Top Stories March 7th

Public Enemies Trailer Released

3/7/09 - People around Wisconsin are buzzing about the newly-released promotional video for the Johnny Depp movie “Public Enemies.” The two-and-a-half minute trailer features scenes filmed in Beaver Dam, Oshkosh, Columbus, and elsewhere around the state. Some people say they’ve been watching it over-and-over to look for landmarks they recognize. A cinema production class at U-W Oshkosh saw the trailer Thursday. Professor Troy Perkins says a good trailer leaves enough mystery about the film to draw people in. And it’s apparently doing a good job, because the trailer was among the Top-10 searches on Yahoo yesterday. “Public Enemies” debuts nationwide July first. It was the first major film – and maybe the last – to get the state’s one-year-old tax credits designed to attract film-makers here. Governor Jim Doyle wants to drop those credits come July. He said the state didn’t get nearly enough back for the four-million-dollars taxpayers spent on “Public Enemies.”

Special Meeting of Waupun School Board Set for Wednesday

3/7/09 - A special meeting of the Waupun School Board has been called for next Wednesday to discuss the possible changes coming to the district. According to the agenda, the meeting will feature discussion of the 2009-2010 budget and long-range plan. In an effort to close a 1-million dollar deficit, the district went to referendum last month but all three questions were turned down by voters. In response, administrators originally recommended closing Fox Lake and Alto Elementary as well as a number of other cuts. However, after re-evaluating their enrollment numbers, it was determined they would recommend closing Jefferson Elementary as well. The closing of the out-of-town schools has drawn a strong response from a Fox Lake area citizen’s group called the Concerned Area Residents for Education. They are exploring the possibility of detaching from the district should the school board close their school when they vote on March 16th. This Wednesday’s meeting is set for 6pm in the Washington School cafeteria.

Davis Makes Initial Appearance Attempted Murder Charges

3/7/09 - A former Fox Lake Correctional Institution inmate who attacked two guards with a claw-hammer was in Dodge County court yesterday for an initial appearance. 50-year-old Terrance Davis is charged with two counts of attempted murder for allegedly attacking the guards in the prison’s furniture-making shop last November. A 52-year-old officer sustained head injuries and a broken arm and a 38-year-old guard required surgery for a fractured skull. Davis has been in prison since he killed two Milwaukee police officers 23 years ago when the officers walked into a drug deal. Davis faces up to 40 years in prison on each count. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for March 26.

Fire Destroys Garage in Beaver Dam

3/7/09 - Fire destroyed a garage in Beaver Dam early yesterday morning. Acting Fire Chief Randy Koehn says his department arrived just after midnight to the blaze at 900 North University. Koehn says the cause of the fire appears to be electrical in nature. The garage sustained extensive damage. A car inside the garage was also damaged. There were no injuries. Firefighters were on the scene for about three hours.

Federal Stimulus Helping to Rebuild Housing Industry

3/7/09 - The economic recovery plan appears to be rebuilding one industry in Wisconsin. Nancy Caldwell, Executive Director of Madison Area Home Builders Association, says federal stimulus has regenerated interest in building and renovating homes. The plan has a temporary tax credit of eight thousand dollars something she says makes first time home buyers decision "eight thousand dollars easier." The group is holding its annual three-day Home Products Show, Friday through Sunday and is expecting a record turnout. She says they are not charging admission to the show this year which she calls their version of "economic stimulus." The Madison Area Home Builders Association is not only ones seeing renewed interest in housing development. A building contractor industry conference this week in Wisconsin Dells saw its registrations go up by 25 percent from recent years.

No Texting While Driving?

3/7/09 - A state legislator wants to make it illegal to send text messages on your cell phone while driving. State Senator Alan Lasee says it's much more dangerous than just talking on the phone while driving, since it usually requires two hands and diverts your attention away from the road. Lasee is introducing legislation to ban the practice for all motorists, even though he says it's mainly a problem for young drivers. State law already has penalties for distracted driving, but Lasee says texting needs to be singled out so it can be stressed to young drivers early on.

