Top Stories April 9th

Fire Damages Highway 151 Home

4/9/12 - A fire did extensive damage to a home in the town of Elba last night. Columbus Fire Department officials say they were called out to the home on Highway 151 around 7:30pm. Flames were shooting out of several windows when they arrived on scene. The home is owned by David and Donna Maier but no one was home at the time of the fire and no one was hurt. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Five departments fought the blaze. Portions of the southbound lanes of Highway 151 were closed for a time before reopening fully around 10pm.

Cottage Fire in Randolph-Area

4/9/12 - A cottage on the west side of Beaver Dam Lake was destroyed by a fire that broke out just before midnight. Randolph Fire Chief Bruce Miller says it happened at a home on Surfside Drive. Randolph and several other fire departments responded to the scene after someone living across the lake reported flames had fully engulfed the home. Authorities say the cause is still under investigation but they don’t believe it’s suspicious. The owner, Kurt Vogt, was not home at the time of the fire.
Delinquent Taxpayers Getting a Break

4/9/12 - Most Wisconsinites who still owe 2011 income taxes plan to square up before next Tuesday's deadline. But about 23-hundred delinquent state taxpayers got a break over the past five years, when the Revenue Department agreed to write off 30-million dollars in debts to squeeze out 11-million from those people. Gannett's 10 Wisconsin newspapers said the state made twice as many deals in 2010 as they did in 2005, in order to get at least something from the deadbeats. The agency told Gannett that five supervisors are authorized to make deals -- but officials refuse to say what the criteria are. But without such deals, they say the deadbeats might not pay a penny. All told, Gannett says about 122-thousand delinquent taxpayers owed almost a billion-dollars in back taxes as of last year. Former state Commerce employee Malini Ganeshapillai owes the most, with just over two-and-a-half million. She's in prison for bilking the state and private banks out of millions-of-dollars from 2001-through-'05. About 20-thousand people and businesses owe more than five-thousand -- which earned them place on the state's "Web Site of Shame." The state managed to collect about 200-million-dollars in back taxes last year using technology to find deadbeats and intercept their paychecks.

Columbus-Fall River Regionalization Complete

4/9/12 - The wastewater collection systems of the City of Columbus and Village of Fall River are now one. The wastewater flow in the four-year, multi-million dollar Regionalization project is being tested by public works staff and engineers from the two communities. Columbus Administrator Boyd Kraemer told city officials recently that the pumps sending the wastewater from the Village to the Treatment Plant on River Road have been started. When testing is completed the only work left to be done is landscaping around the Fall River lift station and the three-mile stretch of force main from the Village to the City.

Conservation Congress Meetings Tonight

4/9/12 - The annual Conservation Congress is meeting in all 72 counties tonight. The Dodge County meeting will be held at 7pm at the Horicon International Education Center in the Lower Level Auditorium. Dale Maas, chair of the Dodge County delegation, says people are welcome to present new ideas on the management of the state’s fish and wildlife resources and also elect Conservation Congress delegates at the county meetings. There also will be two seats up for election in Dodge County. Any citizen of the county who is at least 18 may be nominated for a two or three year term as a member of the congress. This year’s questionnaire has 85 questions. About half of the questions are rule change proposals from the department, and the remainder are advisory questions proposed by the Wisconsin Conservation Congress or the Natural Resources Board. During the DNR hearing portion, citizens will be allowed to vote on changes to fish and wildlife rules proposed by the DNR and the Natural Resources Board. All votes are advisory and will be presented as a summary of public opinion to the Natural Resources Board at their May meeting. Contact information is on our website. For more information, contact Dale Maas at 920-928-2131. To view a copy of the spring rules hearing questionnaire go to http://dnr.wi.gov/org/nrboard/congress/spring_hearings.

Sandhill Crane Hunt On Madison Agenda

4/9/12 - Members of the public will have a chance to share their opinions of a Sandhill Crane hunt at the Conservation Congress spring hearings Monday in Madison. State Representative Joe Kleefisch of Oconomowoc introduced a bill this winter authorizing the hunt. At the time, he called the cranes the rib-eye of the sky. Bird lovers fought back, stopping the measure in its tracks. Hunt supporters say the crane population has rebounded and are eating corn seeds and young stalks in the fields. The fact that Wisconsin is home to the International Crane Foundation has been a factor so far. Today’s hearing is only advisory in nature, but approval by the Congress would give state lawmakers a stronger argument when the hunting bill comes up again.

Three Minor Injuries In Porch Collapse

4/9/12 - Three people sustained minor injuries when a porch collapsed in the Town of Emmet. Authorities were called to N1372 Second Street at 4pm Saturday afternoon. Dodge County Sheriff Todd Nehls says four to five people were trapped underneath when the porch gave out. He says the call came in sounding more serious than it turned out to be. Everyone was removed safely and the most serious injury was a broken ankle.

Storage Unit B&E Under Investigation

4/9/12 - Someone broke into three storage units in the Town of Herman over the weekend. According to the Dodge County Sheriffs Department, the pad locks were cut off and found lying on the ground. It was the reported Saturday afternoon around 12:30pm at the storage facility along Highway 33. Authorities say nothing appeared to be missing but they are investigating. Anyone with information is asked to contact the sheriffs department.

Officials Trying to Explain Why So Many Referendums Passed

4/9/12 - State education officials are at a loss to explain why over two-thirds of local school referendums were approved last week – when the normal rate is about half. Voters said yes to 21-out-of-29 proposals to borrow millions to fix-or-replace aging school buildings, or to raise taxes beyond the state’s revenue limits. Beloit approved one of the most expensive referendums in state history – 70-million dollars for a new middle school and a host of renovations. And that was in a place with 12-and-a-half unemployment, and some of the state’s lowest property values per student. But the Greater Beloit Chamber of Commerce saw the project as a chance to boost the community’s economy as well as its education. Joe Quick of Wisconsin Association of School Boards says referendums are local issues – and their success depends on a how a community perceives a need and responds to it. Beloit Superintendent Steve McNeal said endorsements from business-and-community groups were vital, and over 100 presentations were made to voters. They even approved a new high school swimming pool, which is always a hard sell. But McNeal said Beloit Memorial was the only school in its conference that could not host a swim meet – while nearby Janesville has five pools in its school district.

Oshkosh National Guard Unit Prepping For Deployment

4/9/12 - About 130 members of the Wisconsin Army National Guard 1157th Transportation Company are expected to spend nine months in Afghanistan. They leave their Oshkosh base later this month on a convoy-security mission. It’s the fifth time since 1990 the company has been called to active duty. The soldiers have been training for the mission in Mississippi since February. The soldiers were given a week’s leave, then will report back to camp Monday for final preparations.

Craig Culver To Speak At Columbus Luncheon

4/9/12 - One of the most popular Business personalities in Wisconsin will be keynoting the Annual Columbus Business Appreciation Luncheon. Craig Culver, co-founder of Culver’s restaurant chain, will be the presenter this year. The Business Appreciation Luncheon and awards will be held at the Cardinal Ale House on Industrial Drive in Columbus from 11:45am to 1pm on Tuesday, April 17.