3/29/11 - The railing along the Madison Street Bridge in Beaver Dam will be replaced next week. The bridge, located at the intersection with Ryan Cantafio’s Way in downtown Beaver Dam, has been the site of several crashes in recent years that resulted in a car plunging into the Beaver Dam River. Director of Facilities David Stoiser says Beaver Blacksmith is currently repairing the railing is it should be installed next week. The city will also be installing a solar-powered LED illuminated street sign that reads “Curve Ahead, Slow Down.” Stoiser says northbound motorists should be able to see the sign from a half mile down Madison Street. He says they are also considering the installation of a concrete wall intended to prevent cars from plunging into the river in the future. Costs are estimated at $166,000 and would likely have to budgeted for through the city’s annual borrowing plan. Two cars have crashed through the railings of the Madison Street Bridge since last August, the most recent occurred on February 6. A 33-year-old Mayville man was arrested for OWI after being rescued from the river. The railing itself costs around $5000 to replace. City officials are seeking restitution from the drivers.
LSD Designs Ready To Be Shelved
3/29/11 - The Beaver Dam Operations Committee last night reviewed updated designs for the reconstruction of Lake Shore Drive. Funding for the actual construction of the project was rejected in January after the Administrative Committee determined that the city had already accumulated too much debt from the new police station. Mike Laue with MSA Professional services told the Operations Committee last night that the design details roadway and sidewalk width, traffic and erosion controls, and street lighting and signage. The city could have saved about $4000 of the $35,000 price tag by scrapping the designs. Chair Laine Meyer says it would be foolish to throw that away and not get a finished product. While immediate plans call for it to sit on a shelf, the designs can still be used when the project is revived. They could also help affected property owners determine where their property line is and distinguish their property from the right-of-way when it comes time for spring planting. It also sets basic standards for street elevations if they are thinking about adding or repairing driveways or making other front yard improvements. The city was also expecting to get a Certified Survey Map as part of their original bid, but Laue says that remains incomplete and may cost additional dollars to finish.
Fiscal Bureau Refutes Walkers Numbers
3/29/11 - The Legislative Fiscal Bureau says it’s not true that Governor Scott Walker’s proposed new state budget would cut overall spending. The non-partisan fiscal analysts released their report today. It shows a one-percent spending hike when all funding sources and transfers are considered. When the Republican Walker unveiled his budget plan four weeks ago, he said it would cut spending by around six-percent – or four-billion dollars. But the Fiscal Bureau said that didn’t include amounts transferred to quasi-public authorities like U-W Madison, and the new public-private job creation agency that will replace the Commerce Department. When those monies are added in, the Fiscal Bureau says the next budget is 609-million dollars bigger than the current one. Spending in the state’s general account would rise by 488-million-dollars, or one-point-seven percent. The non-partisan analysis also shows full-time state employment would drop by a net of 12-hundred posts. And the next budget would have a slim balance of 107-million-dollars to handle emergencies.
Madison Mayor Holding State Budget Hearing
3/29/11 - Legislators will not hold a public hearing in Wisconsin’s capital on the proposed new state budget – so the mayor of Madison says he’ll hold his own. Dave Cieslewicz is holding a community meeting on Wednesday night at Madison Memorial High School. And he wants local leaders in his area to explain how Governor Scott Walker’s budget for the next two years would affect them. They’ll also hear what the general public has to say. Cieslewicz says the meeting will be videotaped, and copies will be given to the Republican Walker and the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee – whose nearest official public hearing is about 70 miles from the Capitol. The finance panel normally rewrites the governor’s budget – even if the two are from the same party. The four official hearings will be in Stevens Point on April seventh, Minong near Superior on April eighth, West Allis on the 11th, and Arcadia on April 13th. Assembly Democrat Mark Pocan of Madison praised the mayor’s decision to hold a hearing in that city. He said that hearing from the public is quote, “a cornerstone of Wisconsin’s open government tradition that those running government have forgotten lately.”
