Top Stories, September 3rd

American Hero’s Music Festival: Parade Entries Still Accepted

9/3/10 - Entries are still being accepted into the September 11 parade that will kick-off this year’s American Hero’s Music Festival. The event is organized by the Exchange Club and Joe Cantafio, the cousin of fallen Beaver Dam-soldier Ryan Cantafio who was killed in Iraq on Thanksgiving in 2004. Joe Cantafio says the daylong festival is an opportunity to celebrate not only his cousin, but also first responders, gold star mothers and the other Beaver Dam solider who died in Iraq, Kirk Straseskie, who was killed in May of 2003. The festival is in its second year, but this is the first year there will be a parade. Among those expected to participate: US Congressman Tom Petri, State Attorney General JB Van Hollen and State Senate Minority Leader Scott Fitzgerald. The Grand Marshall is Dodge County Sheriff Todd Nehls, who is a Colonel in the Wisconsin Army National Guard. In addition, the parade will include military vehicles, marching bands and local veteran’s organizations. Patriotic motorcycle groups are also expected in full force. There will be no commercial floats and only current office holders are invited. The day will be videotaped and the Pentagon has indicated that one of their reporters will staff the event. The parade will assemble in the west Tower Parking Lot at 9:15am on Saturday, September 11 and beginning at 10am will proceed from North Center Street to South University Avenue before ending at Swan Park, which is where the concert will be held beginning at 12:30pm.

Illness Cuts Tanzanian Education Trip Short

9/3/10 - The volunteers with the Tanzanian Education Project are heading home early. Beaver Dam-native Cassie Parkhurst is wrapping up a four month trip to the impoverished East African County one week earlier than planned after illness took its toll on the group. In her latest blog entry, Parkhurst writes, “As if malaria, worms and bacterial infections were not enough, [my colleague] has fallen very ill due to a reaction to medication and is currently in the best facility in Tanzania.” Parkhurst says she is confident her partner’s condition will improve but asks that she be kept in your prayers. The pair expect to be back in the states in two weeks. A third volunteer returned as planned in mid-August. With the help of her home community of Beaver Dam, Parkhurst packed a crate the size of a Buick with books, sports equipment and school supplies and sent it overseas where it was used in the construction of three libraries. Work on the libraries got off to a late start but has been successful. Parkhurst writes that parents and local villagers are (quote) “going nuts over the books and word is spreading quickly.”

Columbus Considers Increasing Street Repair Funding

9/3/10 - The Columbus Council will have a chance next Tuesday to respond to the issue that received the highest number of votes in the recent resident survey…fixing and improving City Streets. The Council will be voting on the approval of a Five-Year Plan for street improvement and maintenance. City Engineer, Jason Lietha, presented the Council with scenarios for three levels of annual spending. Lietha said that the City is currently spending roughly $320 thousand dollars each year. The recommended street improvement and maintenance plan would consist of a five year annual average of $450 thousand dollars for capital improvements and $48 thousand for maintenance. City Administrators and Engineers agree that implementation to any of the three five-year scenarios will be an improvement over the current annual reactions to fix only streets that “have to be done.”

Waupun SD Hosting Listening Sessions

9/3/10 - The Waupun School District will be holding two meetings next week in Fox Lake to discuss the issues the community may still have after the closing of its elementary school at the end of the 2008-2009 school year. Superintendent Don Childs says the meetings are designed to allow the community to let the district know what their issues are and what they think can be done to bridge the gap between the two. When asked whether the school in Fox Lake could reopen Childs said it’s currently a remote possibility but not something they can totally take off the table. The first meeting is set for 1pm next Tuesday, with a second meeting set for Thursday night at 6. Both meetings will be held at the community center in Fox Lake.

Lazy Lake Dam Repairs Getting Underway

9/3/10 - The Lazy Lake Dam in Fall River will soon be repaired and improved. The Village Board has approved the low bid from Terra Engineering and Construction of Madison to excavate, add concrete and mend the shoreline damaged by the flood waters of 2008. FEMA funds will pay for most of the $119 thousand dollar project. Corry Anderson of General Engineering said discussions with the State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) led to some changes in the original local plans for culvert placement and spillway design. Anderson said the DNR approved improvements could begin any day and that construction is expected to be completed in October.

Above Average Voter Turnout Projected in Primary

9/3/10 - Almost three-of-every-10 Wisconsin voters are expected to cast ballots in the fall primaries in 12 days – and that would be a record turnout for September. The Government Accountability Board says that 28-percent of eligible voters are likely to cast ballots on September 14th. Board director Kevin Kennedy credits the highly-contested statewide races for governor and U-S Senate, along with more localized congressional and state legislative primaries. The highest recorded September turnout in the last 50 years happened in 1964, when 27-point-nine percent of Wisconsin voters showed up at the polls. This year, there are six primaries for statewide offices, and primaries in seven of the eight U-S House districts. There’s no incumbent running for governor for the first time since 1986, after Jim Doyle decided to call it quits. Voters will also have to decide between Republicans Scott Walker or Mark Neumann and Democrats Tom Barrett and Tim John. In the only contested county-wide race, Dodge County Sheriff Todd Nehls is being challenged by former Sheriff Steve Fitzgerald.

Statewide Police Data-Sharing Stats Low

9/3/10 - Only a quarter of Wisconsin’s police and sheriff’s departments are using a statewide data-sharing system. The Justice Gateway system went on-line in 2007, with the help of almost six-and-a-half million dollars in federal funding. The Legislative Audit Bureau says that 149 of the over 600 law enforcement agencies in the state are using the system. It lets officers share records that might not result in arrests, like citizen complaints, traffic stops, and notes from investigators. Madison and Milwaukee Police are among those not using the system, but both are expected to go on-line with it before the year ends. Auditors said the information on the system is limited because police departments can choose what data they want to share – and some agencies might not have the resources to take part. Also, the audit said the Office of Justice Assistance has not given the Legislature a required annual report on how the system’s going. But an office spokeswoman said they file monthly reports with lawmakers, but not an annual report – and they give information to the federal government as well. Justice Assistance officials said an average of four new police agencies join the system each month.

Fox Lake Council Approved Honor Flight Donation

9/3/10 - The Fox Lake City Council unanimously approved donating $1,000 to the local Honor Flight fund at their meeting last night. That’s a program that helps fly World War II veterans to see their memorial in Washington D.C. Mayor Tom Bednarek says there are 27-veterans that belong to the Fox Lake VFW post that are eligible to go. The next scheduled Badger Honor Flight is October 2.

Labor Day Garbage Pick-Up Delay

9/3/10 - Garbage pick-up in Beaver Dam will be delayed by one day all next week because of the Labor Day holiday. Veolia Environmental will collect Monday’s route on Tuesday; Tuesday’s route will be collected on Wednesday and that will continue all week with Friday’s route collected on Saturday. Brush collection provided by the Department of Public Works will also be delayed by one day next week. In addition, the Department of Public Works Garage will be closed on Labor Day.