Saturday, October 31, 2009

Top Stories, October 31st

Fall River Rate Increase In January

10/31/09 - Moves by the Village of Fall River toward upgrading their aging wastewater system will cause rate increases by the first of the year. The multi-million dollar regionalization of wastewater collection and treatment facilities in Fall River and Columbus will mean that utility customers will be seeing higher bills. Village Clerk Marie Abegglen saiys that the possibility of an USDA Rural Development loan has spurred the Village Board to consider rate hikes to pay for the upgraded system. Within the next few months the Village will be implementing wastewater rate increases and considering switching to a monthly billing system.

Madison Layer Nominated for Federal Judgeship

10/31/09 - President Obama has nominated Madison attorney William Conley to the second of two federal judge vacancies for the western half of Wisconsin, which includes Columbia and Jefferson Counties. If he’s confirmed by the Senate, Conley will replace Barbara Crabb, who will move into a part-time senior status after three decades on the bench. Senators Herb Kohl and Russ Feingold nominated Conley in August. The 54-year-old attorney is a partner for Foley-and-Lardner in Madison, specializing in anti-trust and regulatory law. Among other things, he’s been a legal clerk in the U-S Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago. Conley was also nominated for the Madison judgeship vacated by the retiring John Shabaz. But Obama appointed former State Supreme Court Justice Louis Butler to that post a month ago. Some Republicans criticized the appointment, noting that voters removed Butler from his Supreme Court post a year-and-a-half ago. The president defended Butler, citing his integrity and commitment to justice. The Senate has yet to confirm him.

Frandy Charged in Drunk Driving Fatality

10/31/09 - A Rio man has been formally charged in connection with a fatal drunk driving accident. Jack Frandy is charged with two counts of Injury By Intoxicated Use of a Vehicle related to the July 24 accident on Highway C near Hall Road. 21-year-old Ben VanderVenter of Columbus was killed in the head-on collision. Authorities say alcohol was a factor for both drivers but Frandy’s blood alcohol level was allegedly twice the legal limit. Frandy’s wife, Pamela, is also charged with misdemeanor Obstruction; she’s accused of claiming she was driving. However, an investigation later showed that she had not even been in the car at the time of the accident. Phone records show that Jack Frandy actually made several calls to his wife before she called in the accident and authorities determined she was at home at the time of the incident. Frandy followed the ambulance transporting his wife to the hospital, and was ticketed for his second OWI. Initial appearance dates have not yet been set as the investigation continues and authorities say additional charges could be filed.

Wood Expulsion Committee to Meet Wednesday

10/31/09 - The chair of a committee named to consider the fate of state Representative Jeff Wood promises a deliberative process. This is the first time a Special Committee on Ethics and Standards of Conduct has been formed, under a rule first adopted in 1989. Committee chair and Rice Lake Democrat Mary Hubler, says that rule spells out the process. Hubler says the effort will start next Wednesday, but she thinks it will be “some time” before the committee gets to the actual charges and Representative Wood appears before that committee. Republican Representative Steve Nass of Whitewater introduced the expulsion motion after Wood was stopped for OWI for a third time in less than a year.

BD Man Gets Three Years For Assault

10/31/09 - A Beaver Dam man will spend three years in prison for impregnating a 14-year-old girl. In August, Cristobel Ordonez pleaded “no contest” to reduced charges of Third Degree Sexual Assault of a Child in connection with a two-year relationship he had with the girl. The 22-year-old was also sentenced to five years of extended supervision and must register as a sex offender. The sentence will run concurrent to a previous six month sentence in an unrelated case.

Bill Requires Sex Offenders Report Online Activity

10/31/09 - Legislation approved by the state Assembly would require sex offenders to also register their online personnas. Current law requires convicted sex offenders to register their address with the state. The Department of Correction can also require them to provide a picture or their fingerprints. That helps to keep track of where they’re going in the real world, but state Representative Andy Jorgensen is worried some of them are going online to find new victims. Jorgensen points to a report from the “Crimes Against Children Center” which found teens are sexually victimized online to some extent at a rate of 77-percent. The Fort Atkinson Democrat is the sponsor of a bill passed in the Assembly Thursday, which requires sex offenders to also tell DOC about e-mail or online accounts they use, along with any websites they maintain.

Erpenbach Authors Sex Ed Bill

10/31/09 - State Senator Jon Erpenbach says Wisconsin has a real crisis when it comes to sexually transmitted diseases. Erpenbach serves on the Senate Education Committee which held a public hearing this week. He is also author of legislation which requires consistency and accuracy when sex education is taught. There was plenty of opposition. Anne Franczyk of Milwaukee told those in attendance comprehensive programs are, in essence, teaching kids how to engage in sexual immorality. Franczyk said there’s too little focus on abstinence in the bill known the Healthy Youth Act.

Bloody Bank Robbery in Rusk County

10/31/09 - The Wisconsin State Patrol reports one of three bank robbery suspects has been shot and killed near Bruce, Wisconsin, in Rusk County. Another suspect was arrested and a third is still on the loose. The three tried to rob a bank in Exeland Friday afternoon. One man left the scene in a car, led officers on a chase and was shot to death by a law enforcement officer when he stopped. Investigators say there have been a string of bank robberies in that part of western Wisconsin, but they say they don't know if this latest attempt was connected or not.

White House: Stimulus Created 10K WI Jobs

10/31/09 - The Obama White House maintains federal stimulus money created or saved more than 10 thousand jobs in Wisconsin. Despite some doubters -- who question how you can quantify the number of jobs saved -- Governor Jim Doyle says there is no doubt about the accuracy of the claim. Doyle says thousands of teaching jobs in the state would have been cut if not for the stimulus money. The state of Wisconsin had previously put that number at about 84 hundred. Obama's administration estimated about 650 thousand jobs were saved nationwide, most of them in education or construction. The report released by the White House covers federal stimulus spending through the end of September. Wisconsin ranked 18th among the states for jobs created or saved.

Obama/ Duncan in Madison Wednesday

10/31/09 - President Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan will visit Madison's Wright Middle School next Wednesday afternoon. The two mean will meet with students, teachers and administrators -- then talk to the crowd about education reform plans. The visit had been announced last week, but the White House hadn't provided details before now. Wright Middle School is located at 1717 Fish Hatchery Road in Madison.

Madison Mayor Expects Bigger Halloween Crowds

10/31/09 - Following years of mayhem, including riots, downtown Madison’s Halloween party is on its fourth year as a ticketed, city sponsored event. Mayor Dave Cieslewicz says the modern version, Freakfest, has really changed in recent years, saying there hasn’t been a serious incident for more than four years. Although the State Street gathering is geared toward a college age crowd, Cieslewicz expects the crowd to include more alum this year since it coincides with a Badger football home game. At least 200 police officers will be on hand Saturday which 80 fewer than last year. The mayor says they actually started the scaling cops back in 2008, after the initial bump in security.

BD Bulk/ Brush Pick-Up Next Week

10/31/09 - Beaver Dam residents have until next week to gather their yard waste and bulk garbage. The final bulk pick-up of the year begins on Monday, November 2 and continues through Friday, November 6. The collection regulations are the same as in the past. Bulk waste can be placed on the curb no sooner than 24 hours prior to each collection and by 7am on the day of pick-up. Bulk waste is defined as, but no limited to, furniture, wooden doors and windows and rolled carpet, not exceeding 4’ to 6’ in length. No metal items like bed springs, doors, windows and pipes will be collected. No bundled or loose piles of building materials will be collected. Building materials like lumber must be broken down and placed in the weekly collection cart. The next bulk garbage pick-up will be the first waste collection day of May. Brush and shrubbery cuttings, meanwhile, will also be accepted for the last time this year during the same period. Loose tree limbs and shrubbery cuttings up to 7 inches in thickness and 8 feet in length should be placed at the street edge by 7am on the day of solid waste collection. Yard waste also cannot be placed out sooner than 24 hours prior to the scheduled pick-up. Both yard waste and bulk garbage can also be dropped off at the public works garage year round.

Friday, October 30, 2009

Top Stories, October 30th

Ground Broken on Wastewater Treatment Upgrades

10/30/09 - Ground was broken Thursday on an upgrade and expansion to Beaver Dam’s Wastewater Treatment Plant. The city was awarded $20 million in stimulus money in August to expand their outdated wastewater treatment plant and incorporate green technology into the upgrade. City leaders joined construction contractors and officials with the DNR and Alliant Energy in moving earth at the site on Beltline Drive. Of the $20 million the city received, half is an outright grant while the other half is a low-interest, tax-free loan. The plan allows the city to pre-treat waste from Kraft Foods and convert it to biogas which will be used to generate electricity, saving the city about a quarter million dollars a year in electricity costs. In addition, Alliant Energy will buy surplus electricity from the city, estimated at another quarter million dollars annually. The project should be complete by the end of next year.

H1N1 Flu Clinics Set

10/30/09 - There are a couple H1N1 flu clinics scheduled in the area next week. The first one will be held at the Portage High School next Friday, November 6 from 2pm to 6pm. And then the Dodgeland School in Juneau will be a host site on Saturday November 7 from 9am until 2pm. Local health officials says the vaccine will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis to people in high-risk categories because of the limited availability of both the nasal and injectable form. Parents are asked to bring their child’s immunization records. They will also need to sign a consent form for minors under 18 years of age. Columbia County Health Officer Lorenz asks that no one arrived on the campus before 1:30pm because school is in session and there will be a high volume of students leaving the schools in busses and cars. Because of that, the public is being asked to drive to and from the high school on East Collins Street and park between the high school and the John Muir School.

Fond du Lac Board Approves Incentives Borrowing

10/30/09 - Fond du Lac County supervisors this week approved borrowing for the first phase of an incentive package for Mercury Marine. During the past few months both the City and County of Fond du Lac approved incentive packages that total $53 million for the outboard engine maker that would retain the company and lead to further job creation. The $20 million approved by the County Board Tuesday night is the first phase of borrowing for the County's share of the incentive package. County Executive Al Buechel says overall the investment in the company's future is also an investment in the local economy. Buechel says the state has yet to announce details of its incentive package for Mercury, but it's thought to be similar to what the city and county offered. The County's creation of a half-percent sales tax that goes into effect next April will make payment s on the loan to Mercury. Mercury gets credits on the loan from the County for job creation and retention, and product development.

Brunswick Losses Top $114 M

10/30/09 - The owner of Fond du Lac’s Mercury Marine lost 114-million dollars in its most recent quarter. The Brunswick Corporation of suburban Chicago said it lost a-dollar-29 a share from a year ago, and sales in its boating division were down 62-percent. Brunswick makes boats and engines, bowling and billiard equipment, and fitness equipment. The company said Mercury’s outboard motor plants kept cutting production and furloughing employees due to the low sales. Union employees at Mercury recently agreed to contract concessions to keep the Fond du Lac plant from moving to a non-union site in Oklahoma. And the Fond du Lac County Board approved a local sales tax to help Mercury stay in town.

Finance Committee Advances Co Budget

10/30/09 - The Dodge County Finance Committee has approved a slightly amended version of the 2010 budget that will now go to the full board for approval. The 3-percent cap on property tax levy increases means the county was able to raise their total levy by about $930,000 for a total of $31.9-million. The proposed tax rate for 2010 is $5.21 per $1,000 of assessed value, up 13-cents or 2.5-percent from ‘09. That means a person whose property is valued at $100,000 would pay about $521 for the county portion of their tax bill. The finance committee rejected a request from Circuit Court Judge Brian Pfitzinger to fund a alcohol coordinator position but did vote to allow fund carryovers for two positions in the human services budget. A public hearing on the budget will be held the morning of November 10th. The Board of Supervisors are expected to vote on the budget following the hearing.

