Top Stories August 5th

Stock Losses Hit Wisconsin Businesses Hard

8/5/11 - Wisconsin companies were among those seeing their stock values plunge yesterday, as the Dow Jones industrial average had its ninth-biggest point loss ever. The Dow fell almost 513 points, the biggest one-day drop since the financial meltdown in December of 2008. Milwaukee’s M-G-I-C mortgage insurance company – which has been losing millions in the struggling housing market – had a 20-percent drop in its stock yesterday. Bon-Ton, which owns department store chains like Boston Store, plunged 18-percent. Mequon investment partner Chris Grant said the debt disaster in Europe and other world financial problems are landing on Wall Street’s lap. And he says we don’t have any solutions for them. Bruce Bittles of Milwaukee’s Robert W. Baird-and-Company says the stock market is giving up on its expectations of a normal economic recovery – and it’s now assuming that the economy is in a slowdown. Stock sell-offs have been the rule for two weeks, as the Dow has lost 10-and-a-half percent of its value since July 21st. Yesterday’s loss wiped out all of the Dow’s gains for the year.

DOT Pulls U-Turn on Closings

8/5/11 - State transportation officials have decided against closing 16 motor vehicle offices around the state, as part of a re-organization plan. D-O-T Secretary Mark Gottlieb says that all current D-M-V centers will stay open – four new centers will be created – and the total statewide service will be expanded by 620 hours a week. There will be no changes at the Beaver Dam location and preliminary plans to close a travel office in Fort Atkinson have been scrapped. Gottlieb said he heard from lawmakers and others when the agency announced its original plans a couple weeks ago. He said the new re-organization will cost more, but it’s the best way to expand motor vehicle services. The new centers will be located in Viroqua, Alma, Keshena, and the South Eau Claire-Fall Creek area. They’ll open in early 2012. The re-organization was required because of the new photo I-D law for voting. D-M-V centers will give free I-D’s to voters who need them. And the new state budget demanded that each county have at least one motor vehicle center that’s open 20-hours-or-more each week. Until now, only 30 of the 72 counties met the 20-hour requirement.

Hartford Legislator Driving On Suspended License

8/5/11 - A Wisconsin lawmaker was fined 200-dollars this week for driving after his license was suspended. Assembly Republican Don Pridemore of Hartford did not appear in court to challenge the ticket, so a default judgment was entered which found him guilty. The 64-year-old Pridemore tells the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that his license was suspended after he didn’t pay a fine for speeding in West Allis earlier this year. Pridemore said he tried to settle the ticket before visiting relatives in Chippewa County last month – but he claimed that no one answered the phone at the West Allis City Hall after two in the afternoon. Pridemore said he tried to fix it but couldn’t – and he called it an “unfortunate circumstance.” He was nabbed in Chippewa County for driving on a suspended license. Pridemore said he almost forgot about the court date on Tuesday – and by then, he couldn’t head to northwest Wisconsin to dispute the ticket.

Five Months For Drunken High Speed Chase

8/5/11 - A Watertown man will spend five months in jail for leading authorities on a drunken high speed chase through two counties. Jose Pedro Ocampo-Malvaez pleaded “no contest” to felony Fleeing charges of OWI- First. Authorities saw the 23-year-old driving recklessly on State Highway 26 in the Town of Lebanon in May. Ocampo-Malvaez was repeatedly slamming his breaks and getting rear-ended by the vehicle behind him. Deputies initiated a pursuit that led to a high speed chase that covered over seven miles in Dodge and Jefferson counties reaching speeds in excess of 110mph. His blood alcohol level was over twice the legal limit. Ocampo-Malvaez fled on foot into a field but was apprehended a short time later. In addition to five months in jail, he was also placed on probation for 18 months.

Four Months For Drunken High Speed Chase

8/5/11 - A Waupun man who ran from police has been sentenced to four months in jail. Nickey Duer pleaded “no contest” to a felony charge of Fleeing and misdemeanor Resisting an Officer and had two other charges dismissed but read into the record. Authorities say the 39-year-old confronted them in a parking lot on Main Street and was clearly inebriated. He told them to (quote) “go out there and arrest those drunk drivers.” They received word a short time later that he drove to a gas station. Officers then observed him squeal his tires and take off at a high rate of speed with his headlights off and a break light out. That sparked a chase with Duer driving 60 miles-an-hour down several side streets, blowing several stop signs. In addition to four months in jail, Duer had his license revoked for six months and was placed on probation for two years.

Hartford Man Arrested in Beaver Dam Pistol Whipping

8/5/11 - Police arrested a 46-year-old Hartford man early Thursday morning after he reportedly assaulted a man outside a Beaver Dam residence before trying to break-in. It happened in the 600 block of Madison Street just after 2 a-m. Authorities say the suspect was upset and believed money was owed to him. According to witnesses, the subject left the residence and returned a short time later armed with a .357 caliber handgun. He then allegedly assaulted a 22-year-old Beaver Dam man outside the residence with the handgun. After trying to get back into the home he fled the scene but was taken into custody a few minutes later following a traffic stop. The man was arrested on charges of OWI 3rd offense and taken to jail. Charges of disorderly conduct, substantial battery, criminal damage to property, criminal trespass to a dwelling, endangering safety by use of a dangerous weapon and carrying a concealed weapon have been forwarded to the District Attorney’s office.

