Top Stories, March 2nd

Fitzgerald Met Privately With Senate Democrats

3/2/11 - Wisconsin Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald says he met privately for two hours with some of the 14 Democrats who have boycotted the Capitol for nearly two weeks now. The Republican from Juneau would not say whom he met with, or how many senators were on hand. He did say they talked about ways in which they could return to the Capitol, after staying away to block a vote on the governor’s budget repair bill and its limits on public union bargaining. Fitzgerald said the Democrats’ leader, Mark Miller, was not at the meeting. He said no agreements were reached, but he expects the talks to resume. Fitzgerald said the meeting proves there’s dissension among the Democratic ranks about their resolve in staying away.

Public Forums Scheduled In MPTC Presidential Search

3/2/11 - The public is invited to hear from the three finalists under consideration to be the next president of Moraine Park Technical College. The candidates were selected last month and the person chosen will replace Gayle Hytrek who will retire at the end of the current semester after seven years in the position. There will be three open forums next week, each one with a different candidate. On Monday, the forum will include Dr. Kathleen Brock, who serves as the Dean of Instruction at Ridgewater College in Minnesota. On Tuesday, the forum will feature Dan Ensalaco, who is currently the Vice President of Academics and Student Affairs at Moraine Park. Next Wednesday, the forum will feature Dr. Shelia Ruhland, who currently serves as the Vice President of Instruction at Rockingham Community College in Wentworth, North Carolina. Students, faculty, staff and the general public are invited to participate in the open forums, which are designed to give attendees an opportunity to listen and ask questions of each candidate. Those who attend will also be able to provide feedback via electronic survey. That feedback will be used by the Presidential Search Committee in making a decision on the final candidate. The forums begin at 2pm and will be broadcast live from Moraine Park’s Fond du Lac campus with interactive video conferencing at the West Bend at Beaver Dam campuses.

Chief Overseeing Accreditation In New PD

3/2/11 - The Beaver Dam Police and Fire Commission got an update last night on the status of the city’s new $5.1 million dollar police station. Mayor Tom Kennedy says the project is on time and on budget. Kennedy says the weather has shifted the focus of the work from the exterior to the interior, with crews currently working on plumbing, electrical and flooring. Even though most of the work on the new police station was set in stone long before the new police chief was hired, Ronald Smith is still playing a vital role in the transition. He is drawing on past experience having assisted in the Norwalk, Connecticut Police Department’s move into a new – albeit much larger -- facility five years ago. Smith tells us that his primary focus is making sure standards are being met a part of the accreditation process. His changes have been minor, like relocating the juvenile detention room so its separate from adults by sight and sound, and building a security fence around the external, back-up power generator. The new police station is expected to be ready for occupancy around Labor Day.

Car, Garage Thief Gets Probation

3/2/11 - A Waupun man was placed on probation Tuesday for stealing from cars and garages. Christopher McCullough broke into a garage in Waupun last September and stole electronic equipment, cash and gift certificates. The 32-year-old was arrested while walking the streets of Waupun at 4am and connected to the crime through stolen gift certificates in his possession. McCullough denied taking them and told police they were given to him by the actual burglar. He pleaded “no contest” yesterday to a misdemeanor Theft charge and had a count of felony Burglary dismissed but read into the record. McCullough was recently placed on probation for one year in Fond du Lac County for writing bad checks and the Dodge County ruling will begin after that ends. A one year prison sentence was imposed and stayed.