Top Stories October 28th

Mauston Man Killed In Wreck Near Cambria

10/28/11 - A Mauston man was killed in a two vehicle accident Thursday afternoon just north of Cambria. Columbia County Sheriff Dennis Richards says the wreck occurred just after 1pm on State Highway 33, a quarter-mile west of State Highway 146. The preliminary investigation shows that 49-year-old Chandler A. Palmer was travelling east on Highway 33 when his car crossed the centerline and struck a westbound pickup truck head-on. Palmer was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the pickup was taken to Divine Savior Hospital in Portage with non-life threatening injuries. The crash remains under investigation by the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office and the Columbia County Medical Examiner’s Office. The Sheriff’s Office received assistance at the crash site from the Randolph Police Department, Cambria Fire and EMS, Randolph EMS, and UW Hospital – MedFlight.

OWI Injuries Earn BD Man 8 Years In Prison

10/28/11 - A 27-year-old Beaver Dam man is going to prison for eight years after failing to live up
to terms of his probation in a drunken driving injury case. Fond du Lac County Judge Peter Grimm revoked Brandon Smith’s probation Wednesday and sentenced him to five years in prison and five years of extended supervision on a charge of Second Degree Recklessly Endangering Safety. Smith was originally placed on probation for a February 2007 drunk driving rollover accident on Highway 151 in the Town of Oakfield that led to injuries for himself and his 22-year-old passenger, Jonathan Spencer of Fond du Lac. In August, Smith was driving drunk again when he hit another car, this time on Highway 33 in the Town of Beaver Dam. Five people suffered injuries in that accident. Smith pleaded “no contest” Thursday to four felony charges in Dodge County court. Judge Steven Bauer sentenced Smith to three years in prison and three years of extended supervision to run after the Fond du Lac County case.

Fond du Lac County Burglary Ring Busted

10/28/11 - The Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office has arrested three people in connection with a series of burglaries in the County over the past couple of weekends. The three were arrested during the execution of a search warrant Wednesday night. As many as 26 thefts and burglaries are tied to the investigation.

Walker to Announce Hidden Weapons Policy

10/28/11 - Wisconsin will become the 11th state to allow concealed weapons in its Capitol. Governor Scott Walker says he’ll officially announce the policy today – four days before Wisconsin’s new concealed carry law takes effect statewide. But legislators have already been told that those parts of the Capitol controlled by Walker’s executive branch will let citizens with permits carry hidden weapons. The state Senate will not allow concealed weapons during its floor sessions – but the Assembly will allow them for both members and spectators. Republican Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald of Horicon said that in the spirit of the law they passed, they want law-abiding citizens to protect themselves. But G-O-P Senate President Mike Ellis said guns don’t belong at his meetings. Ellis said he thought guns should be banned in the entire Capitol but quote, “We lost that one, so we should at least keep them out of the balcony and off the floor of the Senate.” They’ll be banned from the Supreme Court as well. But they’ll be allowed during public hearings by both houses. And individual lawmakers can decide for themselves whether to allow concealed weapons in their offices. Governor’s spokesman Cullen Werwie says Scott Walker does not plan to carry a hidden weapon – but he may consider it in the future.

Social Security Card Scam Reported

10/28/11 - Social Security officials are warning of a phone scam being reported. Mike Silva, with the Fond du Lac office, told us on WBEV’s Community Comment yesterday that he recently received a call from a woman who said she paid her $25 social security card replacement fee but has yet to have gotten her new card. Silva says not only is the government not requiring new cards, they would not charge for them if they did. He also says Social Security would only ask for bank account information if you have contacted them about setting up direct deposit. Silva says if you’ve been solicited by someone claiming to be with Social Security and suspect it may be a scam, you should contact local law enforcement or the Office of Inspector at 800-269-1071. If you missed that number it’s on our website.

