Top Stories February 10th

Fire and Apparent Suicide Under Investigation

2/10/12 - Authorities are investigating the cause of a fire in Randolph that destroyed the home of a former Columbia County sheriff’s deputy. A short time after the fire, 38-year-old David Sadowski was found just over the Dodge County line, dead in his pick-up truck from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. The home is located on County Highway G, two miles west of State Highway 73 and the fire was reported yesterday morning just after 3am. A press release from the Columbia County Sheriffs Department said a “citizen” called in the fire. Sadowski served eleven years in Columbia County but recently left the force. The fire is under investigation by the Dodge County Sheriffs and Medical Examiner’s Office. Dodge County is also heading the death investigation along with the state Justice Department.

Car Goes Through Ice on Beaver Dam Lake

2/10/12 - A car went through the ice on Beaver Dam Lake last night. It happened on the eastern edge of the lake between Beaver Dam and Fox Lake around 11pm. The car apparently went through the ice and became partially submerged in about four feet of water. The two passengers were able to climb onto the roof and call for help. Neither was injured. It was the second time first responders came to the lake for a rescue. On Tuesday, an ice boat hit a heave and set two men into the lake. They were able to get out of the water on their own.

Born Announces Candidacy for Assembly

2/10/12 - Mark Born announced his candidacy last night for the 39th Assembly District seat being vacated by Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald. Born highlighted his experience as a former Alderman in Beaver Dam Ninth Ward and also the time he spent as Chairman of the Republican Party of Dodge County. He says it’s important to keep the momentum of conservative policies moving forward in Wisconsin. Born says difficult decisions have been made in the past year to improve the finances of state and local governments and Wisconsin cannot afford to slide back to past, reckless fiscal policies. There are no other Republicans currently running for the Assembly seat in the November election. Horicon Mayor James Grigg is the only democrat that has announced.

Girls Injured in Accident are Improving

2/10/12 - Six Campbellsport girls' high school soccer players are getting better, after being hurt in an S-U-V crash last weekend that killed three other students. Four of the six survivors are now home from the hospital. Theresa Flood was the latest to be released from Milwaukee Children's Hospital. Allie Adams was in fair condition yesterday. Jessica Harbin remains hospitalized, but her family asked that her condition not be released. Caitlin Scannell, Katie Berg, and Sabrina Stahl died in last Saturday's crash when their S-U-V rolled over in a field off a rural road near Campbellsport. Public visitations were held yesterday at the high school. Separate funerals are planned for today. Fond du Lac County sheriff's deputies are still investigating the crash. They've said they would turn over their evidence to the district attorney for possible charges -- but that has not happened yet.

Fall River Foundry Facing Fines

2/10/12 - A brass-maker in Columbia County faces almost $58-thousand-dollars in fines for ten alleged workplace safety violations. The U-S Occupational Safety-and-Health Administration said the Fall River Foundry failed to protect employees from metal dust. OSHA said the company exposed its workers to excessive amounts of lead-and-copper dust – and it did not install proper safety equipment to reduce the exposure. The company refused comment today. The Fall River Foundry has 15 days to pay the fines, challenge the citations, or ask OSHA for a conference.

Lake Days Musical Lineup Set

2/10/12 - The musical lineup for the 19th Annual Beaver Dam Lake Days has been announced. The four day event kicks off on July 12th with a DJ spinning music from 7-10pm as part of Youth Night. On Friday the 13th, Cosmo, which consists of two members of the classic rock group Boston, will perform all of the Boston favorites starting at 8:30pm. On Saturday it’ll be Little Texas hitting the stage at 8:30pm. And on Sunday Terry Sylvester will close things out when he takes to the stage at 6:30pm. A number of local bands will also perform including, Lucas Cates, My Idiot Brother, Chelli Bri, and The Good Time Dutchmen. There will also be fireworks on both Friday and Saturday nights.

Carlson Waives Prelim

2/10/12 - A Horicon man has waived his right to a preliminary hearing Thursday on charges that he sexually assaulted a girl over a period of several years. 36-year-old Brian Carlson is charged with one felony count of Repeated Sexual Assault of a Child, which carries a sentence of up to 40 years in prison, if he’s convicted. According to the criminal complaint, a man reported to Horicon police in late December that the girl, now 17-years-old, told him about the abuse, which started in the summer of 2006 when she was 12-years-old and continued through October of last year. The victim reportedly told investigators with the Dodge County Sheriff’s Department that the abuse occurred between two and three times a week. He originally denied the contact but eventually admitted the assault, saying she was 14-or-15-years-old at the time and had a crush on him. Carlson said it was never forced and she had told him that it was all right. Carlson is being held on a $20,000 cash bond and he’ll be back in court for arraignment next month.

Man in Court on 7th OWI

2/10/12 - A Watertown man waived his right to a preliminary hearing Thursday on charges of seventh offense drunk driving. 50-year-old William Gordon was pulled over on January 5th in the town of Lebanon after a police officer operating a radar gun recognized Gordon and his vehicle. Authorities say Gordon admitted to drinking for about an hour prior to driving and he reportedly had an open beer in the vehicle. Gordon is charged with felony operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated and driving on a revoked license. His previous six convictions range in date from 1993 to 2008. The charges carry a maximum of 11-years in prison, if he’s convicted. An arraignment hearing is on the calendar next month.

Cat Returns to Original Order

2/10/12 - A state appeals court ruled Thursday that a pet cat belongs to a Dodge County man – and not the ex-girlfriend he broke up with. The Fourth District Appellate Court granted custody of Dexter the cat today to Roger Kueffer. The court said Julee Lawler tried to get Dexter back ever since the couple broke up almost three-and-a-half years ago. Records showed that Kueffer kept the cat while the couple kept bickering about it. At one point, the man told Lawler that Dexter died – but she later learned it was not true. Lawler sued in small claims court to get the cat. She failed there, and the appellate court refused to overturn that ruling.

Facilities Committee to Visit Other Schools

2/10/12 - Columbus Schools’ Facility Committee and Board members will be making a field trip to southern Wisconsin today. Schools in Lake Mills, Jefferson and Palmyra-Eagle have all recently been renovated. Columbus Schools’ goal is to have the facilities committee make a recommendation or recommendations for a November referendum by March 26th. Today’s trip will give planners a better idea of what possible updates to the District facilities will be of the biggest benefit.

WI Budget Deficit $143M

2/10/12 - Governor Scott Walker says a budget repair bill will not be needed to eliminate a new deficit in the current state budget of 143-million dollars. The Legislative Fiscal Bureau said yesterday that tax collections have dropped – and those revenues are projected to be 273 million dollars less than expected by the time the current budget expires in June of next year. The Republican Walker says he will not have the Legislature pass an emergency budget repair bill. Walker and five other G-O-P elected officials face possible recall elections this summer. Walker did not say how he would address the projected shortfall.

Fiscal Bureau director Robert Lang told lawmakers that Walker’s administration is looking at re-financing debt and other re-structuring to put the budget back in balance. And Lang says a full-blown budget repair bill will not be needed. In a statement, Walker vowed that the budget would not be in a deficit during the current fiscal year – halfway through the two-year budget period.

Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald of Horicon and his brother, Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald of Juneau, said they remain committed to solving the budget without tax increases. Both said tax hikes would only make Wisconsin’s business climate worse – and the G-O-P would continue to quote, “keep focusing on growing jobs, not the government.” Assembly Democratic leader Peter Barca blamed the deficit on quote, “irresponsible budgeting and a lack of serious focus on jobs and the economy.”