Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Top Stories November 9th

House Explodes in Sun Prairie


11/9/10 - One person was killed overnight when a single-family house exploded in Sun Prairie, northeast of Madison. Police said two others were injured in the blast, which happened around 3:20 this morning in a neighborhood just east of the Highway 151 expressway. Officials have confirmed that the explosion was caused by a gas leak and residents of the neighborhood were being evacuated as WE-Energies began the complicated process of shutting off gas to the area. West Side Elementary has canceled classes today as the building is in the neighborhood where the explosion occurred. Residents have also been evacuated as a precaution.

DC Board to Consider 2011 Budget

11/9/10 - The Dodge County Board will look to pass the 2011 budget during their meeting today. Last month, officials proposed a budget that would have a 19-cent increase to taxpayer’s mill rates with a total levy of 32.1-million, a half percent increase over this year. That results in a mill rate of $5.40 and means the owner of a property worth $150,000 would pay $810 for the county portion of their tax bill. The meeting at the administration building in Juneau begins at 9 a.m.

Jurors Seated, Opening Statements Today in Forbes Trial

11/9/10 - 14 Jefferson County residents have been chosen as jurors in a 30-year-old murder trial. 52-year-old Curtis Forbes is accused of beating, stabbing, and strangling Marilyn McIntyre in her Columbus apartment in March of 1980. A motive was never determined. Forbes was said to be a friend of the victim’s family. He was arrested in March of last year, when authorities said they found his D-N-A in a bathroom sink at the victim’s home. He’s been jailed since then under a 450-thousand dollar bond. Jury selection began with 107 potential jurors that were eventually whittled down to 26, before four men and 10 women were seated. 12 jurors will hear the trial with the two others as alternates. Opening statements are expected this morning in Portage.

Fitzgerald Elected Speaker

11/9/10 - Representative Jeff Fitzgerald was elected yesterday (Mon) to be the next Speaker of the State Assembly. The Republican from Horicon was elected by a unanimous ballot. Fitzgerald says the voters spoke last week with a “clear voice calling for smaller government and private sector job growth.” The next session of the legislature begins January 3 and Fitzgerald will lead an Assembly with 60 Republicans, 38 Democrats and one independent. Meanwhile, State Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald of Juneau announced members of the Joint Finance Committee. Among the seven Republicans on the committee: Glenn Grothman of West Bend and Randy Hopper of Fond du Lac. Fitzgerald says with a nearly $3 billion budget deficit and (quote) “unsustainable levels of spending, the Senate Republican team is ready to get to work balancing our budget and reining in government spending while preserving the core functions of government.”

Beerbohm Sentenced In OWI Injury

11/9/10 - A Watertown man who injured two people in a drunken driving accident will spend one year in jail. Joseph R. Beerbohm pleaded “no contest” yesterday to a felony charge of Injury By Intoxicated Use of a Vehicle and a pair of misdemeanors and had two other counts dismissed. The accident occurred December 13 in the Town of Emmett. According to the criminal complaint, the 45-year-old was making a left-hand turn into the parking lot of a bar on Highway 26 when he crossed in front of the path of an oncoming vehicle. A passenger in Beerbohm vehicle sustained a shattered foot while the driver of the other vehicle received minor injuries. His blood-alcohol level was said to be nearly three times the legal limit. Beerbohm was also placed on probation for 42 months.

Beaver Dam Man Sentenced in Burglary

11/9/10 - A Beaver Dam man will spend four months in jail for stealing from his landlords locked garage. 35-year-old Jason Davidson burglarized the garage in May, taking spools of copper wiring, tools and sports equipment. The items were found in his nearby stairwell. Davidson says he went into the garage for lawn tools, removed the items but was unable to put them back before the door locked. He was also ordered to pay $3300 in restitution.

More Phony Money in Beaver Dam

11/9/10 - There was another counterfeit bill passed over the weekend at a local business. According to the Beaver Dam Police Department, a phony $20 bill turned up at Piggly Wiggly on Saturday night. There have been about a dozen such reports in the city since Halloween weekend. The money was taken as evidence and the Secret Service has been notified. The fake money has been in denominations of $10, $20 and even $100. Authorities are urging those who work with money to use a counterfeit detector pen and report any bills that feel unusual to the touch. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Beaver Dam Police Department or the anonymous We-Tip hotline at 800-78-CRIME.

Park Avenue Closed This Week

11/9/10 - Park Avenue in Beaver Dam will be closed beginning today for the rest of the week. Utility work is being performed between Roosevelt Avenue and Keller Boulevard for a new business. The utility work is only expected to last one day and concrete pavement restoration will follow Wednesday with the road closed until Friday to allow the concrete to cure properly.

Randolph Playoff Times Annoucned

11/9/10 - The date and time for Randolph in the Level Four State Football play-offs has been announced. The Rockets will take on Gilman at Stevens Point this Saturday at 7pm. Randolph defeated Newman Catholic 50 to 7 over the weekend. We’ll bring you this Saturday’s game on WXRO 95.3FM with coverage starting at 6:30pm.

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