Top Stories March 14th

Juneau Approves First-Ever Personnel Policy

3/14/12 - The Juneau Common Council last night approved a Personnel Policy for city workers. The new policy covers around two dozen employees in the Department of Public Works, City Hall, the Rec Department, the library and utilities. In recent years, city workers had been seeking to unionize, but that effort was halted with the collective bargaining changes in Madison. Clerk-Treasurer Gladys McKay helped draft the new policy with the city’s personnel committee and the city attorney and also with input from city employees. The new policy changes the way unused sick pay is paid-out after retirement or termination. Juneau city workers who leave before the end of this year will still receive a 100% cash pay-out for the sick days they have accumulated. Those who retire beginning January 1 of next year will receive a 75% cash pay-out. McKay says city employees will still need to have a certain amount of years under their belt before they would be eligible to collect a sick day pay-out and no city employee has ever been able to collect unless they worked for at least ten years. The new policy also streamlines vacation benefits beginning in 2013. McKay says the old policy was confusing and incremental but the new policy provides two weeks paid vacation after one year and three weeks after five years, etc. Overtime will also be handled differently. Employees will still be paid overtime beginning at 40 hours. Under the old policy, those who may have taken a vacation day or two during the week would have had those days count toward their 40 hours. As of today, all city employees must actually work 40 hours before they would be eligible for overtime.

Improvements Approved For Juneau Community Center

3/14/12 - The Juneau Common Council last night signed-off on improvements to the Community Center. Mayville Floor Covering will be hired to re-carpet the facility at a cost of $3800. The roof top furnace will also be replaced by Brunk’e Heating and Cooling at a cost of $10,000.

Homeless Sex Offender Not Guilty Of Failure To Register

3/14/12 - The State Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that a homeless sex offender should not have been convicted of failing to report an address. William Dinkins Senior served a 10-year prison term on a Dodge County conviction of first-degree child sex assault. But in 2008, authorities said Dinkins broke the law by not reporting a new address within 10 days before he left prison. Therefore, officials said he did not comply with the terms of entering the state’s registry for sex offenders. A state appeals court threw out the non-reporting charge. But the state Justice Department appealed, saying that Dinkins could have registered a park bench or some other street location. But today, the Supreme Court said Dinkins could not have complied because he did not have a permanent location. But the justices said it does not excuse all homeless people from having to register as sex offenders if they’re required to do so.

Wisconsin Soldier Killed in Afghanistan

3/14/12 - An Army staff sergeant from southwest Wisconsin has been killed in Afghanistan. The Pentagon said 30-year-old Jesse Grindey of Hazel Green died Monday in Kandahar province. Officials at Grindey’s base in Fort Riley Kansas say the death remains under investigation. His father Richard said Grindey was deployed to Afghanistan on New Year’s Eve – and he had a previous tour of duty in Iraq. Richard said his son wanted so much to be a fire-fighter, that he was given an age exception so he could join the Hazel Green volunteer department when he was 17. Grindey was born in Cuba City, and he graduated in 2000 from Hazel Green Southwestern High School. He enlisted in the Army in 2002 and went to Iraq a year later. His father said Grindey had also served in Japan and Korea. He had been at Fort Riley since last July with the Army’s 287th Military Police Company.

Women’s Rights Take Center Stage in the Assembly

3/14/12 - The Wisconsin Assembly voted overnight to require schools that teach sex education classes to tell students that abstinence in the only reliable way to avoid getting pregnant. And the house voted to ban most abortion coverage in insurance plans offered as part of the federal health care reform law. Both measures now go to Governor Scott Walker for his signature. The two-year legislative session ends late Thursday night. And by then, Assembly Republicans hope to approve another abortion restriction. It would allow abortion-inducing drugs to be given only after the patient gets a physical exam – and if the doctor is in the same room and not on a Webcam. Ashland Democrat Janet Bewley said she felt like she was back in the 1950’s in decrying what she called a “war on women’s rights.” But Oconomowoc Republican Joel Kleefisch said he was interested in protecting the rights of the unborn. His fellow party members said it gives schools the choice of teaching kids about contraceptives instead of making it a mandate. But Whitefish Bay Democrat Sandy Pasch said it would cause more teen pregnancies and sexually-transmitted diseases. And she said it would put young lives at risk.

