Top Stories October 5th

Brass Bands To Reign-In Celebrate Waupun

10/5/11 - The city of Waupun is gearing-up for a big three-day festival in 2012. Waupun Festival Steering Committee member Lori Page says Celebrate Waupun is part of a renewed effort to promote the city as an excellent community for both business and family. Early plans call for a carnival, a car show, pet parade, historical reenactments, sculpture and historical home tours and sail boat races. Music will be a big part of the event. In addition to several local bands, Page says they’re booking two renowned brass bands from New Orleans. Local non-profit and service groups are also being invited to raise money for their organizations. Celebrate Waupun will be held the first weekend in June. It will be located in-and-around the Community Center and also in the three city parks connected by the Rock River: Shaler, Holmes and Tanner.

BDPFC Discusses Using Paramedics On SWAT Team

10/5/11 - The Beaver Dam Police and Fire Commission last night discussed the possibility of using city paramedics on the Dodge County SWAT Team. Fire Chief Alan Mannel said the advanced training could benefit the safety of both law enforcement and suspects. Commissioners requested more information about costs, training and jurisdictional matters and the mutual aid concept is expected to be revisited at future meetings.

Jefferson County Fair Director Accused of Embezzling

10/5/11 - The Jefferson County Fair Director is facing nine counts of felony misconduct in office for the misuse of a county credit card. Paul Novitzke is also charged with one count each of theft by false representation and theft in a business setting, both misdemeanors. The 44-year-old Jefferson man was issued a credit card by the county in 2008 and the first alleged misuse of the card came the following year. According to prosecutors, Novitzke used the card to purchase nearly $140 worth of merchandise from Dick’s Clothing along with several smaller amounts at other establishments throughout the state and some out of state. Novitzke claims the charges he faces have come as the result of him mixing up the county card with his own personal card and says he has reimbursed the county for the money owed. An investigator on the case notes that Novitzke has experienced financial troubles of late but has a good job and is paying off his other debts. Novitzke says he’ll fight the charges and believes he’ll be found not guilty. If convicted on all charges, Novitzke is facing 32-years in prison.

Former First Responders Treasurer Arraigned For Theft

10/5/11 - The former Treasurer of the Lowell-Reeseville First Responders was arraigned Tuesday on charges that she embezzled money from the organization. Sheri Ritter of Reeseville stood mute and the court entered a “not guilty” plea on her behalf. The 40-year-old is charged with a felony count of Theft In A Business Setting, which carries a maximum prison sentence of three-and-a-half years. According to the criminal complaint, a report uncovered irregularities in the group’s financial records and Ritter admitted the thefts on the record during a subsequent meeting. Nearly $3000 from the First Responders business account was allegedly used for Ritter’s personal finances, to pay for car loans, cable bills and phone bills. The offenses date back to last October with the most recent occurring in March of this year. Ritter is scheduled to be back in court next week.

Number of Deer Crashes Down

10/5/11 - Wisconsin drivers hit fewer deer in the past year. That’s according to State Farm Insurance, which said Wisconsinites filed one-percent fewer damage claims for car-deer crashes in the year ending June 30th. Nationally, State Farm estimates that there were one-point-one million deer-vehicle crashes over the last year. That’s down seven-percent from the previous year, and it’s nine-percent less than three years ago. State Farm also said Wisconsin drivers had the nation’s seventh-highest odds for hitting a deer. The company did not say what those odds were. It said West Virginia motorists are the most likely to hit a deer, with a 1-in-53 chance. In a similar report in 2009, State Farm said Wisconsin drivers had a 1-in-116 chance of hitting a deer. That was the nation’s eighth-highest odds at that time.

Man Dies Following Fall from Bridge

10/5/11 - An autopsy is set for today on a man who fell 80-feet to his death, when his car got stuck on Milwaukee’s Hoan Bridge and he was hit by another vehicle. Officials said 39-year-old Bobby Jiles of Milwaukee was looking under his hood after his car got stuck in a traffic lane on Interstate-794 during yesterday morning’s rush hour. A 24-year-old driver struck Jiles – and that person escaped injury. He volunteered to have his blood drawn at a Milwaukee hospital, and was then released. The crash happened in a construction zone where there was no room to pull to the side. Sheriff David Clarke says it appears to be nothing more than a tragic accident. But officers are trying to determine if the driver was on a cell phone at the time. And they’ll have prosecutors review their evidence today to see if the man who caused the crash should be charged. Sheriff Clarke said drivers should resist the urge to get out their vehicles if they get stranded. He called that a deadly move.

Political Fundraising Breaks Another Record

10/5/11 - Wisconsin lawmakers raised a record six-point-eight million dollars for their election campaigns in the first half of this year. And about two-thirds of that money went to 12 incumbents who were involved in this summer’s Senate recall elections. The Wisconsin Democracy Campaign said the total amount raised was almost double the previous record for a January-through-June period. The old mark was three-and-a-half million dollars a year ago. Fund-raising by the Senate and Assembly campaign committees for both parties raised a total of one-point-four million dollars. That broke the old record of one-point-one million set last year. Republican Senators Randy Hopper and Dan Kapanke lost their seats in the summer recalls, and former Assembly Democrat Jennifer Shilling of La Crosse ended up winning Kapanke’s post. Barring any more recalls, the next major legislative elections will be in 13 months. The entire 99-member Assembly will be up again, along with 16 of the 33 senators.

Food Prices Continue Upward Trend

10/5/11 - Wisconsin food prices jumped by almost 12-percent during the year ending September 30th – and more than two-percent in the last three months alone. That’s according to the state Farm Bureau Federation’s Market Basket survey released this week. The bureau says the total cost of 16 food items in two dozen cities was 50-dollars and 55-cents for the three months ending September 30th. That’s a dollar more than in June, and over five-and-a-quarter dollars more than in September of last year. Casey Langan of the Farm Bureau blamed extreme weather, strong worldwide demand, and high energy prices for getting the food to your table. Ten of the 16 items checked in the survey rose during the last quarter. Eggs jumped 20-percent to over a-dollar-and-a-half per dozen. Red delicious apples, bagged salad, and shredded mild cheddar cheese also had sizable price hikes. The items that went down were Cheerios’ cereal, sirloin tip roast, sliced deli ham, vegetable oil, boneless chicken breasts, and ground chuck.

White House Christmas Tree From Neshkoro

10/5/11 - The White House Christmas tree will come from Marquette County in south central Wisconsin. Presidential staffers went to Schroeder’s Forever-greens in Neshkoro. And they picked an 18-and-a-half foot balsam fir that will go in the White House Blue Room. Tom and Sue Schroeder own the tree farm – and they earned the honor after winning a national contest put on by the National Christmas Tree Association. It’s the seventh White House tree chosen in Wisconsin since the contest began 45 years ago. Officials say that between tours and parties, over 100-thousand people will see the Schroeders’ tree.