Top Stories July 13th

Some BD School Board Members Fined

7/13/11 - Seven members of the Beaver Dam School Board have been fined $50 plus court costs for violating the states Open Meetings Law. A complaint was filed with District Attorney Kurt Klomberg last month by Beaver Dam resident Dan Grulke claiming the district violated the law by discussing tentative contract agreements with unions during the closed session portion of a meeting held on June 6. Klomberg said while the discussion of the contracts wasn’t a violation the fact that the meeting notice didn’t specifically mention the contracts was. It was also found that the minutes from that meeting contained an error that made it appear that the district held its annual public hearing on the budget in closed session, which the district says was a simple clerical error that will be corrected at their next meeting. In a statement, Beaver Dam Superintendent Steve Vessey said the district accepts the decision and will strive to improve its meeting notices. Board members will also attend training on the Open Meetings Law so they can better understand their responsibilities. Board President Marge Jorgensen added that the board is made up of dedicated individuals who care about children. She said, “We are not lawyers but make every effort to comply with the law. Like our students, we are constantly learning and adapting.”

Juneau Mayor, Finance Chair Clash Over Salary Reductions

7/13/11 - The Chairman of the Juneau Finance Committee warned Mayor Ron Bosak last night that he would vote against any new appointments the mayor makes to the Utility Commission. At issue is a newly-approved city ordinance that reduces the monthly pay of all elected or appointed city personnel by 17 percent, going into affect with the start of a new term. The Juneau Utility Commission voted it down. The Utility is city-owned but is self-sustaining using virtually no city tax dollars. In May, Mayor Ron Bosak called the Commission (quote) “selfish and petty” and vowed not to re-appoint any of the current commissioners. In the letter read last night, Finance Committee Chairman Robert Affled said the Utility President and Commissioners should be exempt from the pay reductions because they are paid by commission revenue and not city tax dollars. Affled says if the mayor appoints anyone new to the commission, he “will vote against the appointment.” Bosak tells us he will stand by his commitment not to re-appoint any current Utility Commissioner and says it’s a simple matter of being a team player. Bosak has only one appointment to the Utility Commission that will come up during his current term as mayor and that is for current Utility President Don Wegener. Members of the commission receive $900 a year while the President receives $3000. That is in addition to pay for individual meetings, which for other elected and appointed city officials has been – or will be – reduced from $25 to $20.

“Real” Democrats Prevail in Primaries

7/13/11 - Six Democrats won their state Senate recall primaries yesterday, and none lost to the so-called “fake Democrats.” Ellsworth teacher Shelly Moore was the closest real Democrat to avoid elimination. She survived with 54-percent of the vote over former G-O-P Assembly candidate Isaac Weix. Moore won the right to challenge Senate Republican Sheila Harsdorf of River Falls in the August ninth general election. The G-O-P put up the fake Democrats to give the Republican senators who were targeted for recalls an extra month to campaign. The other five real Democrats each won with at least two-thirds of the vote. Three are currently in the Assembly, and are looking to get promoted to the upper house without having to give up their current posts if they lose. Baraboo Representative Fred Clark will face G-O-P incumbent Luther Olsen of Ripon. La Crosse Democrat Jennifer Shilling will try to get Republican Dan Kapanke of La Crosse recalled. And Whitefish Bay Representative Sandy Pasch faces Senate Finance Chair Alberta Darling of River Hills. Also, former Brown County Executive Nancy Nusbaum won a primary, and will try to unseat Green Bay Senate Republican Rob Cowles. And Democrat Jessica King won the right to try and unseat Fond du Lac G-O-P Senator Randy Hopper. The incumbents were all targeted because of their votes in favor of the new limits on public union bargaining. The next recall votes will be next Tuesday, when Republicans will be chosen to go up against Democratic senators Jim Holperin and Bob Wirch. And Green Bay Republican David VanderLeest will try next week to unseat Senate Democrat Dave Hansen. The Democrats are targeted for being away from Madison for three weeks in a failed attempt to block the union law.

Juneau Approves New Voting Wards

7/13/11 - The Juneau Common Council Tuesday night unanimously approved an ordinance to redraw the city’s voting wards. Municipalities are required to review their wards in conjunction with the census every ten years. Juneau has three voting wards with two alderpersons in each ward representing between 700 and 900 constituents in each of those wards. Under the new redistricting, Clerk-Treasurer Gladys McKay says each ward will now consist of over 900 constituents. If those numbers top 1000 after the next census, by state statute, Juneau would have to begin the process of adding another ward. The totals do include inmates at the Dodge County Detention Facility.