Prelim Delayed For Madison Family Accused of Abuse

3/14/12 - A preliminary hearing was delayed Tuesday in the case of a Madison girl who starved while her father and step-mother kept her in their basement for a number of years. Prosecutors asked that the girl’s video testimony be sealed – and while the defense didn’t object, reporters did. Dane County Circuit Judge Amy Smith delayed the preliminary hearing until Friday, after District Attorney Ismael Ozanne said his main witness could not testify due to a family emergency. The girl’s 40-year-old father and 42-year-old step-mother are both charged with reckless endangerment, child abuse, and child neglect. And the girl’s 18-year-old step-brother is charged with sexual assault. He’s scheduled to enter pleas next Monday. Authorities said the girl ran out of the house in her pajamas in mid-February, and a passer-by called 9-1-1. She only weighed 70 pounds, and the man who saw her thought she was only about eight-years-old – almost half her real age. The preliminary hearing will determine if there’s enough evidence to order trials against the father and step-mother. Ozanne said there was nothing to be gained by playing the video of the girl’s testimony, because Judge Smith had already seen it. And if it was made public, the father’s attorney said the resulting media coverage could cause potential jurors to be prejudiced. But Smith said the video was allowed so the girl would not have to testify in person – and had she appeared, her testimony would have had to be given in public.

Walker Insists He Is Not Part of John Doe Investigation

3/14/12 - Governor Scott Walker is standing by his assertion that he is not the target of the two-year-old John Doe investigation into his former Milwaukee County Executive’s office. Walker said his attorneys have been told that the Republican governor has not been investigated. But he would not say who provided the information, saying he cannot talk about it until the probe is complete. Last Friday, Walker said he was creating a legal defense fund to pay for the attorneys he’s been using in speaking with Milwaukee County prosecutors about the John Doe. That brought up immediate speculation by at least some legal experts that Walker’s been targeted. Under state law, government officials cannot seek donations for legal defense funds unless they’re being investigated – or if they’ve been charged with election law violations. Walker said one of his campaign lawyers spoke with officials of the Government Accountability Board – and he was told that the defense fund was the best way for him to proceed. Previous campaign donations can be used – but the donors must approve. And officials must report all donors who give 50-dollars or more.

GPS For Restraining Order Violators Awaits Signature

3/14/12 - Wisconsinites who violate restraining orders could be monitored by authorities, under a bill that has been sent to Governor Scott Walker. The state Senate approved the bill in February, but the Assembly made a few language changes – and senators ratified them Tuesday. Walker’s office says it will evaluate the bill before deciding whether to approve it. The measure allows judges to approve G-P-S satellite monitoring of those who violate restraining orders in cases like stalking and domestic abuse. The state Corrections Department would track violators’ movements, and call police if they go into areas where they’re not allowed under their restraining orders. Those monitored would have to be pay 200-dollar surcharges to cover the monitoring costs.

Walker Signs Wisconsin Wins Law

3/14/12 - Governor Scott Walker has signed the so-called Wisconsin Wins law, a measure which helps people receiving unemployment benefits take part-time training positions. Assembly Bill 450 is the second piece of the Wisconsin Working Plan which was signed last week by the governor. The first part allows veterans to apply their military education and training to meet requirements for professional credentials. The plan also doubles the number of job fairs in Wisconsin and adds 14 staff members to help with hiring and training at re-employment offices around the state.

Merrill Woman Gets Two OWI’s In One Weekend

3/14/12 - Merrill police arrested a woman for impaired driving twice in two days last weekend. First, 51-year-old Tammi Morren was arrested Friday when she showed up to visit someone in the Lincoln County Jail appearing disoriented and getting lost in the jail lobby. She was cited for operating while intoxicated and released. The very next day a friend brought Morren to the jail parking lot to retrieve her car. She got in, but when she drove off police noticed she was driving erratically down Highway 51 and pulled her over. As she was pulling over, Morren reportedly nearly hit the car belonging to the friend who had given her a ride to the jail. The Tomahawk woman was booked into the jail and released the next day.