be layoffs in areas that do not overlap – unless they were planning to be made anyway. Angelson said the printing industry is consolidating, and the new deal is meant to combine and highlight the best of both firms. Quad C-E-O Joel Quadracci said at the time that he sees the printing industry as a key component of a much bigger world that also includes digital displays. He says marketers want to use every possible medium to reach their audience. The purchase price is said to be around one-point-three billion dollars. The transaction remains subject to customary closing conditions and approval from the Quebec Superior Court, which will hold a hearing June 28. If all goes according to plan, the merger could become officials by early July.

Alvarez Named To Hall of Fame

5/28/10 - Former Wisconsin football coach Barry Alvarez was named today to the College Football Hall-of-Fame. Alvarez and Gene Stallings were picked among seven coaching candidates. Alvarez had to keep the news under his hat. In a televised announcement, he said he was told about the honor at this month’s Big Ten Conference meetings in Chicago. Alvarez is the winningest coach in Badger history, at 118-73-and-4 in 16 seasons. His teams also won three Rose Bowls. Alvarez is now Wisconsin’s athletic director. Twelve players were also named to the college hall, including receiver and kick-returner Desmond Howard of Michigan – who went on to win a Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers after the 1996 season, and is still the only player to win the game’s M-V-P award on special teams. All of the honorees will be formally inducted December seventh in New York.


Beaver Dam Detours Adding Up

5/28/10 - Portions of Madison Street in Beaver Dam will be closed beginning next Tuesday. Ptaschinski Construction is scheduled to start saw cutting existing pavement between Water Street and Mill Street to replace storm sewer piping. The project should take about one week. A daytime detour will take motorists to South Center Street, where they will encounter another detour. Crews are currently installing a new sanitary force main on South Center as part of the city’s treatment plant upgrade being done in conjunction with Kraft Foods. That detour takes drivers to First Street via West Mill and West South Street. The South Center Street project should be complete by the second week of June. North University Avenue will be open until the middle of next week, when a three-month reconstruction project will start.


Garbage Pick-Up Delayed Next Week

5/28/10 - Garbage pick-up will be delayed next week because of the Memorial Day weekend. Waste collections by Veolia Environmental in Beaver Dam and other communities will be delayed by one day all week. Monday’s route will be collected on Tuesday and Friday’s route will be collected on Saturday. In addition, Director of Facilities David Stoiser says the Beaver Dam Department of Public Works Garage will be closed on Memorial Day Monday.

MEC Named Top 100 Workplace


5/28/10 - Mayville Engineering Company has been named one of the Top 100 Workplaces in Southeastern Wisconsin according the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. MEC was entered into the Top Midsize Workplace category and rated 19 out 35. The rating comes after close to 33,000 employees were surveyed throughout the greater Milwaukee area. Workers were invited to nominate their employers and rank them in several areas including employee benefits, workplace strengths and relationships with managers. MEC Chairman, President and CEO Bob Kamphuis called the ranking a great honor. The company has operations in Mayville, Beaver Dam, Berlin and Neillsville.

Wall Withdraws from Senate Race

5/28/10 - There are just two G-O-P challengers to U-S Senator Russ Feingold left including a Watertown businessman. That’s after Terrence Wall made his departure from the U-S Senate race official yesterday. Only Ron Johnson of Oshkosh and Dave Westlake are still in the race. Wall, a Madison real estate developer, said he was reluctantly pulling out so Republicans can focus on beating the three-term incumbent Feingold in November. Reports say Johnson is ready to spend 10-million-dollars of his own money on the race. Westlake, a Watertown businessman who portrays himself as a common man, says he’ll stay in the race.

Flag Can Stay in the Window

5/28/10 - A landlord in Oshkosh has agreed to let a soldier and his wife keep hanging the American flag from a window of their apartment – even though it violates the company’s policy. Midwest Realty Management backed off after getting three-thousand e-mails in support of Charlie and Dawn Price. The landlord told the couple they’d be evicted tomorrow – during the Memorial Day Weekend – if they didn’t remove Old Glory from their dining room window.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Top Stories, May 27th

Hustisford Woman Charged With Reckless Homicide

5/27/10 - A Hustisford woman was been charged with Reckless Homicide in connection with the death of a two-year-old boy she was babysitting in 2007. According to the criminal complaint, Renee S. Kuehl was being investigated about injuries to a 2-year-old girl in November of 2009 when the previous incident was called into question. The 2-year-old boy died in November of 2007 as a result of blunt force trauma to the head. Dodge County Medical Examiner P.J. Schoebel listed the cause of death as “accidental.” Kuehl says the child died from a fall down the stairs but a neurological expert called it “extensive, severe, inflicted trauma.” Dr. P. Douglas Kelley reviewed the medical records, photos and the autopsy report and concluded that “the injuries found…are non-accidental in nature and would be appropriate to certify…as a homicide.” The 47-year-old also faces felony child abuse charges for allegedly injuring the two-year-old girl, whom she was spinning around and fell on the concrete. Kuehl faces a maximum of 70 years in prison upon conviction.

