Top Stories, January 20th

Fox Lake Discussion Centers on Taxpayers Vs. Homeowners

 

1/20/10 - About two dozen people turned out for a Fox Lake Citizens Group meeting last night that was called to provide information and guage citizen support for state-mandated upgrades to the city’s sewer system. The city of Fox Lake will consider borrowing $2.5 million at their next meeting to pay for, among other things, a retention pond to hold any wastewater that will bypass their treatment facility during times of heavy rain. It’s happened a dozen times in the past 15 years and two such incidents lead the state DNR and Department of Justice to require the city to fix the problem. Gary Vande Berg, who is with not only the citizens group but also the Rural Development Authority, says city officials need to get a meeting with the DNR and DOJ and ask for a moratorium. Vande Berg says individual homeowners should be responsible for fixing the leaking sewer pipe, or lateral, that extends from their homes to the sewer main. Because the retention basin is proposed for the industrial park, Vande Berg also says it will have a negative effect on business. Craig Kunkel with Kunkel Engineering says fixing the laterals will have a long term and lasting impact, but there is no engineering evidence to back it up so the DNR won’t consider it. At times, the ensueing discussion last night got heated with members of the audience demanding that either the city hires lawyers to fight the order, or the city requires homeowners to fix their laterals. In the end, City Attorney Bruce Elbert was asked to send the moratorium request and unofficial proposal involving lateral replacement to the DNR and Justice Department for consdieration. Fox Lake city officials will consider hiring Kunkel next month to provide engineering services on the project.

Clyman Couple Charged With Child Abuse

1/20/10 - A Clyman couple faces felony charges for allegedly refusing to feed a preteen in their care. 45-year-old Kathryn Kreier is charged with Physical Abuse of a Child and 44-year-old Kenneth Kreier is charged with Failure To Act To Prevent Bodily Harm to a Child. According to the crimimal complaint, refrigerators and cupboards in the home were locked for over a year. School officials were even prohibited from providing a hot lunch to the child, who was removed from the home in December of 2008 after a 20% loss in body weight. If convicted, Kenneth Kreier faces over twelve years in prison Kathryn could get up to 15 years. Both had a signature bond set at $1000 during an initial appearance yesterday and preliminary hearings are scheduled in March.

Multi-County Commission Approved for Clearview



1/20/10 - Dodge County officials expect to save around 700,000-dollars in the first year of a new commission that will force other counties to pay for care that their residents receive at Clearview Long-term Care and Rehabilitation. That’s after the Board of Supervisors approved the creation of the Marsh Country Health Alliance Commission. In recent years the county would foot the bill for whatever Medicaid or a private insurance company would not cover and that cost would be passed onto the taxpayer. With the new agreement, counties will pay a yearly fee that will be set by the commission. So far 10-counties have said they’ll participate.

Cudahy Man Killed in FDL County

1/20/10 - A 56-year-old Cudahy man was killed in a car accident around 8:15 yesterday morning in Fond du Lac County. Authorities say Mark Heller was westbound on Highway A-W in the town of Alto when he hit a tractor that was attempting to make a left turn into a driveway. The driver of the tractor, Keith Buwalda, was uninjured. Authorities believe fog may have contributed to the accident, which is still under investigation.


Flags at Half-staff for Fort Atkinson Soldier


1/20/10 - A funeral service will be held today in Fort Atkinson for a Marine killed in Afghanistan. 20-year-old Lance Corporal Jacob Meinert was one of three people killed on January 10th, when they hit a roadside bomb while on patrol in Nawa in southern Afghanistan’s Helmand province. Meinert was on his second tour of duty, after serving eight months in Iraq. Governor Jim Doyle has ordered flags at state facilities to be flown at half-mast today in Meinert’s honor.


Murder Suspect in Court


1/20/10 - Bond was set at $2 million cash yesterday (Tu) for a murder suspect who was recaptured after escaping last week. 26-year-old Justin Welch is charged in the slaying of Kimberly Smith of Oconomowoc last October. Authorities say another man who was involved in a custody dispute with Smith hired Welch to kill her. Welch was arrested in San Diego in mid-November and was being transported back to Wisconsin last week when he allegedly stabbed a guard and stole the transport van at a rest stop in Arkansas. Welch was re-captured just over a day later when a trucker gave Welch a ride, and sneaked a call to police after seeing a gun in the suspect’s bag. Officers captured him a short time later. A preliminary hearing is set for January 28.

Name Released in Columbia County Fatality

1/20/10 - Columbia County authorities have released the name of the man killed in a two-vehicle crash Friday afternoon. According the Sheriff’s Department, Timothy Polnow of rural Rio was driving southbound on Traut Road just south of Wyocena when he pulled into the path of a minivan driving west on Highway 16. The 54-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the minivan was taken to Divine Savior Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The investigation into the accident is ongoing but authorities say at this point it appears that Polnow either pulled out from the stop sign or didn’t stop at the stop sign on Traut Road.

Columbus Hospital Surviving Tough Times


1/20/10 - Columbus Community Hospital CEO & President Ed Harding said their critical access hospital is surviving hard times by involving and engaging staff in operational decisions. In a report at this week’s annual meeting Harding said hospital staff have a lower turnover rate due to the hospital’s efforts to respond to employees input. Outgoing Hospital Board Chair Pam Zander praised the volunteers who spend over eighty-five hundred hours in service each year. The hospital closed out their 2009 books ahead of last year with $26 million dollars in funds available.


Authorities Investigate Rash of Thefts from Vehicles


1/20/10 - The Dodge County Sheriff’s Department is investigating a string of thefts from vehicles in the Lowell area Monday. Patrol Captain Molly Soblewski says two vehicles were broken into on Knox St and another was broken into on Lorain Street. Items taken from the vehicles included sunglasses, a car charger, and a camera. Soblewski says at least one of the cars was unlocked. The thefts have been forwarded to the detective division. In Beaver Dam, car windows were smashed Sunday night and Monday morning on Bogert and Gilbert Streets; GPS units taken both times. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Department or the anonymous We-Tip Hotline at 1-800-78-CRIME.


Net Farm Income Drops Sharply


1/20/10 - Wisconsin’s total net farm income dropped by 56-percent last year – much worse than the nationwide drop of around 33-percent. That’s according to farm economists at U-W Madison, who released their “Status of Wisconsin Agriculture” report today. The total farm income in the Badger state was listed at one-point-one billion dollars, the lowest since 2002. The report blamed Wisconsin’s larger decrease on falling dairy prices – which dropped faster than other farm commodities. The U-W said last year’s receipts for Wisconsin farm commodities was down by one-point-eight billion dollars from 2008 – and the plunging milk prices represented about 80-percent of that decline. Crop receipts accounted for 15-percent of the drop – mainly from lower corn prices. The report also estimated that the total net worth of Wisconsin dairy farms dropped by around one-point-eight billion. And two thirds of that decline was due to a lower value of cows.

New Bill Would Open Up Avenue for More Malpractice Lawsuits

1/20/10 - More health care providers could be sued for malpractice under a bill approved yesterday by the Wisconsin Senate. The bill would let parents seek damages for pain-and-suffering if their adult-age children die from medical mistakes. And adult children could also sue if their parents die from apparent malpractice. The Senate agreed to nullify Supreme Court decisions from 1994 and 2000 which barred the recovery of damages in those cases. Insurance companies, doctors, and other health providers all opposed the bill – while victims’ groups and lawyers favored it. The bill now goes to the Assembly.