Top Stories March 1st

Northern WI Digging Out from Storm

3/1/12 - Our area picked up less than an inch of snow yesterday, but Leap Day will not soon be forgotten in northern Wisconsin, where up to 23-inches of snow closed schools and caused thousands to lose their power. Numerous precipitation records were broken statewide for a day that only happens once every four years. Crandon had 23-inches of snow, and Minocqua had 21. Many of other parts of the north had over a foot. Most of the state’s mid-section had four-inches of snow or less. Southern Wisconsin had rain and thunderstorms with a little snow late in the day. Lightning ruptured an underground gas main in Verona, but no one was hurt. The Wisconsin Public Service utility had over 14-thousand customers without power at the height of the storm, mainly because the wet heavy snow snapped or sagged power lines. And winds up to 45-miles-an-hour didn’t help. Dan Clark of the National Weather Service said the storm stood out in what’s been a quote, “easy winter.” Some of the snow is due to melt today, as temperatures get above freezing statewide with highs in the 30’s-and-40’s. More mixed precipitation is due in tomorrow.

BD Baseball Group Raising Funds For Upgrades

3/1/12 - A new non-profit organization “Friends of Beaver Dam Baseball” is launching a fundraising campaign intended to improve the baseball facilities at the high school. Joe Loizzo says the goal of the “Stepping Up to the Plate” campaign is to collect a quarter million dollars. The project includes the installation of lighting and a new sound system for the Varsity Field, along with construction of an indoor bathroom, new concession stand, storage facility and press box. Loizzo says their goals are to host large tournaments, and leave the local baseball program in better condition than they found it. Donations can be sent to : Friends of Beaver Dam Baseball c/o Nate Dassler 815 North St. Beaver Dam, WI 53916 For more information contact: Joe Loizzo (920) 210-3763 or jloizzo@gmail.com

Cost of Doing Nothing Could Be Expensive

3/1/12 - Columbus Schools’ Facilities Committee members learned last night that “doing nothing” can be expensive. Planners were on hand to provide the committee with estimates of how much it would cost the District if NO renovation was initiated to upgrade the District’s three aging school buildings. Increasing costs of maintenance could run up to $4.8 million dollars over the next ten years. Another cost factor considered was increasing inflation. The committee meets again next Wednesday to work on proposals that could result in a Schools’ referendum in November.

Dells Police Trying to Identify Body

3/1/12 - Police in Wisconsin Dells are trying to identify a body found at a hydro-electric dam on the Wisconsin River. Alliant Energy said one of its employees was working at the Kilbourn Dam yesterday afternoon when he looked down, and saw what appeared to be a body against the dam. The unit kept operating while rescuers pulled the man from the water. Police said he’s of average height with black hair. The body was turned over to the Columbia County medical examiner, and Wisconsin Dells Police were looking for information about any missing persons in the area.

Warden Encourages Life Preservers Following Conviction

3/1/12 - A local DNR Warden says there is a valuable lesson to learn from the recent conviction of a Dane County man in connection with a fatal boating accident. In July of 2010, Adam Walsh crashed his jet ski into a bass boat on the Wisconsin River in Columbia County. The 22-year-old Walsh said the setting sun reflecting off the water blinded him. All four occupants in the boat were ejected; two were injured and 21-year-old Joseph Pfuhl of Poynette was killed. None of them were wearing a life-preserver. Columbia County Conservation Warden Paul Nadolski says if they were wearing a Personal Floatation Device, none of them would have had to swim to survive. Neither Walsh, nor the operator of the boat had taken the required boating education course either. Columbia County Assistant District Attorney Troy Cross says recreational watercraft may be fun but people still have to take the necessary safety precautions to help prevent this type of accident. Walsh was originally charged with felony Homicide By Intoxicated Operation of a Motor Vehicle but pleaded “no contested” to three misdemeanor counts of Negligent Operation of a Motor Vehicle. He was placed on two years probation and ordered to pay $16,000 in restitution.

Court To Consider Koshkonong Question

3/1/12 - The Wisconsin Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether the state D-N-R has the authority to set water levels on Lake Koshkonong in Rock and Jefferson counties. The Rock-Koshkonong Lake District and property owners wanted to raise the water level by over seven-inches during the summer, and stop the D-N-R from drawing down the lake each winter. But the agency said no back in 2003, and the district has fought the decision in court over the past few years. A Rock County circuit judge sided with the D-N-R in 2008, and a state appeals court did the same last June. The judges said the D-N-R has the authority to set water levels to best encourage safety and protect public health and properties. And the court said the D-N-R was not required to consider the economic impact of its water decisions on nearby homes and businesses. The Supreme Court is expected to take up the case this summer.

