Top Stories August 30th

Locater Alert: Missing Child Victoria Lynn Rode

Merc Says Revote Came Too Late

8/30/09 - Mercury Marine officials say a decision by the employees union to vote again on a contract it rejected last week has come too late. Late last night union officials announced there would be a revote and voting was supposed to continue until 6 p.m. tonight. However, the contract proposal from Mercury expired at midnight and therefore company officials say any ballots cast after then would not be counted. A statement from the company read in part, "The IAM conducted a last-minute vote on the original proposal terms and conditions but did not complete the process to a definitive conclusion prior to the expiration of the proposal."

Union officials say any votes cast before midnight will likely be voided. With no new deal in place it's expected Mercury will begin the consolidation process and take about 850 manufacturing jobs to its non-union plant in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The current contract with Fond du Lac workers expires in 2012, which the company will honor. Discussions on keeping Mercury's Corporate Headquarters in Fond du Lac continue.

A week ago today workers turned down a deal from Mercury that would have frozen wages, cut pay by 30-percent for new hires, increased the cost of health coverage, but also resulted in the recall of workers who had been laid off. The initial vote was reported as a lopsided rejection of the offer.

WCI Inmate Charged in 1973 Murder of AZ Woman

8/30/09 - Federal authorities have indicted a man serving time at a Waupun prison in the 1973 murder of an Arizona woman. William Floyd Zamastil entered a not guilty plea to a charge of First Degree Murder Friday afternoon in Tucson, Arizona. The 57-year-old is accused of killing 22-year-old Leesa Jo Shaner in Fort Huachuca, Arizona on or about May 29, 1973. She was last seen on the way to the airport to pick up her husband but never made it. Zamastil was serving a life sentence at WCI for the kidnapping, rape and murder of a woman in Sauk County in 1978 when he told a fellow inmate about killing Shaner. According to published reports, Shaner's father, an FBI agent, made it his life's work to find her killer. He passed a way a few years ago but another former agent kept the case alive. amastil will stay in federal custody until his trial, which could begin in October.

Patriotic Music Festival Planned for Beaver Dam

8/30/09 - A music festival to celebrate our men and women of the Armed Forces will be held next month in Beaver Dam. Organizer Dawn Klockow with the Exchange Club of Beaver Dam says the "American Hero’s Music Festival" will be held on Saturday, September 12 at the Swan City Park. Klockow says the purpose of the event is to celebrate our troops, local law enforcement and fire-rescue personnel and to honor Gold Star families, who have lost a loved one in the service. The festival begins with an opening ceremony with color guards representing all branches of the military. Entertainers include country singer Jamie Buckley, Lem Genovese and Joe Cantafio and the 101 Rock Division Band. Cantafio has performed for troops all over the world and a recent tour included stops in Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain. He is also the brother of Lance Corporal Ryan Cantafio, a Marine from Beaver Dam who was killed in the Al Anbar province of Iraq on Thanksgiving Day in 2004. The concert will be free, food and beverages will also be provided by the Exchange Club of Beaver Dam. We hope to have more details for you on WBEV’s Community Comment as we have tentatively scheduled organizers for an appearance on Friday, September 11.

Juneau Woman Bound Over For Drunk Driving Injuries

8/30/09 - A Juneau woman was bound over for trial this week on charges that she injured herself and two others in a drunken driving accident. Tammy M. Jahns was charged with a felony count of Injury By Intoxicated Use of a Vehicle related to the July 8 accident. However, during Thursday’s preliminary hearing, the felony charge was reduced to a misdemeanor charge of Causing Injury While Under the Influence of Alcohol. According to the criminal complaint, the accident occurred in the afternoon hours on Highway 60, when Jahns allegedly crossed the centerline and struck a westbound car head-on. The drivers of both vehicles and a passenger in the Jahns vehicle sustained injury. Jahns is scheduled to be back in court October 13.

Mayor Tom Kennedy May Expand Open Door Hours

8/30/09 - Beaver Dam Mayor Tom Kennedy will hold another one of his regular open door meetings on Tuesday. Kennedy says city residents are invited to meet with him, one-on-one, without appointment on the first and third Tuesday of every month. Kennedy says he feels it is important that constituents have the opportunity to speak with him the day after each regular meeting of the common council. While there is no meeting tomorrow as it is the last day of the month, and there is no meeting next Monday because it’s Labor Day, Kennedy says he feels it is necessary to make himself available to constituents as often as possible. In fact, Kennedy told us on WBEV’s Community Comment on Friday that he is thinking about expanding his open office hours to every Tuesday morning. There has been no official change as of yet. The meetings are held in Room 109 on the first floor of City Hall from 10am until noon. Kennedy says he also make himself available for private meetings by appointment by contacting the mayor office.

Ten Year Olds Can Hunt Beginning Tuesday

8/30/09 - Ten-year-olds can start hunting in Wisconsin on Tuesday. The minimum age had been 12, and those kids had to take hunter safety courses. But Governor Jim Doyle signed a bill this month to let 10-year-olds hunt with a mentor, without a required class. Supporters say the new law will encourage more young people to take up hunting, and preserve Wisconsin’s outdoor traditions. Opponents questioned whether 10-year-olds could handle guns safely. The new law takes effect on the same day the mourning dove and Canadian goose hunting seasons open in Wisconsin.

Bill Would Outlaw Discriminating Against Employees With Bad Credit

8/30/09 - A new bill would make it illegal for most Wisconsin employers not to hire job candidates just because they have bad credit scores. Assembly Democrat Kim Hixson of Whitewater says companies too often discriminate against those with bad credit, without considering their work ethic. Hixson said he was responding to a business owner who was looking for a job for months, but kept being rejected because high medical bills got him into debt. The bill could still consider credit scores if they’re substantially-related to a certain job, or if a required license or bonding hinges on good credit. The Wisconsin Coalition Against Domestic Violence supports the measure. It says women who leave abusers often find it difficult to start new lives because of their credit. But the Wisconsin Manufacturers-and-Commerce opposes the bill, as does the Consumer Data Industry Association. Opponents say those with bad credit are more likely to commit employee fraud or embezzlement.