Top Stories June 10th

Vote on Concealed Carry Bill Set

6/10/11 - Wisconsin senators will vote Tuesday on a bill to make people get training and state permits before they can carry concealed weapons. On a 12-to-4 vote yesterday, the Joint Finance Committee endorsed a concealed carry bill that’s more restrictive than the one a Senate panel endorsed last month. Wisconsin and Illinois are the only states that don’t allow concealed carry. And Republicans have said for years that people need it to protect themselves. However, Senate Democrat Bob Jauch of Poplar said it would not make Wisconsin a safer place to be. Those 21-and-older could get permits – and they’d undergo background checks to make sure they’re not prohibited from owning guns. The Justice Department would keep a database of permit holders, but the names would be kept secret. And law enforcement would only be able to determine the validity of permits. Officers could not routinely check the database when they stop a vehicle to see if there might be a gun in it – a defeat for police groups who demanded that provision. Concealed weapons would be banned in more public places than the earlier bill. Business and government buildings could ban weapons by posting signs. Tavern patrons could carry hidden heat as long as they’re not drinking.

Large Crowds Expected in Madison for Budget Sessions

6/10/11 - The Walker administration says it’s getting ready for large crowds of protestors next week, when the full Legislature takes up the proposed new state budget. Administration Secretary Mike Huebsch told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Editorial Board he’ll have officers from numerous state agencies on hand. But for now at least, the administration won’t bring in local police like it did during the massive Capitol demonstrations in February and March over the limits on public union bargaining. Huebsch said his people learned lessons from those protests, when crowds were incited because they couldn’t enter the Capitol quickly enough. He said the current access limits seek to balance the need for security with the rights of protestors. Six of the Capitol’s eight entrances remain locked, and folks need to go through metal detectors and police screenings at the other doors. Huebsch says that policy will continue at least through the end of the budget process. Republicans have talked about putting the union restrictions into the budget, as they continue to be blocked by the courts. But even if they don’t, the budget has triggered lots of opposition due to its massive cuts in state aid and social programs, which are aimed at ending the state’s deficits for good.

Protestors Heard During Walker Speech

6/10/11 - About 60 people protested against the new state budget outside a building at U-W Madison where Governor Scott Walker was speaking yesterday. They blew horns while the Republican governor spoke to 165 people at the university’s annual housing conference. And according to a Wisconsin State Journal reporter, they pounded on the building four times – and that prompted Walker to tell his audience, “That’s opportunity knocking for all of us now.” Walker made no other reference to the protestors during his half-hour address. In answering questions from the bankers and developers, Walker admitted he should have spent more time building a case for his proposed limits on public union bargaining. He said they should be seen as quote, “not a right, but an expensive entitlement” for public employees. Walker said some of the funding he wanted to cut could be restored for schools, and for what he called “safety nets for the poor, and for our elders, and for those with special needs.” Still, Walker said his budget will lead to higher state revenues and increased prosperity.

Barn Destroyed by Fire

6/10/11 - Officials say lightning is to blame for a fire that destroyed a barn on Highway P in the town of Ashippun Wednesday night. The home owner told fire officials that they heard a loud crack around 10:15 p-m and about 10-minutes later a passerby was knocking on their door informing them their barn was on fire. No one was injured but 70 chickens in the barn were killed. Several vehicles being stored inside were also completely destroyed. 10-departments fought the blaze for several hours.


Brace Placed on Probation

6/10/11 - A Lomira man has entered into a plea agreement with prosecutors in a case where investigators say he left a key piece evidence at the crime scene: his drink. 52-year-old Thomas H. Brace broke into his neighbor’s apartment, who was just moving into the unit at the time last Halloween. An assortment of tools was among the items taken. After the victim noted that his neighbor was a heavy drinker and might be responsible, deputies attempted to make contact with Brace. According to the criminal complaint, a deputy saw the stolen contraband inside his apartment. The deputy then called Brace’s cell phone, heard it being turned off, and then saw Brace lying down in front of his closed door inside the apartment. The stolen tools were then moved out of site. When questioned about leaving a Green Bay Packers pint glass of whiskey with fresh ice cubes in the victim’s apartment, Brace said to investigators (quote) “Oh, that’s not good, I must have left that in there.” Brace pleaded to reduced misdemeanor charges and was placed on probation for one year.