Oconomowoc Woman Continues Search For Daughter

5/27/10 - Milwaukee Police say fragments found in an underground fallout shelter are not human remains. But the medical examiner’s office says an anthropologist will make the final decision, after getting a good look at the items. The mother of 23-year-old Becky Marzo claims that her daughter’s late ex-boyfriend Carl Rodgers killed her, and buried her in the fallout shelter outside the Milwaukee home where both used to live. The mother, Karren Kraemer of Oconomowoc, had an excavation firm dig up the shelter yesterday – and apparent fragments of bone, hair, and teeth were found. But Milwaukee Police spokeswoman Anne Schwartz said her department analyzed the items, and they were not consistent with human remains. Marzo was last seen in 2003, and Rodgers killed himself four years later – denying to the end that he killed his ex-girlfriend. But Marzo’s mother remains convinced that Rodgers did it – and she’s been trying to find the proof ever since.

Appeals Court Rules On Registry Requirement

5/27/10 - A state appeals court changed the rules Wednesday for exempting young adults from registering as convicted sex offenders, if they’re caught having consensual sex with minors. The law says offenders do not have to register if they’re less than four years older than their victims. But the Second District Appeals Court in Waukesha said the four-year calculation should be based on the actual birthdays of the two parties – and not their calendar year ages. It means that Matthew Parmley of Sheboygan must register with the state as a sex offender – because he was four years and four months older than the girl he was convicted of having sex with in 2004. Parmley had asked that be exempt from registering – and while a circuit judge agreed with him, the appellate court did not. Appeals Judge Daniel Anderson said the old formula allowed for a nearly five-year age difference in some cases, and that was not the intent of the law. There was no immediate word on whether Parmley would appeal to the State Supreme Court.

Unemployment Rate Drops

5/27/10 - Local unemployment rates saw a considerable decline from March to April. Dodge County dropped out of double digits and fell two full percentage points to 8.6%. Last year at this time Dodge County was at 9.2%. Columbia County also dropped two percent to 7.9%. Fond du Lac and Washington Counties are both at eight percent even after dropping 1.9%. Jefferson County saw a similar decrease and sits at 8.9%. All but one of the state’s 72 counties saw a decrease over the two-month period. Menominee County increased to by a half point to 14.6%. Dane County continues to have the lowest unemployment rate in the state at 5.4%. Workforce Development Secretary Roberta Gassman says the numbers are a positive sign of that recovery is underway but there is still work ahead. The unadjusted jobless rate dropped 1.6% to 8.2% while the nationwide rate dropped out of double digits to 9.5%.

Lowell – Reeseville Memorial Day Plans Detailed

5/27/10 - The Lowell VFW and the Reeseville American Legion will be joining forces for Memorial Day again this year. It begins at 7:45am Monday at the Reeseville Village Cemetery and after a brief ceremony, the parade will march through the business district with a flag raising at the municipal building. Parade participants will then reassemble at St. John’s Catholic Cemetery in Lowell at 8:45am for a brief service and then proceed to the Lowell Village Cemetery for the Memorial Day program, which begins at 9am. The guest speaker this year is Dodge County Veterans Service Officer Mark Grams, who was recently named the state Veterans Service Officer of the Year. Cain says entries are still be accepted the parade.

DOT Meeting on Highway 60

5/27/10 - The state DOT will be hosting a public information meeting early next month to discuss proposed improvements to the Highway 60 and County E intersection in Hustisford. The meeting, set for June 8th, will follow an “open house” format, so visitors may come and go at their convenience. A variety of exhibits and maps will be featured and representatives with the DOT will be on hand to discuss the project and answer questions. The meeting will be held in the cafeteria/commons of the Hustisford High School. It starts at 6pm and there will be a brief presentation at 7pm.

