Top Stories, January 6th

Contested Mayoral – Aldermanic Races Throughout Dodge County

1/6/10 - Tuesday was the deadline to file papers for the spring municipal election. There will be local races on the February Primary ballot in some Dodge County communities.

(Beaver Dam) Beaver Dam Mayor Tom Kennedy will face a challenger in the Spring Election. Joe Liverseed filed his papers yesterday afternoon, securing a place on the ballot for the two-year seat. Incumbent city alderpersons in the city’s even numbered wards will face no opposition. There will be no candidate on the ballot in Beaver Dam’s Sixth Ward, where Alderman Andrew Westenmeyer chose not seek what would have been his first full term.

(Juneau) There are four candidates for mayor in Juneau. Incumbent Mayor Ron Bosak is being challenged by Jim Ronge, and Aldermen Clarence “Butch” Chase and Dan Jahnke. A February run-off will determine which two advance to the April ballot. Chase is also running against Daniel Schamberger to keep his Third Ward Seat. In Juneau’s Second Ward, incumbent Robert Affled faces opposition from Roxanne Buss.

(Mayville) In Mayville, Alderman Bob Smith had filed his non-candidacy papers in the Second Ward, then withdrew that filing and yesterday also turned in paperwork to run for mayor. Alderman Jerry Moede faces Smith in the mayoral race and Kathleen Sertich will challenge Smith for his Second Ward Seat. Robert Redeker and Bill Linzenmeyer Sr. will face each other for the Wards Four & Seven seat currently held by Moede. In Ward One, Tom Bellino, Scott Mastalish and J. Trevor Jones are competing for the seat vacated early by Dottie Hoy.

(Waupun) In Waupun, there will be a three-way race for mayor. Incumbent Jodi Steger faces opposition from Alderman Jim Van Buren and businessman Jay Graf. Van Buren is also running against Nancy Vanderkin and Wally Riel Jr. to retain his Sixth Ward seat. Second Ward Alderman Pete Kaczmarski is being challenged by Dan Gans while Fourth Ward Alderman Steve Bastian is going up against Dale Andrew.

(Fox Lake) Barring a successful write-in campaign, Alderman Tom Bednarek will be seated as Mayor of Fox Lake this spring. There are three candidates interested in outgoing Alderman Dan Bednarek’s Third Ward seat: Jason Harmson, Dennis Link and Russell Gruenberg. The top two vote getters in February will appear on the April ballot. Incumbent Percy Harper and former Alderman Dan Ault are both vying for a seat in the Second Ward. Jan Okrasinski is the only person seeking to fill out the remainder of the term held by the late Ann McCarthy in Ward Three.

(Columbus) One of the three incumbent alderpersons in Columbus is being challenged. Ed Parpart faces opposition from Paula Schumann.

(Horicon) In Horicon, four incumbent alderpersons and the mayor are running again and face no opposition. All seats are for two-year terms except for the First District seat occupied by Susan Hady who replaced Doug Psenicka halfway through his term.

Four Contested Seats on County Board

1/6/10 - There could be seven new faces on the Dodge County Board after the spring election. District One incumbent Supervisor MaryAnn Miller is being challenged by Jim Giedd. District 13 incumbent Supervisor Joe Ready faces opposition from Daniel Olejniczak. District 18 Supervisor Larry Bischoff will face Ted Engelbart. District 22 incumbent Ed Qualmann will square off against Tom Schmidt Sr. Three Supervisors will not be returning: Gerald Mullin, Arnold Bashynski and Earl Anderson. There is nobody running for Anderson’s District 33 seat. Barring a successful write-in campaign, Darrell Pollesch will be sworn into Mullin’s District 36 seat and Ed Nelson will replace Bashynski in District 37.

1/6/10 - There are no statewide elections this spring. But there are plenty of local races – and they were finalized yesterday after a statewide deadline for filing nomination papers. Voters may not be happy campers, as a result of the recession and the new government budget problems that came with it.

School Board Elections

(Waupun) Waupun School District residents will be heading to the polls early after four people submitted papers to run for the school board seat that represents the Towns of Alto and Trenton. Along with the incumbent Lori Lemmenes, Jaime Marwitz, Linda Voight, and Bill Bruins will appear on voter’s ballots for a February primary. The two highest vote getters will then appear on voters ballots during the election in April. Roger Schregardus, who represents the towns of Burnett, Springvale, Oakfield, Waupun and Chester, will also face competition for his seat from Lillian Possin. Just one person, Glen Wilson, filed papers to run for the seat currently held by Angela Hodge, which represents the city of Waupun. Hodge is not running for a third term.

(Juneau)There are no contested races for seats on the Dodgeland School Board. Incumbents Andrew Oemig and Serene Seufzer, which represent the village and town of Lowell and the Town of Beaver Dam, will run unopposed. City of Juneau and town of Oak Grove representative Dave Beal will also run unopposed.

(Beaver Dam)There will be one new face on the Beaver Dam school board after April’s election. Chad Prieve will take the spot of current member Nate Dassler after he decided not to run for another term. Two other incumbents, Bev Beal-Loeck and Jean Hill, will run unopposed.

(Horicon) In Horicon, the two incumbents, Jerry Tribee and Doug Glamman will run unopposed.

(Randolph) In Randolph there will be four people running for three seats. Incumbents Gary Devries and Jana Roberts are joined by Dave Tietz and Craig Freitag. The top two vote getters will earn 2-year terms while the third place finisher will be appointed for one-year.