GAB Seeks Signature Review Extension

3/1/12 - Wisconsin election officials say they’ll ask a judge for more time to review the estimated one-point-nine million signatures to recall six Republican politicians. Right now, the Government Accountability Board has until March 19th to decide if there are enough valid signatures to order recall votes against Governor Scott Walker, Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch, and four G-O-P senators. The Board told lawmakers this week they’ll need a total of 975-thousand dollars to process the petitions. And in making that request, the Board said it would ask a Dane County judge to extend the deadline for validating the petitions. The agency did not say how long it would need. Spokesman Reid Magney says they’ll decide that when it meets on March 12th. Also that day, the Board will consider challenges made by the four incumbent senators to certain signatures. Walker said this week he would not challenge any signatures. Kleefisch has until Monday to file her challenges. Campaign spokesman Ciara Matthews was sure if Kleefisch would challenge signatures – or if so, how many. A delay in the Board’s review process would let Walker continue raising unlimited amounts of campaign money until an election is called. Scot Ross of Democrat Kathleen Falk’s campaign said more delays would benefit Walker’s interests, but not those of Wisconsin.

State Senate, Congressional, Senate Candidate Announcements

3/1/12 - A physical therapist from Rhinelander is the latest candidate for the U-S Senate. Kip Smith has announced his Republican bid. He plans to run in the September primary against former Governor Tommy Thompson, former Congressman Mark Neumann, and state Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald of Horicon. Smith says voters need to send quote, “common-sense Americans” to Washington. He says he’s just the man who can help end the divisiveness in Congress. Madison Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin is the only Democrat running so far for the Senate seat to be vacated this year by Democrat Herb Kohl.

A Princeton man who ran against Congressman Tom Petri in 2010 announced his candidacy this week for the Sixth Congressional District. Democrat Joe Kallas has served on the Green Lake County and Princeton Town Boards. Petri has represented the 6th Congressional District since winning a special election in 1979. In November of 2010 Petri got nearly 70 percent of the vote in his race against Kallas.

The main organizer of an effort to recall State Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald of Juneau officially announced this week that she will be running. Lori Compas of Fort Atkinson says her candidacy is based on the belief that people matter more than money. Fitzgerald is one of four Republican senators targeted for recalls, and Compas is the first to say she’d run against him. The other three G-O-P incumbents are opposed by present or former Democratic legislators.

Thompson Outpolls Challengers

3/1/12 - Tommy Thompson would easily win the Republican U-S Senate nomination if the primary were to be held today. That’s according to a new survey by the Public Policy Polling firm. Just over 550 G-O-P primary voters were polled by phone last week – and Thompson, the former governor and Bush cabinet secretary, got 39-percent of the support. Former Congressman Mark Neumann and Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald were far behind with 22-percent each. Thompson’s lead was easily beyond the poll’s error margin of plus-or-minus four-point-two percent. The poll also showed that the only Democrat in the race, Madison Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin, would defeat Neumann 47-to-41 percent, and Fitzgerald 47-39. Nine-hundred likely voters were surveyed in the larger poll, with an error margin of three-and-a-third percent either way. The poll also showed Baldwin in a dead heat with Thompson. She leads 46-45, but that’s within the poll’s margin-of-error.

Beaver Dam Community Meal Tonight

3/1/12 - A group made up of several local churches is offering the public a free meal Thursday night. Tom Dugolenski with the Beaver Dam Community Meal Coalition says the group started two years ago with the goal of providing food and fellowship where it’s needed most. The group started by offering the meal to families at Jefferson Elementary but the program expanded last year to also include a community-wide meal. The Coalition currently serves one meal a month to Jefferson Elementary families and one meal to the entire community. Dugolenski says they hope to one day host a community meal every week. He says there have been averaging just under 100 people at each of their meals, and close to 80% are children. The Beaver Dam Community Meal Coalition’s free community meal will be held from 5:30 to 6:30pm tonight in the Beaver Dam High School cafeteria. On the menu: Tatar tot casserole, marshmallow fluff salad, fruits, vegetables, and dessert. The next community meal at the high school will be served on April 5.

Driver Cited For Parking Lot Rollover

3/1/12 - The Beaver Dam Police Department responded to a rollover accident in a parking lot on Tuesday. Deputy Chief Dan Schubert says it happened just after 11pm in the Heritage Village Mall. A 21-year-old Beaver Dam man driving a 1991 Jeep Cherokee attempted to do a so-called “donut” by trying to make his vehicle spin around in circles on the wet pavement when it flipped over. The uninsured driver was cited for Reckless Driving. A passenger was taken into custody on an outstanding warrant. There were no injuries.