Top Stories March 17th

Dousman Man Killed Near Watertown

3/17/12 - A 45-year-old Dousman man became the first traffic fatality of 2012 in Dodge County early Friday afternoon. It happened about a mile north of Watertown on Highway 26 around 2:15pm. Dodge County Sheriff Todd Nehls says the man was stopped, waiting to make a left hand turn into a driveway, when his car was hit from behind by a large cargo truck. The man was pronounced dead at the scene. The 65-year-old Neenah man driving the truck was not injured. Authorities say their investigation is ongoing and say it’s too early to say if any charges will be filed. The name of the victim is being withheld pending notification of his family.

Assembly Ends Marathon Session

3/17/12 - For 31 hours the Wisconsin Assembly was in session. Finally, members of both parties agreed to move forward on a vote to make changes to the board of the Milwaukee Area Technical College. It was basically a Democratic filibuster. They had called changes in the original bill’s wording a power grab by Republicans. But, Republicans were dedicated to changes they saw as strengthening the ties between MATC and local businesses. When agreement was finally reached, Democrats withdrew about 70 amendments they have offered for debate – and that debate could have dragged through another day or more. At one point, the bill’s major Senate sponsor, West Bend Republican Glenn Grothman, brought pizzas to the Assembly floor to help those with failing energy levels. Other technical colleges in Wisconsin wouldn’t be affected, but the legislation will reshape the MATC board without the changes becoming an official transfer of control – the factor which troubled Democrats in the first place.

Galloway is Stepping Down

3/17/12 - Saying she has to deal with multiple serious health issues in her family, Republican state Senator Pam Galloway turned in her resignation yesterday, effective last midnight. The legislative session has ended, but her departure costs the Republican Party its one-vote margin until she is replaced, affecting the membership of some committees which are still active after lawmakers go home. She was one of the Senate members facing a recall election, but leadership said that wasn’t why she was leaving the post. Representatives Jerry Petrowski of Marathon and Mary Williams of Medford may be recruited by Republican leaders to run in Galloway’s place. The outgoing senator is expected to hold a news conference in her district tomorrow.

Complaint Filed Against Justice Prosser

3/17/12 - Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice David Prosser says a complaint filed against him yesterday is politically motivated. The Wisconsin Judicial Commission is asking for sanctions against Prosser in connection with an incident last June where he placed his hands on the neck of Justice Ann Walsh Bradley. The commission is asking the court to send the case on to a panel of three appeals court judges to decide if Prosser violated ethics rules. Prosser and Bradley would be expected to recuse themselves from the high court’s involvement. If it was found he did violate the rules, he could be reprimanded, censured, suspended without pay or removed from office. The Dane County Sheriff’s Office investigated the incident last year, sending its findings to a special prosecutor. Sauk County District Attorney Patricia Barrett found no basis for criminal charges.

Gas Over $4 in Places

3/17/12 - Metro Milwaukee has become the first place in Wisconsin where the average gas price has surpassed four-dollars-a-gallon this spring. That’s according to the Triple-“A,” which said the statewide average for unleaded regular was at 3.89 yesterday. That’s about two-cents more than Thursday, and 48-cents more than a month ago. You could still get it for $3.85 in Beaver Dam early Saturday morning, which is up 12-cents from last week. U-S-A Today says about half of the country’s population is paying over four-dollars for gas. Analyst Dan Dicker told the paper that gas prices should be falling, because the total U-S consumption is the lowest in 12 years. But he said the possibility of an armed conflict with Iran is keeping crude oil prices high – along with what we’re paying at the pump.

Parmer Sentenced

3/17/12 - A 40-year-old Beaver Dam man has been sentenced to one year in prison for burglarizing a Beaver Dam tavern twice in one week. Jeremy Parmer was found guilty of felony burglary and had a number of other charges dismissed for breaking into the Cellar on Christmas Eve and then again four days later. According to the criminal complaint, the 39-year-old removed an air conditioner the first time and broke a window the second time to gain entrance. Parmer stole surveillance equipment, tools, liquor and gaming pull tabs. He was connected to the crime after trying to cash in the pull tabs in at a different bar. An anonymous source also came forward, leading authorities to the shuttered hospital on La Crosse Street, where Parmer had been residing. Authorities say most of the stolen items were found there, along with a municipal citation issued to Parmer.

Doctor Says Abused Child Would Have Died

3/17/12 - A pediatrician who specializes in child abuse says a 15 year girl who allegedly had been locked in her family’s basement would have died. Dr. Barbara Knox is the medical director for the University of Wisconsin Child Protection Program. She says the emaciated girl was the victim of child torture and was exposed to chronic starvation. Knox told the court the victim weighed 68 pounds when she was examined last month. She had weighed 82 pounds five years ago. The testimony from Knox came in a preliminary hearing for the girl’s parents who face charges of first-degree reckless endangerment, intentional child abuse and child neglect. Based on evidence submitted yesterday, the judge ordered the couple to stand trial. The girl was found near her home last February in her pajamas and not wearing shoes. Her stepbrother also faces charges of raping her. He returns to court next week.

Feces Delivered to Senator’s Office

3/17/12 - People working in the Capitol office of state Senator Lena Taylor say they could smell it from 25 feet away. A padded envelope full of feces was received in the mail. The package was addressed to Taylor’s room number at the Capitol, but it didn’t include her name on the front. The return address was reportedly “Milwaukee trade unions want the iron mine.” That’s reference to a bill aimed at streamlining mining regulations which failed last week. Taylor was among lawmakers opposing the measure. The mailroom told Taylor’s office about the suspicious package, and then alerted the Capitol police.

Milwaukee Mayoral Forum Today

3/17/12 - The first of three joint appearances by the candidates for Milwaukee mayor comes at a forum starting this morning at the Northside YMCA. Incumbent Mayor Tom Barrett and University of Wisconsin Extension faculty member Edward McDonald are expected to be there. There’s some confusion about the actual time the public event will begin. McDonald’s campaign says it starts at 10:30 this morning, but a spokesman for Barrett says the mayor is supposed to make an appearance at 11:15 a.m. The other two appearances for the candidates are net Wednesday at a forum with the League of Young Voters at the Bradley center and a week from today at a forum sponsored by the Community Brainstorming Conference at Saint Matthews C.M.E. Church.