BDACT Hosts Halloween Radio Show Tonight

10/30/09 - The Beaver Dam Area Community Theater is dipping way back into the golden age of radio for a frightful trilogy of broadcast-ready short stories tonight. For one show and one show-only the theater is presenting a Halloween Radio Trilogy culled from actual radio scripts from the 30’s and 40’s. The show kicks off with the Canterville Ghost, which was broadcast as part of Terror By Night and aired in 1936. The second performance is a Halloween episode from the Baby Snooks radio show, which ran from 1936 to 1951. The trilogy caps off with the Thanksgiving-themed “Terrified Turkey Caper” with Detective Sam Spade who was later portrayed by Humphrey Bogart in the Oscar-nominated “Maltese Falcon.” Unlike the annual Christmas Radio Shows which are broadcast on WBEV and WXRO, for this first year of the Halloween show, the director decided not to broadcast and instead focus on delivering a sound effects-heavy show for the theater audience. The Halloween Radio Show performance is at 7:30pm tonight at the Beaver Dam Community Theater building on North Spring Street. General Admission Tickets are $6 and are available at Rechek’s Food Pride or at the door.

Liquor Tax Scrapped

10/30/09 - Wisconsin Senate Democrats have scrapped the idea of raising the state’s liquor tax to pay for a crackdown on drunk driving. Instead, they’re considering a higher fee to reinstate driver’s licenses after they’re suspended and revoked. A Senate committee endorsed a 50-cent tax hike on a bottle of booze. But Assembly leaders balked at the increase – and it’s held up action on several drunk driving measures the Assembly unanimously passed a few weeks ago. The Joint Finance Committee delayed the package this week because of the disagreement over the liquor tax. The panel will take it up again on Tuesday – this time with a higher license reinstatement fee. Senate Democrat Jim Sullivan of Wauwatosa is not sure if all drivers would be subject to the increase, or just those convicted of O-W-I. Right now, it costs 60-dollars to reinstate a suspended or revoked license. Joe Volk of the Community Advocates group in Milwaukee said an increase would unfairly hurt the poor. Meanwhile, Sullivan says it will cost only half as much as expected to adopt the proposed drunk driving reforms. That’s because some people will avoid driving drunk so they won’t have to breathe into ignition interlocks to start their cars. Among other things, the bill requires interlocks for all repeat offenders, and first-timers with blood alcohol levels of point-15 or higher. The bill also makes first-time O-W-I a criminal misdemeanor if kids are in the vehicle.

Supreme Ct Rejects Judicial Reform

10/30/09 - The state Supreme Court has sided with business interests by rejecting calls for reform of the judicial code of conduct. In a 4-3 vote, the court approved rules allowing judges to hear cases involving their biggest campaign contributors. During the emotional hearing, the high court rejected proposals from retired Justice Bill Bablitch and the League of Women Voters. Bablitch suggested withdrawing when a litigant had given 10 thousand dollars. The League said a justice should pull out if a litigant had given a thousand dollars over a two-year period.

Age for Health Insurance Coverage Increases

10/30/09 - Starting January first, more young adults in Wisconsin will be able to stay covered under their parents’ health insurance plans. The new state budget allows those under 27 to stay on their parents’ plans, unless they qualify for cheaper coverage through their employers. Governor Jim Doyle promoted the new benefit during a news conference yesterday. He said it would help many young people who are not offered private health coverage – or cannot afford it early in the working lives, when their wages are presumably their lowest. The state insurance commissioner’s office does not have an estimate of how many young people would be covered by the new law. Commissioner Sean Dilweg says the impact on rates should not be that much.

Columbus Public Safety Building Renovation Begins

10/30/09 - Renovation of the Columbus Public Safety building at 159 South Ludington Street started this week when the former building owners moved out. Attorneys Strohschein and Green have moved into a new business office at 1132 Park Avenue making way for the Police Department. The former “Law Office” building is now being readied for Columbus Police occupancy. Attorney Karl Green said that their law practice was happy to make their former office building available for City use. Strohschein and Green moved into the former home of Columbus Family Dental and the former Law Office building and garage will house the Police Department when they move out of City Hall. The Columbus Police hope to move into the renovated quarters early in January.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Top Stories, October 29th

Name Released in Highway 26 Death

10/29/09 - Authorities have released the name of the Beaver Dam man killed in a car accident yesterday morning. 18-year-old Pearce Lunde (Lund) died after his car crossed the center line of Highway 26 and collided with a northbound semi-trailer around 6:30 a.m. yesterday. The accident happened in between Watertown and Clyman. Authorities say Lunde was pronounced dead at the scene. The 57-year-old Milwaukee man driving the semi was taken to the hospital. The Sheriff’s Department initial investigation shows speed was not a factor. The driver of the semi attempted to steer out of the way of the oncoming car, but authorities say the collision was unavoidable. It was the eleventh fatal accident on Dodge County roads this year. There were 17 fatalities by this time last year.

Referendum Will Decide Future of Elementary Building Too

10/29/09 - The referendum next week that, if approved, would allow the city and town of Fox Lake to detach from the Waupun School District and join the Randolph School District will also determine the future of the Fox Lake Elementary building. The closure of the school was one of the main reasons cited for detachment. Superintendent Randy Refsland says the building has been appraised at $311,000 but the school board has not come up with a selling price yet. He says if the detachment goes through, the building will become an asset in negotiations with Randolph as they determine what would go with Fox Lake to their new district. If the detachment doesn’t go through the board will have to make a decision whether to go forward with the sale.

Poll: Former Governor Thompson Still Love by WI Residents

10/29/09 - Wisconsinites still love Tommy Thompson. A new poll asked residents who they consider to be favorable among the announced and potential candidates for governor next year. And former Governor Thompson got a 57-percent favorable rating, while Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett was second at 29-percent. Saint Norbert College and Wisconsin Public Radio conducted the poll earlier this month. Thompson, a Republican, spent 14 years as Wisconsin’s governor – and he left nine years ago to become President Bush’s health secretary. He’s said to thinking about entering the race for governor, or maybe the U-S Senate race against incumbent Russ Feingold. Barrett is considering a candidacy for governor as a Democrat, and he won’t announce his plans until next month. Among the announced candidates for governor, Republican Scott Walker has a 26-percent favorable rating. Former G-O-P Congressman Mark Neumann is at 20-percent. The poll surveyed 400 Wisconsin adults. The error margin is plus-or-minus five-percent.

Drunk Drivers Will Be Able to Keep License Cards

10/29/09 - A state committee has voted to let those arrested for drunk driving keep their license cards for identification only. Right now, police confiscate the licenses of those who fail sobriety tests, or refuse to take them. But some lawmakers say it’s too harsh of a punishment, because drivers lose the I-D’s they need to cash checks, buy cold medicines, and board airplanes. Yesterday, the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee voted 10-to-4 to let suspected O-W-I offenders keep their licenses, while still having their driving privileges suspended. Republicans cast all the no votes. Racine’s Robin Vos says it makes a drunk driver’s punishment less severe – and it’s sending the wrong message at a time when people are demanding tougher O-W-I laws. Milwaukee Senate Democrat Lena Taylor says the police will still know if people are driving illegally when they stop them. The bill allows judges to make drivers surrender their license cards if they believe it’s necessary. Also yesterday, the finance panel delayed action on the proposed drunk driving reform package because a disagreement remains over how to pay for it. A Senate panel has endorsed a higher liquor tax, but Assembly leaders are against that.

Cheaper Prescriptions Coming to WI

10/29/09 - A state committee has voted to let Wisconsinites take advantage of those four-dollar prescription deals they see advertised nationally. The Assembly’s health panel voted 10-to-2 yesterday to exempt prescription drugs from Wisconsin’s minimum mark-up law. Walmart says the law forces them to sell some of their four-dollar medicines for nine-dollars in the Badger State. And Milwaukee Democrat Tom Richards says the national discounts would be a big help for seniors who pay thousands of dollars a year for medicines – even if they have Medicare Part-“D.” But Tom Engels of the state’s Pharmacy Society says smaller drug stores cannot afford to match Walmart’s four-dollar price for drugs which cost 15-dollars wholesale – and they can’t make up for the losses elsewhere, like the big stores can. Also, Engels says he doesn’t want people splitting up their health care records among different druggists. In the past, the group has said it would make people more susceptible to getting drugs by mistake. Richards said he was sympathetic to the small drug stores, and would come up with an amendment to his bill. He said he hopes the full Assembly can pass it by the end of the year. Governor Jim Doyle’s office supports the measure.

Immigration Crackdown Results in 34 Arrests

10/29/09 - State justice agents say 34 illegal immigrants with criminal histories have been arrested in a sweep throughout southeast Wisconsin. Attorney General J-B Van Hollen announced the arrests today. State and federal agents began the sweep 15 days ago, and they completed it last Friday. The arrests occurred in 11 cities including Beaver Dam, Neosho, Fort Atkinson and Jefferson. Van Hollen said all the immigrants committed crimes that included sexual assault, drug possession, and battery.

Swine Flu Update

10/29/09 - State officials reported three new swine flu deaths Wednesday that occurred over the past week. Two of them were in Milwaukee County, and one was in Eau Claire County. On Tuesday, Oconto County health officials announced the death of a woman from the H-1-N-1 virus, who had an underlying health condition. No other information was disclosed about that death. And state health spokeswoman Stephanie Marquis had no information about ages, genders, hometowns, or health backgrounds about any of the four deaths. This brings to five the number of Wisconsin deaths from swine flu since September first, and 14 for the year. The state reported 18-hundred-62 confirmed cases of the H-1-N-1 virus since August 31st. Dane County continued to have the most, with 217. Milwaukee County had 105 confirmed cases. The virus has hospitalized 70 people statewide.

Local hospitals are taking steps to separate those with flu-like symptoms from other patients. Beaver Dam Community Hospital Emergency Room Director Pam Flock says they have designated their waiting areas for contagious patients to separate them from those with injuries or other non-contagious ailments. She says if your symptoms are not extreme you should stay at home. But Flock says you should contact your child’s doctor immediately if they have a fever over 102 degrees, fever rash, trouble breathing, blue skin or lips, extreme sleepiness, vomiting or they refuse to eat or drink fluids. Your doctor should also be notified immediately if you infant is not wanting to be held. For adults, they should seek medical care if they experience difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen, sudden dizziness, confusion or persistent vomiting. Flock also says those with flu-like symptoms should wear a protective face mask and use hand sanitizer frequently when visiting the hospital.

Waupun Memorial Hospital has temporarily raised the minimum age for visitors to the hospital, in an effort to prevent the spread of the H1N1 virus to patients. Officials with Agnesian HealthCare say visitors to any of their nursing home or hospital campuses must be 18 years of age or older. Families are also encouraged to limit all visitors to hospitalized and nursing home patients to immediate family members during the flu season.

Oconomowoc Murder Manhunt Nationwide

10/29/09 - The manhunt has gone national for the killer of 39 year old Kimberly Smith. She was found dead October first in her Oconomowoc home. A Waukesha County judge has issued an arrest warrant for 26 year old Justin Welch. He's a parole violator from California. DNA samples put Welch inside the victim's home. Investigators say they don't know what the connection might be between suspect and victim, or if Welch even knew Smith. Some officials say it is possible the two met on the Internet.

Richards: ‘Next of Kin Located’

10/29/09 - Columbia County authorities have finally been able to contact the family of a man found dead this past weekend near Lodi. 39-year-old Brian K. McCarra was found dead Saturday near Summerville Park Road with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Sheriff Dennis Richards put out a public appeal earlier this week seeking family contact information. Richards says they have received a return phone call from McCarra’s aunt, who lives in Minnesota and arrangements were immediately made to notify the victim’s father who lives in Mississippi.

