Top Stories June 8th

Barn Fire in Neosho

6/8/11 - Fire destroyed a barn on Highway 67 in the town of Neosho late last night. Officials say no one was hurt but the barn was a total loss and several tools and vehicles were in the barn when it went up. Firefighters got the call just after 8pm and when they arrived on scene the barn was fully engulfed. It’s unclear how the fire started but the owner told officials that there were several appliances plugged in that may have played a role. No firefighters were injured though there were precautions taken due to the outside temperatures yesterday along with the heat from the fire. A portion of Highway 67 was shut down for about 3 ½ hours while the seven fire departments on scene fought the blaze.

Man Crashes Motorcycle on Closed Road

6/8/11 - A 49-year-old Watertown man was seriously injured after crashing his motorcycle on a closed portion of Highway A just before midnight yesterday. Sheriff Todd Nehls says the man was attempting to slowdown near the highway’s intersection with County Trunk S, hit an unpaved portion and lost control before dumping the bike. He was taken to Beaver Dam Community Hospital and later flown to UW Hospital in Madison. The man was not wearing a helmet.

Record Heat Hits Wisconsin

6/8/11 - It was 100-degrees yesterday in parts of Wisconsin that had frost on the ground just two-to-three weeks ago. Eau Claire and La Crosse both had 100, and both broke record highs for the date set in 1987. At the airport in Juneau it hit 95, breaking the record set in 1988 of 92-degrees. Cities throughout Wisconsin set new record highs, including Milwaukee at 97. And it hit 95 in Madison for only the fourth time since 2000. The National Weather Service says it’s been the hottest June in 17 years. You can expect one more day of this intense heat. Forecasters say a strong cold front will move from northwest Wisconsin to the southeast throughout the day, bringing the potential for thunderstorms that could be severe in the southeast half. Once it all goes through, it’s supposed to be a lot cooler and less humid. Some parts of Wisconsin might not get out of the 60’s tomorrow.

Beaver Dam Voting Wards Undergoing Transformation

6/8/11 - Officials in Beaver Dam are in the process of rearranging the city’s 14 aldermanic wards. Redistricting, as it’s called, is required to be done in conjunction with the ten-year census. That’s what prompted the Dodge County Board to recently eliminate four of its 36 supervisory districts, a process that began years ago. One of those county board supervisory districts being eliminated is in Beaver Dam, and the city will soon be represented by six county board supervisors instead of seven.

Beaver Dam’s Director of Administration John Somers says that has a huge impact on how the city’s voting wards are going to be laid out as seven county board districts used to divide evenly into 14 city voting wards. The city now has to divide six county board districts into 14 aldermanic wards. That means two of Beaver Dam’s county board districts will soon have to include three city voting wards.

Beaver Dam Ward Ten Alderman Don Neuert will lose the majority of his current constituents. While he looks forward to meeting new people, Neuert is worried the change will cause confusion and make it very difficult to get feedback from his constituents during the transition. Beaver Dam has less than 60 days to get their new aldermanic wards in synch with the county’s new supervisory districts. While nothing is set in stone just yet, Somers says any possible changes at this point would be minor.

Fischer Easing Off Council Reduction, Still Supports Referendum

6/8/11 - Newly-elected Beaver Dam Alderman Mick Fischer says now is the wrong time to consider reducing the size of the common council. During his campaign, Fischer was critical of the size of the 14-member body, which he says is bigger than any other city council in the state, of comparable size. With the need to re-arrange city wards to comply with new county board districts, Fischer says now may not be the right time to eliminate council seats. Alderpersons on both sides of the council reduction issue have supported the idea of an advisory referendum to gauge public support before making any lasting decisions. Fischer says a referendum has been one of his primary motivations this whole time. There is no law that requires a city council to reduce its size following the census, it just tends to be make for an easier transition because voting wards are being redrawn anyway.

Former Beaver Dam Mayor Honored Posthumously

6/8/11 - The son of Beaver Dam’s first full-time mayor says his dad would have been proud of all the major accomplishments taking place in the city. Ken Kachelski says it’s a statement to the city and its quality of life that so much positive growth has been taking place. City officials in Beaver Dam held a memorial dedication ceremony Tuesday morning for Robert Kachelski on what would have been his 84th birthday. Kachelski passed away last September and the common council unanimously approved a resolution in October that called for a memorial plaque and tree planting. It’s located next to the new police station between the Chamber offices on South Spring Street and the Historical Society on Park Avenue. Kachelski was in office when the museum moved from the old depot building to its current location in the former Williams Free Library.

Decision on Recall Elections Expected

6/8/11 - A state panel will decide today whether to hold recall elections against three Democratic senators. The State Democratic Party has asked the Government Accountability Board to throw out recall petitions against Dave Hansen, Jim Holperin, and Bob Wirch. They said Republican circulators used fraud in getting people to sign the petitions – and in one case, Native Americans were told they were supporting Indian rights. Yesterday, board staffers refused to make a recommendation on the matter. That leaves it to the board’s six retired judges to decide whether to hold the elections. Board director Kevin Kennedy says the panel can throw out all or part of the petitions. And if they find fraud, they’ll have to decide whether to recommend criminal charges. Meanwhile, the people who organized the recall efforts against Holperin and Hansen are accusing the accountability board of dragging its feet. David Vanderleest, who led the Hansen recall effort, says the board is not getting its work done and it should lose its state funding. But a judge agreed last week that the board needed more time to act on the matter, because it’s been busy processing thousands of recall petitions while handling the recent State Supreme Court recount.

GOP Senators Taking Case to the Courts

6/8/11 - All six Republican state senators who face recalls have asked a judge to block the special elections they’re facing. Senators Rob Cowles of Green Bay, Sheila Harsdorf of River Falls, and finance co-chair Alberta Darling of River Hills filed their lawsuits yesterday. That was after Dan Kapanke, Luther Olsen, and Randy Hopper filed their suits last week. All six accuse recall petitioners of not completing their required registrations with the state Government Accountability Board. As a result, they claim the 60-day time periods for gathering petition signatures were never started. No court dates have been set in any of the cases, all of which make claims that were recently rejected by the accountability board. The panel scheduled all six recall elections for July 12th. And a judge last week rejected G-O-P requests to move back the balloting to July 19th – which could be the date that three Democratic senators could have recall elections. The board will act on that matter today. The nine senators are being targeted for their actions involving the bill which limits collective bargaining by most public employee unions in Wisconsin.


Chemical Exposure at Dells Resort

6/8/11 - Three people were taken to a hospital yesterday, for exposure to chlorine and sulfuric acid at the Mount Olympus Resort in Wisconsin Dells. Resort owner Nick Laskaris said an outdoor pool area was shut down where the chemical incident occurred. He said they’re investigating the cause. In the meantime, the park and the Mount Olympus hotel both remain open.

Farmers Market Voucher Sign-Ups Today

6/8/11 - Area seniors may be eligible to take advantage of some money-saving opportunities at local farmers markets beginning today. 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 today and tomorrow in Beaver Dam, Juneau and Mayville. The vouchers will be available on a first come, first serve basis.

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