Text Law Results In 162 Tickets

10/28/11 - It’s been almost 11 months since Wisconsin made it against the law to send-and-receive text messages while driving. And D-O-T officials report 162 tickets statewide, with penalties of up to 400-dollars. Former Senate Republican Alan Lasee of De Pere championed the bill for a long time. And the Assembly sponsor, Kenosha Democrat Peter Barca, said it took a tragedy to get it passed. He said a woman in Madison died in a texting-and-driving crash just days before his colleagues voted on the measure. State Patrol Superintendent Stephen Fitzgerald says texting takes the driver’s focus off the road – and it puts other motorists in danger. A-T-and-T has an app called “Drive Mode,” which informs potential texters that the recipient is driving, and will answer later. A-T-and-T Wisconsin president Scott Vander Sanden says the app emphasizes the point that no text message is worth risking someone’s life on the road.

Senate Approves Consumer Fraud Limits

10/28/11 - Wisconsin senators passed a bill Thursday afternoon to limit the amount attorneys can charge when they help consumers win fraud cases against businesses. The bill caps legal fees at three times the amount of an award when only monetary damages are granted. But senators also approved a last-minute change that lets judges grant higher fees when they see fit. Still, none of the 15 Democrats on hand today voted in favor of the measure. All 17 Republicans voted yes, and they sent their bill onto the Assembly. Pewaukee Senate Republican Rich Zipperer and Racine County Assembly Republican Robin Vos sponsored the caps. Vos took action when one of his campaign contributors, a Burlington car dealer, was hit with 151-thousand-dollars in legal fees after losing a battle over a five-thousand-dollars in a customer’s truck repairs. Zipperer said the purpose of the bill is to stop hog-tying businesses with large legal bills in cases with much smaller amounts of damages. But Mike End of the Wisconsin Association for Justice says attorneys will still be hesitant to take small consumer fraud cases, knowing they won’t be paid what those cases cost them to prepare. Democrats said it effectively wipes out a major consumer protection for lots of people. Madison Democrat Fred Risser called it an “anti-small business, anti-middle class bill.”

Legislators Voting To Tighten Restrictions On Felons

10/28/11 - The Wisconsin Senate agreed Thursday afternoon to let public schools fire convicted felons on their staffs – or not hire them in the first place. The current law allows only allows schools to reject a felon if the offense is directly related to the type of job the person’s holding or seeking. But under the bill passed today, a school employee could be rejected or fired for any prior felony conviction – whether it has to do the job or not. Felons who’ve been pardoned would still have their current job protections. The Senate passed the bill on a voice vote, but that doesn’t mean it got unanimous support. Milwaukee Democrat Lena Taylor says the bill would hurt the chances of convicted felons to re-enter society once they’ve served their sentences. The measure now goes to the Assembly.

Grocery and Liquor Stores Could Sell Alcohol Earlier

10/28/11 - It’s now up to Governor Scott Walker to decide if Wisconsin liquor stores can open two hours earlier than they do now. State senators voted 23-to-8 yesterday to give communities the option of letting grocery and liquor stores start selling beer-and-booze at six in the morning, instead of the current eight. The measure passed the Assembly on a voice vote earlier this week. Supporters say the change would serve late night workers and early morning vacationers. But opponents said it would send the wrong message while it promotes Wisconsin’s already omni-present alcohol culture. The bill does not change the maximum retail closing times for alcohol sales – nine at night for the hard stuff, and midnight for beer.

National Drug Take Back Is Saturday

10/28/11 - You have one more day to collect those old, outdated and unused prescription drugs. The National Drug Take-Back Initiative is planned for tomorrow (Saturday) and several local law enforcement agencies are participating. Juneau’s take back will be at the Public Safety Building at 128 East Cross Street in the lobby entrance of the Police Department. The Horicon Police Department will be collecting pharmaceuticals in their Public Safety Building on Ellison Street. The Beaver Dam Police Department is hosting their drug drop in their new police station on Park Avenue, all between 10am and 2pm. The effort is aimed at keeping drugs off the streets, away from kids and out of the water supply.

Deer Crashes Through Janesville Motel

10/28/11 - Janesville Police helped remove a 170-pound deer that crashed into a motel yesterday morning. Witnesses saw the male deer run around a parking lot, strike cars outside a Target store, run across a highway, and then vault through a first-floor window at the Super-8 Motel. The room was empty at the time. Police guarded the door to keep the animal in the room while D-N-R personnel and veterinarians tranquilized it. The deer had minor injuries to its snout – and the D-N-R planned to release the animal at a wildlife area near Milton. Minor damage was reported to the motel room.