Kewaskum Woman Accused of Serving Alcohol to Teens

1/6/10 - A mother from Kewaskum is accused of serving champagne and alcoholic lemonade to 10 kids at a birthday party-and-sleepover for her 12-year-old daughter. West Bend Police said 36-year-old Sarah Shay was given 10 municipal citations for serving alcohol to minors. The kids ranged in age from 11-to-14. Police said the sleepover took place December 18th at the Hampton Inn hotel in West Bend. Investigators none of the youngsters were hospitalized for illnesses they might have had while drinking. Police Chief Kenneth Mueler said parents of those attending the party complained to police. He said Shay gave champagne and Mike’s Hard Lemonade to youngsters both on their way to the hotel and at the party itself. The maximum penalty is a 681-dollar fine on each of the 10 citations.

Columbus Finalizing Meister’s Appointment as Chief

1/6/10 - The Columbus Police department will be moving out of City Hall and into the renovated Public Safety Building in about two weeks. They could be greeting their next Chief as they move into new headquarters. Top candidate Daniel M. Meister has cleared a series of background checks and he will be facing psychological screening in the next two weeks. The next Police Chief is just one step away from being “approved for duty.” Meanwhile, Mayor Bob Link said Columbus was very fortunate to have acting Chief Dennis Weiner at the helm since Chief Sallmann retired in 2008.

Council Approves Initial Cost for Remodeling Plans

1/6/10 - The Columbus Common Council finally agreed to back the initial $40 thousand dollar agreement for remodeling plans for historic City Hall. Destree Design and General Engineering plans had a bottom line figure of $271 thousand dollars. The City had only budgeted $120 thousand. However, planners and City officials pointed out that parts of the project would be paid for by funds outside of the 2010 budget. The City would also have power to reject funding for any part of the project not approved by the Council.

BDPD Established Tactical Response Team

1/6/10 – The Beaver Dam Police Department has assembled a tactical response team. Similar to a SWAT Team, the Entry and Response Team will be called in for dangerous situations. The seven-member group was introduced to the Police and Fire Commission last night. Chair Nancy Conley says it’s a great idea to have a unit that can diffuse a situation before it escalates. No taxpayer money was used to start the new program, instead the department used grant funding and money from seizures for training and equipment.

Dodgeland Tackles Cyber Bullying Issue

1/6/10 - Administrators at local schools are taking a proactive approach to prevent cyber-bullying. In order to get the message to her students Dodgeland Superintendent Annette Thompson took advantage of a initiative started by the attorney generals office. She says a state agent came out and spoke to the students about the dangers of cyber-bullying and its effect on students. Cyber-bullying is defined as bullying through new technologies such as social media websites and texting by cell phone. Thompson says another problem that schools deal with is students attempting to access inappropriate websites. She says while progress is being made it’s difficult to stay ahead of constantly changing technology.

Wood Requests Expulsion Extension

1/6/10 - State Representative Jeff Wood says he needs two more months to explain why he should not be removed from the Legislature. The Independent from Chippewa Falls has asked a special committee for more time to prepare his defense. The panel accused the 40-year-old Wood of bringing “disrepute” on the Assembly, after he was cited three times in the last 13 months for driving while intoxicated – twice while under the influence of anti-anxiety medicines. The first incident occurred in Columbia County when Wood allegedly struck a road sign after drinking. The review panel was formed after Assembly Republican Steve Nass of Whitewater introduced a resolution to expel Wood. Committee chairwoman Mary Hubler wanted to hold a hearing to get Wood’s side of the story, before the panel decides whether to recommend his expulsion. Wood said he does not have an attorney for his Assembly proceedings. Tracey Wood, who’s no relation, is representing him in his three O-W-I cases. Jeff Wood has said he would not seek re-election in November – but he refuses to quit before then.

Inmates Being Released Early

1/6/10 - The first Wisconsin prisoners are getting out early under a state budget plan to reduce over-crowding and save money. Corrections’ spokesman John Dipko said the initial inmates in the program were let go Tuesday. Sixteen prisoners are expected to be released this week. Dipko said officials were considering whether 800-to-900 inmates deserved a chance at an early release. Governor Jim Doyle has said it would give prisoners an incentive to behave behind bars – something they didn’t have until now. Inmates must also show that they won’t be likely to offend again. But critics said it basically guts Wisconsin’s Truth-in-Sentencing law, which requires inmates to serve their full sentences in most instances.

Kraft Cutting Pizza Division

1/6/10 - Kraft Foods announced Tuesday that it will sell its frozen pizza business in North America – including the Tombstone Pizza plant in Medford and Jack’s Pizza of Little Chute. Nestle agreed to buy the operation for three-point-seven billion dollars. The deal is expected to be finalized later in the year. It involves 34-hundred employees, but it was not immediately known how many work in Wisconsin. Besides Tombstone and Jack’s, Nestle is also buying the DiGiorno brand, Delissio Pizza of Canada, and the trademark license to the California Pizza Kitchen. Kraft sold about one-point-six billion dollars worth of pizzas last year.

H1N1 Vaccine Widely Available

1/6/10 - The Dodge County Health Department continues to offer both the seasonal and H1N1 flu vaccine. Public Health Officer Jody Langfeldt says a third wave of the disease is possible and it’s not too late to protect yourself against either strain. The regular immunization clinics are held the first and third Thursday’s of the month from 3pm to 6pm; the second Thursday of the month from 1pm to 4pm and the fourth Friday of the month from 9am to 11am. The vaccine is also offered at the Public Health Unit weekdays from 8:30am to 4pm. The clinics are inside the Dodge County Office Building at 143 East Center Street in Juneau. There is no cost for the H1N1 vaccine.