Top Stories, June 12th

SKDS Holding Spring Street Groundbreaking

6/12/11 - St. Katherine Drexel School in Beaver Dam will hold a groundbreaking ceremony Sunday morning. Beginning this fall, all classes will be held on their Spring Street campus. Construction will begin Monday on an addition that will include an elevator and new bathrooms. Classrooms will be updated to accommodate pre-school, 4K and Kindergarten classes. Major construction is expected to be completed by the time student’s return in the fall. The groundbreaking ceremony at St. Katherine Drexel School will take place immediately following Sunday’s 10am Mass in the school courtyard.

First Lutheran Church Reaches 151 Year Milestone

6/12/11 - The First Lutheran Church of Beaver Dam is celebrating a milestone anniversary. The church has been in the city for 151 years and officials are tying that number into a theme for the weekend. Members of the church’s planning team say their proximity to Highway 151 made for a fitting theme in “Route 151 to the Future.” In keeping with that theme, a car will be driven into Friendship Hall. Inside the car will be suit cases, a picnic cooler and a map. The planning team says those items show the church is ready to change course from reflecting on the past 150 years to imagining the next 150 years. Sunday services are at 8am and 10:30am with a reception in Friendship Hall at 9:15am.

Senator Kohl Rep In Beaver Dam on Wednesday

6/12/11 - A representative for Senator Herb Kohl will be in Beaver Dam this coming Wednesday. Marlene Mielke, Kohl’s regional representative, will be available to meet with constituents from 11 a-m to noon inside the council chambers at City Hall on South Lincoln Avenue. Kohl says people should meet with Mielke if they are having a problem with a federal program or agency, or have an opinion on an issue before Congress. No appointment is necessary. Mielke can also be contacted at Kohl’s regional office in Appleton at (920) 738-1640.

Slots Filling Up For Senator Johnson BD Appearance

6/12/11 - Wisconsin’s other US Senator will be in Beaver Dam next month and spots are filling up. The Beaver Dam Chamber of Commerce announced this past week that they’ll be hosting U.S. Senator Ron Johnson as part of their Breakfast Network series on July 5. The freshman Senator is expected to discuss the federal budget, healthcare legislation and the deficit. Breakfast Networks are not exclusive to Chamber members and are open to the public. The cost is $5 to attend and includes a continental breakfast. It will be held at the Rogers Cinema on Front Street in their MegaScreen Theater. More information is available at www.beaverdamchamber.com.

Dem’s Won’t Run Fake GOP Candidates

6/12/11 - The state Democratic Party said Saturday that it does not plan to run fake GOP candidates in this summers state Senate recall elections. Republicans admitted last week that they will run what they called “protest” candidates, phony Democrats meant to force primary runoffs in the six recalls targeting Republican senators. The primaries would be July 12. The Republicans are seeking to have their general elections are held in August, giving incumbent GOP senators more time to campaign after the state budget is adopted next week. State Democratic Party Chairman Michael Tate said in a statement that his party won't copy the GOP's strategy. But he said his party intends to force primaries in the six recalls of Republicans by running two Democrats in each of them; a legitimate candidate and a so-called "placeholder" who will not actively campaign. The move is intended to guarantee that all of the general elections in those races will be held in August, regardless of which races the Republicans run candidates as Democrats. Tate says Democrats “will not stoop to the Republicans' level by encouraging candidates to lie about their party affiliation, or recommending that people try to deceive voters." Republicans have accused Democrats of hypocrisy in their criticism and point to the fake Republican who ran last fall against independent candidate Assemblymen Bob Ziegelbauer of Manitowoc in an attempt to split the vote and help a Democrat win.

Thompson: ‘Time, Planning, Effort’ Needed To Replace Kohl

6/12/11 - Tommy Thompson says it would take what he calls a “great deal of time, planning, and effort” to make a U-S Senate bid during a presidential election year. Thompson announced on Friday that he’ll wait until after the state Senate recall elections to decide if he’ll run for the U-S Senate, for the seat to be vacated by Democrat Herb Kohl at the end of next year. The former Republican governor and Bush health secretary says he’ll make his intentions clear once the quote, “critical period” of the state recalls has ended. Six Republican state senators face possible recall votes, along with three Democrats. They could determine whether Democrats have a chance at regaining one of Legislature’s two houses before the 2012 contests. Barring court challenges, the recall elections will take place in July and August. It’s been over a decade since Thompson has held elected office.

