Top Stories April 15th

Man Gets 19th OAR Citation

4/15/12 - For a 19th time a Waupun man has been ticketed for operating a motor vehicle while his license was revoked. The most recent offense for 25-year-old Michael Dorsey came Thursday afternoon. Waupun police say Dorsey has likely set a record for the department. Operating After Revocation tickets are treated like any other traffic citation and is not considered a crime. Officials say they are passing along a much information as possible to other law enforcement agencies so they can be on the look out for Dorsey.

Chase Suspect in Custody

4/15/12 - A Watertown man who stole a car and ran from police early Friday morning is in custody. 30-year-old Robbie Thomaschaske turned himself in as authorities were setting up a staging area to continue looking for him late Friday morning. Jefferson County Sheriff Paul Milbrath says deputies attempted to the stop Thomaschaske around midnight, but he fled into Dane County. The Sheriff’s Department there put down spike strips, and they were able to get the car stopped about mile southwest of Deerfield. Thomaschaske got out of the vehicle with what police believed was a handgun and fled from the scene. Milbrath says the gun turned out to be an air-powered handgun, which was made to look like a real weapon. Thomaschaske is being held on a probation hold with charges related to the chase expected early this coming week.

CNC Solutions to be Recognized

4/15/12 - A Watertown company is one of 11 statewide to be recognized as a 2012 Business Friend of Education for their dedication to the youth in the community. In a press release, State Superintendent Tony Evers said the awards go to businesses that provide hands-on experiences that will help students graduate well prepared for college and their careers. CNC Solutions, LLC has worked with the Watertown School District’s Technology and Engineering Department for six years, providing business mentors who work directly with students. According to the Department of Public Instruction, the mentors support student projects and provide continual feedback. Members of CNC’s management also listen to final exam presentations, which contributes to the student’s real-world learning. Other benefits of the partnership include providing resources to support the school’s SkillsUSA chapter, sitting on the school’s advisory committee, and donated maintenance and equipment that helped to make the school’s manufacturing lab a success. The awards will be presented April 20th at the 76th annual Wisconsin Association for Career and Technical Education Conference in Appleton.

Postal Union Not In Favor of Closures or End of Saturday Deliveries

4/15/12 - A La Crosse postal union official says a plan to close facilities – and possibly end Saturday deliveries – will chase business away. Gary Knudson of the National Association of Letter Carriers says the proposals which are pending before Congress will set the agency up for failure. Knudson and other postal workers picketed U-S Senator Herb Kohl’s office in La Crosse last night. They knew Kohl wouldn’t be around, but they hoped it would get people to tell their congressmen to reconsider the service cuts. John Shea, who heads the La Crosse postal union, says people won’t notice until they start getting birthday and Christmas cards late. La Crosse is one of five Wisconsin cities that would lose its mail processing centers, along with Eau Claire, Wausau, Portage, and Kenosha. About 40 Wisconsin post offices are also on the block – but none of them would close at least until May, when a congressional moratorium on closures is due to end. The Postal Service says it’s losing millions, mainly because of the Internet and e-mail.

Recall Primary Bringing Out “Fake” Candidates on Both Sides

4/15/12 - Experts normally downplay the effects of Wisconsin’s open primary. But that doesn’t stop people from trying to cause havoc, by urging one party’s voters to cross over and vote for a weak opponent for the general election. Senate G-O-P Leader Scott Fitzgerald said there were rumblings about Republicans voting for Kathleen Falk in the May eighth Democratic recall primary. That’s because Falk is slightly behind Tom Barrett in recent polls – and a Falk victory could give Republican Scott Walker a weaker opponent on June eighth. But now, a progressive group is taking things one step further, encouraging Democrats to cross over and vote for Arthur Kohl-Riggs in the G-O-P primary. The Youth Revolutionary Council said on its Web site quote, “Democrats now have the potential to remove Scott Walker before he even has a chance to face off with a Democratic challenger.” Kohl-Riggs is a regular during the State Capitol protests, and he filed enough signatures to make the Republican ballot. He tells the Madison Capital Times he wouldn’t mind getting Democratic votes. But his main angle is to keep Republicans at home during the primary, and vote for Walker while Democrats pick who they think will be their best candidate. In last week’s presidential primary, exit polls showed that 11-percent of Democrats voted in the G-O-P race – and they tried to put a monkey-wrench into Mitt Romney by choosing Rick Santorum 44-to-24 percent. It added two-percent to Santorum’s statewide result – but it was not enough, as he pulled out of the presidential race this week.

