Top Stories, April 21st

Badger Honor Flight Organizing Welcome Home Tonight

4/21/12 - Officials with the Dodge County Wing of Madison-based Badger Honor Flight are hoping there will be a large contingent of local support when the first Honor Flight of 2012 arrives back at the Dane County Airport on Saturday night. The Honor Flight program takes World War II veterans to their memorial in Washington DC at no cost to them. The flight is scheduled to land in Madison just after 9pm Saturday night. Organizers are hoping that the crowd assembles in the hangar around 8pm. Materials will be provided for those wishing to make a “Welcome Home” sign for returning veterans.

$6 Million Upgrade At Waupun Correctional

4/21/12 - It’s been almost 50 years since Wisconsin’s largest prison improved its food-preparation facility. But that’s about to change. The state Building Commission has approved over six-million-dollars to upgrade the kitchen and other food service facilities at Waupun Correctional. And the work is scheduled to begin in November. Facility manager Kevin Reid-Rice says the site desperately needs an overhaul. Waupun’s food service building was put up in 1914 – and the last time it was remodeled was 1965. Also, the project includes a new roof for a cell-block at Waupun – plus a new water well at the site.

Gordon Gets 50 Months For Seventh OWI

4/21/12 - A Watertown man will spend 50 months in prison after pleading guilty Friday to seventh offense drunk driving. 50-year-old William Gordon was pulled over on January 5th in the town of Lebanon after a police officer operating a radar gun recognized Gordon and his vehicle. Authorities say Gordon admitted to drinking for about an hour prior to driving and he had an open beer in the vehicle. His blood alcohol level was over the legal limit for driving at point-zero-nine (.09). Gordon’s previous six convictions range in date from 1993 to 2008. In addition to 50 months in prison, Gordon was sentenced to 60 months of extended supervision and had his license suspended for three years followed by three years with an ignition interlock device.

Teen Waives Prelim In Toddler Assault

4/21/12 - An 18-year-old Fox Lake boy waived his right to a preliminary hearing Friday on felony charges of sexual assault of a child. Eric Watters is accused of sexually assaulted a three-year-old and four-year-old girl in September at a home in the town of Courtland. Watters is charged with three counts of First-Degree Child Sexual Assault of a Person Younger Than 12, three counts of First-Degree Child Sexual Assault of a Person Younger Than 13, two counts of Child Enticement – Sexual Contact, and two counts of Causing a Child Younger Than 13 to View or Listen to a Sexual Act. According to authorities, Watters admitted to the assault of the four-year-old when questioned and told them about the other assault of a 3-year-old girl a few weeks prior. If convicted on all charges, Watters could spend a combined 285 years in prison. Arraignment is scheduled for May 30.

Planned Parenthood Adapts Following Law Change

4/21/12 - A new law which went into effect Friday leaves doctors facing criminal penalties if they fail to follow certain procedures when performing non-surgical abortions. That’s why Planned Parenthood ended those types of abortions the same day. The law passed by the Republican-controlled state Legislature two weeks ago mandates women having nonsurgical abortions must visit the same doctor three times. The doctors have to make sure the woman having the procedure is doing so voluntarily and no one is coercing her. Not following those steps could result in felony charges against the doctor. Four other states have similar laws in place. Planned Parenthood says confusion over the new is why the nonsurgical procedures were stopped. Surgical abortions are still offered at its clinics in the Fox Cities, Milwaukee and Madison.

Van Hollen Concerned About Voter Fraud

4/21/12 - State Attorney General J-B Van Hollen says he’s very concerned about voter fraud in the six upcoming recall elections. Voters will not have to show photo I-D’s at either the May eighth primaries or the June fifth general elections. That’s because a judge says he will not rule until after those elections in a lawsuit that seeks to permanently strike down the I-D requirement. A preliminary injunction is holding up the law until that ruling. Meanwhile, Van Hollen has asked an appeals court to overturn another rejection of the I-D law in a different lawsuit. Van Hollen says that voter fraud is always a risk – and he says there’s no reason to believe it would be any less of a concern in the recall voting.

Internal Investigation Into Milwaukee Police Beating

4/21/12 - Milwaukee police chief Ed Flynn says his department is conducting an internal investigation of an incident where an officer was caught hitting a suspected drunken driver in the head on video. That video was posted on YouTube. Flynn repeated past statements that an administrative review board found no evidence that officer Eric Ratzmann violated department policy when he used force that night. The internal investigation is being started because 39 year old Jeffrey Strasser said he wanted to file a complaint against Ratzmann. In connection with that investigation, the area around the 200 block of East Juneau was re-canvassed by police last night and again tonight. Strasser had a blood alcohol content of nearly two and a half times the legal limit when he was tested 90 minutes after the incident.

Carp Caught In Mouth of St. Croix River

4/21/12 - The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is reporting a commercial fisherman caught a 30-pound bighead carp this week near Prescott, Wisconsin. This is the most recent instance of one of the invasive Asian carp being caught in the waters forming the border between the two states. This time the fish was caught at the mouth of the St. Croix River. About a dozen bighead and silver carp have been caught in that river and the Mississippi River since 1996, meaning the damaging fish are making their way up the river.

Beaver Dam Bulk Pick-Up Truck Moving

4/21/12 - After Saturday, Beaver Dam residents will no longer be able drop-off bulk garbage at the Public Works garage. Director of Facilities David Stoiser says the city is moving the bulk truck site from the DPW garage to the Wastewater Treatment Facility grounds located off Cooper Street on Myrtle Road at Beltline Drive. Representatives with Veolia will be handing out flyers at the garage today, which is the final pick-up of the month. The drop-off dates will remain the same; the bulk waste truck will still be available on the first Wednesday of the month from 4pm to 7pm and the third Saturday of the month from 8am until noon. Stoiser says he believes the new site will be much more convenient for users.