Poh Sentenced For Resisting/ OWI

10/29/09 - An Oconomowoc man will spend almost three years in jail on OWI and Resisting Arrest charges from two separate cases. In 2007, James A. Poh was arrested after a run-in with Mayville Police at his ex-girlfriends house. According to the criminal complaint, authorities questioned the 43-year-old after his ex called police to her residence fearing for her safety. Poh was uncooperative and officers tried unsuccessfully to subdue him with a Tazer stun gun. He eventually complied and was placed in the back of a squad car, where he used his teeth to pull the red lights loose from the back windshield, chewed apart an antenna cable and ripped off an LED light bar. Officers then hogtied Poh, who proceeded to repeatedly slam his head into the cage of the squad car, causing a laceration to his forehead. As blood dripped down his face, he caught it in his mouth and spit it around the cabin, telling officers he had Hepatitis. He was arrested earlier this year for his third OWI. At sentencing for both cases yesterday, Judge Brian Pfitzinger sentenced Poh to two years in prison for Bail Jumping, three months for the OWI and five months for the 2007 Resisting Arrest case. In addition he had his license revoked for three years followed by three years with an ignition interlock on his car.

If At First You Don’t Succeed…

10/29/09 - Two people were arrested Tuesday night on OWI charges because one of them was unable pay for gas. Workers at a Reeseville filling station called authorities after a Watertown man filled his tank but couldn’t pay. The 31-year-old was taken into custody on suspicion of his third OWI and would have been released to a responsible party. However, that responsible party had allegedly been drinking and was reportedly texting while en route to the jail and crashed her vehicle into a pole in the Town of Portland. The 35-year-old Waterloo woman was transported to the Columbus Community Hospital for treatment of minor injuries and ticketed for her first OWI. Incidentally, the tow-truck operator got stuck while trying to remove her car from the ditch and a second tow company had to be called in.

Beaver Dam Man Killed in Highway 26 Accident


10/28/09 - An 18-year-old man from Beaver Dam is dead following a car versus semi accident on Highway 26 north of Watertown. Patrol Captain Molly Soblewski says the man was going southbound on Highway 26 near county road JM when he appeared to cross the centerline and crashed into a northbound semi-tractor trailer. Soblewski says the man in the car was pronounced dead at the scene. Traffic was rerouted during the morning commute and returned to normal around 10 this morning. The investigation shows that speed was not a factor. The driver of the Semi attempted to steer out of the way of the oncoming car, but the collision was unavoidable. This is the eleventh fatal accident on Dodge County roads this year. There were 17 fatalities last year at this time.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Top Stories, October 28th

Beaver Dam Budget Approved for Publication

10/28/09 - The Beaver Dam Administrative Committee last night approved the publication of an amended 2010 city budget. Deliberations on the budget will pick-up again Monday when the committee will discuss in closed session the fate of pay increases for non-union employees. Committee Chair Don Neuert says it’s important for city leaders to determine if the $67,000 in raises couldn’t be better spent somewhere else. The $13.7 million budget in its amended form includes a levy of $7.6 million, which is 4.9% higher than the current budget. The initial budget was over 12% higher, but in the past week, the mayor worked with department heads to trim another $557,000. The Police Department postponed equipment purchases of radars and video cameras totaling $16,000, the Fire Chief eliminated a new command vehicle saving over $32,000 and the Parks Department cut $15,000 for playground equipment. The budget is set to be considered for passage on the council floor in mid-November.

Hotel Tax Increase Put To Bed

10/28/09 - The city of Beaver Dam has abandoned plans to increase the hotel bed tax. The Community Development Committee last night discussed a 1% increase to generate revenue for local events like Lake Days, the Must-Skis and the Women’s Affiliate Craft Fair. In 2003, revenue in the Room Tax Fund started to dry-up after a contract change redirected hotel tax revenue to the Beaver Dam Area Development Corporation and the Chamber. Last December, the city all but depleted the diminishing account. After a short discussion last night, there was general agreement that any increase in the room tax, now at 5%, would be counter-productive. According to an interpretation of state statute by the Wisconsin Innkeepers Association, room tax revenue is not meant to fund local festivals, parades or fireworks displays. The restrictions haven’t been challenged in court yet, but committee member Phil Fritsche told the council that it’s no secret that the Association is eager to press the matter in court, and suggested that Beaver Dam not become a “test case.” The Association also says that using the room tax funds for an economic development entity, like for example the Beaver Dam Area Development Corp, is also improper. The city’s contract with the Development Corp does predate the Associations interpretation. The committee last night was in agreement that increasing the fund could also make the city vulnerable to a court challenge, putting a major funding source for the Development Corp in jeopardy.
Columbus Closer to Finalizing ’10 Budget

10/28/09 - Columbus Administrator Boyd Kraemer and the common council met last night to discuss what could be the final city budget figures for 2010. The public hearing on the budget will be held November 10th. Kraemer says Columbus is in an “enviable” position with a proposed tax levy of a little more than 3-million-dollars, which is a 6.4-percent increase over the 2009 levy. The proposed budget includes major facility improvements and staffing changes. Council member Roger Sneath said the budget reflected the council’s efforts to keep the City’s tax levy numbers out of the list of top taxing cities of similar size.

Horicon Preliminary Budget has $200K Deficit

10/28/09 - The preliminary budget for the city of Horicon is running a $200,000 deficit. City Clerk/Treasurer Dave Pasewald says the council will meet tomorrow to pour over the preliminary $3.3-million budget. He says as the years go on budgets are becoming leaner making it difficult to find areas where they can cut costs. The current budget was about $190,000 in the red at this time a year ago but the city used some of their fund balance to plug that hole.

Dodgeland Schools Mill Rate up More Than a Dollar

10/28/09 - The tax rate for Dodgeland School District residents will jump more than a dollar from 2008-2009 budget. That’s according to District Administrator Annette Thompson who say the rate will go from $11.73 to $12.75 per $1,000 of assessed value as part of the 2009-2010 budget. That means a resident with property valued at $175,000 would pay more than $2,200 for the school portion of their tax bill. Thompson listed a $157,000 decrease in state aid and property values not increasing at previous rates as reasons for the increase. The total budget approved by the board Monday was about $9.5-million with a tax levy of $4.3-million.

Panel Will Give Jeff Wood a Chance to Defend Himself

10/28/09 - The head of a new state committee promises to give Representative Jeff Wood a chance to defend himself, before it makes a recommendation on whether he should be expelled. Assembly Democrat Mary Hubler (hue’-bler) of Rice Lake is a chairing a six-member panel appointed yesterday to consider a resolution to expel Wood. That’s after the Chippewa Falls Independent was arrested three times in the last year for driving while intoxicated – the last two times while under anti-anxiety medications. Wood’s latest arrest came a week ago in Tomah, while on a day-pass from a treatment program at the V-A Hospital. He says he’ll enter a more stringent program this week at a veterans’ clinic in Saint Cloud Minnesota. It’ll last 30-to-45 days, and Hubler says she’ll wait until it’s over before giving Wood his hearing. Another panel member, West Allis Democrat Tony Staskunas, says the committee should think about getting a day-pass for Wood so he can testify. But Wood says those passes won’t be allowed – and he won’t even be able to see his family except on Sundays for lunch at the treatment site. Hubler says she might try to get law enforcement and prosecutors to testify at Wood’s expulsion hearings – but they might not want to do so, for fear of jeopardizing his three pending court cases. In any event, Hubler says she wants to act carefully. Only one state legislator has ever been expelled – Senator Frank Reguse of Milwaukee in 1917 for making comments considered disloyal to the U-S during World War One. Wood says he won’t seek re-election next year, but he won’t step down in the meantime.

Gas Prices Way Over Past Month

10/28/09 - Gas prices are up 30-cents on average in the past month. That’s according to WisconsinGasPrices.com who reports a statewide average of $2.73 this morning. In Beaver Dam, prices sit at $2.74 while Watertown and Fond du Lac are reporting $2.72. The high price in the state is in Eagle River at $2.85. The low price is $2.60 in Grafton. Gas prices are also 19-cents higher than a year ago at this time.

Final Financial Impact Hearing in Waupun Tonight

10/28/09 - The Waupun School District will hold its fourth and final meeting on the impact of next week’s referendum. The city and town of Fox Lake are attempting to detach from Waupun and join the Randolph School District following the closure of its elementary school at the end of the last school year. The meetings are to inform the public about the financial impact of Fox Lake’s departure. The meeting is set for 6:30 p.m. in the LGI at Rock River Intermediate School.

Fox Valley Soldier Killed in Afghanistan

10/28/09 - One of 10 Americans killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan is from the Fox Valley. 26-year-old Army Sergeant Nicholas Mueller of Little Chute was the crew chief on a Chinook chopper. It crashed Monday after leaving a fire-fight with suspected drug traffickers from the Taliban. A second helicopter crash killed four Americans the same day. The Pentagon said neither crash appeared to be caused by hostile fire – but the Taliban claimed they shot down a U-S chopper in the western province of Badghis. The military did not confirm Mueller’s death. His parents said they got the word early yesterday, when three members of his unit woke them up. Mueller was part of the Army’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. He was the 11th Wisconsin service member to be killed in Afghanistan. Mueller graduated from Little Chute High School in 2002 where he wrestled, played football, and was on the track team. His parents, Larry and Sharon Mueller, said their son always wanted to be a fighter pilot – and the September 11th terrorist attacks re-affirmed his career plans.

New License Plate for Endangered Resources

10/28/09 - If Wisconsinites have their way, a badger will be featured on the state’s newest license plate. 68-percent of on-line voters chose the state’s official animal for the new specialized plate that supports the D-N-R’s program which protects endangered resources. The badger got 16-thousand votes to about 29-hundred for the great blue heron, 28-hundred for the Eastern bluebird, and 19-hundred for the red-headed wood-pecker. The vote was advisory. But with the landslide vote, the D-N-R and transportation officials would be hard-pressed not to choose the badger design. The endangered resources plate currently features the grey wolf – and that one will still be offered as well. The plates cost an extra 25-dollars, and all the proceeds go to the endangered resources conservation fund.

Jack Daniel’s Steak Could Net Man 9-Months in Jail

10/28/09 - A Sheboygan man blames a steak he ate for his latest brush the law. 23-year-old Ian Baker was supposed to maintain absolute sobriety as part of his bond from a fourth drunk driving arrest in late July. But when he was checked on Monday, authorities found about two-thirds-of-a-gram of alcohol in his system. Baker told his case manager he ate a Jack Daniels steak the night before – and it caused him to test positive for the alcohol. Baker now faces a misdemeanor bail jumping charge, and it could net him up to nine months behind bars.

Top Stories October 27th

Local Districts Set Tax Levy’s

10/27/09 - The tax rate for the Beaver Dam School District was set last night by the school board. Residents will see a 5.6-percent increase over last year to $8.88 per $1,000 of assessed value. That means a person whose property is worth $150,000 would pay around $1,330 for the school portion of their tax bill.

The Randolph School Board approved a $5.8 million budget yesterday that will increase the overall tax levy about 12.8 percent over last year. Board members said the increase is largely a result of decreased state aid. Overall the district plans to receive about $180,000 less in state aid according to School Board Treasurer Keith Medema. He said that explains the double-digit percent increase for a school district that had reduced its tax levy by 4.5 percent last year. Despite the sizable increase this year, board members said they made several cutbacks to produce a fair budget. District Business Manager Carrie Hintze said that district looked at every dollar to produce by her words, a “very conservative” budget. In total taxpayers will be asked to pay about $2 million to fund the school district for the 2009-2010 school year. For a taxpayer with a $150,000 home that means contributing about $1400. According to the school board, that is the third lowest tax rate for Randolph this decade. Medema said he expects state funding to continue to be an issue for the Randolph School District and could force local taxpayers to pick up more of the tax burden.

A $6 million dollar tax levy and $9.11 mil rate were set for Columbus Schools’ at last night’s annual meeting. Business Administrator Nancy Liverseed said the levy increase was 6%. School Board member Liz O’Donnell said in her case the increase would amount to $.28 cents per day. A vote against levy approval came from Board member Don Nelson who said the 6% levy increase was too high compared to the 3% total budget increase. District taxpayers will be paying for a $12.3 million dollar budget. However, the $9.11 mil rate will remain below the level for the first five years of 2000.

