Top Stories, November 14th

Fire Heavily Damages Beaver Dam Home

11/13/09 - Fire heavily damaged a home on the 400 block of North Center Street Friday afternoon. The Beaver Dam Fire Department responded just after 2pm to the house on the corner of North Center and Fourth Street. Chief Alan Mannel says when firefighters arrived the front of the home was fully engulfed in flames. The fire was brought under control within the hour. There were no injures. The upstairs tenant was rescued from a dead sleep after a 16-hourwork shift. Until recently, Brad Jaeger spent 14 years as a firefighter with the Beaver Dam Fire Department. Jaeger was rescued by his neighbor, who is a retired Beaver Dam firefighter and a Beaver Dam Police Officer who was the first on scene. He says it would have otherwise taken a Mack truck to wake him up. The cause of the fire remains under investigation by detectives with the Beaver Dam Police Department.

Billings Sentenced in Crime Spree

11/14/09 - Two years in prison for one of the men involved in a series of Dodge County area break-ins last fall. 24-year-old Kurtis Billings, formerly of Beaver Dam, was sentenced yesterday on one felony burglary charge related to break-ins at Beaver Plumbing and Kelm Painting in October of 2008. As part of an agreement with prosecutors, the District Attorneys office agreed not to pursue several of the charges referred by law enforcement agencies against Billings related to other Dodge County area break-ins around the same time. As part of the process, the court acknowledges the uncharged read-ins for the purposes of sentencing. In addition to two years in prison, Billings was also sentenced to four years of extended supervision. Authorities say Billings served as a “driver” and “look-out” for 28-year-old Trevor Waller in the crime spree. Waller, another former Beaver Dam resident, is considered by prosecutors to be the “primary instigator” in the burglaries. He entered into a plea agreement in September, a pre-sentencing investigation was ordered and sentencing is scheduled for December 2. Tabatha Pellett, A Stoughton woman who was with the pair during some of the burglaries, pled to reduced charges in July and was placed on probation.

H1N1 Nearly at Peak

11/14/09 - Health officials are saying that the second wave of the H-1-N-1 flu in Wisconsin is almost at its peak. Spokesman Seth Boffeli says all five public health regions reported fewer cases this week. But the total number is still climbing. Wisconsin has had just over 33-hundred confirmed cases since the end of August, plus another 14-hundred probable cases. Two-hundred-88 Wisconsinites have been hospitalized for at least a day with the H-1-N-1 virus since late August – and 20 people in the state have died from it this year, including one from Dodge County. Local Public Health Officer Jody Langfeldt says they are receiving confirmed cases everyday and people need to remember to keep doing the things necessary to protect themselves. Nationally, the government says 22-million Americans have gotten sick from the swine flu, and almost four-thousand have died – including 540 children. Most cases still do not require a doctor visit. But Anne Schuchat of the U-S Centers for Disease Control expects the national figures to keep rising. And in her words, “We have a long flu season ahead of us.” About 42-million doses of the H-1-N-1 vaccine are available – a few million less than what the C-D-C had projected. Wisconsin officials have received more vaccine, but they’re still recommending that it be given only to those most susceptible to getting sick. Langfeld says the categories for those considered at-risk may be expanded next week. Dodge County has a second flu clinic scheduled and Langfeldt says the first clinic went well and after an initial rush, there wound up being some vaccine left after the clinic ended. The second clinic will be held at the Dodge County Office Building on Tuesday from 3 to 6:30pm.

Doyle Veto’s DNR Secretary Change

11/14/09 - The Governor has vetoed legislation that would have stripped his office of the power to appoint the DNR Secretary. Governor Jim Doyle says Wisconsin’s people and natural resources are best served by leaving things as they are. The bill would have allowed the Natural Resources Board to appoint the secretary. Supporters of the idea say that change is needed to get politics out of the agency. In in his veto message, Doyle said allowing his office to have a direct stake in the DNR has resulted in many major environmental measures being passed. Those include new mercury standards, expanding the Stewardship program, and approving the Great Lakes Compact.

Barrett To Announced Gubernatorial Run Sunday

11/14/09 - Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett is expected to end several months of speculation and make his candidacy for Wisconsin governor official tomorrow. Citing two Democratic sources, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel is reporting Barrett will announce he's running at a noon news conference. Barrett ran an unsuccessful campaign for governor in 2002. He could wind up being the only major Democratic candidate. The former congressman's name recognition and money-raising ability may keep others at home. The announcement means the governor's campaign could be Milwaukee-focused, since County Executive Scott Walker is a leading Republican running for the office.

Badger Winter Games Leaving Wausau

11/14/09 - The host of the Badger State Winter Games is pulling out after 2010. The Wausau-Central Wisconsin Convention and Visitors Bureau won’t fund the games after their contract expires in 2010. Spokesperson Darien Schaefer says the expansion of the game throughout the entire state has diminished the value of being the primary host community. Schaefer says they could host four to five other events throughout the year for the money spent on just the one. The Wisconsin Sports Development Corporation says the games won’t be leaving the Wausau area anytime soon. This year’s Winter Games are still on as scheduled between January 9th and February 7th.

UWM Steps Up Patrols

11/14/09 - UW-Milwaukee police have stepped up off-campus patrols in a response to a recent string of robberies and assaults nearby. The partnership between the city’s police force and campus police has been augmented with UWM squad cars seen alongside MPD vehicles in surrounding neighborhoods. UWM spokesman Tom Luljak says the area where the campus exists, Milwaukee’s east side, is very safe. Additionally the overall level of crime was down from last year except for the last three weeks. Since stepping up the patrols there have been no incidents in the area.

Census Bureau Hiring

11/14/09 - The U.S. Census Bureau wants to hire 47 thousand people in Wisconsin next year. The jobs pay between 11 and 15 dollars an hour and involve going door-to-door to interview people who don’t respond to a census questionnaire. Census Spokesman Steve Laue says they are setting up local offices throughout the state and they’ll start hiring around the first of the year. The temporary employees will work primarily during the evening and on weekends in their own communities.

La Crosse Man Sentenced For Newspaper Scam

11/14/09 - Not only did the federal judge sentence Martin Holtet of La Crosse to 18 months in prison, she also says he has to pay back 334 thousand dollars to the New York Times. U.S. District Court Judge Barbara Crabb wasn't finished, telling Holtet he was stupid to think his scheme against the Times would work. Holtet distributed the paper in the La Crosse area in 2007 and 2008. He was paid for each subscription. Holtet was found guilty of fraud. Prosecutors said he created as many as 85 hundred fake subscriptions online. He had a recycling company cart off about 93 tons of newspapers for him.