Top Stories November 28th

Jane Doe Will Be Buried Next Month

11/28/11 - A public burial service will be held December seventh in Waupun for a woman who was never identified after her remains were found three years ago. Sheriff Mick tells the Fond du Lac Reporter quote, "The kid needs to be buried now." And if her identity is ever determined, the remains will be turned over to her family. Deer hunters found the remains on November 23rd of 2008. They were partially submerged in a shallow, frozen creek in the Fond du Lac County town of Ashford. Authorities determined that the woman was not one of several area residents who've been missing for years. National efforts to determine her identity have failed. The cause of the woman’s death was never made official – although the case had been considered a homicide in the beginning.

Gassen Honored With Balloon Release, Bench Dedication

11/28/11 - Dozens of red, white and blue balloons were released yesterday during a bench dedication ceremony at Beaver Dam’s Starkweather Park. The event honored fallen Beaver Dam Marine Jacob Gassen who was killed last year while fighting in Afghanistan. It was organized by friends of Gassen’s, who spend much of his youth at Starkweather Park. The ceremony fell right in between the one year anniversary of Gassen’s death and what would have been his 22nd birthday.

Alderman Holding Bike-Skate Park Meeting

11/28/11 - A Beaver Dam alderman is holding a meeting this week for those interested in starting a bike and skating park to the city. Alderman Matt O’Brion says the park is badly needed to help direct local talent and youthful energy into something positive. O’Brion says the groundwork is being laid but there is still plenty that needs to be done before the long-talked-about idea becomes a reality. The bike and skating park meeting will be held in room 126 of the Beaver Dam High School on Wednesday at 5pm.

Unions Unveil Plan to Make Schools More Accountable

11/28/11 - Two Wisconsin teachers' unions have come out with a plan to make public schools more accountable. The Wisconsin Education Association Council and the American Federation of Teachers drafted their own plan, after WEAC rejected an invitation to join a task force on the subject created by the governor and state superintendent. The unions received input from teachers and parents. And the groups recently submitted their ideas to the task force. They include a host of factors besides test scores for making schools accountable -- things like class sizes, teacher retention rates, the amount of teacher development available, subjects not tested now like art and foreign languages, and other school climate factors. Governor Scott Walker's task force is working on a new plan for school accountability, as part of an effort to seek a waiver from parts of the federal No Child Left Behind Act. WEAC director Mary Bell says all schools should follow the same accountability standards -- including private voucher schools and on-line programs. Walker thanked the teachers and parents for their input. State education officials expect to meet a deadline of next February to apply for the federal waiver.

Group Finalizing Plan to Cut Poverty Rate in Half

11/28/11 - A public policy group is finalizing a plan that seeks to cut Wisconsin's poverty rate in half. The Community Advocates' institute in Milwaukee is calling for sweeping national reforms that include a higher minimum wage, temporary jobs for the unemployed, a new tax credit for the poor-and-disabled, and more generous tax credits for low-income workers. It would cost almost three-billion-dollars a year in Wisconsin alone. And the proposal's chief architect, institute director David Riemer, challenges critics to come up with something better. Riemer, a former state budget director and Milwaukee mayoral aide, said he and economic analyst Conor Williams came up with the package in response to Milwaukee having one of the nation's 10 highest poverty rates. Riemer said it could take years for Congress to even consider his group's proposals -- and he can see them being adopted in stages. But one thing he says he wants people to realize is that government programs reduce poverty -- and those who say otherwise are wrong. Riemer cited U-W Madison figures which showed that Wisconsin's 2009 poverty rate of 11-and-a-half percent would be 23-percent without programs like food stamps, Social Security, S-S-I, and the Earned Income Credit.

BDAAA Holiday Gift Gallery Underway

11/28/11 - The Beaver Dam Area Arts Association has gotten into the holiday spirit with their annual seasonal exhibit. Executive Director Karla Jensen says the Holiday Gift Gallery is as much of an art show as it is a unique shopping experience. Jensen says organizers spent the summer scouting artwork across the state and this year’s holiday exhibit features dozens of Wisconsin artists in a variety of mediums. The Holiday Gift Gallery has extended hours through Christmas Eve with the Seippel Center open seven days a week. There are also “specialty” days, including “Senior Shopping Day” on December 14, “Late Night Shopping” on December 15 and “Dad and Kids Day” on December 18. The Beaver Dam Area Arts Association is located inside the Seippel Homestead and Center for the Arts at 1605 North Spring Street, which is right next door to Culvers Restaurant.

DNR Secretary Bags Her Deer On Day One

11/28/11 - Her first deer hunt was a successful one for DNR Secretary Cathy Stepp. Just two hours into opening day, Stepp had bagged her first deer. The secretary tells Wisconsin Public Radio she had thought she would be happy just sitting in the quiet of the woods of Iowa County, when a doe walked right in front of her. Stepp says she had never hunted before, but she calls it “just really an amazing experience and quite an adrenaline rush.” She points out that more women are getting involved in deer hunting these days.

Recall Organizers Say They’re Picking Up Steam

11/28/11 - Organizers of the effort to collect signatures on petitions for a recall election against the governor say their drive is picking up steam. They need to collect 540 thousand signatures by January 17th, but they say they plan to shoot for up to 700 thousand to give themselves a cushion. About 80 volunteers are working in shifts. They said they had collected 105 thousands signatures in the first four days. Wisconsin Republicans say they are assuming the petition drive will reach its goal – and they are focused on winning the recall election.