Top Stories, October 21

Former CO Found ‘Not Competent’ For Trial

10/21/11 - The case against a former corrections officer in Waupun, who is accused of smuggling various items inside the institution for a prisoner, has been suspended as the suspect has been found “not competent” to stand trial. Patricia Kok of Fond du Lac is charged with Delivering Illegal Articles to an Inmate. A judge found probable cause as alleged in the criminal complaint and ordered yesterday that Kok be admitted to the Winnebago Mental Health Institute as soon as a room becomes available. The 46-year-old is said to have brought culinary magazines and clothes to the inmate in the Waupun Correctional Institution, where the two worked in the Food Service Area. Kok is also said to have engaged in phone sex with the prisoner and provide him with money to obtain a lawyer to re-open his case. Kok reportedly told investigators that she knew it was wrong but wanted to help him make plans for school when he gets out. If Kok, fails to report to Winnebago when notified, she was ordered to be taken into custody by law enforcement.

Waupun Man Get Life In Arizona Murder

10/21/11 - An inmate at the Waupun Correctional Institution was sentenced Thursday to life in prison for killing the daughter of a former F-B-I agent in Arizona. William Zamastill is almost 60-years-old. He was convicted in July of First-Degree Murder in the death of Leesa Jo Shaner in 1973. Prosecutors said they believed Shaner was abducted from the airport in Tucson, where she had driven to pick up her husband. Her remains were found in a shallow grave in southeast Arizona in the fall of ’73. Zamastill became a suspect while serving time for the murder of a Wisconsin woman in 1979. Shaner’s father, former F-B-I agent James Miller, died in 2007 from cancer.

Bomb Threat Called To Beaver Dam Business

10/21/11 - Beaver Dam police responded to a bomb threat early Thursday. Detective Ryan Klavekoske tells us that a person called Dodge County dispatch just after 1am saying that an explosive was inside the J.B. Kenehan printing company at 555 Beichl Avenue. A search by the Beaver Dam police and fire departments turned up nothing. There are no suspects at this time. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Beaver Dam Police Department. JB Kenehan acquired the Beichl Avenue facility from Conley Publishing in September of 2010.

State Agencies Brace For Job Cuts

10/21/11 - Wisconsin state agencies are being told to expect the possibility of job cuts. Governor Scott Walker’s administration says another 300 million dollars in cuts will need to be made over the next two years. That figure includes more than 125 million in cuts already specified in the state budget passed last summer. State agencies facing potential job reductions include the Health Services, Children and Families, and the Department of Corrections.

Private Sector Job Losses

10/21/11 - The numbers of private sector jobs in Wisconsin went down in September for the third straight month. State workforce development officials said today that Wisconsin had a net loss of 900 private sector jobs during the month. Health care jobs grew by about three-thousand, and there were 15-hundred more construction jobs than in August on a seasonally-adjusted basis. But Wisconsin’s largest sector, manufacturing, had three-thousand fewer jobs. And state and local governments continued to take a huge hit, as their workforces dropped by almost 12-thousand people. Officials highlighted a slight decline in the state’s unemployment rate, from seven-point-nine percent to seven-point-eight. Workforce Development Secretary Scott Baumbach said the state’s rate went down while the national jobless rate was stagnant – and the Badger State has lower unemployment than other manufacturing states like Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio. Still, Baumbach said unemployment is too high in Wisconsin – and he said it underscores the urgency of Governor Walker’s special session on jobs.

League of Women Voters Files Lawsuit on ID Law

10/21/11 - The League of Women Voters followed through Thursday on their promise to sue the state, to try-and-kill the voter I-D law. The League said the requirement to show a photo I-D at the polls violates the state Constitution, because it creates a new class of people who cannot vote – those without I-D’s. But in response, Republican Governor Scott Walker said there are more valid I-D’s issued than there are registered voters. And if I-D’s are required to get cold medicine, library cards, and public assistance, Walker says it only sense that an I-D must be shown to vote. The governor said the I-D law moves Wisconsin forward, because one of the core functions of government is to ensure the integrity of elections. Republicans have tried for a decade to require I-D’s at the polls, in the name of fighting fraud – and they were finally able to pass it when voters gave them took control of state government in January. But Democrats say very little fraud has been uncovered – and critics say the G-O-P’s only trying to prevent voting by those who normally vote Democratic as a group, like minorities and college students. The league’s lawsuit will be heard by Dane County Circuit Judge William Neiss.

Teachers Could Be Fired For Low Test Scores

10/21/11 - Wisconsin public school teachers could be fired or disciplined if their students don’t score high enough on standardized tests. That’s the premise of a bill passed by state Senate Republicans Thursday. The measure passed on a 17-16 party line vote, with all Democrats voting no. Under the current law, test scores can be used in evaluating teachers – but not for discipline or dismissals. Senate Democrat Lena Taylor of Milwaukee says the bill puts teachers in an unfair position. Other Democrats asked the majority to delay action until a task force headed by Governor Scott Walker and state Superintendent Tony Evers recommends new ways to evaluate student learning. Democrats and former Governor Jim Doyle passed the current law in 2009 to try and get federal funding for schools under President Obama’s “Race to the Top” program. The state was turned down for funding, and critics said it was because Democrats refused to link student test scores to teacher discipline.

Texting Could Be Added To No Call List

10/21/11 - It would be against the law for unwanted telemarketers to send text messages to cell phones, under a bill endorsed by a state Senate committee this week. The law would apply to those on the state’s do-not-call list. Telemarketers are barred from phoning those on the list. And Senate Republican Van Wangaard of Racine proposed that the same thing apply to text messages – especially because most cell customers pay for those incoming messages. The full Senate is expected to act on the bill next week. While the do-not-call law applies to most solicitors, non-profit groups and political candidates can still make phone pitches – and so can companies that you’ve done business with.

Highway Bills Glide Through Legislature

10/21/11 - It could soon get easier to transport products on Wisconsin highways, after five bills were passed yesterday. Democrats joined majority Republicans in okaying the measures. One would allow trucks that carry farm products to be 15-percent heavier in December than what’s now allowed. Another bill lets semi-trucks carry larger loads of hay and straw. And one of the other measures would increase the allowable length of vehicles used by utilities-and-pipeline companies. The G-O-P says the bills will create jobs and improve the economic climate – something Democrats have accused the G-O-P of dragging its feet on.

New BDPD Facility of October 29 Drug Take Back

10/21/11 - The Beaver Dam Police Department has announced that they will be one of the agencies participating in the National Drug Take-Back Initiative at the end of the month. The effort on Saturday, October 29 is aimed at removing drugs from the streets and promoting the proper disposal of prescription medications. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, more Americans abuse prescription drugs than the number using cocaine, hallucinogens and heroin combined. The Beaver Dam Police Department will be collecting pharmaceuticals in their new facility located on Park Avenue between 10am and 2pm. The Horicon Police Department is also among the agencies hosting a drug drop. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked. Medications should be brought in their original containers with personal identification removed. Drug take-back programs are intended to reduce the amount of drugs available for theft, or accidental poisoning but are also helpful in keeping those meds out of the water supply. In April, the Drug Enforcement Agency collected 188 tons of drugs at 5361 sites operated by the DEA’s state and local law enforcement partners…that’s a 55% increase over the previous drug drop in September of 2010.