Top Stories June 1st

GOP Takes Recalls to the Courts

6/1/11 - Three Republican state senators went to court yesterday to try-and-stop the recall elections against them. Dan Kapanke of La Crosse, Randy Hopper of Fond du Lac, and Luther Olsen of Ripon accuse Democrats of improperly filing paperwork with state officials when they organized the recall efforts. The Government Accountability Board rejected the argument last month, and they certified all three recall votes. Attorney Eric McLeod said there’s no proof that those filing the initial documents were registered members of the recall committees. And for that reason, McLeod wants the Dane County Circuit Court to do what the Accountability Board wouldn’t do – throw out the recall votes against Kapanke, Hopper, and Olsen. Democrats have accused the G-O-P senators of splitting hairs. State Democratic Party spokesman Graeme Zielinski calls the claims laughable, compared to what he calls the wide-spread fraud by Republicans in gathering recall petitions against three Democratic senators. The Accountability Board has delayed action on certifying the recalls against the Democrats, saying they need more time to study the matter. Yesterday, it certified recall votes against the other three Republican senators who were targeted – Alberta Darling, Rob Cowles, and Sheila Harsdorf.

Beaver Dam Men Connected To Burglary

6/1/11 - Two Beaver Dam men face a variety of felony charges in two counties for allegedly burglarizing a shuttered business. 20-year-old Robert M. Hansen and 21-year-old Jonathon L. Schultz were arrested earlier this month after Washington County Sheriffs deputies responded to a report of suspicious activity and reportedly found the subjects with spools of copper wire. They are charged in Washington County with felony Possession of Burglary Tools and misdemeanor Obstruction of a Police Officer. Authorities there contacted the Dodge County Sheriffs Department because the two agencies had previously worked on a joint investigation involving Hansen. When detectives went to Hansen’s residence, they allegedly found more spools of copper wire in the back of his pick-up. The wire had the name of a Town of Emmet business that had been closed for four years. Investigators found the business had been broken into and the family says the cooper wire with the name of the business on it had never been sold to anyone else. Schultz and Hansen are each charged with felony Burglary and misdemeanor Theft in Dodge County. Hansen initially denied the charges and implicated Schultz before reportedly confessing. He had cash bond set at $1000 while Schultz had a signature bond set yesterday at the same amount. Both have court activity on the calendar this month in both counties.

Dodge County Girl Scout Council Avoids Merger

6/1/11 - A federal court gave the Girl Scout council that govern’s Dodge County a new lease-on-life Tuesday. The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago said the national Girl Scouts were wrong to try-and-eliminate the Manitou Council of Sheboygan. The group was the only one to challenge a merger plan aimed at reducing the number of councils nationally from 300-to-100. Federal Judge J-P Stadtmueller of Milwaukee ruled in favor of the national scouts, saying the merger was part of the group’s right to free expression. But the appellate judges said the council was no different than a franchise of a major business chain – and eliminating it would have violated Wisconsin’s Fair Dealership Law. In a 19-page ruling, the appellate judges said that from a commercial standpoint, the Scouts were quote, “not readily distinguishable from Dunkin’ Donuts.” The Manitou Council includes Girl Scouts in Sheboygan, Washington, Manitowoc, Fond du Lac, Calumet and Dodge counties. Its cookie sales exceed a million dollars a year – and under the merger plan, those revenues would have been split among three groups.

Law Would Increase Taxes for Working Poor

6/1/11 - Wisconsin’s working poor with two-or-more kids would get a tax increase under a budget measure endorsed by the Legislature’s Finance Committee. Majority Republicans also pushed through some tax breaks for business and investors, as the panel began its final week of rewriting Governor Scott Walker’s state budget for the next two years. The most controversial change yesterday was to the state’s Earned Income Credit for the working poor. Assembly G-O-P co-chair Robin Vos said the credits were among the highest in the country – and they had to be cut to help eliminate the state’s budget deficits. Vos said the panel wanted to increase the Earned Income Credit for single mothers, while reducing it for larger families. He said many who get the credit don’t work, so they’re not technically paying higher taxes. But Milwaukee Assembly Democrat Tamara Grigsby protested the cuts by saying quote, “We hate poor people – We kick them while they’re down.” And she said they’ll never get the chance to improve. The committee also voted to roll back some of the 2009 tax hikes for multi-state corporations under the combined reporting law. And they voted to let people defer state taxes on long-term capital gains if they’re re-invested in a Wisconsin business.

