Top Stories, November 26th

Initial Appearance Monday In OWI Homicide

11/26/11 - A Beaver Dam man is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Monday, in a drunken driving crash a year ago that killed his girlfriend. 20-year-old Guadalupe Rodriguez is charged in Dodge County with O-W-I Homicide in the death of 22-year-old Diamond Avalos of Beaver Dam. According to authorities, the car he was driving lost control on a curve, hit several trees, and overturned. Investigators said they found alcohol and marijuana in his system about six hours after the crash -- which happened a year ago on Monday. Officials have not said why it took so long to charge Rodriguez.

Walden In County Jail Until Monday

11/26/11 - Green Bay Packer linebacker Erik Walden won’t be released from the Brown County Jail before Monday.  He’s been arrested on felony domestic violence and substantial battery charges in connection with an alleged assault on his girlfriend at their apartment in Lawrence.  Police say the girlfriend was treated for her injuries at St. Vincent Hospital in Green Bay.  The assault reportedly occurred at about 2:30 a.m. Friday, police were called a little after six and Walden was arrested at 8 a.m.  The Packers have a long stretch of inactivity after Thursday’s win over Detroit.  While his teammates take three days away from practices, Walden will be held in the county jail.  

Three Years Since Hunters Found Fond du Lac Jane Doe

11/26/11 - It’s been three years since deer hunters found the remains of a woman in Fond du Lac County. But the person has still not been identified, and sheriff’s detectives say they’ll keep working on the case until it’s solved. Officials have released dental records and a D-N-A profile. They’ve shown what her hair and face might look like, as well as the clothes she was wearing. They’ve also had the case featured on “America’s Most Wanted,” and they created a Facebook page – but their leads have never panned out. The woman’s remains were found partially-submerged in a shallow, frozen creek in the Fond du Lac County town of Ashford on November 23rd of 2008. The cause of the woman’s death was never made official – although the case had been considered a homicide in the beginning.

Plane Crash Victim IDed

11/26/11 - Authorities have identified the victim of a plane crash in Marathon County. Investigators say Matthew Zocher was the only person on the single-engine plane when it crashed in a heavily wooded area.  The 24-year-old Zocher – a college student from Minnesota – was reportedly flying the plane to his family’s home in Merrill when it went down some time Thursday.  The FAA notified the Marathon County Sheriff’s Department the plane was missing at about 5pm Thursday afternoon.  The wreckage was finally found about four hours later.  The National Transportation Safety Board is expected to investigate the crash.

Jobless Rate Down In Region

11/26/11 - The jobless rate the region was down last month for the most part. According to figures released this week by the Department of Workforce Development, the unemployment rate in Dodge County was 7.2% in October, down from 7.5% in September and one-tenth of a percent lower than October of last year.  Fond du Lac County was down two-tenths to 6.4% over the two-month period. Washington County was at 6.3% last month while Jefferson County was at 7.2%, both down one-tenth from September. Green Lake County held steady at 7% even.  Columbia County was up two-tenths to 6.9%. The lowest rate in the state was 4.8% in Pepin and Pierce counties. Menominee County had the highest rate, and the only in double-digits, at 13.1% down nearly a full point. The statewide jobless rate in October was down one-eighth to 7.7%, while the national rate was 9%. In total, 60 of the state’s 72 counties had lower unemployment rates or no change over the two month period. 

Federal officials said Wisconsin had the nation’s largest number of job losses last month – and the state said 86-hundred of those lost jobs were in Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Waukesha, and Washington counties. Only four of the state’s 12 metro areas lost jobs in October on a seasonally-adjusted basis – and that includes Milwaukee. Wausau lost a reported 700 positions, Eau Claire 500, and Fond du Lac 100. Of the eight places that gained jobs, Appleton had the most at 13-hundred. La Crosse reported a gain of 12-hundred jobs, and Madison and Oshkosh-Neenah added a-thousand jobs each. All 12 metros saw their actual unadjusted unemployment rates drop last month. Janesville is the highest at eight-point-six percent. Madison is the lowest at five-point-one.

Full House In Columbus For Social Media Roundtable

11/26/11 - Reaching customers through “social media” is a hot topic among local businesses. At a recent Columbus Business Roundtable Kristin Uttech, lead Professor of Marketing at MATC, drew a crowd of over 70 area business leaders. The social media presentation on “Facebook” and “Linked In” also cautioned that there were limitations to using social media without a plan. Plans are being made for a 2012 Workshop on the social media for area business leaders.

Authorities Urge Public To Call In Car Vs. Deer

11/26/11 - Wisconsin state officials remind drivers to call it in if they hit a deer.  The Wisconsin State Patrol says the law requires you to report you’ve hit a deer if the incident causes more than two thousand dollars in damages.  But, there’s another factor to consider – the deer often is badly injured, but not killed when hit by a car.  Those dispatched to clean up the scene says it isn’t unusual to find the deer still alive, thrashing on the side of the road.  Vehicle-deer crashes are more common this time of the year because they are more active during mating season.  Authorities say, if you do hit a deer, please pull off the road as far as possible and call 9-1-1.  Don’t try to find the deer, or remove it from the road, but do tell authorities.  

Woman Claims $250K In Unclaimed Property

11/26/11 - The State Treasurer’s office gave a La Crosse woman almost a quarter-million-dollars this week. That’s because she didn’t realize her late husband had that much in municipal bonds. The bonds went to the state after he died – but the 81-year-old woman also owned those investments under the marital property law. Normally, the treasurer’s office publishes the names of people with unclaimed property like bonds and old bank accounts – and they make those people contact the office themselves. But in this case, spokesman Ron Giordan said the amount was so large that the agency decided to contact her. The La Crosse Tribune said the woman refused comment. The state currently has over 400-million-dollars worth of unclaimed property that people have lost track of – but the vast majority are much smaller amounts.

Neshkoro Fir Arrives At White House

11/26/11 - The first White House Christmas tree in eight years that came from Wisconsin arrived Friday at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. The Forever-greens’ tree farm near Neshkoro provided the 19-foot balsam fir. Michelle Obama, her daughters Sasha and Malia, and the family dog Bo saw the tree come up the White House driveway on a horse-drawn carriage. The Obamas took a good look at it, and then gave it a “thumbs up.” The tree will be put up in the Blue Room, as the center-piece of the White House holiday decorations. Tom and Sue Schroeder own the Forever-greens’ tree farm – and they were selected after winning both state-and-national contests. It’s the seventh time Wisconsin has supplied the White House Christmas tree since the national competition began in 1966.

BDPD Holding Bike Auction Today

11/26/11 - The Beaver Dam Police Department will be holding a bike auction Saturday morning. Lt. John Kreuziger says the city ordinance allows the department to sell-off excess bicycles and other confiscated property held for more than 30 days. Kreuziger says this auction will also be an opportunity for people to get back bicycles lost or stolen in the past year. There will be a short public viewing of the property for sale at 9am with the auction being held from 10am until noon today in the Department of Public Works building at the corner of Myrtle Road and Beltline Drive on the far south edge of the city.