Top Stories May 26th

Walker and Barrett Spar Over John Doe Investigation

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker says his opponent in the recall election keeps  bringing up the ongoing secret criminal probe because Tom Barrett wants to draw the attention away from his own record.  During last night’s recall election debate Barrett called again on Walker to release e-mails connected to the case and reveal who is funding the criminal defense fund the governor has established.  Walker said he has shown high levels of integrity his whole life and he will continue in that manner.  He repeated that he has been told by investigators he is not the focus of the case.  Last night’s debate was the first of two for the candidates in advance of the June 5^th recall election. 

Pictures of Your Ballot Are Against the Law

High-ranking Wisconsin politicians say they will remove photos of their completed ballots now that they have found those postings are against the law.  State Democratic Party chairman Mike Tate and St. Croix County Republican Party chairwoman Jesse Garza are not likely to be prosecuted.  Wisconsin elections officials are reminding everyone that posting photos of their completed ballots on social networking platforms like Facebook or Twitter violates the law.  That law prohibits voters from showing their completed voting form to anyone.  It’s set up to keep voters from taking money for voting for or against a candidate or issue, then showing their completed ballot to prove they voted the way they were supposed to vote.  

Semi Hits Boat on Highway 41

A 37-year-old Waukesha-area man was lucky to escape uninjured when the vehicle he was towing was hit by a semi yesterday afternoon. It happened on Highway 41 near Lomira.  Authorities say Steven Koepke was northbound, towing a boat with his suburban, when one of his tires blew out, causing the vehicle to veer to the left, go through the median and into the southbound lanes.  That’s where the boat was hit by the southbound semi.  Koepke and the driver of the semi, a 34-year-old Illinois man, were not injured.  The crash is still under investigation.   

Memorial Day Weekend Travel Expected to Increase

5/26/12 - The Triple-“A” expects about 680-thousand people to travel at least 50-miles or more one way during the Memorial Day weekend. That’s a slight three-tenths-of-a-percent increase from last Memorial Day. About 95-percent of those travelers will drive. The D-O-T said road construction projects could affect travel on Milwaukee’s Mitchell Interchange – I-94 in Kenosha, Milwaukee, and Eau Claire counties – I-43 in Ozaukee and Sheboygan counties – and Highway 41 in Winnebago and Brown counties. There are also lane closures on Highway 151 through Beaver Dam. Work on the Wisconsin River Bridge south of Portage in Columbia County has been suspended and all lanes are open. Seven people were killed in Wisconsin traffic accidents last Memorial Day Weekend – less than the average of nine deaths over the past five years. Police are once again stepping up their enforcement of seat belt laws as part of the annual “Click It or Ticket” campaign. The Dodge and Jefferson County Sheriffs departments and the Beaver Dam Police Department are among the agencies participating. “Click It or Ticket” is one of several traffic safety initiatives planned this summer, after traffic deaths rose from a year ago.

Driver Killed on I-94 in Jefferson County

5/26/12 - Traffic was backed up for over three miles on Interstate-94 near Oconomowoc Friday after a semi-truck carrying fertilizer overturned and its driver was killed. It happened around 10:20 a-m in the westbound lanes of the interstate in Jefferson County. According to the Wisconsin State Patrol, a tire on the fertilizer truck blew out. The 68-year-old Fond du Lac man driving the truck lost control and overturned into the median.  Crews had to clean-up 35-hundred gallons of liquid fertilizer that spilled from the damaged truck.

Evans Gets Prison Time in Molestation Case

A Beaver Dam man who molested a preschool-age child was sentenced yesterday to five years in prison. Joseph R. Evans was charged felony First Degree Sexual Assault of a Child Under the Age of 12 but in March pled to an amended charge of Physical Abuse of a Child. According to the criminal complaint, the victim was a friend of the family and Evans fondled her in March of 2011. The child came home and complained to her mother about Evans. When questioned by trained investigators, the child said the inappropriate contact had occurred (quote) “lots of times.”  The 23-year-old said the two had been wrestling and any inappropriate contact was accidental and outside the clothes. In addition to five years in prison, Evans was sentenced to two years of extended supervision and must register as a sex offender.  

Memorial Day Activities in Beaver Dam

5/26/12 - There will be a flyover at Monday’s Beaver Dam Memorial Day Parade and Ceremony. Officials with the Memorial Day Committee say the civilian aircraft will fly along the parade route sometime between 9:30am and 9:45am and then make a second pass – about 400 feet above ground – during the ceremony at Oakwood Cemetery. The aircraft crew volunteers include Dale Wahl of Watertown, Tommy Cristea-Rist of Beaver Dam, Jeff Garneski of Lakes Mills, Peter Lindens of Waukesha and Becky Burke of Reeseville.  The parade begins on Monday around 9:15am and the ceremony starts at10:15am. The theme this year is “The Year of the Veteran 2012” which is meant to honor servicemen and women returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Organizers are asking service organizations, bands, schools, churches, and others to enter a float or marching group. Contact information is on our website wbevradio.com.

Lois Levenhagen – 920 887- 0642

Commission Asks Supreme Court to Proceed in Prosser Case

5/26/12 - The Wisconsin Judicial Commission asked the Supreme Court Friday to proceed with a disciplinary case against Justice David Prosser. The commission filed a request for the justices to form a panel of appellate judges. That group would consider the commission’s complaint against Prosser and recommend what, if any, punishment the Supreme Court should impose. Three ethics charges were filed in March against Prosser, for allegedly putting a choke-hold on fellow Justice Ann Walsh Bradley last June – and for allegedly making a derogatory remark to Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson in 2010. Prosser has asked his fellow justices to withdraw from the case, saying all but one were direct witnesses to the Bradley incident – and therefore, they could not be fair in deciding Prosser’s fate. Justice Pat Roggensack, part of the court’s conservative majority along with Prosser, has said she would withdraw. If two others do the same, Prosser could escape punishment because there would not be enough justices left to decide his case.