Top Stories May 2nd

Town of Elba Fire Cause ‘Undetermined’

5/2/12 - The State Fire Marshalls Office has not been able to determine the cause of a fire that caused extensive damage to a home in the town of Elba last month. The agency did say that it cannot rule out that the fire was electrical in nature. Five fire departments helped battle the blaze along Highway 151 on Easter Sunday. Flames were shooting out of several windows when crews arrived on scene.  The home was owned by David and Donna Maier but no one was inside at the time and there were no injuries. 

Adamson: ‘Most Pills In Pharmacy Break-In Anti-Depressants’

5/2/12 - Horicon Police Chief Joe Adamson says the vast majority of the pills stolen in this weekend’s break-in at Marshland Pharmacy were non-narcotic antidepressants with little or no street value. Adamson did say that some of the approximately 10,000 pills were highly potent and addictive Schedule II drugs like Oxycontin and Morphine which have a street value of $20 to $25 each. He says his officers are working diligently to make sure the pills stay off the street. A rock was used to break the front window and gain entrance into the building early Sunday morning. Anyone with information should contact the Horicon Police Department.

Woman Injured in Highway 151 Accident

5/2/12 - A Fond du Lac woman was seriously hurt in a two-vehicle accident yesterday afternoon in the town of Trenton.  It happened about four miles north of Beaver Dam on Highway 151.  Authorities say 67-year-old Mark Dalton was driving north when his truck was struck from behind by a minivan driven by 35-year-old Laurie Ebert.  Flight for Life took Ebert to UW-Hospital in Madison.  Dalton was not injured.  The crash is still under investigation. 

NJ Governor Campaigns for Walker

5/2/12 - New Jersey Governor Chris Christie appeared in Green Bay and Oak Creek yesterday, to urge voters to keep his fellow Republican Governor Scott Walker in office for his full term. Walker faces a recall election on June fifth. And Christie said that over the next five weeks, Wisconsin would answer the question of what’s more powerful – the people or quote, “the moneyed special interests of Washington D-C.” Christie said Walker stood with Wisconsinites a year ago, when he fought off opponents of the new law which virtually eliminated most public union bargaining in the Badger State. And now, Christie said those opponents are trying to reverse the exercise of democracy from 2010 when Walker was elected. Both Democratic front-runners in next week’s gubernatorial primary slammed Christie’s appearance. Tom Barrett says Christie and Walker are quote, “darlings of the national right-wing elite.” Kathleen Falk said both have extreme records, and they don’t share the values of Wisconsin residents.

La Crosse Men Facing Murder and Attempted Murder Charges

5/2/12 - Two La Crosse men are being held under one-million-dollar bonds, after being charged with what police called a senseless drive-by shooting with no motive – and a random murder 15 minutes later. Prosecutors said 21-year-old Pao Vue shot four times at the home of an 83-year-old La Crosse woman during her birthday celebration on the afternoon of March 30th. And then, police said Vue’s 19-year-old nephew Kong randomly entered Sara Hougom’s unlocked apartment, went after her purse, and shot the 20-year-old Hougom twice when he saw her move on her couch. Both defendants are charged with homicide and attempted homicide, and they made their first court appearances yesterday. In the drive-by shooting, the bullets entered the woman’s home, but none of the three people inside were hurt. Prosecutors said Kong Vue was not intoxicated at the time of the ensuing murder – and his only motive was that he needed money from someone. Officers found matching shell casings at both crime scenes. And surveillance video from nearby businesses showed that Kong Vue’s car was at both places around the times of the incidents.

BD Chief Optimistic About Police Database 

5/2/12 - Beaver Dam Police Chief Ron Smith is eager to have his department linked to a planned county-wide, law enforcement computer database. Dodge County Sheriff Todd Nehls is working on a centralized system of information sharing officially called a Records Management System, or RMS. Chief Smith says he feels it is very important that law enforcement throughout the county are able to access and share names, photos, contact information, and any related case status on suspects, perpetrators and victims. Smith says he would also like Beaver Dam to invest in a component that would allow for a digital crime mapping system. He says that would have helped in investigating the dozens of vandalism complaints that have been reported over the past several weeks by crunching numbers in a way only computers can; like determining the geographical center of a crime spree and making predictive analysis. The Sheriff says he has been in contact with vendors and is reviewing the options. One plan under review would allow the county to keep its current system and extend an invitation to municipal agencies to sign-on while another would require purchase a whole new RMS system. The sheriff says they plan to make a decision soon and have a Records Management System in place by 2014.  

Farm City Day Is Thursday

5/2/12 - Dodge County 4-H is holding their 33^rd Annual Farm-City Day on Thursday.  More than 700 fourth grade students from public and parochial schools across Dodge County will be converge on the Alvin and Roger Hildebrandt Family Farm near Hustisford.  Sally Schoenike, 4-H Youth Development Agent, says it’s an excellent opportunity for kids to learn about agriculture as the students will see displays and demonstrations on dairy farming, crops, farm economics and nutrition.  Cows, sheep, chickens and goats will be among the farm animals rounded up for the students to view.  The farm includes 960-acres of crops, including corn and soybeans. They also milk a herd of 80-cows. 

Beaver Dam Bulk Truck Site Has Moved

5/2/12 - Beaver Dam residents have a new location to drop-off bulk garbage. Director of Facilities David Stoiser says the city has moved the bulk truck site from the DPW garage on South Center to the Wastewater Treatment Facility grounds located off Cooper Street on Myrtle Road at Beltline Drive. The drop-off dates remain the same; the bulk waste truck will still be available on the first Wednesday of the month from 4pm to 7pm and the third Saturday of the month from 8am until noon. City officials caution that the service is available only to city residents and users should be prepared to show proof of address.

Mega Million Up to $118M

5/2/12 - Nobody won the Mega Millions’ jackpot last night, so it goes up to 118-million dollars for the next drawing on Friday. Nobody from Wisconsin won the quarter-million-dollar second prize, either. Last night’s numbers were 24, 27, 31, 45, and 52. The Mega Ball was 38, and the Megaplier was four. The current jackpot has rolled over nine times. It’s been building since March 30th, when a world record 656-million-dollar prize was claimed by three winners. Friday’s cash option is just under 87-million-dollars. In Powerball, the jackpot for tonight is at 50-million.