Health Care Costs Detailed

5/27/10 - Wisconsin taxpayers will spend between 205-million and 314-million-dollars to expand health insurance coverage from 2014-through-2018. That’s according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, which issued a state-by-state cost estimate of the federal reform package approved earlier this year. The federal government will pick up most of the coverage, but Kaiser says Wisconsinites will pay about six-percent of the tab. The figures are said to be estimates – and they do not reflect some of the savings the state expects from health reform. The Kaiser Foundation estimated the cost of insuring childless adults, as well as families that make less than 133-percent of the federal poverty figure. The report said an extra 205-thousand to 287-thousand Wisconsinites would get health coverage under Medicaid by 2019. That includes people who are eligible for Medicaid but are not signed up for one reason or another – and those losing insurance by private employers.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Top Stories, May 26th

Vessey: Schedule Format Doesn’t Determine Success


5/26/10 - The Beaver Dam School District’s next Superintendent says he’ll let the process of evaluating the current block scheduling format at the high school play out before commenting on where the district may go in the future. However, Steve Vessey, who will take the place of Don Childs in July, says it’s not the format that makes a school successful. He says the schedule is just a shell and what really matters is the teachers and their methods in the classroom. At a meeting on Monday a number of people expressed their concerns about the block scheduling format, including what they called a drastic drop in test scores since its inception. Vessey says the process of improving academic achievement is a lot more complex than just changing the type of schedule. He went on to say that as part of the evaluation he expects recommendations to be made that could tweak the format and make it a better fit the district. The school board hired an independent consultant to perform the evaluation and expect to receive his report on June 21st.


Jefferson School Basin Fix Needed



5/26/10 - The city of Beaver Dam is going to have to fix the water retention basin built on the grounds of the Jefferson Elementary School. The basin is one of several planned around the city and was built over a year ago to hold storm water and filter out debris during times of heavy rain. Jefferson Elementary Principal Barb Link told the Operations Committee this week that the basin is not working as promised. The school was under the impression that the field could still be used for school activities, like soccer, but even minimal amounts of rainfall have resulted in pooling water, while heavier rains have pushed water levels over the berm. City Engineering Coordinator Ritchie Piltz says the city plans a more complete fix of the situation before classes start in the fall. In the meantime a temporary orange construction fence will be placed around the pooling water as a safety measure. The Operations Committee on Monday agreed to pay $32,700 to the contractor that performed the work. Piltz says the problems with the water backing up in the basin are a design flaw and are not related to the construction.



Quad Losses Top $8.5M in Q1



5/26/10 - Wisconsin’s largest commercial printing company tells federal regulators that it lost eight-and-a-half million dollars in the first quarter of this year. Quad-Graphics of Sussex said the latest loss was almost double its previous loss of four-and-a-half million from January through March of 2009. Quad is privately held, but the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says it’s been disclosing financial data to the government in advance of a proposed merger with World Color Press of Canada. In a filing with the Securities-and-Exchange Commission, Quad said about 225-million-dollars in savings could result with two months of the merger. The combined company would have 30-thousand employees and yearly sales of over five-billion dollars – making it North America’s second-largest commercial printing firm behind R-R Donnelley. In its report, Quad said the commercial printing industry in general has still not recovered from a previous recession in 2002-and-’03 – much less the recent economic downturn. Quad cites consolidation within the industry, and decreasing volumes of commercial printing. The report said utilization capacities throughout the industry dropped from 80-and-a-half percent in 2007, to just over 67-percent in January of this year. The report said Quad’s sales dropped two-point-eight-percent in the last quarter, compared to the previous year. But the Journal Sentinel said that’s not as bad as it could be. It cites an industry blog which said Quad’s losses equaled two-percent of their total sales – while World Color’s quarterly loss was over eight-percent of its revenue.



N. University Reconstruction



5/26/10 - Reconstruction of North University Avenue in Beaver Dam is scheduled to begin in earnest on June 7. That’s what project engineers told residents at a public information hearing last night. University will see complete pavement replacement along with new storm sewers and street lighting. The detour will take northbound traffic to Prospect Avenue and then down Wayland Street before ending at North Spring Street. Preliminary work to move utilities and remove trees has already closed the stretch of North University for most of the month, but the street will be open for Memorial Day weekend. The project is expected to be completed by Labor Day.



BD Man Charged With Child Porn



5/26/10 - A Beaver Dam man is accused of possessing child pornography. Jack McBride is charged with four felony counts, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison upon conviction. According to the criminal complaints, the 24-year-old used a roommates computer to download and save 14 images of children, some as young as five-years-old. McBride admitted to investigators that he received the pictures but says he was shocked by them as they were not the images he was trying to get. Authorities say he obtained the photo’s from a file sharing website and told the person who sent them, they were “nice.”



CHS Supports “Parents Who Host”



5/26/10 - The Columbus School Board threw their support behind the national “Parents Who Host, Lose the Most” program this week. The second year program is aimed at school community PARENTS who face the dangers surrounding underage drinking at end-of-the-school-year parties. The Columbus Police Department and several community agencies are supporting the educational effort to inform parents on the losses they could suffer by allowing underage drinking during the many graduation celebrations.



