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