Top Stories, October 22nd

Beaver Dam Man Sentenced For Seventh OWI

10/22/11 - A Beaver Dam man will spend four years in prison for his seventh drunk driving offense. Brian S. Gilmore pleaded “no contest” yesterday to a felony count of OWI and had a second felony of Operating With a Prohibited Alcohol Content dismissed along with a handful of misdemeanors. Gilmore was arrested on the afternoon of September 11. According to the criminal complaint, it all started with a relative’s call to 9-1-1 reporting that she had found a marijuana pipe in her brother’s bedroom, where he was staying following his release from prison for sixth offense drunk driving. Gilmore was pulled over a short time later near the residence. His blood alcohol level was over three times the legal limit for driving at point-two-seven-five (.275). Gilmore was also sentenced to four years of extended supervision and will have his driver’s license suspended for another three years.

Milwaukee Woman Jailed For Smuggling Coke Into WCI

10/22/11 - A Milwaukee woman who smuggled cocaine into the Waupun Correctional Institution will be spending at least 20 days behind bars. Krystal Robinson pleaded “no contest” Thursday to reduced misdemeanor charges of Cocaine Possession and Disorderly Conduct. The 24-year-old brought the cocaine into the prison last April, folded in paper and given to an inmate like they were passing a note. Another inmate alerted corrections officers to the scheme and they were waiting with a search warrant to strip search Robinson when she visited a couple weeks later. There was no more contraband found on Robinson but during an interview she is said to have admitted to bringing in the cocaine and said she was pressured by the inmate. Robinson was sentenced to two years probation, and if she remains compliant she will not have to serve the remaining 60 days of an 80 day jail sentence.

East Troy Mother Bound Over In Death of Twins

10/22/11 - A mother of twin babies who drowned in a bath tub is expected to enter a plea when she returns to Walworth County Court next Tuesday. The judge ruled yesterday there is probable cause to send Melody Butt to trial. She faces two felony charges are child neglect in the deaths of her 11 month old twins. She says she ran a bath for her children, then fell asleep September 22nd. She woke up when her roommate came home and found the twins in a bathtub that was overflowing. Courtroom observers say Butt cried as two East Troy police offices testified during yesterday’s hearing.

State’s First Influenza Case Reported

10/22/11 - Wisconsin health officials say we all need to get our flu shots. The urging was repeated after the state recorded its first confirmed influenza case of the season. The victim is an adult from northeastern Wisconsin. Residents are being told the most effective way to avoid getting sick is to get that flu shot. They say there is still time for the vaccine to be effective. The current case is seen as an indicator the flu season is getting off to an early start. Normally the Wisconsin season runs from November to March, reaching a peak in late January or February.

Cougar Spotted In Juneau County

10/22/11 - Wildlife biologists with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources have confirmed that a photo of a cougar taken in Juneau County is legitimate. A trail camera snapped the picture last Sunday. It shows a young adult cougar moving near some high grass. The landowner hadn’t checked the camera for several days, but the picture had a time stamp on it. It was taken about two miles north of Mauston. This is the seventh time a trail camera has caught a shot of a cougar in the state, though three of the seven pictures may have been of the same animal.

Cause of Fighter Jet Crash Released

10/22/11 - Investigators say a clogged oil line caused engine failure, bringing a fighter jet down in a crash last June. The 25 million dollar jet slammed into a vacation home in Adams County during air-to-air combat exercises. The pilot was able to eject safely before the impact. A report released yesterday found an oil line that feeds an engine gear box was blocked. A piece of Teflon was found in the line.

BD Wastewater Plant Tour Saturday

10/22/11 - Members of the public have the opportunity to go through the city of Beaver Dam’s new wastewater treatment plant Saturday. The Open House is meant to allow the public to tour the cutting-edge facility. The city was awarded $20 million in stimulus money in 2009 to expand their outdated plant and incorporate green technology into the upgrade. The former plant was six years beyond its design life, operating at 140% to 170% of its capacity. Half the $20 million was an outright grant while the other half was a low-interest, tax-free loan. A public-private partnership with Kraft Foods is allowing the city to pre-treat waste from the company and convert it to biogas, benefiting both entities and generating electricity that city is selling back to Alliant Energy at a profit. The project allows Beaver Dam to keep sewer usage fees at among the lowest in the state; $39 for the average resident, compared to the statewide average of $93. The Open House is being held from 10am until 2pm.