In the Cambria Friesland School District residents will see a 10-percent increase in the mill rate. The school board approved the $4.86-million budget last night, which includes a tax levy of $1.63-million. The resulting tax rate is $8.45 per $1,000 of assessed value. For those with property assessed at $150,000 they would pay about $1,270 for the school portion of their tax bill.

Beaver Dam Curbs Budget Increase

10/27/09 - It looks like the city of Beaver Dam budget for next year might be less than five percent higher than the current budget, not the 12 and-a-half that was originally proposed. That’s what Mayor Tom Kennedy said last night, when the Operations Committee reviewed proposed budget cuts for three of the departments that fall under the committee’s jurisdiction. Kennedy says he spent last week going over each department’s budget with the department head and they were able to find reasonable places to trim. Among the budgets reviewed last night, the Parks Department found $30,000 in outlay expenses to cut. The Department of Public Works cut a $36,000 equipment purchase. The engineering department, which had already come in 15% below last year’s budget, trimmed a full-time position to come in 23% lower than last years budget. City council members may also have to wait one more year to have their aging council chairs replaced. Officials say it’s long overdue, but at $450 each it’ll have to wait until next year. Kennedy says budget planning for next year should go much more smoothly. The Administrative Committee continues its budget deliberations this evening. City officials only need to trim about a quarter million dollars from the proposed budget to meet state-imposed levy-limits but alderpersons agreed at the last meeting that a half million dollars would be better for taxpayers.

Lomira Plant Completes Military Contract

10/27/09 - A plant in Lomira has finished making two-thousand lighting systems for 28 Air Force bases. Patriot Taxiway Industries completed a seven-point-six million dollar contract. Company president Steven Smits said almost three-fourths of the full-time workers on the project were veterans – and three of them had service-related disabilities. He said he could not ask for a more dedicated work-force. The lights will help security-and-maintenance functions at U-S air bases around the world. Disabled veterans started Patriot Taxiway early last year in Omro. The factory operations were later moved to Lomira.

Dodge County Snow Plow Funding Lower

10/27/09 - Due to state budget cuts, there won’t be as many snow plows on local state roadways this winter. Dodge County Highway Commissioner Brian Field says a 12.5% cut to his budget will impact how his department deals with weather hazards on state roads. Field says they aren’t going to reduce the level of service on county roads to cover the state shortfall. There is some good news when it comes to the costs of rock salt, which is way down from a high of $150-per ton last winter.As part of a state contract Field says they were able to get salt for $60-per-ton. Cuts in state aid for county public works departments are averaging 10-percent statewide.

BDHS Students Make A Difference

10/27/09 - Two Beaver Dam High School students helped to make a difference in the lives of elementary school kids this weekend. Saturday was Make A Difference Day and Josh and Jeni Tyjeski put together the Kids for Kids Walk to benefit a medical and dental fund for elementary school students. The two were able to raise over $1200 from the event. The money that was raised will be directed to the Pupil Personnel Services, Children’s Emergency Dental/ Medical Fund, which was established in 2007 after district nurses saw an increase in the number of students with little or no dental insurance. The Tyjeski’s say they plan on holding another walk next year. Donation information can be found on our website: wbevradio.com. The Kids for Kids Walk and Rally, c/o Jeni and Josh Tyjeski, Beaver Dam High School, 500 Gould St., Beaver Dam, WI 53916.

BD Assessments Begin Nov 2

10/27/09 - Property assessments in Beaver Dam begin next Monday. Accurate Appraisal has been retained by the city to revalue taxable property for 2010. As part of the regular inspection cycle, all non-manufacturing parcels are inspected every four years. City officials say in order to accomplish the inspections in a timely manner, it is important to give representatives with Accurate Appraisal ample opportunity to make a thorough inspection of your property. The assessment work is expected to take between two and three weeks to complete.

Democrats Not Giving Up on Governor Race

10/27/09 - State Democratic chairman Mike Tate still expects a competitive governor’s race, after the party’s only announced candidate suddenly withdrew just over a year before the election. Lieutenant Governor Barbara Lawton was campaigning full-speed on Saturday in La Crosse. But yesterday morning, Lawton e-mailed supporters to say she was quitting for quote, “very personal reasons.” And her campaign did not explain further. State Republican Party chairman Reince Priebus blamed Governor Jim Doyle and the White House. Doyle made lukewarm comments about Lawton last week, saying she’d put her credentials against whoever’s in the race. And yesterday, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett did not deny reports that the Obama White House urged him to run – and that the president thought he represented the Democrats’ best chance to keep the governor’s office.

Officials: Northwest Pilots Were Using Laptops

10/27/09 - Minnesota Senate Democrat Amy Klobuchar says it might be “the ultimate case of distracted driving.” That’s how she describes last week’s Northwest Airlines flight which over-shot its Twin Cities’ landing site by 150 miles into Wisconsin. Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board interviewed the two pilots yesterday. They said they were using their lap-top computers, talked about a new scheduling system for flight crews, and lost track of time. The plane lost radar contact for an-hour-and-20-minutes last Wednesday night. It was heading to Minneapolis-Saint Paul from San Diego – but the plane was east of Eau Claire when the pilots realized their mistake and got in touch with controllers.

Residents Spending a Lot Less Money this Year

10/27/09 - Wisconsinites are still spending a lot less money than they did a year ago. The Revenue Department said it collected eight-percent fewer taxes from July-through-September than at the same time in 2008. Sales taxes were down eight-point-seven percent, which reflects a big drop in consumer spending. Individual income taxes were down eight-point-one-percent, reflecting the big rise in unemployment. But corporate taxes rose nine-point-two-percent. That was after the governor and Legislature decided to tax more business income, so Wisconsin companies would stop sheltering income to its subsidiaries in states like Nevada with little or no income taxes.

Washington County Community Will Hold onto Police Department

10/27/09 - The village of Jackson will not scrap its police department. Trustees voted 5-to-2 last night against a resolution to dump the 12-member force to save money – and to have the Washington County Sheriff’s Department provide police services. Police Chief Jed Dolnick said the vote affirmed his department’s quality of work, and a strong relationship with village residents. Dumping the police department would have saved Jackson around 200-thousand dollars next year. Meanwhile, the police union in Pewaukee filed suit yesterday against the City Council’s decision last week to drop its police force. A judge scheduled a hearing for Friday on the lawsuit – which seeks to block negotiations between the city and the Washington County sheriff’s department to provide policing. Those who support the change say it would save Pewaukee over a million dollars a year by not having its own force. But opponents said it goes last-minute petitions to save the department, filed under Wisconsin’s direct legislation law.

Ideas Pour In to Welcome Favre Back to Green Bay

10/27/09 - Wisconsinites have no shortage of ideas on how to welcome Brett Favre back to Green Bay on Sunday, when he plays for the Vikings. The mayor’s office asked for “tasteful” suggestions earlier this month, and about 16-hundred people have e-mailed their ideas. The top-four will be announced later this week. But one suggestion is to plan a ceremony to retire Favre’s Number-Four jersey – and call it off at the last minute. Another fan would hold the ceremony on Sunday, and retire Number-Four in honor of Chuck Fusina – who wore it while throwing 32 passes in seven games for Green Bay in 1986.

Monday, October 26, 2009

Top Stories October 26th

Numbers of Domestic Abuse Cases Way Up in Dodge County

10/26/09 - Domestic abuse numbers are up sharply in Dodge County. That’s according to Jamie Kratz-Gullickson, the Executive Director of People Against Violent Environments, who says there has been an 400% increase in the number of individual “community clients” that sought legal help from PAVE in the past two years. For all of 2008, there were 147 unduplicated victims in Dodge County. As of September 30 of this year, Kratz-Gullickson says that number reached 530. The number of victims needing to stay at the shelter has also quadrupled. She says there is no question the increase is related to the downturn in the economy. The crisis line for PAVE is 800-775-3785 and can be found on our website wbevradio.com.

Authorities Asking for Help in Identifying Man Found Dead in Lodi

10/26/09 - Columbia County authorities are asking the publics help in identifying a body found in the town of Lodi Saturday afternoon. Sheriff Dennis Richards says a deceased male with no identification was found deputies in the Summerville Park Road area. Richards says his office will not be releasing a cause of death but says it appears to be an isolated incident. He is described as a white male in his 30s, five feet ten inches tall, 150lbs with blue eyes and brown hair just below the ears. The man was wearing “Tony Hawk” brand blue jeans, a blue sweatshirt, black leather jacket, black work boots, black knit hat, and grey knit gloves with the fingers cut out. Anyone with information is asked to contact the sheriffs department at 742-4166.

BD School Board Expected to Approve Budget Tonight

10/26/09 - The Beaver Dam School Board is expected to pass the districts 2009-2010 budget tonight. The budget differs greatly from other surrounding communities where huge cuts in state aid led to big increases in the tax rate. Beaver Dam actually got $520,000 more in state aid than a year ago which led to a modest 3.8-percent increase in the mill rate. The final figure is $8.73 per 1,000 of assessed value. That means a person with a property valued at $150,000 would pay just over $1,300 for the school portion of their tax bill. The meeting is set for 6:30 at the Educational Service Center.

White House Pressuring Barrett to Run for Governor

10/26/09 - The White House is apparently trying to get Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett to run for governor, saying it’s the best chance for Democrats to keep the office. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says both a White House aide and Barrett supporters confirm that President Obama badly wants him to run next year. Barrett has been waffling for months, and there was growing speculation last week he would not try to replace the retiring Jim Doyle. The paper says the White House has private polls showing that Barrett would beat either Republicans Scott Walker or Mark Neumann next November. Keeping Wisconsin Democratic could give Obama a better chance of being re-elected in 2012. Barrett was one of the state’s first Democrats to campaign for president last year, driving to Iowa to campaign for the then-senator from Illinois. And both Obama and Vice President Joe Biden each called Barrett – a former Congressman – when he was in hospital in late August after being assaulted while leaving the State Fair. But state Republican Party director Mark Jefferson says Obama does not have a good track record of controlling state elections. He said the president could not stop New York Governor David Paterson from running, and he failed to convince challengers not to run against Pennsylvania Senate Democrat Arlen Specter.

Insurance Premiums Going Up for Some WI Drivers

10/26/09 - Wisconsin motorists who don’t follow politics were blindsided when they got notices about their insurance premiums going up next week. The new state budget passed by the governor and Legislature requires vehicles owners to buy insurance starting next Monday – and minimum coverage levels are going up. Assembly Democratic Majority Leader Tom Nelson made waves earlier this month when he told an angry constituent it’s not the Legislature’s fault that premiums are rising. And he later blamed the insurers’ desire for profits. Andy Franken of the Wisconsin Insurance Alliance says Nelson is flat out wrong – and it’s simple economics that when a person has to buy more of something, it will cost more. American Family Insurance of Madison says many drivers already met the new coverage standards, or were close to it. And they won’t see an increase in their premiums. The state Insurance Commissioner’s office wouldn’t guess how much the average premium will rise.

Panel to Tackle Supreme Court Election Spending

10/26/09 - Two Wisconsin Supreme Court justices are scheduled to be on a panel called "How do we clean up our disgraceful Supreme Court elections?" set for Monday in Pewaukee. Common Cause in Wisconsin organized the event, which it says will include a discussion of why Supreme Court elections need to be changed and how public financing ensures impartial justice. Participating on the panel are current Justices Ann Walsh Bradley and Patrick Crooks, as well as former Lt. Gov. Margaret Farrow and Common Cause in Wisconsin director Jay Heck. A bill calling for public funding of Supreme Court races is awaiting debate in the Legislature.

Sheboygan Woman Found Innocent in Stabbing Death of Husband

10/26/09 - A Sheboygan woman who stabbed her husband to death has been found innocent of reckless homicide. 42-year-old Charlene Ruffin-Brand was acquitted over the weekend, after spending almost 10 months in jail. Jurors agreed that she acted in self-defense when she stabbed Marchel Brand to death last New Year’s Day. Her attorney made the self-defense argument throughout her six-day trial, saying she put up with years of physical and sexual abuse. Ruffin-Brand testified that she stabbed her husband after he pushed her. She was trying to stop a fight between Brand and her brother.