Driver Drives Home Seatbelt Message



5/26/10 - Wisconsin police officers are starting to reinforce Donald Driver’s message about wearing your seat-belt while in the car. The annual “Click It or Ticket” campaign begins this week, and the state D-O-T says a record number of law enforcement officers will hand out tickets to those who are not buckled up. If you’ve watched T-V at all the past couple weeks, you probably know that Driver – a receiver for the Green Bay Packers – says he always wears his seat belt because quote, “I’m not going to take a hit from you!” More than 375 law enforcement agencies are taking part in this year’s “Click It or Ticket” campaign, which runs through June sixth. Last year, seat belt convictions surpassed 100-thousand statewide. It was the first year that officers were allowed to ticket drivers just for not buckling up. In the past, they had to find another violation first.



DOT Apologizes For Disturbing Graves



5/26/10 - Wisconsin’s transportation secretary has apologized to the Bad River Indians, for disturbing the graves of their ancestors with a highway project a half-century ago. Frank Busalacchi said a remodeling of Highway Two inadvertently disturbed Indian burial sites at a roadside cemetery near a bridge in Ashland County. Tribal leaders said their members tried-and-failed to stop the project. Busalacchi gave his department’s apology at the Bad River Pow-Wow Grounds in Odanah. He also said the D-O-T has been working with historic preservation officials for almost five years to adopt a road-building policy which protects cultural heritage. Busalacchi hopes the new policy can take effect by the end of this year.

Monday, May 24, 2010

Top Stories, May 25th

Block Scheduling Under the Microscope in Beaver Dam BD Will Accept Cooper Street Grant


5/25/10 - "We're going in the wrong direction." That was the comment of one of the more than two dozen parents and community members who attended a meeting yesterday to discuss the block scheduling format at the Beaver Dam High School.

The meeting featured Bob Gilpatrick, who was hired by the district to put together an evaluation of the 4 x 4 block format, which went into effect in 2007. In the format, students have four periods that last nearly 90-minutes each with lunch and a daily period to meet with their advisors. There are also small blocks of time set aside for electives.

During the hour and half meeting talk centered mostly on the negatives of the format, with those in attendance citing what they called a drastic drop in reading and math test scores as a major issue. They blame much of that on a lack of retention as some students could go 12-months without having a math course in the current format. Some also said they thought block scheduling could be a good concept but only if teachers were able to get the training needed for that type of environment, something many felt wasn't happening. The role of the advisory periods was also questioned by parents, who said a majority of their kids could not see the benefit in them.

Gilpatrick told the crowd that he would be compiling a report for the school board that would lay out their concerns and also possible solutions. The district is also asking that community members and parents fill out a survey about block scheduling on their website which will be assimilated into Gilpatrick's report. He's scheduled to present that report to the school board on June 21st.




5/25/10 - The city of Beaver Dam will be accepting a $350,000 FEMA grant to fix the culverts on Cooper Street. The Operations Committee last night discussed whether or not the city should sign-off on the award. While the funding will cover most of the costs to install new, larger culverts, it would only cover about half the costs to construct a bridge. Before city officials voted to advertise for engineering services to replace the culverts they questioned the necessity of the project and how much the city should spend. Mayor Tom Kennedy told the committee that replacing the culverts “just makes sense.” Cooper Street was fourth on a list of flood control projects that the city sought to fund with grant money; they were not awarded their top three choices, which included replacement of the dam gates at a cost of $600,000 and a new $1 million north side lift station. The current Cooper Street culverts were designed to withstand a 100 year flood but during heavy rains in 2004 and 2008 they created a bottleneck, backing up water over the street and down river. Kennedy says he never saw a need for the Cooper Street project unless it was grant funded. Governor Doyle announced last Tuesday that over 61-million-dollars in Community Development Block Grants were being awarded in counties affected by the 2008 floods.



Milwaukee House Assessment Tops $41K



5/25/10 - The Beaver Dam Operations Committee last night received an update on plans to demolish a downtown eyesore. The city had previously ordered the removal of the Milwaukee House at 101 Ryan Cantafio’s Way and the attached, former auto parts store at 204 South Center Street. City officials will be sending the property owner a notice of special assessment in the amount of $41,300 to remove the structure. Owner James Stricker is said to be cooperating fully with officials and has told us that having the city move forward with the demolition is more cost-efficient. The Milwaukee House should be down in the next couple months. Also last night, the committee authorized the engineering department to begin the bidding process to repair damaged sidewalks. A total of 62 property owners will be affected and 150 blocks of sidewalk will be fixed.



