Top Stories November 1st

BD Police Looking for Bike Owner

The Beaver Dam Police Department is looking for the owner of a high-end bicycle that was recovered several months ago. According to Deputy Chief Dan Schubert, a Gary Fisher bike was recovered by officers but has yet to be claimed. Gary Fisher bikes could cost between a couple hundred and several thousand dollars. Schubert says if your missing a Gary Fisher bike you should contact the Beaver Dam Police Department and be able to provide a complete description, including the serial number, to recover the bike. (887-4614)

Lomira Man Gets Jail for Role in Accident

11/1/09 - A 21-year-old Lomira man was sentenced to one year in jail for being on drugs when he caused a traffic accident more than 3-years ago. Inocente Mondragon was found guilty on a count of second-degree recklessly endangering safety. In April of 2006, he was driving in the town of Fond du Lac when he failed to yield the right of way and collided with a car injuring the driver. That driver suffered a fracture to his back, needed plastic surgery for a cut on his face and had soft tissue damage in his shoulders and knees. Mondragon was sentenced to one year in jail with Huber privileges and five years of probation.

BDFD: Check Your Smoke Detector Batteries

Two out of every ten smoke detectors don't work because of dead or missing batteries. Beaver Dam Fire Captain Lee Smith says you should put a few minutes from that extra hour of sleep you gained from the clock change toward changing the batteries in your smoke detectors. Smith says all batteries lose their effectiveness over time and having fresh ones in your home detectors could mean the difference between life and death. The end of Daylight Savings Time also means that sunset comes one hour earlier, and so evening commutes will likely require putting on headlights. Drivers will also need to be alert at crosswalks and along roadsides for pedestrians and bicyclists. Walkers and bikers should wear retro-reflective clothing or carry lights when out at dusk or after dark.

Pharmacies Closely Following "Minimum Markup" Law Exemption

11/1/09 - Local pharmacies are keeping an eye on efforts to make cheaper prescription medications available in Wisconsin. A bill exempting prescription drugs from the state's Unfair Sales Act, or "minimum markup" law, passed the Assembly Committee on Health and Healthcare reform this week. La Crosse Democrat Jennifer Shilling voted for it, but worries what will happen to community pharmacies that aren't located within "big box" stores. She calls the legislation "another nail in the coffin" for the small pharmacies, but committee chair, Milwaukee Democrat Jon Richards, notes there are many patients who are also in very challenging situations. Wisconsin is one of only six states where patients are prohibited from buying prescription drugs below cost.

WI Pilot Killed Off Texas Coast

11/1/09 - The U.S. Coast Guard is not saying which of the two missing pilots off the Texas coast it has found. One of them was from East Troy, Wisconsin. The Coast Guard says the body was found Friday afternoon when a floating rig's crew reported seeing something in the Gulf of Mexico waters. The Naval Air Station in Corpus Christi reported losing contact with the training plane last Wednesday. The search area is located near San Jose Island. The Navy says Lieutenant John Houston of Houston, Texas, and Lieutenant Bret Miller of East Troy were on board.

Lawyer Asks Judge to Remove DA

11/1/09 - The lawyer for a murder defendant in Appleton wants the judge to replace the district attorney with a special prosecutor. Attorney Greg Petit is alleging misconduct in the case. Petit says he hired a university professor to survey potential jurors to see if pretrial publicity means his client can't get a fair trial. Petit is asking the court for a change of venue. He says an investigator for the DA was intimidating when questioning the professor. District attorney Carrie Schneider says she sent the investigator to check up on the methods used by the professor. Petit represents former Appleton firefighter Scott Schmidt -- who is accused of killing his estranged wife and shooting his mother-in-law.

Evers: More Exercise for State's Kids

11/1/09 - State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Evers says, despite Wisconsin's strong outdoors heritage, too many school age kids aren't spending enough time outdoors. Evers has asked the No Child Left Inside Coalition to develop an Environmental Literacy Plan for pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade schools, paying special attention to creating more opportunities to get children outside. Evers says that in addition to benefiting kids, there may be some federal money in it for the state.

First Boiler Being Tested by We Energies

11/1/09 - The first of two boilers at We Energies' new coal-fired power plant is being tested. Company officials say it is running at 25 percent of its capacity. The two-billion dollar project on the banks of Lake Michigan is the most expensive construction project in Wisconsin's history. Officials say they will crank the current test up to 50 percent in a few days. The second boiler isn't finished yet. When both are done and in total operation, the new power plant will produce enough electricity for one million homes. We Energies is entangled in a lawsuit with Bechtel Power Corporation, which built the plant, over a series of delays and alleged cost overruns.

A Case of the Munchies

11/1/09 - Sheboygan County authorities say their suspect was trying to eat the evidence -- so they shocked him. Jeffrey Lucas of Green Bay is charged with obstructing an officer and possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. Police say they pulled the Green Bay man over last week on suspicion he had stolen items from the Best Buy store in Grafton. While Lucas was handcuffed, sitting in the back seat of a squad car, officers say he tried to eat a bag of marijuana. They say they shocked him using a taser to stop him.

Operation Christmas Child

11/1/09 - A Watertown church is serving as the drop off point for Operation Christmas Child. The program allows for people to pack a shoe box full of gifts for children in more than 100 countries suffering from natural disaster, war, terrorism, disease, famine and poverty. From Watertown, the shoe box gifts will be sorted and sent using whatever means necessary-sea containers, trucks, trains, airplanes, boats, camels, even dog sleds-to reach suffering children around the world. Watertown's drop-off site coordinator Diane Smith says the event is a unique opportunity to do something that will have a lasting impact on a child a world away. The week of November 16th will serve as the drop-off time in Watertown. Visit our website for a link to more information on the operation.

Dredging Project Set for Milwaukee River

11/1/09 - Placing sand in the bed of Milwaukee's Kinnickinnic River will complete the 22 million dollar dredging project. Officials say the long effort to remove old cancer-causing industrial wastes is basically completed. More than 167 thousand cubic yards of material were dredged from the river, which is considered to be part of the Milwaukee Estuary. PCBs and PAHs were found to be in unsafe levels in that river, bringing on the expensive clean-up which is similar to one on the Fox River in and near Green Bay.

Kennedy Available to Meet with the Public on Tuesday

11/1/09 - Beaver Dam Mayor Tom Kennedy will hold another one of his regular open door meetings on Tuesday. Kennedy says city residents are invited to meet with him, one-on-one, without appointment on the first and third Tuesday of every month. Kennedy says he feels it is important that constituents have the opportunity to speak with him the day after each regular meeting of the common council. The meetings are held in Room 109 on the first floor of City Hall from 10am until noon. Kennedy says he also make himself available for private meetings by appointment by contacting the mayor office.