Top Stories January 28th

Johnson Honored In Hometown Ceremony

1/28/12 - Several hundred people turned out in Mayville Friday for a wreath laying ceremony to honor First Lieutenant David Johnson. The 24-year-old was killed in Afghanistan on Wednesday by an Improvised Explosive Device. Mayor Jerry Moede told the crowd that a soldier giving his life for his country is the greatest gift one can give.

Walker Says He Is Not Target Of Probe

1/28/12 - Governor Scott Walker does not believe he’s a subject of the ongoing John Doe probe into the staff he had when he was the Milwaukee County Executive. At a news conference Friday in Wauwatosa, the Republican Walker said his campaign has been cooperating for over a year with Milwaukee prosecutors. And when all the smoke clears, Walker says he has every confidence that quote, “our integrity remains intact.” Two former aides were charged yesterday with creating a secret e-mail network within the Walker staff to quietly handle county-and-campaign business. Ex-staffer Darlene Wink agreed to plead guilty to lesser charges, after prosecutors said she would provide information that includes the destruction of undisclosed digital evidence. Walker said he asked Wink to resign after it was learned that she used part of her tax-funded work days to write glowing things about Walker in on-line comments about campaign news stories. Walker said the resignation proved that his staff knew that he didn’t want any political or campaign work performed on the county dime. And Walker said quote, “If we had known about anyone else, we would have taken the same action.” Meanwhile, state Medicaid director Brett Davis refused comment today on his apparent role in a misconduct probe. Kelly Rindfleisch of Columbus, a former deputy chief-of-staff to Walker, is charged with working on county time to try and get Davis nominated as Walker’s running mate for lieutenant governor last year. Davis lost to Rebecca Kleefisch.

Walker Staff to Begin Looking Through Recall Signatures

1/28/12 - The 30-day window for Governor Scott Walker to file challenges against the thousands of signatures on recall petitions begins today. The Government Accountability Board says it delivered electronic copies of more than 152 thousand petitions to Walker’s campaign staff yesterday. Recall organizers say those petitions include more than a million signatures. A link to the petitions will be posted on the GAB website next Monday. Some of them were inadvertently posted for a few minutes Friday afternoon, but that were taken down quickly. And, the board says it hopes to complete its work on the petitions challenging Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch by the end of next week.

Senate Doesn’t Have Votes to Pass Mining Bill

1/28/12 - Leaders in the Wisconsin Senate say they wouldn’t be able to get the votes they need to pass the Assembly version of a mining bill. Senator Neal Kedzie of Elkhorn chairs a select committee on mining. He says that group will work to balance the economic and environmental interests. Supporters say an iron ore mine planned for northern Wisconsin would mean hundreds of jobs for an area in need of work. Opponents warn of damage to the pristine area of the state and its many rivers and streams. Kedzie says he hopes his committee will approve a version of the mining bill by early March, with the legislation coming before the entire senate by the middle of that month.

Another Fight Breaks Out at a Milwaukee High School

1/28/12 - For a second day in a row, a fight at a Milwaukee high school brings police to campus and results in arrests. Eight people were taken into custody at James Madison Academic Campus high school Friday. Another dozen people had been arrested at Washington High School the day before. At Madison, a police officer was kicked in the face by one of the students. Police say they used a stun gun to stop the 18 year old student after she kicked the officer. Charges filed were disorderly conduct, with three of the eight also charged with resisting or obstructing an officer. Milwaukee superintendent of schools Gregory Thornton says disciplinary action will be taken against the students immediately.

Why Shopko Chose Columbus

1/28/12 - Many Columbus area residents are asking “Why did Shopko choose Columbus as the site for a store?” The answer from developers and Shopko market studies is that the area population is the right size for a “Hometown” type retail store. Mike Herl of Inland Companies said the Commerce Center land along highway 151 seemed to be a good spot for retail development. Herl said that studies by Shopko concluded that the area population could support a Hometown Store. Construction of the Columbus Shopko is scheduled to begin in March.

Western WI School District Looking at 4-day Week

1/28/12 - A small school district in western Wisconsin may become the first in the state to switch to a four-day school week. The Department of Public Instruction has given the Blair-Taylor district the okay to explore a four-day week for the next school year. Superintendent Dennis Dervetski says administrators came up with the plan, with input from staff members and teachers who are still under a union contract. The purpose is not necessarily to save money. Dervetski says the idea is to use school facilities and tax dollars more efficiently, while giving staff members more time to prepare for their classes. It would not involve year-round school. Dervetski says it’s possible the state would grant a waiver from the normal 180-days of classes — although the district would still need to hold the state’s minimum numbers of classroom hours. The Blair-Taylor School Board has yet to vote on the change, but Dervetski says five members have told him they support it. Dervetski says a four-day school week has been adopted by other districts in Minnesota, the Dakotas, Idaho, and Oregon with great success. The next step is for the board to hold public hearings. Then, the superintendent said the board would act on it. And if it passes, the DPI would review the details and then make a final decision. The Blair-Taylor School District has just over 700 students.

BDACT Auditions for “Mothers Curtain”

1/28/12 - The founding matriarch of the Beaver Dam Area Community Theater has written a play that addresses the sensitive topic of intergenerational domestic abuse. Annette Kamps is holding open call auditions for her play, “Mothers Curtain” on Sunday. Kamps says she has cast some of the ten roles in the play but would like to audition more individuals. She is looking for a teen age girl between the ages of 14 and 17-years-old in addition to three or four other women in their early 20’s through early 40’s. Kamps cautions that, for the sake of authenticity, there is some language and content that may be considered offensive and not appropriate for a younger audience. Auditions will be held tomorrow (Sunday) at 6:30pm at the community theater building on North Spring Street. Kamps will also make arrangements with interested parties to audition at an alternate time. Contact information is on our website. There are a limited number of scripts available for review. “Mothers Curtain” will be on the stage of the Beaver Dam Area Community Theater for three performances on April 13, 14 and 15.

If you are interested, contact Annette Kamps at 887-2093 or 318-1195 to arrange an audition on Sunday, Jan. 29, 6:30 PM OR to arrange
an alternative time.