Primaries Could Be Moved

6/1/11 - Wisconsin’s presidential primary would be moved back to April under a new bill from a freshman state lawmaker. Assembly Republican Gary Tauchen of Bonduel has introduced a measure to move the presidential contests from the date of the local primaries in February back to the local general election date on the first Tuesday in April. Wisconsin moved its presidential primary to February in 2004, to try and give the contests more national exposure and attract more White House candidates to the Badger State. But it didn’t work as well as planned, as other states moved their primaries and caucuses ahead of Wisconsin’s February date. Meanwhile, another bill would move the fall partisan primaries from mid-September to the second Tuesday in August. The federal government requires the change, so absentee ballots can be sent to overseas voters in time to be counted.

Phone Lines Packed for No-Call List

6/1/11 - Over a quarter-million Wisconsinites jammed phone lines the past couple days to make sure they’re on the next do-not-call list for telemarketers. Yesterday was the deadline to get onto the updated list which goes out July first. Brock Bergey of the state’s consumer protection division said over 124-thousand people called or went on-line to get onto the no-call list on Memorial Day. Yesterday, another 111-thousand people added their names by three p-m. The last-minute rush was so big, callers were not getting through. So officials temporarily doubled the number of available call-in lines to around 200. The no-call list is updated every three months, and people must re-register every two years to stay on it. Bergey says there’s always a rush near the deadline – and you don’t have to wait until then to register for the no-call list that will go out September first. It’s one of Wisconsin’s most popular programs. Over two-point-two million state residents are on the list – and about half are cell phones.

Senior’s Farmers Market Vouchers Available

6/1/11 - Area seniors may be eligible for big savings at some local farmers markets. The Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program provides eligible adults age 60 and over with vouchers for not only farmers markets but also roadside stands. Dodge County seniors with a household income at or below 185% of the federal poverty rate are invited to voucher distribution sites next week in Beaver Dam, Juneau, Mayville and Watertown. The vouchers will be available on a first come, first serve basis. A list of times and locations can be found on our website.

Wednesday, June 8, 9am to 11am – Beaver Dam Veterans Center
Wednesday, June 8, 1pm to 3pm – Dodge County Administration Building
Thursday, June 9, 10am to 11am – Mayville Senior Center
Thursday, June 9, 1pm to 3pm – Beaver Dam Community Action Center
Wednesday, June 15, 1:30pm to 3pm – Mueller Apartments in Watertown


Census Figures Show Cuts In Education Funding

6/1/11 - Census figures show that Wisconsin schools spent more-per-student than the national average in 2009. But a state education official says the Badger State is losing its standing as one of the top K-to-12 school systems in the country. With schools facing an 800-million dollar cut in state aid over the next two years, educators are saying that Advanced Placement classes for high-performing students will most likely be on the chopping block – along with art, music, and physical education classes. That’s according to state education services’ director John Johnson, who says bigger class sizes could also be on the way. He said Tommy Thompson’s revenue caps in 1993 have had Wisconsin schools slashing their expenses and spending ever since. As a result, Johnson said the state now ranks 19th in revenues for supporting students – down from the 12th-highest in 2000. He also points to Census data showing that Wisconsin teacher salaries have slipped. They used to be the 11th-highest a decade ago – but now, they’re around an average rank of 22nd.

Senate To Consider Cream Puff As State Dessert

6/1/11 - The Wisconsin Senate plans vote during June Dairy Month on making the cream puff the state’s official dessert. The Senate’s Education Committee recently endorsed the new symbol. It was first suggested by Janine Coley’s fourth-grade class at the Clarendon Avenue School in Mukwonago. Their senator, Republican Mary Lazich, introduced the cream puff bill – but only after the kids studied the history of the confection, and had supporters sign petitions on Facebook. If the Senate okays the new symbol, the Assembly will be asked to pass it. Wisconsin has 26 official symbols. Two others were rejected a year ago.

BDACT Holding Auditions For Middle Schoolers Tonight

6/1/11 - The Beaver Dam Area Community Theater and the school district are teaming up again this summer for a middle school play. It will be “No Strings Attached” a contemporary spin on the classic tale of Pinocchio. Auditions will be held at the Beaver Dam Middle School tonight (Wednesday) from 6:30pm to 8:30pm. Students in grades six through eight should be prepared to sing a short song a capella and read from the script. The cost to participate is $5. The show runs three days beginning Wednesday, July 20.