Child Abuse Suspect Waives Prelim

6/10/11 - A Beaver Dam woman charged with felony child abuse waived her right to a preliminary hearing Thursday. 40-year-old Michelle Clark is accused of punching and kicking a young child. A teacher notified authorities last December after the kid came to school with a bloody lip and with a scratched and red face. The child told investigators that Clark hits her a lot after she drinks, has punched her in the head, stomach and privates and says she once blacked-out after being struck in the head with a dumbbell. Clark denied the allegations and said the child had been acting up lately. She could spend up to six years in prison if convicted. An arraignment hearing is scheduled for next month.

OWI Suspect Proceeding To Trial

6/10/11 - A 52-year-old Beaver Dam man charged with seventh offense OWI will proceed to trial after waiving his waived his right to a preliminary hearing Thursday. Jay Zeman allegedly showed up drunk to a meeting with his parole officer last month. The criminal complaint says Zeman told authorities that he had three drinks while visiting his father’s house in Madison before driving back to Beaver Dam for the meeting. The parole officer noticed he smelled like alcohol and gave him a breathalyzer test that recorded a .09, which is just over the limit of .08. If convicted Zeman faces up to 10 years in prison. Zeman’s drunken driving convictions date back to 1989 with the most recent coming in 2006. An arraignment hearing is scheduled for next month.

BDFD Responds To Small Appliance Fire

6/10/11 - The Beaver Dam Fire Department responded to a small appliance fire early this morning. Chief Alan Mannel says crews responded just before 1am to a home on the 200 block of East Davis Street. He says when he arrived he could smell burning plastic. It turned out to be a dehumidifier. There was minor fire damage reported to a small portion of the ceiling area above the unit in the basement. The house was ventilated but the residents were forced to find somewhere else to spend the night because the electricity had been shut-off. Mannel says the residence is otherwise completely livable.

Parents Of Disabled Protest Walker

6/10/11 - Parents of youngsters with disabilities rallied at the State Capitol Thursday against new limits on services which keep disabled people working. Those limits are part of a budget measure by Republican Governor Scott Walker to freeze enrollments in Family-Care and other programs aimed at helping the elderly and disabled. The parents say waiting lists would grow – and their kids would not be able to make proper transitions from high school to work. Some called the proposed limits immoral. Walker said it would help the state get rid of its current budget deficit without building up a new shortfall for the following budget, like other governors have done in the past. Both houses of the Legislature are expected to take up the budget next week. The Assembly will get the first crack at it on Tuesday.

Wasps Enter Ash Borer Battle

6/10/11 - Wisconsin’s latest battle against the emerald ash borer is underway. Scientists from U-W Madison released about 800 parasitic wasps yesterday in a forest near Saukville where the tree-killing ash borer has made its mark. The wasps do not sting – but they love feasting on the larvae of the ash borer, and that ruins the bug’s eggs. Two species of the Asian wasps have been released, and a third will go out later this summer. A federal breeding facility in Madison sent the special wasps to the U-W on Tuesday. Wisconsin is the 10th state to try to wasp treatment over the last four years. Nationally, about 165-thousand wasps are being released – about the same as a year ago. Chemical treatments have also been found to be effective against the emerald ash borer, but officials say they’re too expensive – and they’re not designed to protect entire forests. The green borer has killed millions of ash trees in recent years from Missouri to Quebec. It was first confirmed in Wisconsin in 2008. The ash borer has been spotted in neighboring Washington County but Beaver Dam Parks and Forestry Supervisor John Neuman says there has been no indication that the insect has been found here.