South Center Construction Starts Tuesday



5/25/10 - Starting Tuesday a short stretch of South Center Street in Beaver Dam will be closed to through traffic so the engineering department can install new sanitary sewer and force mains. The closure is between West Mill Street and West South Street. Engineering Coordinator Ritchie Piltz says traffic will be detoured onto First Street via Mill and South. The project is expected to take about three weeks to complete.



Fairest of The Fair Applications



5/25/10 - Applications are now being accepted for the “2010 Dodge County Fairest of the Fair” contest. The county’s 4-H & Youth Agent, Sally Schoenike, says the Fair Association is looking for girls who will be age 18 as of January 2010. Schoenike says the winner will represent the Fair Association in media and promotional events at the Dodge County Fair and other summer events. The winner would also serve as the 2010 Fair Hostess and plan the 2011 competition. In addition, the Fairest will have the opportunity to participate in the 2011 Wisconsin Fairest of the Fairs contest. The 2009 Fairest of the Fair, Amanda Hetzel, of Rubicon is a student at UW-Oshkosh studying to be a registered nurse with an emphasis in diabetic education. She says she “hopes the excitement never ends” but cannot wait to see who will be crowned as the next Fairest. Applications must be submitted by June 11.

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Top Stories, May 24th

Record Heat Possible


5/24/10 - Unseasonably warm weather had us chasing record highs yesterday and we will do so again today. Yesterday’s high temp of 89 fell a degree short of the record from 1975, but forecasters say we could hit 90 today, which would tie the record for May 24th set in 1977. Today’s temperatures are close to 20-degrees above the average temperature for this time of year. The warm weather is expected to stay around at least through Wednesday before dipping back into the mid-70’s for Memorial Day Weekend.

Johnson Gets GOP Nomination

5/24/10 - Ron Johnson got the state Republican Party’s endorsement yesterday against U-S Senate Democrat Russ Feingold. Delegates at the G-O-P convention in Milwaukee endorsed the Oshkosh businessman on the second ballot, after Dick Leinenkugel shocked the gathering and withdrew from the race. Leinenkugel, the former state Commerce Secretary whose campaign got heavy criticism from his ties to the Democratic Doyle administration, told delegates he was endorsing Johnson. Leinenkugel’s campaign later said it was the right thing to do, and a divisive primary would only help Feingold get re-elected in November.

Auto Insurance Law Goes into Effect Next Week

5/24/10 - Wisconsin drivers will be required to have auto insurance for their vehicles starting a week from tomorrow. The mandate was put into last year’s state budget, and it makes Wisconsin the second-to-last state to require auto coverage – leaving only New Hampshire as the lone hold-out. State Patrol Major Dan Lonsdorf says troopers will ask every driver they stop if they have proof of insurance with them. And if they don’t, most will get 200-dollar tickets for not having the coverage. The fine is only 10-dollars for those who have insurance but cannot prove it to the officer. But unless there are special circumstances, Lonsdorf says troopers will give the full 200-dollar tickets to those without insurance cards – and those who have coverage can tell it to the judge.

BD Relay Honorary Chair Named

5/24/10 - Officials with the Relay For Life of Beaver Dam have announced their honorary chair for this years annual event. Chair Maria Rognstad says 17-year leukemia survivor Scott Reed of Beaver Dam will speak at the opening ceremonies about his one-and-a-half year battle with cancer. Reed was diagnosed when he was 14-year-old and today is living cancer free. The American Cancer Society event is planned for June 25 and 26 at the Beaver Dam High School track.

Accused Rapist Pleads Insanity

5/24/10 - A Beaver Dam man has entered a plea of “not guilty by reason of mental defect” to charges that he raped a woman last month. Richard Burwitz Sr. is charged with one felony count of Second Degree Sexual Assault with the Use of Force. He entered the plea at arraignment on Friday. According to the criminal complaint, the victim drove the 52-year-old around to run errands. When she went into his home to collect gas money, he allegedly forced her to the floor. Burwitz contends the sex was consensual and says she called the police to get out of paying an $80 loan. The charge carries a maximum 40 year prison sentence, but because Burwitz was convicted of Third Degree Sexual Assault in 2004, he could have another six years added to the sentence upon conviction. He is also facing two felony bail jumping charges because the arrest came after he was charged with his fifth OWI in January. Burwitz is being held on a $10,000 cash bond and has court activity on the calendar next month.

Fenner Arraigned On Rape Charge

5/24/10 - A Hustisford man accused of raping a teenager stood mute at arraignment on Friday and the court entered a “not guilty” plea on his behalf. 26-year-old Jason Fenner is charged with Second Degree Sexual Assault of a Child related to the assault last October. The parents of the high-school age victim got authorities involved after the child became depressed and they read about the rape in a notebook. The felony charge carries a maximum prison sentence of up to 40 years in prison upon conviction.