Home Building Remains Sluggish

6/12/11 - Home building continues to be sluggish in Wisconsin’s largest cities. According to M-T-D Marketing Services, building permits for one-and-two-family homes are down 24-and-a-half percent from a year ago in the state’s five largest metros. Just over one-thousand building permits were issued in those places this year – down from over 13-hundred-50 last year at this time. The Green Bay-Door County region has the biggest decline in home-building permits, at 39-percent. Metro Milwaukee is down 30-percent, and the Fox Cities are down 14-and-a-half percent. Home building is on the rise in Madison and the Racine-Kenosha region. Dominic Collar of M-T-D says the large amount of existing homes-for-sale is putting a crimp into new construction. He said builders are emphasizing that overall construction costs are down, and so are interest rates – and that makes it a great time to build a new house.

La Crosse Marijuana Decriminalization Veto Up-In-The-Air

6/12/11 - The mayor of La Crosse has until Tuesday to veto a measure to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana. The Common Council voted 11-to-4 Thursday night to give tickets instead of criminal charges to first-time offenders caught with seven grams of pot or less. Mayor Matt Harder vetoed a similar measure last November. But he says the new version is somewhat different – and he’s not saying what he’ll do. He has until five p-m Tuesday to decide. Alderman Dick Swantz said the change would deter marijuana use without saddling small first-time offenders with a criminal record. Alderman Chris Olson said a judge actually suggested it – and he proposed an amendment giving half the revenue from the fines to the La Crosse DARE drug education program. Alderman Doug Happel said the decriminalization sends the wrong message about drug use.

Mining Company Begins Lake Superior Drilling

6/12/11 - The mining company that is about to begin drilling about 30 miles inland from Lake Superior may end up sinking 30 exploratory holes, more than the eight they’ve applied for with the Department of Natural Resources. G-Tac Mining President Bill Williams says eight holes is just the beginning. He says they need to fill in information gaps about the iron ore body along the Penokee Mountain Range. Thirty-five holes were drilled by other companies in the mine area during the 1950’s. The DNR issued storm water permits June 3, which allows G-Tac to begin its first phase of drilling eight holes. Williams expects drill rigs to be in place this month. Six holes will be drilled in Iron County and two in the Ashland County. The depths will range from 350 to 1,500 feet.

FDA Admits Shortcoming In Triad Inspection

6/12/11 - The federal government admits it should have given a warning to a Hartland company whose medical swabs-and-wipes were recalled due to contamination. In a letter to two U-S senators, the Food-and-Drug Administration said it should have been tougher in its most recent probe into the Triad Group. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel said it received a copy of the letter. The paper said it found that the F-D-A was aware for years about sterilization problems at Triad’s plant – but nothing was done until the recalls began last December. The letter said a regulatory meeting with Triad and a plant inspection should have been followed up with a warning letter to quote, “reinforce F-D-A concerns.” Triad was sued earlier this year by a couple from Texas. Sandra and Shanoop Kothari said alcohol wipes made at Triad’s H-and-P plant most likely caused a bacterial infection that killed their son Harry last December. A month later, the F-D-A announced a recall of Triad’s products, saying they might have been contaminated by the Bacillus cereus bacteria. The company said the recall was made due to caution, and was not connected with any deaths or illnesses. Triad has denied responsibility for the child’s death.

Marinette Sheriff Says Deputy Shooting Justified

6/12/11 - Marinette County Sheriff Jerry Sauve says his deputies acted with valor in a difficult situation. Sauve calls their conduct appropriate in the domestic incident that left 82-year-old Ralph Slattery dead. Three deputies were called to Slattery's home in the town of Beaver last Wednesday morning. Slattery's wife had told a dispatcher he had pulled a gun on her. She also said he wanted to kill himself. During the standoff Slattery raised and racked his shotgun at deputies in a threatening manner, refusing to drop it and pointing it at one of the officers. Deputy Lance Lincoln fired three shots, hitting Slattery twice in the chest and once in the stomach. A check after the incident found the shotgun was loaded with a round in the chamber.