Legislative Redistricting Could Affect New City Ward Maps

7/13/11 - The state Legislature’s proposed redistricting plan would force a number of cities to re-draw the boundaries they already drafted for their new Common Council wards. Dan Thompson of the League of Wisconsin Municipalities says most cities have spent a lot of time and various resources working on new aldermanic boundaries. And Thompson says those cities might have to go back to “square one,” and re-draw the lines to fit those drafted by state legislative Republicans and the G-O-P’s attorneys. State law prohibits city wards to have two or more state Assembly or Senate districts. Beaver Dam’s Director of Administration John Somers says he was surprised to see the state plan come out before cities even finished their maps. Somers says it’s too early to tell how the city will be affected. Republicans issued their maps last Friday for Wisconsin’s new Assembly, Senate, and U-S House districts. Democrats and others accused the G-O-P of loading up the districts with their voters, with the apparent goal of keeping the Legislature in Republican hands for 10 years. Legal challenges are expected.

Local PD’s Get Safety Grant Funds

7/13/11 - Several local police agencies are among the 53 statewide that will benefit from over $300,000 in grants that are being awarded through the state Office of Justice Assistance. The Smaller Police Agency Crime Initiative Grants are meant to enhance safety for officers and the public. The funds will enable selected departments to purchase tactical vests, ballistic shields, handheld ID scanners, in-car video systems, emergency communication stations and Tazer guns. The Lomira Police Department is getting nearly $7000 while the Mayville Police Department is in line to receive almost $3000. The Randolph Police Department is being awarded just under $1500. One-hundred and six agencies applied for the grant funds and funding requests totaled over $860,000.

Local Conservation Wardens Honored

7/13/11 - DNR Conservation Wardens from Columbia and Jefferson County were among 16 statewide honored this week in a Capitol ceremony recognizing their life-saving efforts. Casey Krueger and Paul Nadolski of Columbia County risked their personal safety to free a driver from a vehicle trapped in the rising Fox River in June 2008. David Walz of Jefferson County performed CPR on a man found without a pulse by his daughter in October 2008. Each warden honored with the Life-Saving Award received a plaque and a pin. The wardens were selected by a panel of their peers who examined nominations submitted by supervisors from 2007 to present. DNR Secretary Cathy Stepp says the wardens exemplify courage by risking their own safety and responding with quick professionalism.

Student Rapist Denied New Trial

7/13/11 - The Wisconsin Supreme Court says it will not reverse a decision it made a year ago involving the gang rape of a U-W Whitewater student. The court refused Tuesday to grant a new trial to Dimitri Henley of Illinois. He and two others were accused of raping a female freshman at Whitewater in 1998. Henley was convicted in 2000 – but a Jefferson County circuit judge awarded a new trial eight years later, after a federal appeals court had granted a second trial for one of the other defendants. The State Supreme Court reversed the ruling last summer. The justices said Henley was trying to use civil statutes to ask for a new criminal trial – and that’s not allowed. Henley asked the court to reconsider. But today, the justices said they would only reconsider the case if another legal precedent was overlooked – or if new evidence turns up.

BD Man Accused of Hitting Car During Chase

7/13/11 - A Beaver Dam man was taken into custody over the weekend after allegedly running from police after they attempted to initiate a traffic stop. According to police reports, 21-year-old Arturo Rodriguez struck another vehicle while trying to evade police. It happened Saturday night at the intersection of Burnett and Grove Streets just after 7pm. Rodriguez was taken into custody on a parole violation and cited for speeding and reckless driving. Beaver Dam EMS responded to the scene but there was no transport needed.

Waukesha Gets New Ballot Bags

7/13/11 - The Waukesha County clerk will use new-and-improved bags to secure election ballots, after the use of poorly-sealed bags was questioned during the recent Supreme Court recount. Kathy Nickolaus said the bags are made from stronger plastic – and they have adhesive tape that shows if they’ve been tampered with. Other counties plan to use them, after Nickolaus showed off the new bags at a convention of county clerks in Rusk County last week. She said many of the clerks liked what they saw. Nickolaus said most clerks who use plastic bags will switch to the more secure ones starting in next spring’s elections. The bags became an issue in Waukesha County during the statewide recount, in which Justice David Prosser barely defeated challenger JoAnne Kloppenburg. Kloppenburg’s supporters said gaps in the bags were signs of tampering, while others said workers just had a hard time closing bags that were over-stuffed. Waukesha County’s recount was under the biggest microscope, after Nickolaus forgot to include Brookfield’s votes in her Election Night tally. It eliminated a 204-vote lead for Kloppenburg, and gave Prosser an edge of over seven-thousand votes – which he never gave up during the recount.

BDACT Kids Premier ‘Rapunzel’

7/13/11 - The Beaver Dam Area Community Theater’s youngest members are putting on their big summer show beginning today. “Let Your Hair Down Rapunzel” hits the stage today for the first of seven performances by the Tell-A-Tale troupe of the Beaver Dam Area Community Theater. Tickets are $6 with matinees and evening performances running through Saturday at the theater building on North Spring Street.