Top Stories November 20th

Teen Bound Over On Negligent Homicide Charges

11/20/09 - A Beaver Dam teen charged in connection with a fatal accident was in court for a preliminary hearing Thursday morning. Dominick Kaiser stood mute and the court entered a “not guilty” plea on his behalf. Authorities say the 17-year-old was speeding when he lost control of his car on Shaw Hill Road at 3 o’clock on the afternoon of September 15, 2008. His passenger, 16-year-old Kristen Baade, was killed. According to the criminal complaint, Kaiser’s speed had reached a velocity of between 102mph and 129mph as his vehicle began its initial clockwise spin. After entering a ditch and striking a culvert, the Kaiser vehicle went airborne and split a utility pole in half while overturning, before eventually coming to rest on its roof. Kaiser told authorities that the hood of his vehicle had flown up, blocking his windshield and leading to his loss of control. Investigators say the car’s battery was too big and there was evidence that the hood was clamped down. Kaiser was also charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, because of two marijuana pipes that were allegedly recovered at the scene. He faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, if convicted on the felony charge of Homicide By Negligent Use of a Vehicle. Kaiser has an arraignment hearing scheduled for January 5.

Rio Man In Court For Drunk Driving Death

11/20/09 - A Rio man charged in connection with a fatal drunk driving accident made his initial appearance in Columbia County court Wednesday. 69-year-old Jack Frandy was ordered to a sign a $10,000 signature bond and is prohibited from consuming alcohol until the case is resolved. He’s charged with two counts of homicide 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 a second OWI. Jack Frandy faces 25-years in prison if convicted on the homicide charges.

California Man Arrested For Oconomowoc Murder

11/20/09 - Officials in Mexico have made an arrest in an Oconomowoc murder case. 26-year-old Justin Welch of suburban Stockton California was picked up Wednesday night for the October 1 slaying of 39-year-old Kimberly Smith. Her boyfriend found Smith’s body in her living room with her hands bound – and she was stabbed numerous times. Smith’s relatives told police they did not know Welch, and his ties to Wisconsin were not immediately known. An arrest warrant for Welch was issued October 27th charging him with first-degree intentional homicide. Court records said his D-N-A was found on a knife and gloves that were recovered. Smith’s four-year-old son was home at the time of the slaying, but police said he did not see it happen.

Fugitive Apprehended in Watertown Cocaine Ring

11/20/09 - A fugitive in a major Dodge County-area drug case has been identified, soon after he was sentenced for another drug case in Florida in which he used a false name. Magin Avila-Avellaneda was sentenced in September to almost six years in prison for selling methamphetamine in Tampa. And U-S Marshals discovered that his finger-prints were the same as those of Martin Pineda-Pineda, who was charged last year with conspiracy to distribute cocaine. He fled soon after he was charged. Authorities said Pineda-Pineda was part of a massive cocaine ring in the Watertown area.

Dodge County Hosts Two More H1N1 Vaccine Clinics

11/20/09 - Two more H1N1 flu vaccine clinics have been set for Dodge County. The first clinic will be held Friday at the Dodge County Office Building in Juneau from 9am to 12 noon. The second clinic will be held on Monday from 2 to 6 p.m. The vaccine will be given until the end of the clinics or until there is none left. The county health department says these clinics are for certain people that are at more of a risk to get the virus. That includes pregnant women, healthcare and emergency medical personnel, people living with or caring for children six months or younger, any children between the ages of 6-months and 4-years of age, and anyone between the ages of 5 and 64 that have certain medical conditions.

Cost-Sharing Agreement Approved

11/20/09 - The EMS cost-sharing agreement between the City of Columbus and seven surrounding townships has been approved. The Council approved an inter-municipality agreement for Emergency Ambulance services at this week’s meeting. The City signed a two-year contract with service provider LifeStar Ambulance earlier this year. LifeStar will be replacing Heartline Medix as EMS provider for the area beginning January 1st 2010. Mayor Bob Link said the agreement was a good “first step” in sharing costs for public services between the City and surrounding communities.The Emergency Ambulance service area includes municipalities in Columbia, Dane and Dodge counties. The service agreement includes over 8,000 residents in the City and surrounding townships of Calamus, Columbus, Elba, Fountain Prairie, Hampden, Portland and York.

Horicon Highway 33 Project Completed

11/20/09 - An 8-month project that affected nearly all Dodge County motorists will be completed Friday afternoon. The Highway 33 project through Horicon which started on March 16 will officially come to a close when they remove the barricades at 3pm. Horicon Public Works Supervisor Dave Magnusson says the result of all the work is a nicer looking downtown and easier travel for those coming through. The project did have its issues but Magnusson says overall he’s happy with the outcome.

DOT Report: ‘Major Revenue Increases Needed’

11/20/09 - A new report says Wisconsin will need major revenue increases to meet its transportation needs over the next two decades. The D-O-T released its 20-year plan this week – and it says the economic stimulus money it’s getting won’t be enough to meet the state’s immediate or long-term needs. Wisconsin is getting about 530-million dollars from the federal stimulus package to pay for a host of highway projects, transit projects, and airport improvements. In some cases, the funding is moving up the starting dates for construction – and it’s covering a variety of transportation grant programs. The state has also applied for another half-billion in stimulus funds to extend high-speed rail service from Milwaukee-to-Madison. That funding hinges on the approval of a Midwest high speed network as part of the overall stimulus package.

Unemployment For October Lowest of the Year

11/20/09 - Wisconsin’s unemployment rate is the lowest it’s been all year. But the number of jobs lost in the Badger State is the most for a 12-month period in the 70 years the data has been tracked. State labor officials said the unadjusted jobless rate for October was seven-point-six percent – down one-tenth-of-a-point from September. But 129-thousand jobs have been eliminated in the Badger State since last October. That’s four-and-a-half percent decline in jobs during the year – the biggest percentage drop since 1958. Wisconsin had just over two-point-eight million jobs last month, the fewest for an October in 11 years.

Supreme Court Bill Awaits Gov Signature

11/20/09 - Governor Jim Doyle hasn’t even signed a bill providing public financing for state Supreme Court races, and it’s already being challenged. The Virginia-based Center for Competitive Politics has sent a letter to Doyle and legislative leaders explaining concerns that the recently-passed Impartial Justice Act is unconstitutional. The leader of Common Cause in Wisconsin says groups like this challenge every campaign finance reform bill that is passed. The letter also points out that the legislation would not impact the spending of outside groups on so-called “issue ads.” But Heck said that was never the intent of the bill, and he has little doubt that Doyle will sign the measure.