Top Stories May 23rd

Waupun Seclusion Room Voluntarily Suspended

5/23/12 - The Waupun School District has voluntarily suspended its use of a seclusion room at Rock River Intermediate for the rest of the year. The district came under scrutiny last week after a parent complained that the room was used to punish her autistic child. Mandy Rennhack had asked special education teachers last fall to stop placing her ten-year-old son into the 5-by-7-foot padded plywood box when he was having discipline issues – and she’d pick him up from school instead. Rennhack said she was upset to learn that the box was used again in March. The Department of Public Instruction toured the school last week at the request of district officials. Waupun Interim Superintendent Donald Childs says the state made a number of recommendations. Among them: the installation of a floor covering over the concrete tiles, tightening of the padding on the walls and putting up a parabolic mirror so teachers can see into the room.  The state also recommended removal of a pressure lock from the door, which would bring the district in compliance with a law change that goes into effect in the fall. Childs says the district had already planned to make changes to the lock and ventilation. A report is being assembled and officials with the DPI say it will be made public once it is completed, which is expected in the next 60 days.

Man Charged With Raping Young Girl

5/23/12 - A 28-year-old man is charged with the repeated sexual assault of a young girl. Jesus Padilla made an Initial Appearance yesterday in Dodge County court on a felony charge of Repeated First Degree Sexual Assault of a Child. Padilla is currently being held in the Kettle Moraine Correctional Facility but had previously lived in the Cambria-Friesland area. The incident occurred in Dodge County between June and November of 2010, shortly after his release from prison for Repeated Second Degree Sexual Assault of a Child. Padilla allegedly raped his girlfriend’s 11-year-old daughter, though sexual contact dated back to when she was in Kindergarten. The girl said if she complained or refused, Padilla would slap her on the head. The girl said she was afraid because she did not know if Padilla would hurt her mother, brother or sister. If convicted, Padilla faces up to 60 years in prison. A signature bond was set at $500 yesterday and a preliminary hearing is scheduled next month.

Driver Takes Dancing With the Stars Title

5/23/12 - Donald Driver is the 14th champion of “Dancing With the Stars.” The Green Bay Packers’ receiver beat out Katherine Jenkins and William Levy last night on A-B-C. And the Super Bowl champion adds the Mirror Ball trophy to his collection of honors. Driver and his partner Peta Murgatroyd capped off 10 weeks of ballroom competition with a final cha-cha, in which the muscular Driver went shirtless. It gave him his second perfect score from the judges in two nights. With all three contestants’ just one point apart, it was Monday night’s viewer votes that put Driver over the top. The exact vote totals were not released, but they counted for 50-percent of the final scores. Packer fans came through all season, as their votes kept Driver in the competition. On Monday, Packers Clay Matthews and James Jones went on Twitter to campaign for their teammate. Miss America, Wisconsin’s Laura Kaeppeler, tweeted a pitch. And even Governor Scott Walker and his recall election opponent Tom Barrett urged fans to vote for Driver in a video produced by the player’s marketing team. Driver got hugs from his family as the confetti rained down last night. But he didn’t have much time to celebrate, as he flew from Los Angeles to New York overnight to appear on A-B-C’s “Good Morning America.” Driver joins Emmitt Smith and Hines Ward as the third N-F-L player to win the dancing crown.

Homes Sales Up In State, Down in Region

5/23/12 - Home sales by Wisconsin Realtors rose 19-and-a-half percent last month, compared to the year before – and median sale prices edged up for the second month in a row. The Wisconsin Realtors Association says that its members sold 52-hundred-18 existing homes throughout the state last month. That’s up from 43-hundred-65 in April of last year. The opposite trend occurred in our region. There were 63 homes sold in Dodge County last month, down three from the previous April. Columbia County saw 50 homes sales, down eight. Jefferson County had 73 home sales last month, four less than April last year. Washington County fared well though, with a 60% increase; 117 homes were sold last month compared to 73 the year prior. The median re-sale price went up from 125-thousand dollars last April to 128-thousand this April, a slight increase of two-point-four percent. Dodge County homes sales though were down 7-percent, dropping from $105,000 to 97,500. Washington County homes prices were down two-percent to $178,500. Jefferson County home prices though edged up a half percentage point to $132,500 while Columbia County saw an eight-percent increase to $127,900. Realtors Association president Michael Theo said 10 straight months of double-digit growth have shown that home sales have turned the corner after the recession – and there are preliminary signs that prices are on an upward trend.