Assault and Robbery Suspect Arraigned

5/24/10 - A Beaver Dam man charged with the assault and robbery of an acquaintance entered a plea of “not guilty” at arraignment on Friday. The victim reportedly allowed Michael Dufay into his apartment but was later struck in the back of the head with a gun while playing a video game. The victim was then ordered to the floor while Dufay allegedly took $2200 in cash hidden in the kitchen. The 25-year-old was arrested after going to the police station to deny his involvement. Dufay faces a maximum of 25 years in prison, if convicted. A two-day jury trial is scheduled to begin in August.

Meeting on Block Scheduling this Afternoon

5/24/10 - A meeting to discuss the block scheduling format at the high school in Beaver Dam is set for this afternoon. The 4 x 4 structure was implemented in 2007 with a stipulation that it be evaluated after three years. As part of that, the district will be hosting a meeting at 3pm in the high school auditorium for parents, students, and community members to give feedback on the format. Meanwhile, there has been some recent movement by a group of parents to do away with block scheduling. In a letter to school board members last week, the group cites numbers that they say show the negative impact of the format. It’s their hope the school board will implement an alternating block schedule or return to the traditional schedule of 7 or 8 periods.

Lindner Named “Alice in Dairyland”

5/24/10 - Christine Lepple Lindner of Fall River is Wisconsin's new Alice-in-Dairyland. She was crowned during the weekend at a program in Rock County. Lindner has an agricultural journalism degree from U-W Madison, and is on a sponsor board for the Wisconsin F-F-A Foundation. Lindner will spend the next year traveling throughout Wisconsin and elsewhere to promote the state's food products. She replaces Cheryl O'Brien in a one-year marketing position for the state Agriculture Department.

Lottery Jackpots Increase

5/24/10 - The Powerball jackpot is up to 190-million-dollars for Wednesday, after nobody won the top prize during the weekend. In Mega Millions, the jackpot rolled over on Friday night, and is 64-million for the next drawing tomorrow night.

Top Stories, May 23rd

Thermometer Expected To Top 90

5/23/10 - Temperatures could hit the 90s in southern Wisconsin today and tomorrow, but the pools are closed and Wisconsin Dells outdoor water park attractions don't open for another week. The weather experts say it's nothing to worry about as there is a 40 percent chance the Upper Midwest will have a lower average temperature than normal this summer.

Walker Secures GOP Nomination

5/23/10 - Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker overwhelmingly secured his party's nomination for governor. Delegates to the annual Republican state convention in Milwaukee gave Walker more than 91 percent of the vote. That gives Walker access to money, volunteers, voter and donor lists and additional party resources to mount his campaign. He and former congressman Mark Neumann will still appear on the primary ballot in September. Walker got loud applause, ringing bells and a lot of sign waving as he spoke to the crowd at the Frontier Airlines Center last night. The winner of the Republican primary will likely face Democrat Tom Barrett in November.

Fitzgerald on Future Of Party

5/23/10 - Leading Republican lawmakers say they will focus on reducing government spending and helping business if they regain control of the Legislature. Party leaders were discussing the potential takeover at the annual GOP convention in Milwaukee Saturday. Senate Minority Leader Scott Fitzgerald of Juneau says the Democrats promoted an anti-jobs, anti-employer, and anti-family agenda while they controlled things and the political pendulum is swinging their way. The party needs four Assembly seats and two Senate seats to hold a majority.

Wisconsinites Sickened By Alfalfa

5/23/10 - Two people in Wisconsin are among 22 nationwide who got sick after eating raw alfalfa sprouts. California-based Caldwell Fresh Foods announced a recall yesterday. The alfalfa product was sold in 18 states in the West, Midwest and South. The news release announcing the recall didn't say where the sprouts were sold in this state -- or, where the people who got sick live.

Oshkosh Corp Secures Four Contracts

5/23/10 - The Oshkosh Corporation announced four more contracts with the U-S Army today. The company will get almost 235-million-dollars to make protection kits for 43-hundred all-terrain vehicles, which Oshkosh manufactured for U-S troops to use in Afghanistan. Workers will make an additional 38-hundred kits to protect the vehicles from rocket-propelled grenades. And they’ll make over 500 more add-on armor kits. The new work is expected to be completed by April of next year. In total, Oshkosh has received orders for 75-hundred protection kits and 13-hundred armor kits. The company has netted over five-billion-dollars in contracts in the past year to build more than eight-thousand of the all-terrain vehicles, which are designed to be an improvement over the former Humvees used by American troops in Iraq.