Expansion of I39-90 Planned

4/15/12 - One of Wisconsin’s busiest highways will be expanded in the next decade. State transportation officials announced a timetable this week to add a third lane in each direction on Interstate 39-90 from Madison to the Illinois line. A new Highway 11 interchange in Janesville will be built next year, and the rest of the six-year project will start in 2015. Besides the two extra lanes, existing pavement will be replaced – and over 100 bridges will be replaced. The total cost is 715-million dollars. The federal government will pick up 30-percent, and the state will pay the rest. The project had been stalled for years until the state Transportation Projects Commission finally endorsed it in 2010. The Assembly speaker at the time, Mike Sheridan of Janesville, said the expansion was badly needed to boost the state’s economy – and to relieve heavy traffic from Illinois, where the “I” has had six lanes for years.

Failed Drug Tests Hurting Job Market

4/15/12 - The head of a Wisconsin business group says one reason employers cannot find skilled workers is that too many of them are failing drug tests. Jim Morgan of the Wisconsin Manufacturers-and-Commerce Foundation says more companies are giving drug tests to job applicants – especially in factories, due to safety concerns. Morgan says it’s a long-term problem that’s helping cause a shortage of skilled workers. And he says some communities are trying to solve it, like Manitowoc. Annie Short coordinates a project that aims to get Manitowoc County residents healthier – and she says up to half of companies’ potential employees are failing drug tests. Short told the Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter it’s a vicious cycle. She says some people are turning to drugs to cope with being unemployed – but they cannot get a job because they cannot pass a drug test.

Group Credited With Saving Teens in La Crosse

4/15/12 - Wisconsin’s drinking culture is still on full display in La Crosse – but college students say they’ve found a way to prevent young drunk students from dying in the Mississippi River. Since 2008, police cadets have joined students from three La Crosse colleges in a group called “River Watch” – late-night patrols at the city’s Riverside Park near the downtown bar district. Police credit them with saving almost 10 lives of young adults who ventured into the Mississippi. Two students have drowned since the watch began. But both were beyond the Riverside Park area where the patrols take place, and where the biggest concentration of drinkers is located. Ten college-age men have drowned in the Mississippi, Black, and La Crosse rivers since 1997 – and at least 20 others almost drowned. And observers say the River Watch patrols seem to have worked after other measures had not. Among other things, La Crosse has cracked down on public intoxication in recent years – and the city made those who buy kegs of beer register with officials.

Winning Cheeses Bring in $140,000

4/15/12 - The award-winning cheeses from last month’s World Championships in Madison have been auctioned off for a total of 140-thousand-dollars. John Umhoefer of the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association says the money will help producers improve their technical and management skills. And it will provide scholarships for future cheese-makers. A 24-pound Dutch Vermeer from the Netherlands was judged the best at the recent contest. At the auction, Hoogwegt U-S of suburban Chicago bought it for 350-dollars a pound, or 84-hundred dollars. And that was not the top price. The Monroe firm of R. Mueller Service-and-Equipment paid 500-dollars a pound for 32 pounds of three other gold medal cheeses. Umhoefer says the auction buyers are generally those who make cheese components and supplies – along with cheese sellers.

Putting Grass Clippings Onto Public Streets in Violation of Ordinance

4/15/12 - The City of Beaver Dam Stormwater Utility is reminding residents and contractors that it is a violation of city ordinance to discharge grass clippings onto public streets. Director of Facilities David Stoiser says the Department of Natural Resources mandates clean gutters because leaves and grass clippings contribute to the degradation of waterways and ultimately the lake. As the lawn debris decomposes, it affects water quality and also clogging storm pipes which leads to flooding. When mowing near the roadway, Stoiser says you should direct the chute of the mower away from the road, containing clippings on the lawn. If clippings accidentally end up in the gutter, Stoiser says they should be swept up and disposed of. The city will hand out warning letters for the first offense; citations will be given to repeat offenders. Yard waste can be brought to the Department of Public Works during business hours, Monday through Friday 7am to 3:30pm and now on Saturdays 10am to 2pm.