Top Stories November 10th

Winter Comes Early

11/10/11 - Northeast Wisconsin was hit the hardest by the season’s first major snowstorm. Antigo had the most – 14 inches – and Starks in Oneida County had 11 inches by mid-afternoon yesterday. Shawano County authorities said about four-thousand homes lost their power, as the heavy snow took down numerous electric lines. The Public Service utility said over 83-hundred customers in central and northeast Wisconsin were still without power by 3:30 this morning. In our area snow fall ranged between 2 and 6-inches, with the higher totals to the northern part of our listening area. Meanwhile, Alliant Energy was working on large numbers of outages in the Baraboo area. Much of south central and southwest Wisconsin had 4-to-8 inches. Madison had just over an inch. The storm cleared out last evening, but flurries moved into the area early this morning. However, skies are expected to clear up for the rest of the day.

As is the case with the first couple of storms each winter, there were a number of accident and runoffs reported in Dodge County. Sheriff’s Department records show there were three rollover accidents, two on Highway 151 and a third on Highway 60 in the town of Elba. There were minor injuries reported. Two other vehicles struck utility poles and suffered minor injuries as well. Roads are still slippery this morning as the wet snow has turned to ice and officials are asking commuters to take it slow.

Meanwhile, Shawano County authorities are still trying to decide whether yesterday’s snowstorm was the cause of a fiery traffic crash that killed three people. It happened around 8:20 a-m on Highway 156, about 10 miles southwest of Pulaski. Sheriff’s deputies said a van skidded just before it hit an oncoming pick-up truck – and the van caught fire. Six people were in the van, including the three who died. The others were taken to area hospitals, and their conditions were not immediately disclosed. Officials say the names of those killed would be released today.

Fond du Lac Murder Suspect Apprehended In Alabama

11/10/11 - A man wanted for the murder of his wife in Fond du Lac was arrested Wednesday in Birmingham Alabama, where his mother lives. Police considered 35-year-old Jason Anderson to be armed-and-dangerous when he was on the loose. That’s because a gun was not found in the couple’s home, where police discovered the body of 33-year-old Nicole Anderson Tuesday night. She was shot once in the head. Nicole’s father called 9-1-1 Tuesday afternoon because she would not answer her phone – and she had not been heard from for two days. Authorities later issued a felony warrant charging Jason Anderson with first-degree intentional homicide. According to the Fond du Lac Reporter, the victim’s father said the couple was married for eight years – and he was not aware of any marital problems or violence between the two. Anderson would have to be extradited back to Wisconsin to face his homicide charge.

30 Months for Illegally Re-Entering United States

11/10/11 - A Mexican national who has resided in the Watertown area will be spending 30 months in prison for illegally re-entering the United States after being deported. 45-year-old Aldegundo Gonzalez-Qurioz was sentenced yesterday by a federal judge in Madison after pleading guilty to the felony charge in August. Judge Barbara Crabb said at sentencing that she took the defendant’s claimed interest in returning to Mexico permanently with a “grain-of-salt” because he has re-entered the US illegally two previous times, committing drug and traffic crimes both times. The charge against Gonzalez-Qurioz was the result of an investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Updated Beaver Dam Mill Rate

11/10/11 - Beaver Dam’s Director of Administration has released a revised mill rate. The city published an estimated mill rate of $8.26 on Saturday as part of a state law that requires the information be printed two weeks before a public hearing. The Administrative Committee on Monday made several changes to the budget before signing-off on it. Those changes result in a new, estimated mill rate of $8.23 which is 36 cents higher than last year and three cents lower than the previous estimate. It is just an estimate at this point, though, as municipalities around the state are waiting on final numbers from Madison before they can finalize their tax rate. The public hearing and consideration of the Beaver Dam budget will be on Monday, November 21.

Report: Districts Cut Staff and Increased Class Sizes

11/10/11 - Wisconsin school administrators say many districts had to cut staff and increase class sizes due to this year’s large cuts in state aid. But Governor Scott Walker’s office said most layoffs occurred in districts that did not take advantage of new revenue opportunities – like making employees pay more for their health insurance and pensions. The Wisconsin Association of School District Administrators surveyed all 424 school systems, and about four-of-every-five responded. It said nine of every 10 students attend districts that had net staffing losses in at least one area, like teachers or administrators – and four-of-every-10 youngsters attend districts where elementary class sizes grew this fall. Walker’s office noted that some large districts failed to use the tools the governor gave them to avoid layoffs and larger class sizes. The school administrators’ survey also said the cuts were three times deeper than a year ago – and two-of-every-three districts expect cuts next year which are at least as deep. But Walker’s office responded by saying its reforms are working – school quality is the same or better – and the state will hold the line on local taxes over the next two years.

GAB Rejects College ID Sticker For Voting

11/10/11 - Wisconsin’s Government Accountability Board might have set up a battle with Governor Scott Walker Wednesday. The board went against the wishes of Republican legislators, and refused to reconsider letting colleges put stickers on student I-D’s which can be used for voting under the state’s new photo I-D law. The vote was 4-to-2 to keep the sticker policy in place. Under the law passed by Republicans this spring, college I-D’s can be used at the polls – but they must expire in two years after being issued. But many Wisconsin schools issue I-D’s good for 4-to-5 years – and in September, the accountability board said it promoted a common-sense solution by letting schools put validation stickers on the cards which would good for the two-year period. But G-O-P lawmakers said it might an invitation to fraud – and they talked about having Governor Scott Walker strike down the board’s rule before Board Director Kevin Kennedy suggested that the board back off. It didn’t, though. Also Wednesday, the Board reversed an earlier policy and decided to let technical college I-D’s be used at the polls. Photo I-D’s will be required for voting in next February’s local primaries.

Butler Closes Dealership

11/10/11 - If you’ve driven on Highway 10 near Waupaca, you’ve probably seen Packers’ legend Leroy Butler in a billboard for his car dealership. Well, you won’t see it any more – because Butler has closed his Waupaca Ford showroom. He said the rough economy was part of it. Also, he said snowbirds were part of his market area – and they’re gone for most of the winter. The state Revenue Department has filed delinquent tax warrants against the dealership, but Butler says he’ll resolve those. He closed the dealership last Thursday and called it one of the saddest days of his life. His business had 15 employees.

Home Heating Assistance Available

11/10/11 - Local residents needing some help paying home heating costs this winter can make an appointment with Energy Services of Dodge County. The Home Energy Plus Program provides assistance to eligible households for not only home heating and electrical costs but also help with late utility payments and emergency furnace repairs. To be eligible, participants must earn 60% of the state’s median income, which is just over $24,000 for a one-person household and $46,000 for a family of four. Energy Services has an office in Beaver Dam and will also be hosting an outreach site in Watertown next Thursday. Appointments are required. Contact information is on our website. 887-7990.