State Revenue Collections Up

5/23/10 - The state of Wisconsin is getting some fairly optimistic news about revenue. Tax collections were up a reported 14 percent in April. The Department of Revenue says a little over 1-point-1 billion dollars was collected, compared to 978 million last year. State officials not that April is an important month for revenue since that's the month personal income taxes are filed. Despite the strong collection figures, Wisconsin state revenue for this fiscal year is still down one percent when compared to 2009.

Reward Offered in Calumet County B&E’s

5/23/10 - Calumet County investigators are offering a $500 reward for information leading to the arrest of the person or persons who have been breaking in to garages and outbuildings on several farms. Authorities say thieves have broken into almost two dozen locations in the last three weeks. Law enforcement thinks the same people are responsible in all the crimes. They are looking for more leads as they try to stop the string of crimes.

Milwaukee Students Rank Low

5/23/10 - A study comparing reading skills among four and eighth-graders in 18 urban school systems puts Milwaukee's performance near the bottom. The Trial Urban District Assessment shows Milwaukee public schools fourth graders did better than only Detroit, Cleveland and Philadelphia. Eighth graders managed to edge past Detroit, Fresno and Washington, D.C. A spokesperson for Milwaukee Achiever Literacy Services calls those results "discouraging."

Nursing Home CEO Sentenced

5/23/10 - The former CEO of a Milwaukee nursing home has been given two years in prison for not paying her taxes. Federal prosecutors say Karen Mason pleaded guilty to take more than a million dollars over a four-year period and not reporting that money as taxable income. Mason was previously known as Karen Mueller. She reportedly used the money taken from the Havenwood Nursing and Rehabilitation Center for jewelry, home furnishings, cars, entertainment and travel -- including 30 thousand dollars on a wedding and honeymoon for one of her children. Mason admitted underpaying her taxes by 360 thousand dollars.

Madison Tackles Algae Issue

5/23/10 - The city of Madison plans to start a test project next month which is aimed at cutting down on the algae which can cover portions of Lake Monona and Lake Mendota. That algae endangers swimmers and closes beaches each summer. Geotextile fabric barriers are to be placed near swimming areas in an effort to keep the algae out. BB Clarke beach and Bernies beach have been closed more than 60 days over the last five years due to the growth of blue-green algae. It can be harmful to both people and pets. The city's engineering division is working on moving the algae scum away from those beaches. The project is expected to cost about 60 thousand dollars.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Top Stories May 22nd

Bedker Responds on Policy Change


5/22/10 - Dodge County District Attorney Bill Bedker is defending his office’s policy change that shifts the prosecution of small, first-time adult drug offenses from the circuit courts to the municipal courts. Bedker says the policy change stemmed from state-imposed furlough days which forced him to prioritize his case load. The city of Beaver Dam recently approved an ordinance change that allows their municipal court to handle marijuana possession charges. State statute however currently prohibits municipalities from prosecuting cocaine or prescription drug offenses. As a result, City Attorney MaryAnn Schacht says city officials will consider passage of a resolution condemning the DA’s decision. Bedker says he will continue with the new policy until funding to his office is restored. In the meantime he says it allows his department to focus on more serious crimes, like child sexual assaults. Bedker also says the financial penalty for minor marijuana offenses will likely be higher in municipal court than for circuit court, where he says judges often respond with a “slap on the wrist.” Beaver Dam Municipal Court Judge Ken Peters says he will levy fines in the neighborhood of $1000 to $4000.

WASD Makes Budget Cuts Official

5/22/10 - Earlier this week, the Waupun School Board approved more than $450,000 in budget cuts that will have the district staffing six fewer positions during the 2010-2011 school year. Superintendent Randy Refsland says the cuts make sense because of declining enrollment. The cuts leave the board still needing to shave another $150,000 to bring the budget into the black, though Refsland said the board is still committed to covering that with fund balance if need be. The district had planned to cover the $150,000 with the sale of the Jefferson Elementary building, but after the city council voted not to rezone the property the deal fell through. Refsland says the board is still hopeful another buyer will come along. Also, with Refsland leaving at the end of the year, the board will begin the interview process on Tuesday for an interim superintendent. The district is also still looking to hire a replacement for longtime Business Manager Bill Zeininger, who is retiring at the end of the school year. The school board interviewed three candidates, and while they were all suitable replacements, they asked district administrators to continue the search. They hope to have someone hired for both positions by June 30th.

