Top Stories May 28th

Memorial Day 2012

5/28/12 - It’s Memorial Day and that means a day full remembering and honoring those that died protecting our freedom as part of our armed forces.  There are events throughout the area today, and you can find a full list on our website wbevradio.com.  Here at WBEV, we’ll be broadcasting the Beaver Dam Memorial Day Ceremony live from Oakwood Cemetery starting at 10:15am. The speaker is Staff Sergeant Christopher Ackley, who is returning home to Beaver Dam after a nine-month deployment to Afghanistan.  Ackley joined the US Army Reserves in 2002 and is a combat medic with the 432nd Civil Affairs Battalion in Green Bay.  He is a firefighter and EMT with the Beaver Dam Fire Department and also works part-time at the Beaver Dam Community Hospital. Prior to the ceremony there is a parade from downtown Beaver Dam to the cemetery and organizers are asking service organizations, bands, schools, churches, and others to enter a float or marching group. Parade entrants are asked to assemble in the West Tower Parking lot around 8am.  The parade will start at Front and Center Street and continue on to the Veterans Memorial at Oakwood Cemetery on Highway 33. The theme this year is “The Year of the Veteran 2012” and is meant to especially honor servicemen and women returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Along with the ceremony, we’ll be playing Jerry Stewart’s “Remember Me” at 9am, reading the names of the Beaver Dam men who have died in combat at 10am and patriotic music throughout the day. 

Body Found in Lake Winnebago

5/28/12 - A fisherman spotted a body floating in Lake Winnebago Friday afternoon.  The Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s office says the caller provided GPS coordinates, leading deputies to the body about three miles west of Brotherton in Calumet County.  An empty vehicle and boat trailer had been sitting in a parking lot on the other side of the big lake for the last five days.  So far, no reports of a drifting boat have been made.  An autopsy on the body was done yesterday in Fond du Lac County.  Authorities haven’t released the victim’s name yet.

Driver Arrested After Crashing Through Fence

5/28/12 - A 30-year-old man was arrested early Saturday afternoon after crashing through the fence of a home in the town of Hubbard.  Authorities responded to a residence off Highway 33 after taking a report of a man losing control of his vehicle, driving onto a yard and through a fence, hitting a septic tank cover and continuing on.  Police were able to get the vehicle stopped and took Sylvester Allen into custody on suspicion of drunk driving.

Man Arrested on Suspicion of Choking

5/28/12 - Fond du Lac County authorities have a Manchester man in custody after he allegedly choked a St. Agnes Hospital employee last week.  37-year-old Ricky Martin had been arrested on prior charges and was detained at the hospital.  Officials say that on Wednesday, he was walking down a hallway with the hospital employee when he pulled her into a room, grabbed her by the neck and began choking and slamming her head on the ground.  The woman was nearly unconscious when the assault ended.  Martin is facing a variety of charges.

Heating Costs Lower this Year

5/28/12 - Heating costs for customers of We Energies were 24 percent lower last winter than the previous year.  The warmest winter on record helped consumers leave their furnaces turned off much of the time.  March temperatures were reported to be 43 percent warmer than normal.  Heating costs during the November through April period were a little over 500 dollars for the typical customer, about 157 dollars less than the winter before.  

Flooding Likely in Western Part of State

5/28/12 - Flooding is likely in some parts of Wisconsin today, with heavy rains falling on already saturated ground.  High winds yesterday afternoon knocked over a tractor-trailer truck in Trempealeau County.  The truck blocked a bridge, meaning State Road 93 between Eau Claire and La Crosse was closed Sunday afternoon for about two and a half hours.  The trucker suffered minor injuries, but he refused medical treatment.  Today’s flooding danger is highest in the western part of the state.  Today’s storms have the potential to include tornadoes.  Forecasters say our area’s best chance for strong storms will be later this afternoon. 

Parking Meter Text Notification

5/28/12 - The person sitting next to you, texting, may be communicating with his or her parking meter.  Starting next month, hundreds of meters in Milwaukee and Madison will be able to send text messages when the time is almost up for their parked car.  Those car owners will be able to add more time to the meter using credit cards.  The system is already being used in Lake Geneva.  There would be an extra fee to add time to a meter through a text message.  An official with the city of Milwaukee says it will be convenient for parkers and increase revenue for the city at the same time.

DNR Says Leave Fawns Alone

5/28/12 - The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources says if you find a fawn alone, please just leave it there.  Many people apparently think the fawns have been abandoned or orphaned and they try to feed them or take them home.  That can scare the mother away.  Does are starting to give birth to the first fawns of the year.  The DNR reminds you it is generally illegal to possess a live wild animal without a license or permit.  At the same time, the DNR is seeking volunteers to help in a research project centered on fawns.  Volunteers would capture, weigh, radio-collar or ear-tag fauns with researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Donald Driver a Wanted Commodity

5/28/12 - Catching footballs in the high pressure environment of the Super Bowl can get you a lot of attention, but apparently not as much as showing your moves on the dance floor for a television show.  The agent for Green Bay Packers wide receiver Donald Driver says his client is in high demand since he emerged the winner on this year’s “Dancing with the Stars>”  Driver had played for the Packers since 1999, but he may be about to start a new career.  He has done work for Goodwill, Kwik Trip, McDonald’s and Nike in the past.  Agent Brian Lammi says Driver has an incredible story and is an outgoing, personable guy.  He says Driver is in a good position to add a few professional commitments.

Garbage Pickup Delayed

5/28/12 - Garbage pick-up will be delayed this week because of the Memorial Day weekend.  Waste collections by Veolia Environmental in Beaver Dam will be delayed by one day for the rest of the week.  Today’s (Mon) scheduled route will be collected tomorrow (Tues) and the pattern continues through Friday which is collected on Saturday. In addition, the Public Works Garage will be closed today (Mon).

Fairest of the Fair Deadline this Friday

5/28/12 - The application deadline for the “2012 Dodge County Fairest of the Fair” contest is this Friday. Fairest of the Fair Brianna Rhodes says they are looking for women – and men – who will be age 18 as of January 2013. Rhodes says the winner will represent the Fair Association in media and promotional events at the Dodge County Fair and other summer events.  The winner would also serve as the 2012 Fair Hostess and plan the 2013 competition. In addition, the Fairest will have the opportunity to participate in the 2012 Wisconsin Fairest of the Fairs contest. Rhodes says being Fairest has been an amazing opportunity that helped her decide who she wants to be as a person, and grow in the confidence that she can be that person. Applications information can be found on our website.

Contact Sally Schoenike, Dodge County 4-H Youth Development Agent at 920-386-3790. The application can also be found online at http://www.uwex.edu/ces/cty/dodge/4h (Click Dodge County Junior Fair and Fairest of the Fair Application under Registration Forms.)