Top Stories May 22nd

Dodge County Man Killed in Motorcycle Crash

5/22/12 - An Iron Ridge man was killed after crashing his motorcycle into a tree near Neosho.  The accident was discovered early yesterday afternoon on Pond Road.  Authorities said the 50-year-old motorcyclist lost control on a curve and veered off the road before hitting the tree. The crash is believed to have happened sometime since Sunday afternoon. The Wisconsin State Patrol is still investigating. The victim’s name was not immediately released.

Jury Trial Set For Rodriguez In OWI Homicide

5/22/12 - A five-day jury trial was set yesterday for a Beaver Dam man accused of killing his girlfriend in a drunken driving rollover accident. 21-year-old Guadalupe Rodriguez Jr. has pleaded “not guilty” last month to two counts of Homicide By Intoxicated Use of a Vehicle. The accident occurred in November 2010 right in front of the Beaver Dam Middle School. Witnesses say Rodriguez was driving 90 miles-an-hour as he headed southbound on North Spring Street, which has a posted speed limit of 25mph.  He reportedly went through the Mackie Street stop light, lost control around the curve and struck some small trees before rolling over; his Honda Civic came to rest on its roof. Neither occupant was wearing a seatbelt. When first responders found his passenger, 22-year-old Diamond Avalos, she was already dead. Rodriguez was ejected and flighted to UW Hospital in Madison. He is now a quadriplegic. Authorities say his blood alcohol level – six hours after the accident – was point-zero-six (.06) and there was allegedly marijuana in his system. If convicted, the charges carry a maximum penalty of 50 years in prison.  The jury trial is scheduled to begin August 27.

Final Sentencing In 2011 DC Tavern Burglary Spree

5/22/12 - A Mayville woman will spend nine months in jail for her role in a series of Dodge County tavern break-ins last year. Michelle Novak pleaded to a count of felony Burglary and had two felony charges dismissed but read into the record. The 33-year-old admitted to being the lookout and getaway driver as two others broke into the Dockside Pub and Grille in the Town of Westford in January, Jumpers Bar in the Town of Beaver Dam in February and Chances Bar in the Town of Burnett in March. Thousands of dollars was stolen from poker machines, ATM’s and safes.  According to the criminal complaint, Nicholas Etter of West Salem admitted that he was involved but blamed Thomas Dahlgren of Mauston for orchestrating the break-ins. Etter was previously sentenced to five years in prison while Dahlgren was sentenced to six years. All three have been ordered to pay joint restitution totaling over $30,000.

Med-Flight Responds to Highway 151 Wreck

5/22/12 - Portions of both lanes of Highway 151 were closed down yesterday (Mon) morning following an accident in the southbound lanes. It happened at 9:51am near County V in Dane County. Columbus Fire Public Information Officer Jared Fox says his department used the Jaws of Life to remove one person from the vehicle and set up a landing zone for Med-Flight. There were six people involved in the accident. One person was flown to Madison Hospital and one was transported to Columbus Community Hospital. The southbound lanes were closed for about one hour and the northbound lanes were closed for around 25 minutes. The scene was cleared at 11:30am. The Dane County Sheriffs Department is investigating.

Vote on Closing of Trenton Elementary Set for Next Month

5/22/12 - The Beaver Dam School Board is expected to vote next month whether or not to close Trenton Elementary.  That decision will be a part of two projects that should deal with long overdue facility concerns.  If approved, the first project would close Trenton Elementary at the end of the next school year, moving students to Prairie View Elementary beginning with the 2013-2014 school year and kindergarten classes beginning this fall.  To accommodate the increased numbers, the district would construct a six to eight room addition at Prairie View, at a cost of $2.5 to $3M.  The second project would focus on remodeling the chemistry, biology and physics laboratory classrooms at the high school with a budget of $1-million.  Last month, the school board approved borrowing up to $6-million to pay for the projects, and district officials have stressed that the funds will have no impact on the local tax levy or mill rate. 

BDUSD Open Enrollment Numbers Up

5/22/12 - Open enrollment numbers into the Beaver Dam School District jumped by 30-percent this year.  Superintendent Steve Vessey told the school board last night that they received 67 requests from student’s wanting to go to Beaver Dam schools but that live outside of the district.  Vessey listed increased opportunities at the high school, award-winning elementary schools and a wide array of programming for students across the district as reasons for the historic jump. He says they denied one request due to space concerns.  There were also 84-requests to open enroll out of the district but around 80-percent of those students have never stepped foot in a Beaver Dam school. The number of kids coming in and leaving the district won’t be official until the student count on the third Friday in September.

Summer School Classes on the Move

5/22/12 - Summer school classes that are normally held at the Beaver Dam Middle School are being moved this year. That’s because of the project removing the electrical vault that is located underneath the parking lot.  Instead, administrative offices and those affected courses will be moved to the Don Smith Learning Academy.  The project currently underway at the middle school includes the removal of the building’s once used smoke stack, construction of an above ground electrical and boiler room addition and replacement of 80-percent of the building’s electrical output facilities.  All the work is expected to be completed prior to the start of school this fall.

BD Seeks To Reduce Finance Department Staff

5/22/12 - The Beaver Dam Administrative Committee last night approved a partial staff reduction in the finance department last night. Director of Administration John Somers says one of the department’s three full-time positions will be reduced to part-time and the duties will be reassigned as general clerical. Somers says the efficiencies of technology have reduced the workload in the department and there is simply no longer a need for the position. Savings would total roughly $50-to-$60-thousand dollars. The proposed staff reduction will go before the council in resolution form at their June meeting.

Parking Prohibited Saturdays In Downtown BD Lot

5/22/12 - The Beaver Dam Common Council approved weekend restrictions in the North Tower Parking Lot. Vehicles will be prohibited in the parking lot on Saturdays to make room for the annual downtown River Market held during the warm weather months. Parking will not be allowed on Saturdays between April and November from 6am until noon. The River Market is an enhanced farmers market with all the traditional produce items and also arts, crafts, food and entertainment. The council last night also awarded a contract for news sidewalk installation on Prospect Avenue. Ptaschinski Construction will perform the work for $4000.

Absentee Voting Gets Underway

5/22/12 - Absentee voters showed up in big numbers in many parts of Wisconsin yesterday, as early voting began for the June fifth recall elections. Clerks generally said their first-day turnouts were about on par for a November election – and the crowds were much bigger than for the May eighth recall primaries or the April presidential primary. Madison recorded over 400 absentee votes by mid-afternoon. In Wausau, voters were waiting for the city clerk’s office to open at eight a-m, and Clerk Toni Rayala said the crowds were much bigger than she expected. Brookfield had steady business all day long. Milwaukee’s Election Commission lost its connection to a statewide voter registration database for about a half-hour late yesterday. Officials took about 20 votes during that time anyway. And those voters were told that if the state system showed they were not registered, their ballots would be held up until they returned to sign up. Absentee voting continues through Friday, June first in the recall elections four days later for governor, lieutenant governor, and four state Senate seats.