Money for Tracking Student Progress Comes to WI

5/22/10 - Wisconsin is one of 20 states to get federal funding for the expansion of a system used to track student progress. Wisconsin's grant was for nearly 14 million dollars. The data gathered will be used to help improve schools and education. Those students would be tracked from pre-school through college. State school officials say they have ambitious plans in their drive to improve student achievement. The data will be used to measure the impact of many different factors on learning.

Prominent Preacher in Beaver Dam Tomorrow

5/22/10 - The First Evangelical Lutheran Church of Beaver Dam is capping off its 150th anniversary celebration this weekend with a prominent guest preacher. The Rev. Mark Hanson is presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church In America, which includes over 10,000 churches in the U.S. Hanson will oversee the 8am and 10:30am services tomorrow. Hanson says the congregation of the First Evangelical Lutheran Church knows that they are shaped by their past and drawing on that experience to forge their future. Also at the services tomorrow: the pastor and president of the St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Monrovia, Liberia. The two traveled from Liberia specifically for the event. Rev. Mark Molldrem traveled from Beaver Dam to Liberia in 2007 and established a relationship with the church during his two week mission. There will also be a buffet dinner reception following tomorrow’s 10:30am service with a special program featuring motivational speaker Dennis Mannering.

Bear Sightings Increase

5/22/10 - Department of Natural Resources officials say sightings of bears normally increase in May and June. They sure are. People have reported seeing a sow and two cubs in Sauk County, a single bear in Iowa County, a young boar hit and killed by a vehicle on I-39 in Columbia County, and several reports from Crawford County. Sightings pick up this time of year because young male bears are forced out of their breeding habitat in northern Wisconsin and they move south looking for a new home. The DNR says most of the male bears will leave the area after the breeding season is over.

Allenton FD to Celebrate EMS Week

5/22/10 - The Allenton Fire Department will celebrate EMS Week by holding a “Safety Day” tomorrow. The event, which will be held at the Allenton Elementary School, will feature a bike rodeo and bike helmet giveaway, car seat checkups, blood pressure checks and other activities. The Flight for Life Helicopter will visit at 1pm. Officials say EMS Week, which began last Sunday, is an opportunity to focus on getting out health and safety messages to their community and to recognize and honor those who dedicate a significant portion of their lives to helping their community. The event in Allenton will run from 11am to 3pm tomorrow.

Owners of Reptiles Expected to be Charged

5/22/10 - Prosecutors say they expect to file charges next week against two people responsible for hundreds of reptiles found living in a Milwaukee house. The targets weren't name, but investigators have reportedly been focused on Terry Cullen and Jane Flint. Cullen has kept reptiles for years and consulted with several agencies. Flint is his girlfriend and she was arrested last week when police found the reptiles living in squalid conditions in a house in the 34 hundred block of South 17th Street. In that house more than 250 animals, ranging from boa constrictors and anacondas to alligators and crocodiles were discovered. The floor was reportedly covered with hundreds of mice and rats. Many of the animals were kept in enclosures so small they couldn't turn around. Waste was covered almost everything, according to witnesses.

State will Save Money by Cracking Down on Child Care Providers

5/22/10 - By cracking down on fraudulent child care providers, the state of Wisconsin says it will save about 45 million dollars this year. The expected savings would come from the Wisconsin Shares program. A spokesperson for the Department of Children and Family Services says most of the money comes from its efforts to recover fraudulent payment and continue to crack down on fraud. The state is setting aside 10 million dollars to start a child care center rating system. Wisconsin Shares was started in 1997 to help parents get off welfare and get a job -- by subsidizing their child care costs. The program has grown to the point it costs 350 million dollars each year.

Convicted Killer May Have New Hope in Case

5/22/10 - A U.S. Supreme Court ruling last week could breathe new life into a Wisconsin case pending before the state's high court. At issue is whether 14-year-old Omer Ninham can be sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. Ninham is a Native American from Oneida, Wisconsin. He was 14 in 1998 when he killed a young Hmong boy by throwing him off a parking ramp. He's appealing his life without parole sentence with help from, Bryan Stephenson, the same attorney who represented the Florida youth whose case was decided by the U.S. Supreme court. That ruling barring life without parole sentences for teens applies only to those who have committed crimes other than homicide, but Stephenson says the same legal theory would apply to cases like Ninham's as well. He doesn’t think children who commit homicide offenses are more developed -- and more capable of adult behavior -- than kids who commit non-homicide offenses. Stephenson says the ruling makes it clear that judges need to apply a different standard when sentencing young teenagers no matter the crime. Ninham has lost his bid for a shorter sentence twice already at the appeals court level. The state Supreme Court has not yet decided whether it will consider it, since the U.S Supreme Court has now laid out new standard.