Kratz Not Facing Criminal Charges
3/29/11 - The former Calumet County prosecutor who resigned after sending racy text messages to a domestic abuse victim will not face criminal charges. The state Justice Department said today that Ken Kratz’s behavior was inappropriate – but it did not satisfy the elements needed to win a criminal conviction. Assistant attorney general Tom Storm led an investigation into whether Kratz committed sexual assault or misconduct-in-public-office. Fourteen women complained about inappropriate encounters with Kratz, after Stephanie Van Groll went to the police about his suggestive text messages. That was a few months before the case went public last summer. By then, the Justice Department and the state’s Office of Lawyer Regulation had considered into disciplining Kratz. Neither did, but both later re-opened their probes after the allegations were made public. Former Governor Jim Doyle’s administration was planning to hold a hearing on whether to force Kratz out-of-office when the D-A resigned last October. His lawyer, Robert Bellin, says he’s pleased with today’s decision. And he’s trying to determine if people lied so they could hurt Kratz. He became internationally-known as a prosecutor when he sent Steven Avery to prison for murder, after Avery spent 18 years in prison for a rape he didn’t commit. Kratz also made the tabloids for prosecuting four women who lured a man to a motel, and then glued his sex organ to his stomach for cheating on his wife. All four women arranged plea bargains which kept them out of jail.
BD Man Charges With Workplace Theft
3/29/11 - A Beaver Dam man is accused of embezzling from Ballweg Turf and Leisure. Jeffrey Schmuhl is charged with felony Theft in a Business Setting for allegedly withholding paperwork from cash transactions and pocketing the money. According to the criminal complaint, the 24-year-old admitted that he kept $2800 from the sale of a tractor but denied involvement with a missing $900 snow blower. Schmuhl could spend over four years in prison, if convicted. A signature bond was set at $1000 and a preliminary hearing is set for May.
Waupun Man Faces Child Porn Possession Charges
3/29/11 - A Waupun man is accused of possession child pornography. Spencer Andrle was charged with four felony counts after undercover internet investigators say the 28-year-old downloaded movies and pictures with pre-teen girls from a file sharing website. If convicted, the charges carry a maximum 100 year prison sentence. A signature bond was set at $1000 yesterday and a preliminary hearing is scheduled for May.
BDPD Searching for Hit and Run Driver
3/29/11 - Authorities in Beaver Dam are on the lookout for a car that struck a young bicyclist and fled the scene. It happened Sunday afternoon around 2:45pm on the 600 block of North Spring Street near Rechek’s Food Pride. The car is described as gray in color with Badger decals and stickers all over it. The 13-year-old boy riding the bicycle sustained minor injured but refused EMS transport. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Beaver Dam Police Department.
Inmate Meal Cutbacks Considered
3/29/11 - A state lawmaker says reducing the number of meals fed to inmates at Wisconsin prisons could save a lot of money. State Representative Mark Radcliffe is backing legislation that would feed inmates two meals a day, instead of the current three. Radcliffe says inmates would still get the same number of calories each day, just in fewer meals. He says that should allow it to stand up against any court challenge because the law only says inmates need to be treated humanely. He also believes corrections workers could handle any unrest that comes from inmates having their meal times cut back. This is the second time Radcliffe has introduced the proposal. Legislation mandating the change did not pass last session.
Average Voter Turnout Projected
3/29/11 - Activists are making a lot of noise about next Tuesday’s State Supreme Court election – but don’t look for a higher turnout because of it. State Government Accountability Board director Kevin Kennedy said today that about one-of-every-five eligible voters will probably cast ballots next week. And that’s similar to previous years. Over the last decade, Kennedy said around 18-to-21 percent turned out in elections that had Supreme Court contests. This time, the court’s conservative majority is at stake as incumbent Justice David Prosser faces Assistant Attorney General JoAnne Kloppenburg. If Prosser loses, the court would lose its 4-3 conservative edge. And that’s made Kloppenburg a lot more popular with Democrats and union supporters who say her election could make it easier to eventually overturn the G-O-P’s law on union bargaining restrictions. Numerous local government, school board contests, and school referendums are also on next Tuesday’s ballots.
Beaver Dam Aldermanic Candidates on WBEV
3/29/11 - Our election coverage continues today on WBEV’s Community Comment. This afternoon we’ll be sitting down with the aldermanic candidates in the city of Beaver Dam’s only contested race. Ward Five incumbent Alderman Aaron Onsrud is being challenged by former alderman Mick Fischer. Community Comment airs weekdays on WBEV 1430AM beginning at 12:35pm.
No comments:
Post a Comment