Top Stories, March 3rd

Slick Conditions and Snowfall Totals

3/3/12 - Numerous car accidents and run-offs were reported throughout Dodge County as the region experienced a significant snowfall yesterday. Roads are still slick out there and authorities continue to urge the motoring public to drive safely, allow extra time for travel and leave plenty of breaking distance between vehicles. A motorist downed a “No Passing Sign” in the Town of Trenton shortly after the snow started falling yesterday afternoon. Minor injuries were reported after woman struck a utility pole near Highway 67 in Ashippun around 4pm. A UPS truck wound up in a ditch 15 minutes later in Ashippun. And a vehicle struck a culvert just before the 5 o’clock hour in Theresa. Several more runoffs were reported and many abandoned vehicles were found in ditches. Eight inches of snow was reported in Beaver Dam, while trained weather spotters had seven-point-three (7.3) inches in Theresa. Watertown picked up five-point-three inches (5.3) while Sturgeon Bay had five-point-eight (5.8). Six-point-six (6.6) inches fell at Holy Hill while West Bend and Madison got six inches and Kenosha received three.

School Bus Rolls Into Ditch In Walworth

3/3/12 - One of five students riding a school bus that crashed in Walworth County Friday afternoon had to be taken to a hospital. He suffered a minor head injury. There were five students on the bus when it went out of control and rolled into a ditch in the Town of Walworth. The students were from Big Foot High School. Authorities say the 43 year old driver of the bus lost control while driving westbound on Beloit Road, went into the eastbound lane and ran into the ditch at around 3pm.

Escaped Huber Inmate Apprehended

3/3/12 - The Dodge County Sheriff’s Department has apprehended an escaped Huber inmate. 23-year-old Kevin Huettner was dropped-off at the Huber facility in Juneau last Tuesday but failed to report in. The Sheriffs Department issued a warrant on Huettner for Contempt of Court and Escape. He was previously convicted of drug and alcohol offenses. Huettner was taken into custody without incident following a traffic stop in the Town of Trenton last night just before 11pm.

February Traffic Fatalities Higher Than Average

3/3/12 - A dozen more people were killed on Wisconsin highways last month than in February of 2011. The state D-O-T said yesterday that 34 people lost their lives in 25 crashes throughout the Badger State last month. That was 12 more than the previous year, and one more than the average for the last five Februaries. State Patrol major Sandra Huxtable says there have been more crashes this year that resulted in multiple deaths – largely because those victims were not buckled up. She said a seat-belt is your best protection against being ejected or thrown with violent force inside a vehicle. The D-O-T said 78 people died in Wisconsin highway crashes in the first two months of this year. That’s 17 more than in January and February of 2011 – and it’s seven more than the five-year average. There have been no traffic fatalities on Dodge County roadways this year, but last month a Lomira woman was killed in Fond du Lac County on the same day, and in the same community, where three Campbellsport High School students were killed in a tragic rollover accident.

Highway 151 Construction Resumes Thursday

3/3/12 - Construction is expected to resume on the Beaver Dam Highway 151 bypass next Thursday. Officials with Lunda Construction say counter-directional traffic will start in the southbound Highway 151 lanes so work can be done in the northbound lanes. That pattern will shift in July to the northbound lanes for construction on the southbound lanes. In addition, Prospect Avenue will be closed between Eilbes Avenue and School Street next Thursday for removal and reconstruction of the Highway 151 Bridge. The project is scheduled to be completed in June of 2013.

Compromise Possible On Mining Bill

3/3/12 - With a little less than two weeks remaining in the legislative session, Republican leadership has relented and now says a contested mine permitting bill might be changed to get it passed. They say they would be open to discussing the idea of allowing the public to challenge state regulators if that would sway the vote of holdout Republican state Senator Dale Schultz. Republicans had previously been strongly against what are called contested case hearings, saying they would delay the state’s decision-making process. Now, leaders in the Senate and Assembly say they would be open to a version of those hearings if it doesn’t delay the permitting process.

Tea Party Launching Searchable Recall Database

3/3/12 - Tea party groups say they’re almost ready to put a searchable database on the Internet – where you can look for the names of people who signed the state’s recall petitions. A coalition called “Verify the Recall” says it’s in the final stages of testing the database. It will include names on the petitions to recall Governor Scott Walker, Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch, and four G-O-P senators including Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald of Juneau. The state Government Accountability Board has put the petitions on its Web site – but they don not let you search for specific names. “Verify the Recall” says its database will let people who did not sign recall petitions find out if their names were used in fraudulently. Also, the group said it would remove people’s addresses from the list if there are safety concerns. To do that, you need to contact the group online at www.verifytherecall.com by next Wednesday.

Readstown Police Chief Arrested For Misconduct

3/3/12 - A small-town police chief from Vernon County was arrested at a truck stop in Nebraska yesterday on eight criminal charges. Readstown Chief Shay Larson is charged with two felony counts of misconduct in public office. The 29-year-old also faces a half-dozen misdemeanor counts – two for fourth-degree sexual assault, three for disorderly conduct, and one for obstructing an officer. According to prosecutors, Larson improperly touched and propositioned a female informant in a drug case last April – and he approached women in a sexual manner at least two other times. Prosecutors said Larson lied to investigators about the details but later came clean. The criminal complaint also said Larson asked people not to report his behavior, or tell people he had seen their illegal behavior. The charges were filed after a six-month investigation in which Larson kept being paid. A private detective hired by the city said the investigation remains open. Larson is being held in the Buffalo County, Nebraska, jail, awaiting extradition to Wisconsin.

Groupon Drops Dahmer Tour

3/3/12 - Protests from the families of infamous serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer have led online deal-maker Groupon to cancel a promotion for discounted tickets. Critics of the tour of the Milwaukee areas where Dahmer trolled for victims say it’s an attempt to exploit an ugly part of Milwaukee history. Bam Marketing and Media is moving ahead despite the opposition, saying its first two trips through the Walker’s Point neighborhood were almost sold out. Those trips are scheduled for today. Dahmer admitted murdering 17 young men in the early 1990s.

Satellite Scams Targeting Area

3/3/12 - State officials are warning folks about a pair of satellite T-V scams that have hit the Badger State. In one of the schemes, a scammer offers you more channels for a discounted one-time fee. The scammer takes your personal information, and then calls a real satellite provider to set you up. And then you’re told to send a pre-paid debit card to a third-party. That third party, of course, is the scammer who keeps your money. And the satellite provider keeps billing you for the service the scammer set you up with. The second scam is less complicated. It says you can get a satellite T-V upgrade if you’ll wire 300-dollars to a third-party. That party keeps the money, and you never get the upgrade. State consumer protection officials say folks are complaining about both schemes. Once again, officials say you should never give personal information over the phone unless you initiate the call and you know who you’re dealing with. And consumer officials say you should never need to send prepaid debit cards and wire transfers for T-V service.