Randolph FD Training Resulting in Street Closures

10/22/11 - A couple of streets will be closed in Randolph Saturday morning for fire department training. Officials will be conducting a live burn and that will result in traffic closures on Columbus Street from the railroad tracks south to Grove Street and Center Street from Jones Drive east to First Street.

Boy Scout Food Drive Pick-Up Today

10/22/11 - The Boy Scouts will be collecting non-perishable food tomorrow (Sat) for their Scouting for Food Drive. Last week they dropped off plastic bags and tomorrow will be going around to homes collecting the bags of food. Mark Logemann of the Bay-Lakes Council says they hope to collect over 500,000 non-perishable food containers in the 22 counties where they have scout chapters, that includes Dodge County. All donations will go to local food pantries.

Last Chance Collection For Liberia Donations

10/22/11 - Saturday morning is the last opportunity to donate reading materials and other items to a collection for an impoverished West African country. Liberia is an English-speaking nation that is in the process of recovering from a bloody civil war. Pastor Mark Molldrem says the First Lutheran Church is collecting school supplies, including reading books, encyclopedias, globes and computer’s in good working condition in addition things like office and sports equipment even good condition twin beds and box springs. They are also looking for working bicycles and even tricycles. The items will be sent over in a cargo container later this year. They are being collected in the parking lot of the former Breuer Metal factory on North Spring Street in Beaver Dam Saturday from 10am until noon.

Oshkosh Merger With Navistar Possible

10/22/11 - Billionaire investor Carl Icahn wants to see the Oshkosh Corporation merge with Navistar International. Icahn owns about nine-and-a-half percent of both Oshkosh and Navistar – but reports say he has not made a formal proposal to either company for a possible merger. Oshkosh stock has lost about half its value this year, as the military-and-government truck maker deals with declines in the Pentagon budget, and expenses in acquiring J-L-G Industries five years ago. Also, Oshkosh just went through a rough labor period. Its major employee union has just approved a new five-year contract after rejecting two previous offers. It’s not clear whether Oshkosh or Navistar would be interested in merging with each other – and there’s no indication of how effective Icahn’s lobbying might be.

Walker Job Creation Projections Could Fall Short

10/22/11 - The Wisconsin Department of Revenue projects the state will fall far short of the governor’s promise to create a quarter-million private sector jobs by the year 2015. The report suggests the state will create a little over half that many jobs by 2014. That’s 43 thousand jobs fewer than the same department projected last summer. Walker had said during his campaign for the governor’s office that he would add the 250 thousand jobs during his four years in office. Instead, economic growth has been sluggish in Wisconsin and the job growth isn’t on track to meet his goal.

Lawsuit Over Legislative Boundaries Advances

10/22/11 - Both sides have been told to mind their manners as a lawsuit over redistricting moves forward. A telephone hearing in the case will be held next Monday. A three-judge panel ruled yesterday a lawsuit over the new boundaries can continue. Two former Democratic lawmakers, and some other citizens, had sued the state in federal court over the maps. They argued in part that the new boundaries were unconstitutional because 300 thousand people would be prevented from voting for a state senator in November 2012 because they had been shifted into new districts. The plaintiffs had actually sued the state before Republicans had revealed where the new boundaries would be.

Hearing Tuesday On Penokee Range Iron Mine

10/22/11 - The jobs committee in the Wisconsin Assembly plans to hold a hearing in Hurley next Thursday to talk about a possible iron mine nearby. The hearing will be held at the Hurley School District auditorium. Officials with local governments, tribal representatives and the general public will be allowed to comment on Gogebic Taconite’s plan to mine millions of tons of iron ore from the Penokee Range. Hundreds of jobs could be created by the project, though conservationists warn against pollution. Plans for the mine are on hold right now. Company officials have said they want lawmakers to streamline the permitting process before they move forward.