Top Stories, September 19th

Chase Through Beaver Dam Results In Crash

9/19/10 - The suspect in a police chase crashed into a parked car in Beaver Dam Saturday night then attempted to flee on foot. Beaver Dam Police Lt. Brandon Stommel says it started with an alleged traffic violation near the intersection of North Spring and Main streets just before 9pm. The chase proceeded to North Center then South Center Street. The driver lost control while going around the curve near the Kraft Foods plant, struck a no parking sign and then a parked car (left) about a half of a block later. The driver, who is an area male that is believed to be in his 20’s, was transported from the scene and faces a variety of charges. The passenger, a 19-year-old female from Beaver Dam, sustained minor injuries. There was no one inside the parked car. The Wisconsin State Patrol is also investigating.

FEMA Conducts New Assessments

9/19/10 - The Federal Emergency Management Agency conducted new assessments after an appeal from Wisconsin's governor. Because of that, flood victims in Milwaukee and Grant counties will have a chance at some federal help to pay for damage from the heavy July rains. FEMA apparently found more damaged houses. State Emergency Management Division spokeswoman Lori Getter says 231 houses in Milwaukee County had major flood damage. The number in Grant County was 15. With the change, people living in those two counties are now eligible to apply for federal grants. Governor Jim Doyle says FEMA will also make help available to local governments in Calumet County and an application is pending from Waukesha County.

Group Reports No Change in Car Insurance Rates

9/19/10 - A consumer group says a law requiring Wisconsin motorists to have auto insurance has not resulted in higher premiums as opponents had predicted. A trade group says just wait, it will. The law passed in the last budget not only requires drivers to carry insurance; it also raises the minimum liability coverage. Backers said the old law didn't keep up with rising medical costs and some insurers weren't making good on claims. Opponents predicted the regulations would force drivers to pay 33-percent more for auto insurance. A report by Citizen Action of Wisconsin reviewed rates filed with the state insurance commissioner’s office. The group found that 2010 auto insurance rates increased less than 1-percent for the top companies. The Wisconsin Insurance Alliance's Andy Franken predicts premiums will increase eventually. He says “it’s way too early to tell. Most of provision went in last November. People continue to have renewals under the new provisions and the impact isn't being felt across the state until its run a full year."

Opposition to Nuclear Generator Shipping Route

9/19/10 - Environmentalists and some local officials have joined in the fight to stop a Canadian company's plan to freight 16 scrapped generators across three of the Great Lakes. Those generators came from a nuclear power plant. An Ontario company is asking for a Canadian license to cross the three lakes and the St. Lawrence Seway on the way to Sweden -- where they would be recycled. The company says the generators have been welded shut to prevent radioactive leakage, saying the equipment poses no threat to human health or the environment. Opponents say there is a risk of an accident that would pollute the lakes and the shipment shouldn't be allowed.

Green Bay Offering Energy Audit Grants To Utility Customers

9/19/10 - A Wisconsin city is using part of a federal energy grant to help homeowners cut their utility bills. Green Bay will subsidize individual energy use audits in private homes. City leaders say Green Bay is the only city in the country to use the energy efficiency grants to help homeowners pay for energy audits. The audits can cost up to $375. So the city is offering $100 up front to anyone who does one. If they can prove they made some of the recommended changes, homeowners can claim another $100. The city won't help pay for improvements but there are tax credits available and programs run by utilities and the state's Focus on Energy Program.

Doyle Mulling Action Against Calumet County D-A

9/19/10 - A spokesman for the governor says Jim Doyle is talking with Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen about the possibility of taking action against the Calumet County District Attorney. Doyle was reportedly surprised and shocked by the news DA Ken Kratz sent sexually-themed text message to a domestic abuse victim. The options on the table include starting the process to remove Kratz from office. Kratz has said he will get therapy and consider taking time off from work, but he says he won't resign despite a growing number of calls for him to step down. At a Friday news conference Kratz offered an apology to the woman and his own family for a lack of judgment. He was sending the controversial messages to the woman at the same time he was prosecuting her ex-boyfriend for strangulation charges. Earlier, Kratz had not been as remorseful, saying he was the victim of a smear campaign and dismissing calls for him to step down.

Hassett Credits Scrutinized

9/19/10 - The Wisconsin Board of Bar Examiners will re-evaluate whether a Democratic candidate for attorney general can actually practice law. It is possible Scott Hassett may need another 30 credits. Hassett is a licensed attorney who went inactive between 2004 and 2009. Before May 1, 2009, anyone who had been inactive for more than two years needed 30 credits to regain active status. After that, they needed 60. Hassett sent the board a letter in July of last year saying he had completed 30 credits and he was cleared for active status. The board director says it is unclear at this time whether Hassett needs another 30 credits before he can practice again -- because it isn't clear which version of the rules he should have followed.

State Democratic Leader Not Sweating National Climate

9/19/10 - Wisconsin Democratic Party Chairman Mike Tate says he’s not too worried about what is happening on the national political scene, but is instead focusing on who is running for Wisconsin offices. Tate believes his party will come out ahead in the November general election as people look at what individual candidates have to offer rather than the political mood. Tate also took a shot at former Milwaukee TV anchor Rebecca Kleefisch who secured the Republican spot for Lt. Governor making her gubernatorial nominee Scott Walker’s running mate. He says the actual ticket is “Walker/Palin,” referring to polarizing former Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Tate says her “extreme” views dovetail with Walker’s extremism.