Letterman Mentions “Pedestrian” Scarecrow

10/26/09 - The story about a woman attempting to wave a scarecrow across Main Street in Waupun last month has gone national. Last week late night talk show host David Letterman mentioned the incident in which a nearsighted woman backed up traffic when she attempted to wave across what she thought was a pedestrian. It turns out the “pedestrian” was really a scarecrow dressed in a Automatic Transmission Specialists uniform as part of a Waupun Area Chamber of Commerce contest. The woman eventually did figure out it wasn’t a real person and went inside the shop. A mechanic said he had a good laugh about it but the woman did not find it one bit funny. For the video visit our website wbevradio.com

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Top Stories October 25th

Columbia County Working To ID Body

10/25/09 - The Columbia County Sheriffs Department is working to identify a body found in the southwestern portion of the county Saturday afternoon. According to Sheriff Dennis Richards, deputies responded to a 9-1-1 call in the Summerville Park Road area around 3:30pm where a deceased male with no identification was located. Richards says he is described as a white male in his 30s, five feet ten inches tall, 150lbs with blue eyes and brown hair just below the ears. The man was wearing “Tony Hawk” brand blue jeans, a blue sweatshirt, black leather jacket, black work boots, black knit hat, and grey knit gloves with the fingers cut out. Richards says it’s believed to be an isolated incident and there is no perceived threat to the neighborhood. The incident remains under investigation.

Search Continues for Missing Milwaukee Man

10/25/09 - Searchers say a life jacket and a pill bottle with a missing Milwaukee man's name on it have washed ashore on Lake Superior. Douglas Winter is a 48 year old teacher with Milwaukee Public Schools who has been missing since last week. The life jacket and pill bottle were found near Split Rock Lighthouse, located near Two Harbors, Minnesota. Winter had been kayaking in the area last Monday and his kayak was found the next day. Friends say Winter is an experienced kayaker. He was last heard from Monday night when he called a friend and told her he was about two to three miles from shore and the waves were getting fairly large. The Lake County, Minnesota, sheriff's office says there is no reason to suspect suicide -- or foul play, at this point.

BDFD Joins MABAS

10/25/09 - The Beaver Dam Fire Department is enlisting in a far-reaching mutual aid program that the city’s fire chief says will enhance public safety at little to no cost. The Beaver Dam Common Council this past week approved a resolution that allows the department to enlist in the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System program. Chief Alan Mannel says MABAS will coordinate emergency responders, EMT’s, HazMat officials, technical rescue personnel and even general staff from across the Midwest under one umbrella program. Mannel says MABAS will replace the informal mutual aid agreements that local municipalities already have in place, eliminating multiple calls to various agencies during an emergency. All calls will instead be routed through Dodge County central dispatch. Mannel says his former department was part of the MABAS program in northern Illinois, and while it is effective in small-scale local emergencies, he says it can be invaluable during large-scale catastrophic events. With Hurricane Katrina, a couple firefighters from hundreds of departments – including Mannel’s former fire station –assembled in a large contingent so as not to strip any one department. Mannel says the costs of the program will be limited to paperwork.

Chase Suspect Just Released From Jail

10/25/09 - A suspect, accused of dragging a police officer, had just gotten out of jail when he found himself being chased. The West Allis man was arrested Thursday. The chase started on Milwaukee's north side when officers think their suspect was involved in a drug deal. For 25 minutes the chase crossed several city limit boundaries, finally ending when the suspect's car hit stop sticks. The officer who was dragged suffered minor bumps and bruises. Investigators say the suspect has a long history of drug abuse -- and that's what he had been jailed for before the incident.

Legislators Consider Breeder Legislation

10/25/09 - Dog breeders who sell more than 25 dogs a year would have to get a license to run their business in Wisconsin. The state Assembly is set to vote on a new law Tuesday. Half of the 50 states have such a law in place right now. Supporters of the bill say our lack of regulations makes this state a magnet for big puppy mills where animals are often mistreated. The puppy mill legislation has bipartisan support, with 71 of the 132 state lawmakers signed on as co-sponsors.

Doyle Won’t Raise Glass For Beer Tax

10/25/09 - Governor Doyle makes it perfectly clear, again, where he stands on the beer tax -- and that is with the status quo. Doyle says the state beer tax would have to be increased substantially to make a significant difference in the state’s finances and he’s not in favor of that. A bill from state Representative Terese Berceau, recently was the subject of a standing room only public hearing at the Capitol. Doyle remains unconvinced. He says it’s no coincidence the two states with the lowest beer tax are Missouri and Wisconsin. Brewing is a major industry in both.

Brush Pick Up Suspended After Next Week

10/25/09 - The Beaver Dam Department of Public Works Department says brush and shrubbery pick-up will be suspended for the season after the first week of November. Director of Facilities David Stoiser says residents need to have shrubbery cuttings and neatly piled loose tree limbs up to seven inches in thickness and eight feet in length in the terrace area at the street’s edge for pick-up by 7am during their first solid waste collection day of the month. Waste cannot be placed out any sooner than 24 hours before the scheduled collection day. Yard materials can also be dropped off at the Public Works Garage Yard Waste Drop-off Site at 640 South Center Street, Monday through Friday from 7am to 3:30pm. The service will start up again next April.

Bulk Pick-Up Is Next Week

10/25/09 - Bulk garbage pick-up for Beaver Dam residents begins one week from Monday. Director of Facilities David Stoiser has announced that bulk pick-up will begin Monday, November 2 and continue through Friday, November 6. Stoiser says the collection regulations are the same as in the past. Bulk waste can be placed on the curb no sooner than 24 hours prior to each collection and by 7am on the day of pick-up. Bulk waste is defined as, but no limited to, furniture, wooden doors and windows and rolled carpet, not exceeding 4’ to 6’ in length. No metal items like bed springs, doors, windows and pipes will be collected. No bundled or loose piles of building materials will be collected. Building materials like lumber must be broken down and placed in the weekly collection cart. The next bulk pick-up will be the first waste collection day of May, 2010.

Hannah Montana Big Halloween Costume

10/25/09 - Expect to see Hannah Montana asking for treats at your front door this Halloween. Costumes featuring the Disney star, Bumblebee Transformers and Dora the Explorer are the big sellers across the Badger State this year, according to the price comparison website sortprice-dot-com. Adult men in Wisconsin are buying Michael Jackson, vampire and Batman costumes. Women are going for sexy nurse and sexy barmaid outfits. The rankings are said to be based on Internet searches from Wisconsin-based computers -- not necessarily purchases.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Top Stories October 24th

Rep. Wood Under Pressure to Resign

10/24/09 - State Representative Jeff Wood apologized yesterday for his behavior and announced that he will not seek re-election next year. The Chippewa Falls Independent says that he plans “to focus on recovery.” Wood says he’s been in an inpatient treatment facility for the past three weeks. He says, when his roommate unexpectedly left the program, Wood went to find him, but had taken more medication than was prescribed. Wood was arrested Wednesday afternoon on suspicion of OWI. In his statement, Wood apologized for the “hurt and embarrassment” he’s caused his family and “regrets any disgrace” he may have brought on the Wisconsin State Legislature. He says his primary focus must be on treatment for his struggles with drug and alcohol abuse. Meanwhile, State Assembly Speaker Mike Sheridan and Assembly Minority Leader Jeff Fitzgerald have released a copy of the letter they’ve sent to Wood. It states that they will be taking action on a resolution before the house that calls for his expulsion. Fitzgerald tells us that he is in the process of selecting the three Republicans – the will join three Democrats - on the Special Committee on Ethics and Standards of Conduct.

WI Loses 20,000 from Aug to Sept

10/24/09 - Twenty-thousand jobs were lost in Wisconsin from August to September, according to a new report by the Center on Wisconsin Strategy. This followed a period of some leveling off in employment. Manufacturing and construction were hardest hit. COWS Associate Director Laura Dresser says unlike private sector construction gigs, some of their public sector counterparts were saved by federal stimulus. However, even with the big loss in jobs unemployment decreased in all but one of Wisconsin’s 72 counties. Statewide the unadjusted rate was down seven-tenths (.7%) of a percent to seven-point-seven-percent (7.7%)
After closing shop five years ago, a women’s fashion retail store s has reopened in Beaver Dam. Store manager Diane Raney says

Maurice’s Now Open in Beaver Dam

10/24/09 - Maurice’s is celebrating their grand opening this weekend with special sales and a drawing for a $100 shopping spree, with the four winners drawn November 8. Maurice’s used to be located in the Park Village Mall, then moved to the Beaver Dam Mall before leaving several years ago. Maurice’s was established in 1931 and is owned by Dressbarn Inc. The company owns 700 stores in 44 states.

Man Injured While Getting His Mail

10/24/09 - An 82-year-old man was injured early yesterday morning while attempting to get his mail. That’s according to the Dodge County Sheriff’s Department who says the Town of Lomira man was going to his mailbox when he walked into the path of car traveling on Highway 67. The 82-year-old was taken to St. Agnes Hospital with a hand injury. The accident happened around 6:45 a.m.

Kratz-Gullickson Appointed to Governor’s Council

10/24/09 - The Executive Director of People Against Violent Environments in Dodge County has been appointed to the Governor’s Council on Domestic Abuse. Jamie Kratz-Gullickson joined us on WBEV’s Community Comment today as part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. She says she was recommended for the position by Assembly Minority Leader Jeff Fitzgerald. The Governor’s Council on Domestic Abuse consists of 13 members appointed for staggered three-year terms and advises the Secretary of the Department of Children and Families and the legislature on matters of domestic abuse policy and funding.

Another Candidate Throws Hat in Ring for Chance to Face Feingold

10/24/09 - The Congressional Quarterly's CQ Politics blog reports a second Republican has filed to challenge U.S. Senator Russ Feingold. Madison real estate developer Terrence Wall reportedly filed a statement of candidacy Wednesday. That means he can now start raising money for a campaign against the Democratic incumbent. Businessman David Westlake had already filed papers to run for the Republican nomination against Feingold -- who is seeking a fourth term. A Feingold spokesman was quoted as saying both candidates feature "hard-right ideologues" who lack political independence.

Youth Rights Association Keeping Eye on Wisconsin

10/24/09 - The National Youth Rights Association says the decision on whether children should drink in bars is a family matter. That national group is opposing a Wisconsin measure that would end the practice. Current law lets children of any age drink in a bar if they are with their parents, the parent consents and the bartender is willing to serve them. The legislation being considered would stop anyone under the age of 18 from drinking in a bar. The National Youth Rights Association says letting children drink in a bar while they are being supervised by a parent is safer than if the kids try to do it without their parents finding out.

Brookfield Beating Not Racially Motivated

10/24/09 - Brookfield police say they don't consider the beating of a Wauwatosa West High School student a racial attack. Two Brookfield East High School students and a former student have been arrested. Four members of the Wauwatosa West cross-country team were on a regular training run through Lamplighter Park Wednesday when the three suspects are accused of starting a fight. Racial slurs were made, but race is not believed to be the reason behind the attack. The African-American student tells officers he was knocked unconscious. Two of the suspects are 18 years old and will be charged in Circuit Court. The other is 16.

Another Bank Closure in WI

10/24/09 - The Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions’ Division of Banking has closed the Bank of Elmwood in Racine. Immediately after closing the Bank, DFI appointed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation as receiver. To protect depositors, the FDIC entered into a purchase and assumption agreement with Tri City National Bank, Oak Creek, to assume all of the deposits of the Bank of Elmwood. Bank of Elmwood’s five branches will reopen today as branches of Tri City National Bank. Depositors of the Bank of Elmwood will automatically become depositors of Tri City National Bank.

Two Wanted Criminals Arrested after Walking Past Cop Shop

10/24/09 - The long arm of the law didn’t need to be very long in one Wisconsin community this week, where a couple of men made it almost too easy for police to take them into custody. According to police reports, Russell Bittner and Cody Ladd, both 23, had active warrants for their arrest. They walked right by the Neillsville Police Department Thursday -- even looking in the windows from across the street. The on duty officer recognized them and arrested them a block down the street.