2.1% Pension Cut for Retired State Workers

3/7/09 - The pension cut for retired Wisconsin state workers will be 2-point-1 percent. Those workers already knew they were facing a reduction. They were warned of it last January, with the blame being placed on the stock market collapse. Friday, the official announcement was made to the 146 thousand retirees in what is called the "core" fund. Pension payments tied to what is called the "variable" fund will drop 42 percent. The cuts start May 1. The state reports this is the first time there has ever been a decrease in the annuity for those retired state workers.

Meningitis Hits Appleton

3/7/09 - When someone gets meningitis, typically no one else gets sick. That's not the case in Appleton, where three high school students have confirmed cases of the disease. Appleton Public Health director Kurt Eggebrecht says it's been nearly a decade since more than one person has contracted the disease at the same time. On average, there are 34 cases of Meningitis each year in Wisconsin. The disease is spread through direct intimate contact. People generally do not get Meningitis through casual contact. Eggebrecht says the three students at North were at a social gathering outside of school, and that's how they think the disease spread. He says they may have had saliva contact while sharing a bowl of frosting. All three are being treated with antibiotics.

4th Safest February on Wisconsin Roads

3/7/09 - Whatever we're doing to make our roads safer, we need to keep doing it. With a total of 29 fatalities in 28 traffic crashes, last month was tied for the fourth safest month of February on Wisconsin roads since World War II, according to preliminary statistics from the state Department of Transportation. Traffic fatalities are continuing a decline that began last year, when Wisconsin had the fewest deaths in more than 60 years. Dennis Hughes, chief of safety programs for the DOT, cautions sustaining the safer trend "will be a huge challenge" as warmer weather arrives, bringing dryer pavements and higher speeds. That will lead to more violent and potentially deadly crashes. Hughes says drivers will need to be just as vigilant and cautious in coming months as they have been all winter.

Credit Unions Report Big Losses

3/7/09 - Wisconsin’s credit unions are building up their reserves to cover loans that may not get paid back. And that’s the big reason their earnings dropped by 19-percent in 2008. The state’s member-owned financial institutions reported a combined net income of 91-million-dollars last year – down from 113-million the year before. The state’s Office of Credit Unions reported those figures today. It said earnings remained strong until last September – when institutions set aside more of their money to cover loan losses. The total number of members in Wisconsin credit unions rose by about 35-thousand over the last year to around two-point-one million. Total assets grew from 16-and-a-half billion dollars to just over 18-billion.

GAB Settles Lawsuit with Michigan Firm

3/7/09 - Officials have settled a lawsuit from a political consulting firm over the way the state gives out voter information. The Government Accountability Board will pay 75-hundred-dollars in legal fees to the Michigan firm of Practical Political Consulting. The company buys data about Wisconsin voters, and uses it to create voter lists for campaigns and political parties. The firm filed a pair of lawsuits in 2006-and-’07 accusing the old state Elections Board of being too slow and inadequate in handing over its voter data. The Government Accountability Board, which now handles elections, was facing a trial in the case before a settlement was reached. Board director Kevin Kennedy said it was a matter of both parties agreeing they should have done a better job communicating. He said the company had a sense that the state was not giving out data fast enough – and his agency wasn’t sure exactly what the firm had been asking for. The settlement called for a meeting between the two sides, which has been held. The state agency will designate an employee to handle the firm’s requests on a more rapid basis. They’ll also work on a procedure for handling disagreements.

Authorities Call Off Search For Yellow Vehicle

3/7/09 - Authorities in Beaver Dam have called off their search for a yellow vehicle connected to two reports of attempted child enticement. Chief Dale Boldt says they apprehended two young males who admitted offering young children candy on Wednesday as a “prank of sorts.” Four children ages 5 to 9 years old were approached by two men in a yellow vehicle while walking home from school Wednesday afternoon on Gilmore and DeClark Streets. The police chief says the males had no intention of physically harming any child. The case is still under investigation. Boldt recommends that parents talk to their children about the potential dangers involved when strangers approach their children.