Accident Injures Two
5/24/12 – Two people were flighted to a Milwaukee hospital
following a two-vehicle accident yesterday in Theresa. According to the Dodge
County Sheriffs Department, the wreck occurred around 10am on State Highway 175
near 67. A vehicle operated by 27-year-old Megan McLellan of Campbellsport was
northbound on Highway 175 when he vehicle crossed the centerline and struck a
southbound pickup truck operated by 51-year-old Randy Gagliano of Mayville. The
jaws of life were needed to remove both drivers from their vehicles; there were
no passengers. The Dodge County Crash Investigating Team is investigating.
Fitzgerald and Compas Debate in Jefferson
5/24/12 – Job creation was among the topics the candidates in the
State Senate District 13 recall election discussed at last night’s debate in
Jefferson that drew several hundred people. Senator Leader Scott Fitzgerald
touted the legislature’s job development strategy by highlighting the tax credits
now available for manufacturers and business relocation, along with expanded
small business loans. Lori Compas says
taking money from education and giving it to corporations in the form of tax
breaks has done nothing but divide Wisconsinites. The Fort Atkinson Democrat
says her jobs plan would focus on small businesses and farmers. Also debated last night was the law that
ended collective bargaining for most public employee unions. Fitzgerald says the reform was about fairness
for all taxpayers, while Compas says Fitzgerald’s agenda has turned neighbor
against neighbor with a divisive political agenda. Only a week-and-a-half remains before the
June 5th recall election.
Strong Interest in Absentee Voting
5/24/12 – State elections’ officials report a strong interest in
absentee voting for the June fifth recall contests. The Government
Accountability Board said at least 90-thousand absentee ballots were given out
at local clerks’ offices and mailed to voters as of yesterday afternoon. That’s
much more than the 68-thousand ballots issued for the May eighth recall
primaries. About 230-thousand absentee ballots were returned for the 2010
governor’s race. But since then, majority Republicans in the state Legislature
shortened the period for early voting from a month before Election Day to two
weeks before. And they cut it off on the Friday before Election Day instead of
the Monday before. That means people can request ballots by mail through next
Thursday. And in-person absentee voting at clerks’ offices will end a week from
tomorrow.
McIntosh Pleads ‘Not Guilty”
5/24/12 - A Johnson Creek man entered a “not guilty” plea at
arraignment yesterday (Wed) to charges that he severely injured a passenger in
a car accident. Brodie McIntosh is charged with Reckless Driving and Hit and
Run, Causing Great Bodily Harm for a February 2011 accident in the Town of
Lowell. Two emergency officials from the Lowell-Reeseville-area were charged
with helping him cover it up. According
to the criminal complaint, the 26-year-old dropped a cigarette while driving
93mph on County G, leaned down to pick it up and put the car in the ditch. His
passenger sustained a head injury. Off-duty Reeseville firefighter Nicholas Gay
responded after received a private call from McIntosh and drove the victim away
from the scene. The 31-year-old Gay was placed on deferred prosecution last
week and will have two misdemeanors dropped from his record if he stays out of
trouble for the next year. Gay is said to have enlisted 38-year-old Rhonda
Gibson of Reeseville, who is the coordinator of the Lowell-Reeseville First
Responders. Gibson allegedly drove McIntosh away from the scene to his mother’s
tavern in Waterloo. Earlier this month, a judge denied a motion dismiss a felony
charge of Hit and Run, as a Party to a Crime and misdemeanor Failure to Report
a Crime. When questioned, both Gay and Gibson allegedly said they should have
contacted authorities. McIntosh has court activity on the calendar again in
July.
Jury Trial Set for Prison Guard
5/24/12 - A four day jury trial was scheduled yesterday for a
prison guard at Waupun Correctional accused of having a sexual relationship
with an inmate. Officials began to monitor the inmate and 34-year-old Jolene
Mason of Beaver Dam after receiving a tip. Letters were reportedly intercepted
from a PO address that detailed interactions between the two. The inmate later
confessed saying the relationship began in December of 2010 and continued
through April of last year. Mason allegedly smuggled a cell phone into the
inmate so the two could talk and text and also brought in food, jewelry, tattoo
ink and needles. The jury trial is scheduled to begin October 9.
Nelson Pleads ‘Not Guilty’
in Slow-Speed Pursuit
5/24/12 - A Reeseville man
entered a “not guilty” plea at arraignment yesterday to charges that he led Beaver
Dam police on a traffic pursuit. Jesse
Nelson is charged with felony Fleeing an Officer. Police were on the lookout
for Nelson’s vehicle late last month around 2:30am after receiving calls of a
motorist swerving all over the road. Officers allegedly observed the suspects
vehicle with expired tags cross the centerline multiple times before initiating
a traffic stop. The 22-year-old reportedly failed to pull over, leading
authorities on a low-speed pursuit that at times reached speeds of five
miles-per-hour. After driving onto a curb, Nelson finally stopped his car as
officers executed a high-risk traffic stop with guns drawn. If convicted, the
charge carries a maximum sentence of three-and-a-half years in prison.
Income Taxes for Businesses
Becoming Issue in Recall
5/24/12 – The Walker recall election has brought more attention to
a new state law that will practically eliminate state income taxes for many
businesses. Democrat Tom Barrett says it’s one of the measures he might try to
roll back if he manages to defeat Republican Governor Scott Walker on June
fifth. He is calling it one of the biggest shifts in state tax policy since
Wisconsin first adopted the income tax in 1911. State income tax rates for
manufacturing and agricultural output in Wisconsin would be phased out by 2016.
And tax credits which are not used can be counted against other income like
stock dividends, and can be carried over for up to 15 years. The state’s
largest business group, Wisconsin Manufacturers-and-Commerce, has hailed the
change as a catalyst for the state’s long-term business climate. But the
Institute for Wisconsin’s Future calls it a “total giveaway to the wealthy.”
The Legislative Fiscal Bureau says it will cost the state 360-million-dollars
in revenues over the next four years – and 130-million each year after that. The
Wisconsin Democracy Campaign said it was a main factor in a report it released
this week, showing that the state’s business tax breaks will cost the average
family of four 235-dollars next year, and 300-dollars by 2021, as individuals
get a bigger share of the state tax burden that is taken away from business.
Powerball Up to $128M
5/24/12 – The third-highest Powerball jackpot of the year is still
in play for Saturday night. It rose to 128-million dollars after nobody won the
top prize last night. A ticket sold in Onalaska won 10-thousand dollars by
matching four regular numbers plus the Powerball. Just over 10-thousand-500
Wisconsin players won smaller prizes. Last night’s numbers were 4, 7, 26, 53,
and 59. The Powerball was 32. The current jackpot has been building since April
25th and has rolled over eight times. The cash option for Saturday night is
just under 84-million dollars. In Mega Millions, the jackpot is at
24-million-dollars for tomorrow night.
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