Retired Cop Helps Nab Robbers

10/24/09 - Once a cop, always a cop? The Greenfield Police Department reports an accused robber was caught Friday after a foot chase. They give a lot of credit to some help from a retired Hales Corners police officer. He witnessed the robbery of an Aldi's grocery store, began following the armed suspect as he drove away and called police, giving them the 48 year old suspect's location. Based on his call, police stopped a car and arrested two people inside. They chased the third suspect who was armed with a shotgun. He reportedly tried to break into a building at West Allis Memorial Hospital and was caught a short distance away at a parking lot.

Friday, October 23, 2009

Top Stories October 23rd

Jeep Pulled From Bay Harbor

10/23/09 - A vehicle drove into Beaver Dam Lake Thursday afternoon. Authorities were called out to the Bay Harbor area at 12:24pm. The Jeep Grand Cherokee had been traveling east on Highway G when the driver crossed a lane of traffic and entered the lake on the north side of roadway. EMT’s transported a 56-year-old male from the scene to the Beaver Dam Community Hospital. Deputy Chief Matt Christian says the driver wasn’t injured in the wreck but was admitted because of a pre-existing medical issue. The Dodge County Sheriffs Department is investigating.

Chemical Spill At Sensient

10/23/09 - A small acid spill caused some concern Thursday morning in Juneau. Official with Sensient Flavors say approximately 25 gallons of hydrochloric acid was spilled at their facility on South Mill Street just before 9:30am. The spill was quickly contained and there were no injuries. Juneau Emergency Management Director Dave Beal says a worker was transferring the chemical from one container to another when the spill occurred. It occurred outdoors, over blacktop and officials say there was no risk to people or the environment. Beal says the Wisconsin DNR and Juneau Fire Department initially responded before clearing the scene and turning the matter over to the company. Sensient has a plan in place and a private contracting firm was called in for clean-up. According to their website, Sensient manufactures technology-based flavor systems for some of the world’s best-known food and beverage brands.

Fox Lake Hears Impact of Detachment

10/23/09 - If the Fox Lake area is allowed to detach from the Waupun School District the remaining residents would see a significant increase in their tax rate for the first two years and lower rates by 2012. That was the word last night as the third in a series of meetings discussing the financial impact of a Fox Lake/Randolph merger was held. A standing room only crowd heard that if Fox Lake were to detach the Waupun would have over two million dollars less to educate students by 2013 and most likely would have to cut back on the number of programs offered. What happens in Randolph would be the exact opposite from Waupun as residents there would see lower mill rates for the first few years but by year five the merger would add $1 to $1.50 to the mill rate. There is one more informational meeting set for next Wednesday in Waupun. The referendum will be held on November 3rd.

Fitzgerald To Appoint Three On Wood Expulsion Committee

10/23/09 - State Assembly Speaker Mike Sheridan is in the process of forming a special committee to decide whether Representative Jeff Wood should be expelled. The Independent from Chippewa Falls was arrested Wednesday for his third O-W-I within a year – the last two involving the use of prescription drugs. The legislative panel would have three Democrats and three Republicans, and it would hold hearings and give the 40-year-old Wood a chance to defend himself. Assembly Minority Leader Jeff Fitzgerald of Horicon tells us he will decide in the next couple days the three Republicans who will be sitting on that panel. Two-thirds of lawmakers would have to vote to expel him. It has only happened once in state history. Fitzgerald joined several legislators yesterday in calling for Woods resignation. Wood was ordered to remain sober after his drunk driving arrest last December in Columbia County. In September, he was picked up near Wausau for allegedly driving with excessive amounts of anti-anxiety medication. Wood’s attorney, Tracey Wood – no relation, said people should not rush to judgment before blood test results come out in his last two arrests. She said the medications could have been in the range considered to be therapeutic. Attorney Wood, who’s not related to the lawmaker, said her client continues to get treatment.

BDHS Students Organize Walk For Elementary Medical Fund

10/23/09 - Saturday is Make A Difference Day and two Beaver Dam High School students are hoping to do just that for kids in the district’s elementary schools. Jeni Tyjeski and her brother Josh are hoping to help local kids get to a doctor or a dentist even if they can’t afford to. Tomorrow’s Beaver Dam Elementary Kids for Kids Walk caps off Red Ribbon Week, a time set aside each year to recognize healthy choices and promote drug and violence prevention. The money that’s raised will be directed to the Pupil Personnel Services, Children’s Emergency Dental/ Medical Fund, which was established in 2007 after district nurses saw an increase in the number of students with little or no dental insurance. Jeni says the high school has a similar program, the Lean On Me Fund, but they also wanted to help younger students. The walk will basically follow the girls cross country route on the high school campus, weather permitting, otherwise the walk will be held indoors. Elementary school kids are asked to meet at the high school at 9am. Parents are welcomed to stay but Josh says there will be plenty of student athlete volunteers.

The Kids for Kids Walk and Rally, c/o Jeni and Josh Tyjeski, Beaver Dam High School, 500 Gould St., Beaver Dam, WI 53916. Questions can be directed to Associate Principal Bill Greymont at 885-7313, ext. 2110 or e-mail Jeni and Josh Tyjeski at jtyjeski@charter.net.

Cotten Gets Six Months For Burglary

10/23/09 - A Beaver Dam man was sentenced to six months in jail for burglarizing a home in March. Travis Cotten threw a large rock through a patio window at a residence on the 1000 block of Lakeshore Drive. According to the criminal complaint, the 22-year-old admitted to the break-in and said he wanted to steal their TV but he was scared off by their security alarm. When authorities executed a search warrant at his residence, they found a variety of stolen electronics equipment. Cotton denied stealing any of the items and told investigators that he paid cash from people who may have stolen them. He also denied any connection to a series of home break-ins that same night. Cotten was also ordered to pay $1278 in restitution or he will face an additional four months in jail.

Unemployment Drops For Second Straight Month

10/23/09 - Unemployment in Dodge County dropped more than a full percentage point in September but is still higher than surrounding counties. The unadjusted rate was eight-point-four-percent (8.4%) down from nine-point-six-percent (9.6%) in August but it’s still more than four-percent (4%) higher than last year at this time. Columbia County was down three-tenths (.3%) of a percent to seven-point-one-percent (7.1%). Jefferson County dropped nearly a full point to eight-percent (8%) even while Fond du Lac was down a full point to seven-point-eight-percent (7.8%). Washington County is down to eight-point-one-percent (8.1%). Overall, unemployment decreased in all but one of 72 counties. Statewide the unadjusted rate was down seven-tenths (.7%) of a percent to seven-point-seven-percent (7.7%).

H1N1 Vaccine in High Demand

10/23/09 - There's a huge demand for the H-1-N-1 flu vaccine, despite the public's concerns about its safety. In Cedarburg, about 17-hundred people were vaccinated last night at a clinic that ran an hour later than scheduled - and some were still turned away. Milwaukee holds its first public clinic today and tomorrow - but seven-thousand available doses are expected to be snapped up in just hours. Manufacturers had early production problems, and the government decided to distribute what it gets instead of waiting for its entire order. A recent poll found that just 49-percent of Americans thought the vaccine was safe. But Geoffrey Swain of the Milwaukee Health Department says it matches the flu strain very well, and the type of mercury it contains normally leaves the body very rapidly. Waukesha County plans to have clinics next week, and they hope to limit it to the main targeted group - healthy, non-pregnant people ages 2-to-49. The clinics are generally for those without full health insurance. Others are being told to get the vaccine from their providers, and they're not expected to get their supplies until November. In the meantime, state officials say the H-1-N-1 virus is not more prevalent now than it was in the spring. Over 50 Wisconsinites have been hospitalized this fall, and two have died from it.

Racine Gang Members Make Appearance in Court

10/23/09 - Forty-one gang members in Racine were charged in federal court yesterday for drug dealing and related violence. An indictment was opened which targeted the North Side Vice Lords and the North Side Gangsters. Authorities said they committed over 200 acts of violence which included homicides and other shootings in order to protect their drug-dealing turf. Prosecutors said at least two shootings and one death resulted from gang retaliation. Todd Schulz of the Racine Gang Task Force said the gangs got their power by scaring people, and the community was afraid to come forward and stop it. U-S Attorney Michele Jacobs said the community deserved better. G-B Jones of the F-B-I said the mass arrests would make the streets of Racine safer for some time to come. The indictment was the climax of a year-long investigation that's part of a national gang crackdown. Thirty-four people were in custody at last word, and seven others were being sought. Most defendants face anywhere from 10 years in prison to life if they're convicted.

Iraqi War Veteran Suing Former Employeer

10/23/09 - A contractor in south central Wisconsin is being sued for not giving an Iraq War veteran his old job back. Rocco Sylvester Junior of Portage is the second veteran in Wisconsin, and the 20th nationally to file such a lawsuit this year. Sylvester was a full-time foreman for Mort's Concrete of Rio (rye-oh) before he served with the National Guard in Iraq from mid-2004 until late 2005. The company hired two foremen while he was gone. And when Sylvester got back, he said he was given a non-supervisory post with fewer hours. The law requires companies to give veterans their old jobs back, or comparable positions. Sylvester's lawsuit was filed this week in Federal Court in Madison. It seeks lost wages and benefits. His father said Sylvester left the concrete firm in 2006 and got behind on his mortgage because it took him so long to find another job. The Guard eventually hired him in Camp Douglas before they sent him back to Iraq this year. The Labor Department tried to resolve Sylvester's complaint before referring it to the Justice Department. Mort's Concrete has not commented.

Health Care Providers Could See More Money for Medicare Patients

10/23/09 - Wisconsin's health care providers could get more money for treating Medicare patients under the final House version of the health reform bill. Democratic leaders have approved a deal to solve regional differences in how Washington reimburses doctors and hospitals to treat older patients. Wisconsin's lawmakers have argued for years that the state gets penalized under the current reimbursement formula - because many hospitals provide higher-quality care at lower costs than those in other states. Under the new agreement, the Institute of Medicine would perform two studies on changing the current system. One would look at regional differences, and the other would suggest a system that pays doctors on quality and not their volumes of cases. La Crosse Democrat Ron Kind says the current system wastes 700-billion-dollars a year by paying for procedures that aren't needed. And Kind says the savings would help people with insurance who pay what the government doesn't for Medicare patients. Appleton Democrat Steve Kagen says the new measure would improve quality and drive down costs. Wausau Democrat David Obey says the agreement avoids a regional fight in Congress over the reimbursement issue.

Man Who Killed Figure Skater in FDL Accident Sentenced

10/23/09 - The father of a Wausau area girl said the drunk driver who killed his daughter got away with a "slap on the wrist." 24-year-old Daniel Schaefer of Fond du Lac was sentenced yesterday to five years in prison and 10 years of extended supervision. He was also fined seven-thousand dollars for driving the wrong way on a four-lane northwest of Oshkosh last January. His vehicle slammed head-on into another, killing 14-year-old figure skater Lacey Meinel of Weston. Her mother Jodene, who was driving, still has pain in her arms and wrists. The family was heading home from a skating competition. Schaefer's blood alcohol level at the time was point-two, more than twice the legal limit. He copped a plea deal in August in which pled no contest to homicide by drunk driving, and causing great bodily harm. Yesterday, the girl's family and friends wore green stickers saying "Lacey touched my heart," to try and convince Judge William Carver to order the maximum sentence. Jodene Meinel urged the judge to quote, "help Lacey change things for the better in Wisconsin and hold Daniel Schaefer responsible for his actions." Schaefer apologized, but the girl's father Steve said he can't forgive him.

