Top Stories May 17th

School, Parent Disagree on Use of Seclusion Room

5/17/12 - The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction will be touring the Rock River Intermediate School in Waupun today, after the mother of a student complained that her son was locked away in a box. Waupun School District Interim Superintendent Don Childs calls it a “quiet room.” State statute refers to it as a “seclusion room.” The five-by-seven foot temporary plywood room has padded walls, tile floors, a locking door, no furniture, and no ventilation. Childs says trained teachers who detect the onset of an emotional outburst or threatening behavior are allowed by law to place a child in a “seclusion room” to diffuse an escalating situation.  Mandy Rennhack says her 10-year-old son Tyler was caged in a box.  Tyler has Asperger’s Syndrome, a form of autism characterized by occasional but intense emotional meltdowns.  Rennhack acknowledges that autistic children on the verge of an outburst can be soothed in an enclosed space with no stimulation.  But she says autistic children only respond to a small space that is warm and inviting and discipline that focuses on positive consequences not punishment. Rennhack concedes the situation that sparked Tyler’s confinement involved the boy saying “no” to his teacher and pacing nervously but she says there was no safety concern and the teacher was just taking the easy way out. Childs says the teacher in this case was trained to detect the onset of an outburst and intervene on behalf of the child and the rest of the classroom. He invited officials with the Department of Public Instruction to inspect the facility today and provide feedback to make sure the district in compliance with current law. Rennhack is hoping the state orders the box closed. Childs says the lack of ventilation and the door locks will be addressed before new laws on “seclusion rooms” go into effect this September.

Man Arrested After Shooting Out Neighbors Windows

5/17/12 - A town of Portland man is in custody after allegedly threatening to kill his neighbor and shooting at her house with a bb gun.  56-year-old John Goyer was arrested at taser point after he allegedly shot out the windows of a home on River Oaks Road around 8:45 last night.  Dodge County Sheriff Todd Nehls says they are still working to uncover what prompted the man’s actions but says there has been a ongoing dispute between the two parties.

Fox Lake Considers Chicken Ordinance

5/17/12 - Fox Lake is planning to amend an ordinance that allows chickens to be raised in the city.  Currently home owners are limited to two chickens but under the new ordinance that number would go up to four.  It would also ban roosters within city limits and require that owners get the ok of at least half of their immediate neighbors.  Officials say in the first year of the new ordinance only five permits would be issued, with the city reevaluating the situation at the end of the year.  Earlier this month, Mayor Tom Bednarek indicated that the city could go to an advisory referendum this fall but that appears to be on the backburner for now.  The council is likely to consider the new ordinance at a meeting next week.

Teen Injured After Crashing into Tree

5/17/12 - A 19-year-old man was seriously injured in a one-vehicle accident on Highway 73 yesterday afternoon.  It happened just before 5pm near County Highway D.  Authorities say Aaron Egel lost control of his vehicle, left the road and hit a tree.  He was taken to Columbus Hospital before eventually being flighted to UW-Hospital in Madison.  The crash is still under investigation.

Vivid Images Facing Fines

5/17/12 - A Theresa company is looking at more than $64,000 in fines in the wake of the death of one of its workers last fall.  The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, says they’ve issued 12-citations for safety violations to Vivid Image.  That’s where 55-year-old Roman Torres died and 65-year-old Thomas Persha was found unconscious last November.  Officials say the two men inhaled the toxic chemical, toluene.  The citations include two willful violations, which OSHA defines as those committed with intentional, knowing or voluntary disregard for the law.  Torres and Persha were mixing two-or-three compounds when they were overcome by the fumes.  Vivid has 15-days to reply to OSHA.