Man Killed in Motorcycle Accident Identified

5/23/12 - Authorities have released the name of the Iron Ridge man killed after crashing his motorcycle into a tree near Neosho.  50-year-old Ronald Breitkruetz lost control while negotiating a curve on Pond Road and veered off the roadway before striking the tree.  The accident was discovered early Monday afternoon but he crash is believed to have happened sometime around Sunday afternoon.

Harley-Davidson Sale Prices Up

5/23/12 - There’s another sign today that the economy’s getting better. Financial analyst Robert W. Baird-and-Company said more of Harley-Davidson’s motorcycles are selling at-or-above the suggested retail prices. And it’s the first time since 2008 that a majority of Harley bikes in the U-S are not being sold below what the manufacturer suggests. The Milwaukee motorcycle legend has had a strong recovery, after taking some big financial lumps during the Great Recession. Baird analyst Craig Kennison surveyed 40 Harley dealers around the nation – and he found that the demand for new bikes was up by 4-to-5 percent, compared to 25-percent earlier in the spring. He said dealer inventories have gotten lower.

State Not As Friendly to Bicyclists as it Once Was

5/23/12 - Wisconsin is no longer one of the Top-Five friendliest states for bicycles. But it’s still the sixth-best in the nation, according to an annual ranking released Tuesday from the League of American Bicyclists. The Badger State was third-best a year ago, and second-best in 2010. The League’s report noted that Wisconsin spends a low amount of its federal transportation funds on bicycle projects and accommodations – not even one-point-two percent. The national average is about one-and-three-quarter percent. The League recommended the state set up funding criteria to encourage things like safe bike trails. It said that Wisconsin’s bicycle ridership – while good – quote, “must continue to increase.” The Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin said other states are increasing their funding on cycling, while the Badger State cut three-million-dollars in state cycling funds in the current two-year budget passed by Republicans in 2011. The state D-O-T issued a statement touting its Number-Six national ranking. It did not mention the funding issue. But D-O-T bicycle-and-pedestrian coordinator Jill Mrotek Glenzinski did mention recent state laws which improve safety – like allowing signal turns with either hand, and using red-rear-lights instead of reflectors. Also, she said the state is implementing one of the nation’s first “complete street” laws, which require bike and walking accommodations in road-building projects.

Thompson Named Chairman of Pharmaceutical Company

5/23/12 - A pharmaceutical company has named Republican U-S Senate candidate Tommy Thompson as the new chairman of its Board-of-Directors. The C-E-O of Therapeutics M-D says the firm is happy to have Thompson on board because of his experience in the health care industry. He’s on a number of health-related company boards, and he’s a former secretary of the U-S Department of Health and Human Services. Therapeutics M-D is a subsidiary of Vita-Med-M-D, which makes dietary supplements and other products focusing on women’s health. Brian Nemoir of Thompson’s Senate campaign says it’s expected to be a short-term appointment for the former governor. Thompson reported in January that he was given at least five-thousand-dollars by 33 companies and groups to deliver speeches and-or consulting services. Thompson has said he’s in the process of leaving his board and company positions. And if he’s elected to the Senate in November, Thompson said he would give up all of them. Thompson is running against three other Republicans in the August 14th primary. The winner goes up against House Democrat Tammy Baldwin in November, for the Senate seat to be given up by the retiring Herb Kohl.

BDUSD Looking for New Board Member

5/23/12 - The Beaver Dam School Board is seeking applicants for an open spot on the board.  Kim Darst resigned last month, one year into her second term on the board.  In an effort to replace her, the board is conducting a district-wide search to fill the vacancy.  Interested residents should deliver a letter of interest and relevant experience to the district office by 4:30pm on June 4^th.  The school board will schedule a special meeting in June to interview all the candidates.  The person chosen will be sworn in during the board meeting on July 16^th and serve until next April when the spring elections are held.