Top Stories, July 23rd

Columbia County Heat Fatality Identified

7/23/11 - Columbia County authorities have released the name of the 65-year-old man who died Monday as a result of the recent heat wave. Dennis Langetieg of Fall River was the first state’s confirmed heat-related death. The Columbia County Medical Examiner says Langetieg was assisting a family member with outdoor chores when he collapsed. Autopsy findings indicate Langetieg died from underlying medical conditions and associated extreme temperatures. Meanwhile, the heat wave has claimed a second life. Extreme heat was a factor in the death of an 82-year-old Prairie du Chien woman who died Thursday. Authorities are still investigating the specific circumstances surrounding the death. More than two dozen people have died in the United States during the current heat wave in the Midwest and east coast.

Beaver Dam Closes On Future Senior Center Building

7/23/11 - The city of Beaver Dam has closed on the property intended for use as a future Community and Senior Center. Mayor Tom Kennedy says the donation of the former Fullerton Lumber building at 209 South Center Street from Charles and Gail Fakes is a welcome gift to the city that will help continue efforts toward downtown revitalization. After the closing yesterday (Fr), the city signed a contract with architect Marty Sell with MSA Professional Services to proceed with the plans in developing phase one of the projects. Immediate occupancy is not expected as no city tax dollars are planned for the new facility. Senior center officials are actively fundraising for the anticipated $2.5 million cost to renovate the new building. A recent feasibility study determined that between $500,000 and $750,000 could be raised from private donations. The Senior Center currently has around $300,000 in an endowment fund.

WEAC Opts Out of Walker Task Force

7/23/11 - Wisconsin’s largest teachers’ union said Friday it would not take part in Governor Scott Walker’s task force to come up with a new system to evaluate the quality of public schools. Mary Bell, the head of WEAC, said her group supports the idea of dumping the current accountability system as required under the federal No Child Left Behind Act. But Bell said the union would not be able to cooperate with other members of the task force because it does trust not trust three of the group’s four chairmen. They are the Republican governor and the heads of the Assembly and Senate committees – Republicans Steve Kestell of Elkhart Lake and Luther Olsen of Ripon. Instead, the union promised to start its own effort this fall to get ideas from around the state on improving school accountability. And Bell said WEAC would share information with the fourth chair of the task force, State School Superintendent Tony Evers. Evers says the state might seek a waiver from the federal education law to try out its own homegrown school evaluation system. Bell said she was not certain if the union’s lack of involvement would hurt the state’s chances of getting such a waiver.

Lunch, Sports Fees Increasing In Waupun

7/23/11 - The cost of lunch and playing sports is going up in the Waupun School District. The school board approved a 5-cent increase for breakfast and lunch while also raising the school fee for playing a sport at the middle and high school by $5 to $35 per student per sport or activity. Officials say the total maximum per year for families will go from $100 to $120. The board also approved a change in health insurance for the district beginning September 1st. The change comes after the teachers agreed to it as part of the collective bargaining agreement reached earlier this year that will have them moving from the WEA Trust plan to Dean Health Care.

UW Steam Turbine Generator Scrapped

7/23/11 - The Wisconsin Department of Administration has decided building a steam turbine generator at the power plant powering the University of Wisconsin campus in Madison isn't cost-effective. Given the fact the state of Wisconsin may be selling or leasing power plants in the future, ending plans for expansion at the Madison plant will save the state eight to 10 million dollars. State officials say Wisconsin has a surplus of power generating capacity right now. That plant provides heating and cooling to the Madison campus. This is the second time Governor Scott Walker's administration has taken steps to reduce the quarter-million dollar project's cost.

Priebus Blames Obama For Economy

7/23/11 - The chairman of the Republican National Committee says President Obama will take the blame if Congress fails to reach an agreement on raising the federal debt limit. Reince Priebus says the American people know the economy is bad because of Obama's failed policies. Politicians in both parties say they believe the country will face economic catastrophe if the 14 trillion dollar debt limit isn't increased by August 2. Priebus was in Arkansas last night at a Republican fundraiser. His is the former chairman of the Wisconsin Republican Party.

Milwaukee County Mulls Insurance Increase

7/23/11 - Milwaukee County officials have been told the multi-million dollar deficits the county faces could be eliminated by making its workers pay more for their benefits. County employees could find themselves paying a bigger portion of the cost for their health insurance coverage. The county has the ability to raise property taxes as it deals with funding shortfalls. The city is considering a similar question. Requiring city employees to pay 12 percent of their premiums is expected to come up before the full common council at its next meeting Tuesday. That could mean an additional two thousand dollars out of the pocket of an employee who was covering a family of four.

Milwaukee Bus Drivers Under Attack

7/23/11 - Who's attacking Milwaukee's bus drivers? The County Transit System has filed police reports on five incidents when buses or their drivers have been hit with water balloons. One driver says a group of kids threw rocks and balloons filled with an unknown chemical when she opened the door of the bus she had been driving. Whatever was in the balloon stained her uniform and burned her eyes, reportedly. She is said to be still recovering from her injuries.

Roadwork To Greet AirVenture Motorists

7/23/11 - Just as thousands of flying enthusiasts head for the EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, road construction promises to complicate the drive for visitors unfamiliar with the area. The annual event draws huge crowds to Winnebago County. Drivers are being asked to be extra-cautious Monday when they are using U.S. Highway 41. Road work means slowdowns, construction cones and complications on the heavily-traveled highway at a time when more congestion isn't needed.

Clarke Investigating Missing Retirement Files

7/23/11 - Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke Junior orders an investigation into missing files. The sheriff's office was notified the files were missing from the country retirement system office yesterday. County auditor Jerome Heer says if paper files are missing, any information those files contained would still be on the computer system. He told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel county auditors were in the middle of a review of pension calculations in the office and they were not aware any files were missing. Heer called it disturbing that he had not been notified. Much sensitive information could be contained in files from the office, including bank account nubmers and Social Security numbers.