Sunday, January 3, 2010

Top Stories, January 3rd

St Katherine Selects Johnson To Attend Listecki Installation

1/3/10 - The Parish Council Chair of St. Katherine Drexel in Beaver Dam will be among those attending the installation of Milwaukee’s new Catholic archbishop on Monday. Jerome Listecki will officially be welcomed today in a solemn prayer service known as the Vespers, in advance of the formal installation tomorrow. Each Parish in the state is permitted to send one person, and Council Chair Judy Johnson says it is quite an honor to represent St. Katherine Drexel’s at the ceremony. Johnson says she witnessed the ordination of a parish priest this past spring and found it inspiring so she feels fortunate to be selected for this opportunity.

The 60-year-old Listecki has been the bishop in La Crosse since 2005. Pope Benedict named him in November to replace Tim Dolan, who left in April to become the Archbishop of New York. More than 200 priests will attend Listecki’s installation mass on Monday – along with leaders from parishes and schools in the Milwaukee Archdiocese. It’s an invitation-only event, but it will be broadcast live on Milwaukee-area television and radio stations. About 40 U-S bishops and cardinals are expected to attend.

St Katherine Drexel’s meanwhile is looking to chip away at a growing deficit with a Packer Party this afternoon at Bayside Supper Club. Its starts at 2:30pm and features a number of raffles and giveaways. Tickets are $15 per person or $40 for a family. WBEV’s John Moser is the Master of Ceremonies.

Mayville Receives DNR Grant For Upper Dam Repair

1/3/10 - Mayville has received a $313,000 grant to help repair their Upper Dam. The city was ranked 15th out of the 31 applications received for the 2009 Municipal Dam Grant Program administered by the Wisconsin DNR. Public Works Director Vern Hilker says of the 31 applications, 24 were deemed eligible. There were only 15 grants approved. Engineering and construction costs for the upper dam project are estimated to be $415,000.

Beaver Dam Mayor Opens Door on Tuesday

1/3/10 - 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. Kennedy says he feels it is important that constituents have the opportunity to speak with him the day after each regular meeting of the common council. However, because of the New Years holiday, there is no council meeting scheduled for tomorrow. The open door 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.

Firefighter Funeral Held In St. Anna

1/3/10 - Firefighters say when one falls, they all lose a little bit. Hundreds arrived at St. Anna, Wisconsin, yesterday for the funeral of volunteer firefighter Steven "Peanut" Koeser. The 33 year old died last Tuesday when a trash bin exploded outside Bremer Manufacturing in Calumet County. Firefighters had sprayed water on a trash bin fire, causing the reaction that led to the fatal blast. Eight firefighters were injured when Koeser was killed. Firefighters attending yesterday's funeral came from as far away as Beloit, Ashland and Green Bay.

Census Bureau Hiring

1/3/10 - The U.S. Census Bureau wants to hire about 48 thousand people to work on the 2010 census count. The numbers are very important. Wisconsin's population decides how many seats the state gets in the U.S. House of Representatives. It also plays a role in political boundaries, determining how much funding local schools get, and how much the state spends on projects like highways. The jobs are mostly part time, paying between 11 dollars, 50 cents and 15 dollars an hour. Testing is being done this week. Expect to work two to six weeks, with the effort being wrapped up in June.

Baldwin, Moore Urge Overseas Family Planning Funding

1/3/10 - Two members of Wisconsin’s congressional delegation urge President Obama to spend more money on family planning overseas. U.S. Representatives Gwen Moore of Milwaukee and Tammy Baldwin of Madison, both Democrats, were among 73 members of the House who signed a letter urging the Obama administration to provide one billion dollars in funding for international family planning in the 2011 budget. The letter claims the many benefits such an investment will bring include environmental security, political stability and maternal and child survival. The letter cites a report released by the United Nations this year which argues that increased funding for family planning around the world will help people to mitigate the effects of climate change, and be in a better position to adapt to it.

DMV Encouraging Online Services

1/3/10 - The Wisconsin Department of Motor Vehicles wants you to know you can save some time in line by going online. The DMV has been working to make many of its services available through the Internet in recent years. Now, the agency’s Kristina Boardman says there are just a few that still have to be done in person, such as obtaining a drivers license or state ID card. Otherwise, just about everything else can be done online -- like records requests and vehicle registration renewals. Some of those do carry a fee, but Boardman says the cost is small compared to the time saved by not having to drive to a service center.

Milwaukee Murders Up, But Lower Than Average

1/3/10 - Milwaukee reflects a national trend -- fewer people are getting killed. Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn says his department uses data analysis to spend its resources in areas of the city where crimes are being committed. He says inter-department communications are also improved. Milwaukee recorded 72 homicides last year, up from 71 in 2008 -- but those numbers are still way below the city's average. Both 2007 and 2008 saw homicides at a low level not matched in more than two decades. The FBI reports the number of homicides nationwide were down 10 percent in the first half of 2009. Chicago was off 11 percent and New York City was on track late last year to record its lowest homicide total since records started being kept consistently 46 years ago.

Milwaukee Council Wants Review Of Fatal Police Chases

1/3/10 - Milwaukee police say officers trying to make traffic stops last week used good judgment and followed procedures. Those attempted stops results in two crashes that killed three people. In each case officers were trying to pull over a vehicle to give them a ticket. In each instance, the cars' drivers tried to get away, ran red lights and hit other cars. Flynn says reckless behavior by criminals shouldn't be blamed on his officers. He says the fatal accidents actually happened within moments -- and before the officers had actually initiated a full pursuit. Common Council President Willie Hines wants a departmental review of its chase procedures.

Vets Board Sought Doyle Input in Scocos Firing

1/3/10 - An investigative report by a Madison newspaper indicates the Department of Veterans Affairs board was doing a lot of talking with the governor's office before deciding to fire former Secretary John Scocos. The board is supposed to act independently of the governor. The Wisconsin State Journal reports vice chairwoman Marcia Anderson asked the governor's office for guidance in several e-mails before the November 24th meeting where Scocos was fired. He has sued to get his job back. The newspaper got access to the e-mails under Wisconsin's open records law. Anderson says she simply wanted to notify the governor's staff the board was planning the meeting to touch on several issues. Governor Jim Doyle says it made its decision independent of any input from his office.

Adoptions Increase Following Dairyland Closure

1/3/10 - Dairyland Greyhound Park had its final race last week – and reports indicate there has been an impressive effort to adopt dogs from the facility. Greyhound Pets of America Wisconsin President Ellen Paulus says they have 65 applicants wanting to take greyhounds, a number that likely exceeds the amount of dogs available from the Kenosha track. Some of the Dairyland dogs will go to other facilities to continue racing. Ellis says for those in the region who want to rescue, there are plenty of greyhounds elsewhere that need a home, especially since two dog tracks are shutting down in Massachusetts and Arizona.

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