Longer Deer Season Not Good for Everyone

10/23/09 - Not everyone's happy about the idea of a longer deer hunting season in Wisconsin. About 650 people have attended five public hearings on a proposal to extend the November gun season from nine days to 16. According to the D-N-R's Keith Warnke, people and groups have cited a number of reasons to oppose the change. They include conflicts with others in the outdoors, family hunting traditions, and fears that the deer population might get too low. The longer season was suggested as an alternative for lowering what's now a high deer population. That was after the controversial Earn-a-Buck program was scrapped, in which hunters had to shoot does before they could take bucks. The Natural Resources Board agreed earlier this month to get public opinions about a longer gun season. It would start two Saturdays before Thanksgiving instead of one. If it's approved, the change would take effect next fall. The final public hearings on the idea will be held Monday in Eau Claire and Appleton, Tuesday in Racine, Wednesday in Spooner and Pewaukee, and November third in Stevens Point.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Top Stories October 22nd

BDFD Water Rescue

10/22/09 - The Beaver Dam Fire Department rescued an Iron Ridge man whose boat capsized yesterday afternoon. The department responded to Waterworks Park on Beaver Dam Lake just before 2pm. The boat had sunk between Waterworks and Edgewater Park and the 36-year-old was swimming for the shore when emergency responders arrived and pulled him to safety. He was transported to Beaver Dam Community Hospital for treatment of hypothermia. Authorities are not sure why the boat began taking on water.

Referendum Meeting In Randolph

10/22/09 - The first in a series of meetings detailing the financial impact of the merger of Fox Lake with the Randolph School District was held last night in Randolph. Superintendent Greg Peyer told the crowd of 150 that Fox Lake makes up approximately 28% of the Waupun School District, which equates to roughly $300 million dollars in property value. In the Randolph School District, here is about $217 million dollars in property value. Peyer says Fox Lake could also bring about $6 million dollars in debt that would translate to $775,000 a year for the next 12 years. Michel Clark of Baird and Company, the firm hired by both school districts to crunch the numbers, says in the short term property taxes in Randolph would go down but by year five the merger would add $1 to $1.50 to the mill rate. But Clark says Randolph would also gain a larger tax base that would be less reliant on state aid. That would spread out the costs of things like new school construction while also shielding the district from the effects of fluctuations in state aid. While property taxes would likely go up long-term in Randolph, Clark says the merger would have the opposite effect in Waupun, where property taxes would go down in the long-term. Informational meetings are planned for 1pm this afternoon at Rock River Intermediate in Waupun and 6:30pm tonight at Fox Lake City Hall.

Fox Lake Approves Loan Agreement

10/22/09 - The Fox Lake Common Council approved a loan agreement with the Wisconsin Rural Water Commission last night that authorizes the issuance of about $3.9-million in revenue bond anticipation notes to help pay for upgrades to their wastewater treatment system. City Administrator Bill Petracek says the approval will allow them to pay for the upgrades mandated by the state and emphasized they aren't required to use all of the money. He says once the projects are paid for the loan will roll over to another loan that will allow for relatively small payments.

Rohr Tabbed for Police Chief in Fox Lake

10/22/09 - A longtime Dodge County Sheriff's employee is expected to be approved as the next Police Chief in Fox Lake early next month. Last night it was reveled the common council has chosen James Rohr as the replacement to Pat Lynch who retired earlier this year. Rohr had been with the Sheriff's Department for nearly 25 years before retiring last month. If approved Rohr's base salary will be $50,000. A vote on the appointment will take place at the council's regular meeting on November 4th.

Degorski Spared Death Penalty In Browns Chicken Massacre

10/22/09 - A jury in Chicago has decided against the death penalty for a man convicted of killing a Columbus native and six others at a restaurant. That means 37-year-old James Degorski will get life-in-prison for killing Richard Ehlenfeldt, his wife, Lynn, and five employees at Brown’s Chicken-and-Pasta in 1993 in the Chicago suburb of Palatine. All seven were shot, and their bodies were left in a freezer as they were about to close for the night. The jury’s final vote was 10-to-2 in favor of the death penalty, but they had to be unanimous. Another jury did the same thing two years ago, when it ordered life in prison for the other defendant who was convicted, Juan Luna. In addition to being a Columbus native, Ehlenfeldt was an aide to former Acting Governor Martin Schreiber in Madison in the 1970’s. His sister Ann Ehlenfeldt was upset. She said that if murdering seven people is not enough for the death penalty, she wondered what is.

Motorists Urged To Exercise Caution During Shortened Harvest

10/22/09 - Agriculture officials are urging motorists to slow down on area roadways this fall, and take extra precautions when driving around farm equipment. UW Extension Crops and Soils Agent Matt Hanson says weather conditions have shorted the amount of time farmers have to harvest this year’s crops , from the normal 10 weeks down to six. He says crops are behind schedule and with the shortened harvest window, ag producers will be spending considerably more time working against mother natures deadline, and that means more trucks, combines and tractors on area roadways in coming weeks.

National FFA on RFD Channel

10/22/09 - A Waupun High School student will be among those on a live television broadcast of the National FFA Convention Thursday night. Shawna Harmsen of the Waupun FFA is a singer and will be featured in the Talent Revue, which will air between 4:30pm and 6pm (Central Standard Time) on the RFD Channel. Friday night, RFD will broadcast the National FFA Band Concert, which will feature Grant Nass of Hustisford, Lindsay Horst of Hartford and Samantha Loehr of Campbellsport. RFD-TV can be found on Dish Network Channel 231 or Direct TV Channel 345. It is not available on Charter. The Wisconsin Delegation has a number of participants in this year’s 82nd Annual National FFA Convention in Indianapolis. The three American Star Finalists are all from the Randolph – Cambria – Friesland FFA , the state’s largest chapter. Alex Zimmerman, Tony Crescio and Ben Alsum are competing for the title of American Star Farmer. Beaver Dam’s FFA is a recipient of the American FFA Degree.

Rep. Wood Arrested Again

10/22/09 - State Representative Jeff Wood was arrested in Tomah yesterday for driving while intoxicated - his second such arrest in a month, and his third in the last year. The Independent from Chippewa Falls was seen driving over a curb in a business district, and was arrested about 4:30 in the afternoon. The 40-year-old Wood did not have alcohol in his system, and police believe he was intoxicated on prescription drugs they found on him. Wood faces possible charges of O-W-I, and bail jumping for not having absolute sobriety as a condition of the bond in his arrest last December. It's expected Assembly members for both parties will vote on expulsion if Wood does not resign.

More Details Come to Light in Death of West Bend Woman

10/22/09 - Washington County authorities say it's possible an accident victim survived her car plunging from a bridge into the Milwaukee River last weekend just to die of exposure from cold overnight temperatures. Sheriff's officials say Kathy Van Altena's body was found about 300 feet from her car. It's possible she became disoriented in the woods. When searchers found her body her clothes were still wet and her cell phone was found next to her. They believe she tried to phone an acquaintance before the phone's signal died. (KFIZ)

Doyle Supports New DNA Rules

10/22/09 - Governor Jim Doyle says he supports a new bill to make everyone arrested for felonies give their D-N-A as they get booked. Right now, only those convicted of felonies have to provide samples - and up to 12-thousand never made it to a state database. Doyle says too many people fall through the cracks under the current system, and the new bill would make things easier by having only the police take samples. It would also expand the state's D-N-A data-base of criminal suspects, and one of the bill's sponsors says it would help solve old crimes and exonerate the innocent.

Home Prices to Drop

10/22/09 - A new forecast says home prices nationally will drop another 11-percent by next June - but then they'll rise almost four-percent by mid-2011. Fiserv of Brookfield, which owns the Case-Shiller Home Price Index, says Wisconsin prices will not fall as much as the national average. And once the turnaround begins, only six of Wisconsin's 12 metro areas will see home prices rise in the second half of next year. William Malkasian of the Wisconsin Realtors Association says the new forecast makes sense. He said Wisconsin's housing boom was not as big as other states in recent years - and today's price drops are more driven by distressed properties like those in foreclosure.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Top Stories October 20th and 21st

BDUSD Posting H1N1 Updates On Website

10/21/09 - Beaver Dam Schools Superintendent Don Childs says there are likely cases of H1N1 in the district. Childs says while none have been confirmed, school nurses have seen the symptoms and absence rates have been higher than average. While he couldn’t provide district-wide numbers, Childs says 18% of Middle School students called in sick on Monday. He says they are providing updates to parents as they become available but unless the absence percent gets close to 30%, they won’t even be thinking about closures. At the top of the Beaver Dam School District website there is a link for current health updates that provides the latest information on influenza in the district. Childs says they are keeping current on the website and will immediately alert local media of any school closures, should they be needed.

Horicon School Taxes Up 9.6%

10/21/09 - Property owners in the Horicon School District will see a nearly ten percent increase in the school portion of their 2009 tax bill. The school board unanimously adopted the balanced budget at this week’s regular meeting. Superintendent Gary Berger says the mill rate will be 87 cents higher than last years at $9.90 per $1000 of assessed value. The district will levy for just over four-and-a-quarter million dollars. Complicating matters this year was a loss of over $418,000 in state aid compared to last year. Berger says most of the loss in state aid was made up for with the property-tax increase.

Walters Trial Delayed

10/21/09 - The trial of a state prisoner accused of helping a cellmate commit suicide has been delayed until next year. 20-year-old Joshua Walters is having a private investigator review his case and his defense lawyer wants more time to get that done. A pre-trial hearing was scheduled for Tuesday in Dodge County Circuit Court. But that’s being held up, along with a two-day trial that was set to begin next Monday. A three-day jury trial is now scheduled to begin February 10. Prosecutors said Walters encouraged 20-year-old Adam Peterson to hang himself with a bed-sheet at the state’s prison in Waupun last year. That was after Peterson began a life prison term following his guilty plea in the January 2008 stabbing death of 31-year-old Joel Marino in Madison. Peterson was a former U-W student from the Stillwater Minnesota area. Walters has pleaded innocent to a felony charge of assisting suicide.

Fox Lake Alderwoman Passes Away

10/21/09 - A sitting Fox Lake Alderperson has passed away. Ann McCarthy died Monday at her daughter’s home surrounded by family after a long battle with cancer. She was 54. McCarthy was appointed to fill the Ward 3 seat left vacant by the departure of Dan Ault, who resigned in February of last year after moving out of his ward. She was re-elected this spring to fill out the remainder of that two-year term. Visitation for McCarty begins at 4pm this afternoon at the Kratz-Smedema Funeral Home in Fox Lake and again tomorrow morning from 10am until the time of service at the Annunciation Catholic Parish also in Fox Lake.

Texting Bill Passes Senate

10/21/09 - The Wisconsin Senate voted 27-to-5 Tuesday to make it against the law for all drivers to send-and-read text messages behind-the-wheel. Senators rejected a committee’s recommendation to limit the ban to only drivers under 18. De Pere Republican Alan Lasee says texting is an absolute distraction – and it’s unsafe for everybody. But Republican Neal Kedzie of Elkhorn says there are already inattentive driving laws on the books that cover texting. The proposed fine would be the same as for inattentive driving, $20 to $400 dollars. The proposed texting ban for drivers now goes to the Assembly.

Fischer Found

10/21/09 - Officials feared the worst when Stephanie Fischer disappeared earlier this month. A search started, but she was gone. Now, the 31 year old West Bend mother has been found in St. Louis. Fischer disappeared October 6th after making several domestic violence reports to police. She accused her husband of choking her and threatening to kill her with a shotgun. U.S. marshals tracked his car to a hotel where they found the couple together. He was arrested on several warrants out of Washington County.

Waupun SD Calling For Cancellations

10/21/09 - Waupun School Districts residents could be getting some very early phone calls this winter. The school board this week approved the use of $4800 in grant funding for a web-based system that will automatically call the homes of students when classes are canceled, cut short or delayed. Superintendent Randy Refsland says the system will be able to make contact with all of the districts students in about 90-seconds. He says the system will be able to call all of the numbers provided by parents and if no one answers the system will leave a message. The program will be paid for by the grant this year and, if administrators find it useful, it could then be worked into next year’s budget.

