Merc and Union Officials to Meet
8/25/09 - With hundreds of jobs on the line, Mercury Marine executives will meet with union officials this afternoon in Fond du Lac. On Sunday, the union said no to contract concessions that included lower pay for new workers and those returning from layoffs. And the company responded by saying it would move factory jobs to a non-union plant in Stillwater Oklahoma in the next 2-to-3 years. Union negotiator Dan Longsine says he hopes to keep the lawyers out of today’s meeting, with the hopes of getting company president Mark Schwabero to budge a little. Company spokesman Steve Fleming says the meeting could be a short one if nobody’s willing to change their stands. Union officials have said they would take concessions, as long as Mercury guarantees in writing that work will stay in Fond du Lac. The plant has about 850 jobs – and the maker of outboard motors also has its headquarters there, with over 900 other employees. Brenda Hicks-Sorenson, head of the Fond du Lac Economic Development Corporation, says she’d love to see another union vote – but she doesn’t think it will happen. She says city-and-county officials are putting together an incentive package to keep Mercury’s headquarters in Wisconsin, even if the production leaves.
Tempers Flare in Clyman Over Dented Door
8/25/09 - A joint meeting last night between the Town and Village of Clyman boards was called following action taken against two officers with the volunteer fire department who were involved in a minor accident with a station vehicle. The door of the fire stations new pick-up was dented while Captain Dave DeCono and Lt. Marty Pint were hanging banners for the Fire Association’s 100th Anniversary picnic. Since it didn’t happen during the course of official firefighting duties, Chief John Haase brought the matter to the boards. Village President Jeff Wagner says the joint board decided to require Pint and DeCono to pay for the damage. The Chief placed both officers on probation for one year but Pint, the driver that day, was also demoted. The joint board voted 3 to 1 last night to support the fire chief but to send the matter back to the chief for a final decision. Before the vote, DeCoro handed the Fire Chief and Town Chair a letter calling for a special firefighters meeting within 10 days that could involve a vote to rescind the reprimand or even remove the chief. There is no written policy regarding the use of station vehicles for such a purpose. The department is working to update its policies and the boards have been working together to establish a Police and Fire Commission.
Teen Placed on Probation for ‘Stupidest Crime Ever’
8/25/09 - A Beaver Dam teen has been sentenced in connection with the June break-in at the Journal Sentinel building in Beaver Dam. 18-year-old Joshua Richie pleaded to reduced charges earlier this month and was placed on two years probation yesterday. Richie and two others were charged after entering the building in the early morning hours and breaking into a soda machine. One of the other suspects told investigators that the door was already open and when he was in the building he thought to himself that he was quote “the stupidest person in the world” and he was committing a “stupid crime that he deserved to get caught for.” 17-year-old Christopher Larson has an arraignment hearing scheduled for next month while 18-year-old Colton Haase entered a “not guilty” plea at arraignment last week.
Columbus Makes Administrative Cuts
8/25/09 - The Columbus School Board approved the 2010 salaries for the District’s Administrative Team last night. Superintendent Mark Jansen will not see an increase in his salary and two administrative positions have been eliminated. Because of extra duties a number of the remaining administrative positions have been given a 3 % pay increase. Board Member Don Nelson voted against approval of the raises in the $490 thousand dollar Administrative pay package citing recent job losses in the private sector and State government.
U.S. Legislator: Scrap Proposed Health Care Reform Bill
8/25/09 - House Republican Paul Ryan says Congress should scrap the proposed health care reform bill, and start talking about a compromise. But during three appearances in Waukesha County yesterday, he told fellow conservatives he didn’t know how to stop Democrats from ramming through their package. Ryan – the Janesville lawmaker who got national attention with an alternative which included tax credits – said there were both problems and misconceptions with the Democratic reform plan. He said it would eventually eliminate private insurers as employers find it cheaper to drop coverage, pay the penalties, and let their employees go on the government plan. Ryan also said it wasn’t true that the Democratic plan includes rationing of care, or letting illegal immigrants get it for free. But if the plan passes, Ryan said he expected constitutional court challenges to any government denials of health services. Derrick Plummer of the Democratic National Committee said Ryan was using “fear mongering and distortions” to mislead Wisconsinites about President Obama’s health principles. Plummer said the president has repeatedly said he doesn’t want the government getting between people and their doctors – as insurance companies now do.
BDMS Implements Single-Gender Classroom Pilot Program
8/25/09 - There will be two single gender sixth grade classrooms at the Beaver Dam Middle School this year. New Principal Ben Jones says research shows girls and boys can learn better when gender stereotypes are broken down. He says they’ll be testing to see what kind of a positive outcome will come from the separation. The curriculum for both classrooms will generally be the same. Jones says only a few parents took their kids out of the single-gender classrooms.