Gas Station Attendant Charged With Work Burglary

8/5/11 - A Lomira woman is charged with felony burglary for stealing money from the gas station where she had worked. Lisa Ann Anderson is accused of using her work keys to enter a locked office and steal $230 in cash. Authorities reviewed video surveillance footage and management noted that the subject was similar to Anderson in clothing and mannerisms. They then reviewed footage of Anderson during a recent work shift and say she was wearing the same clothes. If convicted, the charge carries a maximum prison sentence of 12-and-a-half years. Anderson had a signature bond set at $2500 this week and a preliminary hearing on the calendar next month.

Pole Barn Ambush Burglary Suspect Waives Prelim

8/5/11 - A Lake Mills man accused of breaking into a pole shed only to be ambushed by the intended victims waived his right to a preliminary hearing Thursday in a Dodge County courtroom. Joseph Bidlack could spend up to 24 years in prison if he’s convicted on felony charges of Burglary and Possession of Burglary Tools. According to the criminal complaint, the would-be victims renting the pole shed in the Town of Portland got word from a friend that Bidlack was planning on breaking into the shed and stealing vehicle parts. Three men were waiting inside the shed last month when the 36-year-old Bidlack allegedly cut the lock on the shed and entered. Bidlack sustained injuries in the ensuing melee and accuses his attackers of using a baseball bat. The victims deny using the bat and say they acted in self-defense. Bidlack has an arraignment hearing scheduled later this month.

Clyman Man Found Unconscious Outside Home

8/5/11 - Emergency officials in the Village Clyman responded to reports of a man lying unconscious outside his house on Wednesday. According to Fire Chief Eric Howlett, first responders arrived on scene at 7:30pm and found the 47-year-old male unresponsive in the backyard. Family members were the first to find the man; it is not know how long he had been there. Howlett says the man was spraying pesticides in his basement and became overcome by the fumes. The Clyman Fire Department was paged to ventilate the house. Juneau Fire and EMS also assisted at the scene, along with the Dodge County Sheriffs Department. Watertown Paramedics were called for an intercept and the subject was transported to Watertown Hospital where he was treated and released last night. This was the second time this year Clyman First Responders treated a person overcome by pesticide fumes.

Push to Keep Post Offices Open

8/5/11 - There’s an effort brewing in Congress to save the post offices that are targeted for closing. The Postal Service wants to shut down 41 facilities throughout Wisconsin, including the office in Lowell, to try and reduce the millions-of-dollars the agency has been losing. But freshman House Republican Sean Duffy of Ashland says he’ll fight to keep them open. He says his district has dozens of small towns where the post office is their identity. Duffy says he’s found a lot of fat that can be cut in Washington, and post offices are not among them. Herbster Town Board member Jane Bucy says the closings of rural post offices could mean the end for many small towns. She says her post office is the “life of the community” – and many older people still depend on the mail for medicines and other important things. Duffy says several members of Congress are pushing bills to send the postal closing list to the dead-letter-bin.

Alliant Profits Below Analyst Projections

8/5/11 - Alliant Energy said its most recent quarterly profits were higher than a year ago – but they were less than what outside analysts projected. Alliant reports net earnings of 51-million-dollars from April-through-June, up from 48-million the year before. When one-items and discontinued operations are not included, earnings totaled just over 48-million, down by just over a million from the previous year. Total earnings were 46 cents a share, a penny lower than what analysts predicted. Alliant owns Wisconsin Power-and-Light as well as a large electric utility in Iowa and serves a good portion of Dodge County. The company said it had to provide credits on Iowa bills as part of a required cost management plan. It resulted in lower revenues in Iowa – but the shortfall is expected to be made up during the second half of the year.

See More Burgers

8/5/11 - The birthplace of the hamburger will celebrate this weekend. The 23rd annual Burger Fest begins tomorrow night in Seymour, about 15 miles west of Green Bay. A 150-pound hamburger will be grilled for folks to share. And there will be a burger-eating contest and a ketchup-sliding contest. Seymour’s burger tradition started in 1885. Charlie Nagreen was making meatballs-on-a-stick when he flattened them, and put them between two pieces of bread. But Athens Texas and New Haven Connecticut have also claimed to be the home-of-the-hamburger – and they said their dishes came long before Seymour’s did. The National Hamburger Festival in Ohio put the issue to an online vote in 2006 – and 40-percent chose Seymour. But the controversy didn’t end. And in 2007, the Wisconsin Legislature passed a resolution defending Seymour’s honor, and proclaiming it as the official home-of-the-hamburger.