Top Stories June 19th

Unemployment Rate Remains Steady

6/19/11 - Wisconsin's seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate remained relatively steady from April to May, with the state gaining 900 private sector jobs. State labor officials said Thursday the jobless rate increased 0.1 percent to 7.4 percent in May. That compares with a rate of 8.5 percent in May 2010. Department of Workforce Development Secretary Scott Baumbach says more people are working, and more people are looking for work. The manufacturing sector performed well, gaining 1,600 new jobs in May. Wisconsin is doing better than the overall national picture. The U.S. seasonally-adjusted rate is 9.1 percent, up slightly from 9 percent in April. The Badger State is also below the jobless rates in other heavy manufacturing states in the Midwest, including Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio.

Candidates Finalized for Recall Elections

6/19/11 - State election officials have finalized the list of candidates who are challenging six Republican state senators in recall elections this summer. The Government Accountability Board said Friday it had received the necessary paperwork from 12 challengers. None of the nomination papers was challenged, so the GAB has now locked in the election dates. All six races will start with a Democratic primary on July 12. According to the final paperwork, each primary will include one Democratic candidate and a "fake" Democrat, part of a Republican strategy that forces Democrats to spend more resources per race. The primary winner will face the Republican incumbent in a general election Aug. 9. Three Democratic state senators are also being targeted for recall. If there are primaries in those races they'd be on July 19, with the general election on Aug. 16.

Three Charged in Drug House Operation

6/19/11 - Authorities in Columbus say three residents are facing prison time after one of them was caught selling marijuana to help pay rent. 22-year-old Michael Jesse is charged with felony possession with intent to deliver THC and two counts of manufacture/delivery of THC. According to the criminal complaint, on two separate occasions earlier this year Jesse sold to a police informant. His two roommates, 20-year old Emily Schoenfeldt and 21-year-old Emily Volkmann, face a charge of maintaining a drug trafficking place, which is a felony. They told investigators they had seen Jesse sell marijuana to various people more than 10 times during the short period he had lived there. One of the woman also told police that they allowed him to sell from their home because he needed money to help pay rent. All three have court activity scheduled for next month.

Waupun Man Gets Jail Time

6/19/11 - A Waupun man was sentenced to one year in the Dodge County Jail for a domestic incident last year. 25-year-old Joseph Weckworth was convicted of Substantial Battery, which is a felony. According to the criminal complaint, the victim told police that she had asked Weckworth to leave their house due to his addiction to prescription pain medication. In late December, Weckworth came to the home to pick up some of his belongings, and while the couple was fighting over who would get to keep a computer, he hit her. She told police that Weckworth hit her often but didn’t want to report it for fear of retaliation. Two misdemeanor charges against Weckworth were dropped.

Oakfield Man Sent to Prison

6/19/11 - The 55-year-old former Oakfield man who took advantage of a mentally challenged woman to have sex with her has been sentenced to five years and 9 months in prison. Fond du Lac County Judge Peter Grimm yesterday sentenced Steven Deichsel of Oshkosh to that, three years of probation and five years of extended supervision once he's done serving his sentence. According to the criminal complaint Deichsel sexually assaulted a 28-year-old woman after threatening to turn off the equipment she needed to breathe if she wouldn't have sex with him. (KFIZ, FDL)

Heroin an Issue

6/19/11 - We’re getting another tragic reminder that heroin is no longer just a big city problem. According to the Oshkosh Northwestern, 17 people died from drug overdoses in Winnebago County so far this year – and four similar deaths are still under investigation. Brad Dunlap of the area’s drug enforcement group says it’s clear that heroin is to blame. There were 15 heroin deaths in the group’s four counties last year. And it wasn’t for rescue efforts, the death toll could be a lot worse. The Oshkosh Fire Department has treated 44 people in the last year by using a medicine that counters the effects of a heroin-or-opiate overdose. Oshkosh Fire Chief Tim Franz said he used to throw away supplies of the antidote because they expired before they could be used. Now, he can’t get enough of it. Experts also say heroin is a growing problem because it’s cheaper than prescription painkillers for getting a quality high. Winnebago County District Attorney Christian Gossett says heroin is making a comeback as law enforcement cracks down on the prescription drug abuse. But Dunlap and other police officials say heroin is more dangerous – because it hooks users immediately, and its potency is often underestimated. Dodge County District Attorney Kurt Klomberg has spent this year going around to different city councils and village boards to inform them that heroin is also become a problem here.

Autopsy Expected on Janesville Man

6/19/11 - An autopsy will be performed on the body of a southern Wisconsin man recovered from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in Minnesota. Authorities said today that 23-year-old Ty Sitter of Janesville was pulled from about 90-feet of water last night on Swan Lake near Grand Marais. The body was located 500-feet from the shore, with the help of a sonar unit and an underwater vehicle. Sitter was last seen alive eight days ago, while fishing on Swan Lake. His father and brother got concerned when he didn’t return to their campsite late that evening. They later found Sitter’s canoe with about four-feet of water in it, plus most of his fishing equipment.

Summit to Study Increase in Suicides for Native Americans

6/19/11 - A national summit will be held this summer to address the growing number of Native American teens who are committing suicide. Assistant U-S Indian Affairs Secretary Larry Echowalk told a conference in Milwaukee this week that his agency is stepping up efforts to address the problem. Indian teens have a higher suicide rate than others – and the National Congress of American Indians held a three-hour workshop on the subject. Some tribes have started their own suicide prevention programs. Angeline Boulley (an-jeh-line boo’-lee) of the Sault (soo) Sainte Marie Chippewa tribe said there are many signs to look for – like mental illness and substance abuse. She also said many tribes need to make sure their young people stay connected to their schools and families. The federal government is helping pay for the Sault tribe’s program.

Bridge Closures

6/19/11 - Starting Monday the Wool Factory Bridge in Mayville will be closed as crews begin replacing it. The bridge, which sits over the Rock River, is expected to be completed in mid-September. Officials say the detour will have drivers on Highway 28/67 to County Highway V to County Highway TW and west to meet up with County Highway Y. The County Highway G bridge over Shaw Brook is also closed until September 1st. That detour has motorists going north on Highway J from Reeseville to Highway 16/60. State Highway 16/60 west to County Highway J. And County Highway J north to County Highway G just south of Leipsig.