Niesen Opening Statements This Morning
8/25/09 - Opening statements will be made this morning in the Fond du Lac County murder trial of Thomas Niesen. A jury was selected yesterday and some motions were made. The 53-year-old Ashwaubenon man is suspected of the July 1976 stabbing death of 19-year-old Kathleen Leichtman. The young woman was in Fond du Lac to dance at The Other Place, a strip club. After a child abuse conviction in Brown County last year Niesen had to submit a DNA sample. During routine testing last fall the state crime lab was allegedly able to match it with DNA evidence from the Leichtman cold case. The jury trial is scheduled to run through September 4th. (KFIZ)
Allenton Man Suffers Serious Injuries in Crash
8/25/09 - A 26-year-old Allenton man suffered severe injuries when his motorcycle went off a Washington County Highway early yesterday morning. Sheriff's officials say Adam Ralph was on Highway 175 in the Town of Addison when he failed to negotiate a curve and went into a ditch. His bike hit a driveway culvert and he was ejected from it. Ralph was not wearing a helmet he was taken to Aurora Medical Center in Hartford and later flown to Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee. Authorities say speed was a factor in the crash. (KFIZ)
Stem Cells Could Help People to See Better
8/25/09 - Millions of people who have trouble seeing could someday be cured, thanks to new research at U-W Madison. David Gamm and Jason Meyer led a team of scientists who converted stem cells from both embryos and human skin into different kinds of retinal cells. It took several steps to develop eye cells which often get damaged in diseases like macular degeneration. That’s the leading cause of blindness for Americans older than 55 – and it affects 30-million people throughout the world. Meyer says the new research offers hope, but it still needs to be refined. His team has not yet proven that retinal cells made in the lab are just as effective as those made naturally in the human body. Meyer hopes to offer that proof in the group’s next projects. He says an actual cell replacement process is still pretty far off – but it’s not “pie in the sky” anymore. The initial studies were published yesterday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
When Will Bottom Fall Out of Housing Market?
8/25/09 - Homes in Wisconsin are much more affordable due to falling prices, low interest rates, and an eight-thousand-dollar federal tax credit for first-time buyers. But some experts wonder if the bottom will drop out after December first, when the tax credit from the economic stimulus package goes away. Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the National Association of Realtors, says the market is in a healing process – and it’s already returning to normal conditions. He says prospective buyers are out shopping if they’re quote, “financially ready.” But that’s a big “if,” according to Marquette economics professor David Clark. He says the unemployment situation is the big factor in deciding whether the home markets go up-or-down. Wisconsin’s jobless rate is still close to nine-percent. And Clark does not expect it to level off until the first half of next year. He says communities that rely more heavily on manufacturing will recover more slowly than other places. And Clark expects improvements in home sales and prices as early as next spring. The Wisconsin Realtors Association said home sales in the second quarter were down 10-and-a-half percent from the year before – a smaller drop than earlier in the recession. Prices were down almost 10-percent.
8/25/09 - With hundreds of jobs on the line, Mercury Marine executives will meet with union officials this afternoon in Fond du Lac. On Sunday, the union said no to contract concessions that included lower pay for new workers and those returning from layoffs. And the company responded by saying it would move factory jobs to a non-union plant in Stillwater Oklahoma in the next 2-to-3 years. Union negotiator Dan Longsine says he hopes to keep the lawyers out of today’s meeting, with the hopes of getting company president Mark Schwabero to budge a little. Company spokesman Steve Fleming says the meeting could be a short one if nobody’s willing to change their stands. Union officials have said they would take concessions, as long as Mercury guarantees in writing that work will stay in Fond du Lac. The plant has about 850 jobs – and the maker of outboard motors also has its headquarters there, with over 900 other employees. Brenda Hicks-Sorenson, head of the Fond du Lac Economic Development Corporation, says she’d love to see another union vote – but she doesn’t think it will happen. She says city-and-county officials are putting together an incentive package to keep Mercury’s headquarters in Wisconsin, even if the production leaves.
Tempers Flare in Clyman Over Dented Door
8/25/09 - A joint meeting last night between the Town and Village of Clyman boards was called following action taken against two officers with the volunteer fire department who were involved in a minor accident with a station vehicle. The door of the fire stations new pick-up was dented while Captain Dave DeCono and Lt. Marty Pint were hanging banners for the Fire Association’s 100th Anniversary picnic. Since it didn’t happen during the course of official firefighting duties, Chief John Haase brought the matter to the boards. Village President Jeff Wagner says the joint board decided to require Pint and DeCono to pay for the damage. The Chief placed both officers on probation for one year but Pint, the driver that day, was also demoted. The joint board voted 3 to 1 last night to support the fire chief but to send the matter back to the chief for a final decision. Before the vote, DeCoro handed the Fire Chief and Town Chair a letter calling for a special firefighters meeting within 10 days that could involve a vote to rescind the reprimand or even remove the chief. There is no written policy regarding the use of station vehicles for such a purpose. The department is working to update its policies and the boards have been working together to establish a Police and Fire Commission.
Teen Placed on Probation for ‘Stupidest Crime Ever’
8/25/09 - A Beaver Dam teen has been sentenced in connection with the June break-in at the Journal Sentinel building in Beaver Dam. 18-year-old Joshua Richie pleaded to reduced charges earlier this month and was placed on two years probation yesterday. Richie and two others were charged after entering the building in the early morning hours and breaking into a soda machine. One of the other suspects told investigators that the door was already open and when he was in the building he thought to himself that he was quote “the stupidest person in the world” and he was committing a “stupid crime that he deserved to get caught for.” 17-year-old Christopher Larson has an arraignment hearing scheduled for next month while 18-year-old Colton Haase entered a “not guilty” plea at arraignment last week.
