Top Stories, March 24th

Hopper Not Guilty Of OWI

3/24/12 - A jury in Fond du Lac found former state Senate Republican Randy Hopper innocent Friday of first-time drunk driving. A six-member jury heard more than a day of testimony before returning its not-guilty verdict. His attorney said Hopper had three-and-a-half beers at the Green Bay Packers-Saint Louis Rams game on October 16th – and a motorist later called 9-1-1 after seeing his vehicle weaving on Highway 151 just north of Fond du Lac. He was arrested after he had pulled into a grocery store parking lot. Hopper testified that he felt the arresting sheriff’s deputy was quote, “out to get me.” That’s because Hopper had voted in favor of the law that virtually ended most public union bargaining. The defense said the arresting officer should have arranged for a blood test to determine a blood alcohol level that would stand up in court. Hopper did take a preliminary breath test – which is not admissible – and it was point-13, five hundredths above the legal limit for drunk driving. The arrest was made a couple months after Hopper and former Senate Republican Dan Kapanke were recalled for their votes on the union law.

Car Strikes House Following Collision

3/24/12 - Three minor injuries were reported after a two-car wreck that sent one vehicle into a house near the accident scene. It happened on County Trunk P at Highway 33 in the Town of Herman just after 4pm Friday. Dodge County Sheriff Todd Nehls says a minivan driven by a 45-year-old Oconomowoc man was traveling northbound on Highway P when it went through the Highway 33 stop sign and collided with a Ford Mustang operated by a Mayville woman. The minivan continued on a short distance before crashing into a nearby house, causing minor structural damage. The cause of the wreck is under investigation by the Dodge County Sheriffs Department Crash Investigation Team. Those injured were transported to Hartford Hospital.

Discover Dodge Unveils New Visitors Guide, Website

3/24/12 - A new organization promoting tourism in Dodge County has unveiled a new visitors guide and website. Discover Dodge was formed last fall to fill the void left by last year’s disbanding of the Dodge County Tourism Association and features a twelve member board comprised of representatives from the all around the county. Phil Fritsche with Discover Dodge says over 80 people attended their inaugural breakfast Friday in Iron Ridge. Wisconsin Tourism Secretary Stephanie Klett was the keynote speaker at the first annual event along with Deputy Secretary Dave Fantle. Unlike the defunct Tourism Association, Discover Dodge will promote everyone in the county, regardless of their affiliation with the organization. Fritsche says there will be added benefits to being a member. The visitors guide is available at all Chamber offices in Dodge County along with member businesses and also along the Highway 151 and I-94 corridor.

A link to the online version of the Visitors Guide can be found here:

http://issuu.com/ccvb2009/docs/discover_dodge_2012_web_version

The Discover Dodge website is located at:

www.discoverdodgecounty.com

Beaver Dam Woman Finalist for Alice in Dairyland

3/24/12 - A Beaver Dam woman is among six finalists to be the 65th Alice in Dairyland. Danielle Hammer will graduate in May from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls with a degree in agricultural business and minor in international studies. Hammer is the fifth generation on her family’s corn, soybean and wheat farm. She grew up active in 4-H and was selected as the Dodge County Fairest of the Fair in 2010. Other finalists include Ann Marie Ames of Janesville, Rachel Erickson of Oshkosh, Sarah Holm of Elk Mound, Amy Manske of Green Bay and Rochelle Ripp of Lodi. The finalists will spend the next month and a half preparing for the selection process May 17-19 in Grant County. During those three days, Alice in Dairyland finalists will complete an individual interview, writing exercise, media interviews, an impromptu question and answer session, an agribusiness tour talk and a finale speech. To become a finalist, the women submitted an application in January and completed a preliminary interview in February. The 65th Alice in Dairyland will begin her yearlong duties on June 4 as a full-time public relations employee of Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. Katie Wirkus of Athens is the current Alice in Dairyland. Her predecessor, Christine Lepple Lidner – the state’s 63rd Alice – was also from Beaver Dam.

Holperin Not Seeking Re-Election

3/24/12 - A veteran of state government for about a quarter-century announced Friday that he would not run for re-election this fall. Jim Holperin of Conover, near Eagle River, issued a statement that he wanted to do other things – but didn’t say what they were. The Democrat did say he was glad for his years in service in the Legislature and as Wisconsin’s Tourism Secretary. The 61-year-old Holperin was first elected to the Assembly in 1982 and served for a decade. He was Jim Doyle’s first top tourist promoter for four years ending in 2007. And the following year, he was elected to the Senate for his only four-year term. He’s also been a legislative analyst in the Assembly and the Senate’s assistant chief clerk, and has held a number of private service and leadership posts. Holperin is the only Wisconsin legislator to survive two recall efforts against him – one in the early 1990’s for his support of federally-ordered Chippewa Indian treaty rights, and the other last year for leaving the Capitol for three weeks in a failed effort to stop the law that virtually ended public union bargaining. Assembly Republican Tom Tiffany of Hazelhurst, who ran against Holperin in the 2008 Senate election, says he’ll decide in a week whether he’ll seek the post this fall. Another name being mentioned is Assembly Republican Dan Meyer, who has said he’s leaving his current post this fall.

Falk Wants Undecided Barrett To Step Aside

3/24/12 - Kathleen Falk says Tom Barrett should step aside and support her Democratic candidacy for governor in the Walker recall election. Barrett lost to the Republican Walker in the last gubernatorial contest in 2010, and the Milwaukee mayor said he would announce soon whether he’ll go for a rematch. But on Friday, Falk said Barrett had his chance -- and she supported him in 2010, so he should support her this time. There are two other announced Democratic candidates in the gubernatorial recall contest – Secretary-of-State Doug La Follette and Alma Senator Kathleen Vinehout.

GAB Sues Clerks Over Overseas Ballots

3/24/12 - The Government Accountability Board says local clerks aren’t living up to their responsibilities and getting ballots to members of the military so they can vote. The federal government has decided to take the state of Wisconsin to court over the matter. The GAB says 65 municipal clerks sent the ballots out late. Another 347 never responded to requests from the GAB about when the ballots were mailed. The board admits it can’t do much to the clerks who missed the deadline – or the ones who didn’t respond. It says it simply doesn’t have the tools or the authority to force the clerks to comply. This is the second time the federal government has taken the state to court over this law.

Walker Signs Ag & Rec Bills

3/24/12 - Governor Scott Walker signed a bill Friday that tries to put more of an emphasis on farms and recreation in setting policies for the state D-N-R. The Republican Walker went to Grandad’s Bluff in La Crosse to sign seven nature-related bills. One of them would require at least one member of the Natural Resources Board to have an agricultural background. And at least three-of-the-seven members must have held fishing, hunting, or trapping licenses in at least seven-of-the-10 years before they were named to the panel. The changes were endorsed by large majorities in both houses. Opponents of the law called it a power grab for hunters and fishermen. They say the board is too heavily-weighted against those who advocate for recreational activities like bird-watching and hiking. They won’t actually take effect until 2017.

LAPD Looking Into Allegations Against Chadima

3/24/12 - Los Angeles police are apparently taking a closer look at former UW-Madison associate athletic director John Chadima and allegations of sexual assault. The LAPD became involved when a student worker accused Chadima of sexually assaulting him during a hotel party when the Badgers were in California for the Rose Bowl. Chadima was suspended shortly after that, then he resigned. Chadima revealed he is getting counseling for stress and alcohol after reports of similar allegations from two other men.