Columbus Council Approves Land Annexation

5/17/12 - The Columbus Council unanimously approved annexation of 182 acres of land south of the Community Hospital on highway 73 this week. City Attorney Paul Johnson said the annexation would extend the City limits out to the interchange with highway 151. The city will be creating a TIF District on the newly annexed land with Olean Investments as part of a concept plan that would include a mixed-use development. City Administrator Boyd Kraemer said the Columbus Development Authority (CDA) will be meeting on Monday to review projected costs and funding options available to the City.Motivation for the annexation is in response to the City’s effort to retain a major manufacturing industry currently located in Columbus.

Wisconsin Law Enforcement to Remember Fallen Colleagues

5/17/12 - Law enforcement officers from throughout Wisconsin will gather in Madison on Friday to remember their colleagues killed in the line of duty. They’ll drive around the Capitol Square, and attend a police memorial ceremony at the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Memorial on the square. Governor Scott Walker and Attorney General J-B Van Hollen will speak at the program. This is the 22nd year that the Capitol memorial will host a ceremony. Two new names are being added to the memorial – Fond du Lac patrolman Craig Birkholz who was killed last March while responding to a domestic dispute, and Beloit Merchant officer Frederick Samp who was shot in 1935 while following a pair of suspected car thieves. Merchant officers worked in units similar to the modern security companies – but in the 30’s, those officers could make arrests and carry guns.

Alice in Dairyland to be Crowned this Weekend

5/17/12 - Wisconsin’s 65th Alice-in-Dairyland will be chosen this weekend. Six finalists are competing for the title, which includes a one-year term as the state Agriculture Department’s ambassador for Wisconsin food products. UW –Platteville in Grant County is hosting this year’s selection process. The event starts Thursday, with the finalists touring agricultural businesses in Grant County. They’ll undergo a series of tests that include interviews, speeches, and more. The finals will be on Saturday night at U-W Platteville, and the winner will replace Katie Wirkus.  The six Alice finalists are Ann Marie Ames of Janesville, Rachel Erickson of Oshkosh, Sarah Holm of Elk Mound, Amy Manske of Green Bay, Rochelle Ripp of Lodi and Danielle Hammer of Beaver Dam.  Hammer was the 2010 Dodge County Fairest of the Fair and is the reigning Celebrity Cream Puff Eating champion. The year she held the Fairests crown, she beat Dodge County Sheriff Todd Nehls in a one-on-one round fittingly titled “Hammer and Nehls.” If named Alice in Dairyland, Hammer says her first order of business would be to call for an “Armon Hammer” Cream Puff contest round between herself and our own Rick Armon.

WI Households Doing Better Financially

5/17/12 - Wisconsin households are doing better financially than most others around the country. That’s according to a consumer distress index put out every three months by non-profit consumer counseling firm of Cred-Ability. The Atlanta firm says Wisconsin has the nation’s 18th healthiest households, with an index score of 73 – more than three points higher than the national average for the first quarter of this year. And Milwaukee area households are the 11th heaviest of 25 major U-S metros. The author of the study, Mark Cole of Cred-Ability, says the average U-S household is finally on the verge of escaping financial distress caused by the Great Recession. Cole said consumers have survived high gas prices – and they’re in the best financial shape since the recession began in earnest in 2008. The distress index is based on total employment, housing, credit conditions, residents’ net worth, and how families handle their budgets. Employment was its worst category. Cole said personal finances are still tight – but as long as gains keep being made in housing and employment, the average home’s financial health will continue to stabilize.

People Behind on their Mortgages Going Down

5/17/12 - The numbers of Wisconsin homeowners who are behind on their mortgages keeps going down. The Mortgage Bankers Association said today that almost five-point-one percent all Wisconsin home loans are delinquent as of the end of March. That’s down from almost five-point-five percent at the same time a year ago. Loans are considered delinquent when they’re at least one payment behind – but the rate does not include home loans that have gone into foreclosure. Also, Wisconsin’s delinquency rate is much smaller than the national rate of six-point-nine percent on a non-seasonally adjusted basis. That’s down more than eight-tenths of a point from the year before.