Columbus Makes Administrative Cuts
8/25/09 - The Columbus School Board approved the 2010 salaries for the District’s Administrative Team last night. Superintendent Mark Jansen will not see an increase in his salary and two administrative positions have been eliminated. Because of extra duties a number of the remaining administrative positions have been given a 3 % pay increase. Board Member Don Nelson voted against approval of the raises in the $490 thousand dollar Administrative pay package citing recent job losses in the private sector and State government.
U.S. Legislator: Scrap Proposed Health Care Reform Bill
8/25/09 - House Republican Paul Ryan says Congress should scrap the proposed health care reform bill, and start talking about a compromise. But during three appearances in Waukesha County yesterday, he told fellow conservatives he didn’t know how to stop Democrats from ramming through their package. Ryan – the Janesville lawmaker who got national attention with an alternative which included tax credits – said there were both problems and misconceptions with the Democratic reform plan. He said it would eventually eliminate private insurers as employers find it cheaper to drop coverage, pay the penalties, and let their employees go on the government plan. Ryan also said it wasn’t true that the Democratic plan includes rationing of care, or letting illegal immigrants get it for free. But if the plan passes, Ryan said he expected constitutional court challenges to any government denials of health services. Derrick Plummer of the Democratic National Committee said Ryan was using “fear mongering and distortions” to mislead Wisconsinites about President Obama’s health principles. Plummer said the president has repeatedly said he doesn’t want the government getting between people and their doctors – as insurance companies now do.
BDMS Implements Single-Gender Classroom Pilot Program
8/25/09 - There will be two single gender sixth grade classrooms at the Beaver Dam Middle School this year. New Principal Ben Jones says research shows girls and boys can learn better when gender stereotypes are broken down. He says they’ll be testing to see what kind of a positive outcome will come from the separation. The curriculum for both classrooms will generally be the same. Jones says only a few parents took their kids out of the single-gender classrooms.
Niesen Opening Statements This Morning
8/25/09 - Opening statements will be made this morning in the Fond du Lac County murder trial of Thomas Niesen. A jury was selected yesterday and some motions were made. The 53-year-old Ashwaubenon man is suspected of the July 1976 stabbing death of 19-year-old Kathleen Leichtman. The young woman was in Fond du Lac to dance at The Other Place, a strip club. After a child abuse conviction in Brown County last year Niesen had to submit a DNA sample. During routine testing last fall the state crime lab was allegedly able to match it with DNA evidence from the Leichtman cold case. The jury trial is scheduled to run through September 4th. (KFIZ)
Allenton Man Suffers Serious Injuries in Crash
8/25/09 - A 26-year-old Allenton man suffered severe injuries when his motorcycle went off a Washington County Highway early yesterday morning. Sheriff's officials say Adam Ralph was on Highway 175 in the Town of Addison when he failed to negotiate a curve and went into a ditch. His bike hit a driveway culvert and he was ejected from it. Ralph was not wearing a helmet he was taken to Aurora Medical Center in Hartford and later flown to Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee. Authorities say speed was a factor in the crash. (KFIZ)
Stem Cells Could Help People to See Better
8/25/09 - Millions of people who have trouble seeing could someday be cured, thanks to new research at U-W Madison. David Gamm and Jason Meyer led a team of scientists who converted stem cells from both embryos and human skin into different kinds of retinal cells. It took several steps to develop eye cells which often get damaged in diseases like macular degeneration. That’s the leading cause of blindness for Americans older than 55 – and it affects 30-million people throughout the world. Meyer says the new research offers hope, but it still needs to be refined. His team has not yet proven that retinal cells made in the lab are just as effective as those made naturally in the human body. Meyer hopes to offer that proof in the group’s next projects. He says an actual cell replacement process is still pretty far off – but it’s not “pie in the sky” anymore. The initial studies were published yesterday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
When Will Bottom Fall Out of Housing Market?
8/25/09 - Homes in Wisconsin are much more affordable due to falling prices, low interest rates, and an eight-thousand-dollar federal tax credit for first-time buyers. But some experts wonder if the bottom will drop out after December first, when the tax credit from the economic stimulus package goes away. Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the National Association of Realtors, says the market is in a healing process – and it’s already returning to normal conditions. He says prospective buyers are out shopping if they’re quote, “financially ready.” But that’s a big “if,” according to Marquette economics professor David Clark. He says the unemployment situation is the big factor in deciding whether the home markets go up-or-down. Wisconsin’s jobless rate is still close to nine-percent. And Clark does not expect it to level off until the first half of next year. He says communities that rely more heavily on manufacturing will recover more slowly than other places. And Clark expects improvements in home sales and prices as early as next spring. The Wisconsin Realtors Association said home sales in the second quarter were down 10-and-a-half percent from the year before – a smaller drop than earlier in the recession. Prices were down almost 10-percent.
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