Beaver Dam Catching up On Street Repairs

10/21/09 - The Beaver Dam Operations Committee approved the five-year Capital Improvements Program Monday night. The city has eleven projects lined up for next year at a total cost of $1.65 million. The largest street construction projects are Green Valley Road from Industrial Drive to Commercial Avenue at a cost of $655,000 and Stone Street, and Warren Street from Roedl Court to Webster Street at a cost of $172,000. Highway 33 will also see concrete street reconstruction from Maple Avenue to Spring Street and from University Avenue to Monroe Street at a combined cost of just over $116,000. Fifty-thousand dollars has been set aside for the new sidewalk program. And $600,000 will be spent on what’s called the South Central Storm Sewer Diversion project, which involves the installation of a large diameter storm sewer from Park Avenue to the Beaver Dam River to help with flood control issues in the downtown. Last year, the city held-off on all capital improvement projects to fund the comprehensive downtown redevelopment plan. Because the city was able to obtain grant funding to cover the costs of the acquisition and demolition of ten downtown buildings, city officials say they can now focus on the street projects. The CIP now heads to the common council for approval.

Ixonia Woman Killed in Jefferson County Accident

10/20/09 - A 64-year-old Ixonia woman was killed last night in Jefferson County after her truck left the road and struck a number of trees. That's according to Sheriff Paul Milbrath, who says Lorna Elek was driving north on Highview Road about half-mile from Highway 16 when she failed to negotiate a curve and left the roadway. The truck traveled about 100-feet into a wooded area striking several trees. Elek was pronounced dead at the scene. The investigation into the accident continues but they don't believe alcohol or speed was a factor. Authorities say it appears that Elek was not wearing her seatbelt.

Demerit Point System Enforced in BD

10/20/09 - City officials in Beaver Dam put the recently-adopted demerit point system into action for this first time last night. The Administrative Committee heard a police report on recent alcohol compliance checks at city taverns, retail, convenience and grocery stores. In July, a sweep resulted in warnings at eight of 16 licensed taverns. In September, a second check at 18 taverns resulted in three citations being issued. Two of the three establishments had not been open during the first sweep while the third business – Applebee’s – was in violation during both checks. Chief Dale Boldt recommended to the committee that points be assigned to only the three establishments that failed the most recent check. Alderman Robert Ballweg questioned that logic as part of a larger argument that the demerit point system is unnecessary and redundant with state statute. Committee chair Don Neuert said the point system is a proactive tool that holds liquor license holders accountable. Police Lt. Terrance Gebhardt told the committee that the demerit point system is working and bar owners have gone out of their way to be in compliance. The committee agreed to send the three businesses – Casa Mora, The Cellar and Applebee’s – strongly-worded warning letters.

WASD Passes Budget and Levy Limit

10/20/09 - Faced with two no-win situations the Waupun School Board looked to the future of the district when setting its levy and tax rate last night. For a number of factors the districts expenditures outlined in the 2009-2010 budget came in below what their revenues are expected to be. For that reason the district had the chance to tax less than the full amount allowed by the state mandated revenue limit. After discussing both options the board voted unanimously to tax the full amount. Superintendent Randy Refsland says had the district not taxed the full amount they would have been penalized with a lower maximum levy limit next year. Had the district taxed less than the full amount the tax rate for a district resident would have gone up 40-cents over last years rate of 8.58 per 1,000 of assessed value. Instead, residents will see their rate jump to 9.20 per 1,000 of assessed value, which is an 8.73-percent increase. That means a person whose property is valued at $100,000 would pay $920 for the school portion of their tax bill.

Name Released in Amer Pack Explosion

10/20/09 - The name of the American Packaging employee killed in Sunday night’s explosion has been released. The Columbia County Medical Examiner says Jeffrey A. Doxtater of Columbus died as the result of injuries sustained in the explosion. Columbus Fire Chief Randy Koehn says the 47-year-old was cutting metal bolts with a grinder when sparks ignited vapors in a room where parts are cleaned with solvents. Doxtater was killed; another employee suffered smoke inhalation as he was leaving the building. He was treated and released from the Columbus Community Hospital. Maintenance workers were the only ones in the plant at the time. Koehn said the fire was limited to the washing room – and the blast caused structural damage to the room’s walls. The explosion also damaged the sprinkler system. The chief said the water that burst out helped extinguish the fire. Federal records showed that the Columbus plant did not have any previous worker safety violations. American Packaging Human Resources Director Paul Fricano says company officials are working with OSHA so that they can get a clear understanding of exactly what happened leading up to the tragic event. He says the plant is temporarily closed and employees have been encouraged to utilize on-site counseling services if needed.

Senior Center Building Committee Chooses Herberger’s

10/20/09 - The Beaver Dam Senior Center Building Committee has selected the former Herberger’s department store in the Heritage Village Mall as their preferred location for a new facility. Community Activities and Services Director Evonne Koeppen told the Common Council last night that the decision will now allow them to move forward with seeking grant funding and determining a cost for fundraising efforts. The Hergerger’s site was selected over a parcel on the former WMFB site, and would have cost over $3 million. Herberger’s could be purchased for $1.3 million; renovation could push that pricetag over the $4 million mark. The city already has $300,000. Yearly operating costs are estimated at between $76,000 and $92,000 for the new facility.

Fire Damages Hartford Business

10/20/09 - Fire caused over $200,000 in damage to a building at a leather tannery in downtown Hartford. Fire crews were dispatched to WB Place Tannery Company at 7:45pm Saturday night where fire had erupted in a newly constructed outbuilding. Firefighters were able to control most of the fire before it spread to the main building, which is about 120 years old. There was some minor damage to the siding and roof of older structure where it was attached to the outbuilding; totaling about $5000 in damage. The outbuilding was only one-month old and the sprinkler system had not yet been installed. No one was inside at the time of the fire. One firefighter did sustain a minor knee injury. Because there are highly volatile chemicals housed in the business, and high voltage power lines overhead, officials had prepared to evacuate residents in the area. It was later determined that evacuation would not be necessary. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

FDL Assemblyman to Hang it Up

10/20/09 - State Assemblyman John Townsend says 12 years in the state legislature is enough. During a press conference in Fond du Lac yesterday afternoon, the Republican lawmaker said he will retire at the end of his current term. He says he will be 72-years-old then and would like to spend more time with his wife Maria and his ailing 92-year-old mother. Between his time in the state legislature, on the Fond du Lac City Council and with the Navy and Navy reserves, Townsend has 47 years of public service. (KFIZ)

Benson Settles Civil Lawsuit for 3.7M

10/20/09 - Former surgeon Mark Benson will pay almost three-point-seven million dollars to settle a civil lawsuit in a traffic crash that killed a popular educator and two others. W-T-M-J Radio in Milwaukee said Benson decided to pay, instead of facing a trial scheduled for next week in Waukesha County. Earlier this year, he averted a criminal trial and was sentenced to 30 years in prison following a plea deal. The 56-year-old Benson was high on prescription medicines when his car rear-ended a vehicle in Oconomowoc a year-and-a-half ago. High school associate principal Jennifer Bukosky was killed, along with her 10-year-old daughter Courtney Bella and an unborn child. Benson was not drunk at the time - but the crash happened just days before he was supposed to report to jail for his third drunk driving conviction. It partially resulted in O-W-I legislation that was passed recently by the state Assembly. Among other things, it would first first-time drunk driving a crime if a child's in the vehicle. But Benson's family says the measures do not go far enough.

DCI Inmate Facing Rape Charges

10/20/09 - An inmate at the Dodge Correctional Institution in Waupun is accused of raping his cellmate. Theodore A. Mullis is charge with Second Degree Sexual Assault With the Use of Force, which carries a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison. According to the criminal complaint, the 38-year-old Mullis told his cellmate of 10 days that he was facing life in prison and had nothing to lose. Mullis allegedly held a razor to his throat, forced him to eat numerous pills of Tylenol and threatened to kill him unless he cooperated. The incident occurred in March. Mullis will be back in court for a preliminary hearing in December.

Authorities Investigating Prison Death

10/20/09 - State corrections' officials are investigating the death of a 37-year-old inmate at the Taycheedah women's prison near Fond du Lac. Spokesman John Dipko said Venus Rodriguez of Delavan suffered a life-threatening condition 10 days ago, and she was immediately moved to a different cell. She died four days later at a Fond du Lac hospital. The cause is still not known. Rodriguez was serving a two-year term for forgery. The American Civil Liberties' Union sued the state three years ago, saying Taycheedah's 600 prisoners were not getting adequate care. The U-S Justice Department singled out the prison before that - and the state agreed to improve its mental health services and add a treatment unit with 45 beds. The A-C-L-U's Larry Dupuis tells the Wisconsin State Journal that progress is being made, but there's still a long way to go. In April, a federal ordered that only medical professionals give drugs to inmates while the A-C-L-U's lawsuit is heard.

Counties Warn DOT of Major Cuts in Snow Plowing

10/20/09 - Seven counties in southeast Wisconsin say traffic will be slower and less safe this winter, unless the state reverses a 10-percent cut in the counties' road funding. Officials from Milwaukee, Waukesha, Racine, Kenosha, Walworth, Ozaukee, and Washington counties warned of major cuts in snow plowing in a letter to state D-O-T secretary Frank Busalacchi. Milwaukee County's public works director said he might have to lay off a third of his highway maintenance workers, after his state aid was cut by one-point-two million dollars. The cuts were part of the state's effort to balance the budget. Kevin Chesnik of the D-O-T told the counties to make snow-plowing a top priority with the money they get from the state. And that means less maintenance when it's warm - like not picking up litter, and mowing weeds only at intersections. The state took heat this summer for reducing its weed-mowing. One town near Appleton even talked about fining the state for breaking its local weed-control laws.

New Grant for Specialty Crops in WI

10/20/09 - Wisconsin's specialty crops will get a boost under a new federal grant. The U-S-D-A is giving the state and its producers 750-thousand dollars, as part of a 49-million-dollar national effort to make specialty crops more competitive. The state agriculture department will use 35-thousand for start a Web site that lets specialty firms promote their items to consumers. The Wisconsin Grape Growers will get 35-thousand to teach wine-makers and others about popular varieties of grapes. And the Cranberry Growers Association will get 16-thousand-500-dollars to see if their marshes are useful in producing wind-and-solar energy.

Man Ordered to Clean-Up Green Lake Property

10/20/09 - A Ripon man has been ordered to clean-up his Green Lake County property and pay to settle claims related to the violation of the state's air pollution and solid waste management laws. As part of a settlement with the Attorney General's Office, Donald Wagner will remove mobile homes, drums, tires, boats and other solid waste on the 32-acre parcel where an unlicensed junk yard and mobile home scrapping company had been operating. Wagner had an agreement with two local men who were going to scrap the homes and keep the profits from the metals they collected. In February of 2007, four mobile homes were set on fire. A DNR investigation found asbestos in one of the burn piles and around 50 other mobile homes in various stages of demolition, in addition to thousands of tires, appliances, furniture, batteries, boats and other solid waste materials. As part of the settlement, Wagner agreed to test a well serving the property before he has it abandoned, and to test burn piles for volatile components like cancer-causing PCB's and other metals. Wagner has agreed to secure a $70,000 line of credit to cover the costs of clean-up which must be completed by deadlines imposed in the settlement.

Miracle Mile Once Again

10/20/09 - Lightning strikes again on Fond du Lac's "Miracle Mile," the place with several big lottery winnings in recent years. A woman won 250-dollars on a scratch-off game. And then she took her winnings to Ma-and-Pa's Grocery Express, where she bought a five-dollar Red Hot 7-11 scratch ticket and won 60-thousand dollars on Saturday. Ma-and-Pa's is the capital of Fond du Lac's Miracle Mile. It's where a 208-million-dollar Powerball ticket was sold in 2006 - a six-and-a-half-million dollar Megabucks prize was sold in 1994 - and a one-million-dollar Holiday Millions ticket was sold in January of '08.