Top Stories January 23rd

Details Emerge in Child Abuse Case

1/23/10 - More details are coming to light in an alleged child abuse case in Dodge County. Kathryn Krier has been charged with abusing her adopted 14 year old daughter. Over a 15 month period, the girl's weight reportedly dropped from 91 pounds to 70. Krier is accused of withholding food, forcing the girl to sleep outside while she was naked and breaking her fingers. A criminal complaint alleges Krier locked the refrigerator door and cupboards at their town of Clyman home. The girl's father is charged with failing to protect the teen. The victim has been removed from the home. An attorney for Krier says she is innocent and looks forward to answering the charges in court.

Nehls Comments on Armed Robberies

1/23/10 - In light of two armed robberies in Dodge County on Wednesday, authorities are reminding business owners and managers to put the safety of their employees first. Sheriff Todd Nehls says make sure cameras work properly. In the event you are robbed, Nehls encourages clerks to do their best in getting as many details as possible about the suspect’s appearance and the direction they leave. Dodge County hadn’t had a reported armed robbery since May of 2008, but there were two Wednesday, within two hours of each other and investigators say they were unrelated.

DNR Okay’s Expansion of Rosendale Dairy

1/23/10 - The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources okays a plan to double the size of Fond du Lac County's Rosendale Dairy. Increasing the dairy herd from four thousand to eight thousand cows would make it the largest in Wisconsin. Neighbors and environmentalists say they worry the expansion will produce so much manure it will harm groundwater supplies. The permit will require monitoring of groundwater and limits manure spreading.

Crisafulli at the Center of Divorce and Custody Dispute

1/23/10 - Murder suspect Michael Crisafulli had an obviously troubled childhood. That may be the motive police are searching for as the 13 year old is accused of killing his father. Crisafulli had been caught up in legal and custody fights between his divorced parents since he was five years old. Investigators think he used a small caliber pistol to shoot his father, Angelo, to death last Tuesday in their home in the town of Delton. Despite all the time in court, there were no allegations of neglect or child abuse against the parents.

Ag Secretary in Beaver Dam

1/23/10 - Wisconsin Agriculture Secretary Rod Nilsestuen was in Beaver Dam this morning touring Kraft Foods and the city’s Wastewater Treatment Plant. With the help of federal stimulus dollars and low interest loans, the city is constructing a wastewater system that will allow them to take industrial waste, from select industries like Kraft, and convert it to biogas which, in turn, is converted into electricity. He says what Beaver Dam is doing is a model for municipalities and industries across the state. Nilsestuen is going around the state touting the Clean Energy Jobs Act, which is making its way through the legislature. The Act strives to set a new standard to generate 20% of fuel from renewable resources by 2020 and 25% by 2025.

BD Open to Smaller Referendum

1/23/10 - Beaver Dam School Board Member Marge Jorgensen says she’s open to a referendum but not one that asks for $15-million. District administration laid out a report detailing deferred maintenance projects that needed immediate attention. Jorgenson says certain projects are needed but she was taken aback at others that were considered must-haves. She also took issue with the lack of time before April’s election to inform the public about a referendum. District officials have said one reason they want to get the measure on April’s ballot is to take advantage of some low interest funds. Jorgensen likened that to buying a car just because you can get zero interest payments. The school board is expected to discuss the issue further at their first meeting in February.

Harley Loses $147M in Last 3 Months of ‘09

1/23/10 - Milwaukee’s Harley-Davidson lost 147-million-dollars during the final three months of last year. The motorcycle firm reported a loss this morning of 63-cents a share compared to the same quarter a year ago, when Harley had a profit of 34-cents a share. Harley’s total revenues dropped by a half-billion dollars, to 764-million. For the year as a whole, Harley’s profits plunged by almost 90-percent. Slow motorcycle sales were to blame, and Harley says it’s still plagued by the recession plus re-structuring costs. The firm said it would reduce its motorcycle shipments by another 5-to-10-percent this year.

Builder Don’t Expect Bounce Back in 2010

1/23/10 - Wisconsin builders expect another difficult year for their industry. The Associated General Contractors of Wisconsin said 92-percent of contractors in the Badger State do not expect a recovery in 2010. Group vice president Bob Barker said many builders had a strong start last year while finishing projects from 2008. But he says that kind of work is not there now – and state government projects won’t begin until later in the summer. The contractors’ group said last year’s federal stimulus funding had at least some positive impact on the building industry. 71-percent in the General Contractors’ survey said they kept staff members employed due to the stimulus program, but only 14-percent said they added employees because of it. Barker says contractors are more optimistic about 2011 – when 73-percent of builders expect growth.

Acting Police and Fire Chief in Columbus Receive Commendations

1/23/10 - Columbus Acting Fire Chief Mark Kenevan and Acting Police Chief Dennis Weiner both received commendations this week from the P F C. The Fire Department was without a Chief from May of 2007 till Randy Keuhn was hired in July of 2009. Kenevan served as Acting Chief. The Police Department was without a Chief from February 2008 till the PFC completed their search earlier this month. Lieutenant Dennis Weiner served as Acting Chief. Weiner remains Acting Chief till the official letter of appointment is approved by candidate Daniel Meister. The Council is scheduled to discuss that letter at a Tuesday night closed session.

Some Wisconsin Cheeseman Products Recalled

1/23/10 - A food gift company in Sun Prairie is recalling some of its products. Cheese balls and logs sent as Wisconsin Cheeseman gifts may have been contaminated. Parker Farms says some testing found bacteria in the food. It is voluntarily recalling food gift boxes shipped between September 8th and January 15th. It says the logs and balls may have been contaminated by food-borne particles. No instances of consumers being sickened were reported at the same time of the recall.