Top Stories, January 31st

Jansen on Retirement

1/31/10 - Columbus School District Superintendent Mark Jansen has no plans to lounge around when he retires at the end of the school year. His June 30 retirement request was approved at a special board meeting on Friday. Jansen tells us that he can’t imagine “not working.” One project that he is looking forward to is turning a stack of black walnut and cherry lumber into furniture in his home shop. Jansen has served as Superintendent for four years. Board members said they will miss his hard-working, tactful leadership.

Multi-County Crime-Spree Suspect Waives Prelim

1/31/10 - One of the suspects accused of burglarizing a Dodge County residence as part of a multi-county crime has waived her right to a preliminary hearing and will proceed to trial. 30-year-old Danielle Zipter is accused along with two others of breaking into a Town of Ashippun home last June. According to the criminal complaint, a witness saw three people taking items from a neighbor’s residence and putting those items into their vehicle. The man called 9-1-1 and provided a description of the suspects and the vehicle. Within 25-minutes, a Dodge County deputy confronted the burglars in the driveway of another residence in Washington County. That owner, an off-duty police officer, was awakened by the burglars kicking in his door and he was in the process of calling 9-1-1 himself. The three have been also been connected to burglaries in Washington and Waukesha counties. 30-year-old Danielle Zipter will be in Dodge County court for an arraignment hearing next month and Washington County court for a sentencing hearing in March. 25-year-old Sabrina Mauhar of the Milwaukee-area was sentenced to two years in prison for the Dodge County burglary earlier this month, which will run consecutive to a four year sentence handed down last month for the Washington County break-in. 21-year-old Corey Shreeves failed to appear for his initial hearings and an arrest warrant has been issued. All three still face charges in Waukesha County.

Crawford County Priest Accused of Embezzling $200K

1/31/10 - A priest from western Wisconsin is being held in the Crawford County jail, accused of embezzling almost 200 thousand dollars from the church. The Reverend Robert Chukwu is charged with theft from a business setting of more than 10 thousand dollars. He reportedly told another priest and an attorney for the Diocese of La Crosse that he invested the funds in Nigeria to get a better interest rate. The money was taken from the La Crosse Diocese, the St. Mary Parish in Gays Mills and the St. Philip Parish in Soldier Grove. All the money was taken January 15th.

Additional Charges Possible In Chilton Murder

1/31/10 - Manitowoc County authorities say additional charges may be filed against 51 year old Roger Rosenthal. He's the boyfriend of Michelle Jaeger, the missing Chilton woman whose body was found a week ago in rural Manitowoc County. Rosenthal is charged with hiding a corpse. Two men found Jaeger a week ago today, wrapped in nylon bags and strapped to a sled. Rosenthal is scheduled to make his first court appearance tomorrow. A forensic examination showed Jaeger suffered trauma to her head. No official cause of death has been released.

Walker Tops Campaign Collections

1/31/10 - If Republican Scott Walker isn't elected Wisconsin's next governor, it looks like lack of money won't be the reason. Walker reports he has more than two million dollars in his campaign war chest heading into this election year. Spending reports are due to the state tomorrow. Walker is running against former congressman Mark Neumann for the Republican nomination. Neumann reportedly has about 975 thousand dollars cash on hand. The Democratic front-runner is Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett -- who has an estimated one and a half million dollars in his campaign bank account.

Pioneer Subscribers Seek Refund

1/31/10 - Subscribers to the defunct “Columbus Pioneer” newspaper are continuing attempts to get their money back. The Pioneer stopped publication after six issues last February. Readers turned to local Police last April to get their subscription money returned. They were asked to submit a form to the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. Nearly 40 readers filled out the state forms to recover their subscription money. Organizers held a second public meeting this past week claiming that NO action had been taken by the State to pursue the Hayward, WI Publisher.

Statewide Child Care Rankings Proposed

1/31/10 - State Representative Corey Mason says a quality-ranking system would help parents looking for a good child care center. A plan called YoungStar would rank providers on a five-star scale. Mason says we have three levels of government trying to certify, license or rate day care centers -- and he thinks it would be better to pick one. YoungStar is expected to cost the state about 10 million dollars. The Joint Finance Committee will decide if it moves forward. The new ratings would also be used to help the state cut out fraud -- and decide how much funding each center should get.

Live Auction Falls Short of Recouping Costs

1/31/10 - The Jefferson County Sheriffs Department was not able to break even following a live auction of confiscated animals that had been in their care. Last weeks auction was able to raise $5775 with the sale of nine horses and two colts. The animals were confiscated by court order in December and were being boarded at a local stable. Costs incurred totaled just under $9300 for boarding, transport, veterinary services and related supplies. Sheriff Paul Milbrath says if it wasn’t for the generosity of local citizens and businesses the costs would have been even greater.

Sturgeon Numbers Look Promising

1/31/10 - Wardens with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources say it's only a matter of time until some sturgeon records are broken. Sturgeon spearing season starts February 13th. State wildlife officials report they have seen a lot of sturgeon weighing 150 pounds or more, including some weighing over 200 pounds. The largest sturgeon ever harvested weighed 188 pounds when it was caught six years ago. Last year a woman harvested a record-setting 169 pound sturgeon that was seven feet long. It was the largest ever taken by a woman. Sturgeon spearing season will run through February 28th -- or, until harvest caps are reached.

Milwaukee Couple Not Lumberjacks

1/31/10 - Trent and Jackie Graham say they didn't know there were any restrictions on how many trees they could cut on their lot. The Milwaukee couple has a court appearance scheduled for Tuesday after they removed more than 40 trees to make way for a house they were building. Removing vegetation from the bluffs overlooking Lake Michigan can lead to erosion. The Grahams have already agreed to plant 40 trees. They got 20 citations for cutting down the existing trees. Each of those citations could carry with it a thousand-dollar fine.

Bald Eagle Released Into Wild

1/31/10 - The injured bald eagle found near Wascott last year has been released into the wild. A motorcycle rider found the eagle on the side of the road six months ago. He wrapped it in his leather jacket and took it to the Duluth Zoo. They named the eagle Harley. After recuperating for several months, Harley was released yesterday along the St. Croix and Mississippi rivers on the Minnesota-Wisconsin border. That's an area where many eagles spend the winter. Harley is said to be completely recovered from his broken wing and lead poisoning. He had been helped by the Raptor Center in St. Paul.

Kennedy Open Door Meetings Continue

1/31/10 - 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. He says 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.