Top Stories, January 7th

Liverseed and Flaherty Won't Appear on Ballot

1/7/10 - There will be only one name on the ballot for Beaver Dam mayor in the April election. Director of Administration John Somers says Joe Liverseed fell one name short of the required signatures. He says one of the 50 names he handed-in lives in the Town of Beaver Dam. The 18-year-old Columbus-native moved to Beaver Dam with his parents four years ago to attend Wayland Academy, where he is currently a senior. Liverseed has not commented yet as to whether or not he will run as a write in candidate. And Liverseed will not be the only candidate who will have to run as a write-in candidate in April. Second Ward Alderwoman Mary Flaherty did not have a sufficient number of signatures on her nomination papers. She too has the opportunity to run as a write-in candidate. A phone call to her was also not immediately returned.

Winter Storm Bears Down on Wisconsin

1/7/09 - Our entire listening area is under a winter storm warning until 6am tomorrow morning. The National Weather service expects snow will continue to fall through tonight becoming heavy at times. Total snow accumulations are expected to be between 5 to 9-inches. Wind is also going to be a factor as gusts of up to 25-miles per hour are expected which will lead to blowing and drifting snow. This morning the snow is expected to cause some roads to become snow covered and slippery and officials remind you to take it slow during your commute.

1300 Domestic Partnerships Recognized in Wisconsin

1/7/10 - Almost 13-hundred same-sex couples have applied for legal protections under Wisconsin’s new domestic partner registry. Dodge County Clerk Karen Gibson says nine couples have applied in the five months it has been in effect. Seven couples are officially registered as Gibson says two couples did not return after the mandatory five-day waiting period. Domestic partners can now get about one-fifth of the 200 legal benefits married couples receive – including end-of-life decisions, and the inheriting of each partner’s property. Most of those who have signed-up are from the southern part of the state. Only 17 couples have signed up in the far northwest part of the state. Iron and Sawyer counties have not had any couples join the registry. Washburn County Clerk Lynn Hoeppner has registered just one same-sex couple – and she’s surprised that more have not come forward, considering the benefits involved. The Wisconsin Family Action group asked the State Supreme Court to strike down the new registry – but the justices said no about two months ago. The group talked about taking its case to the lower courts, but it has not done so yet.

Kraft Keeping Oscar Mayer

1/7/10 - The sale of Kraft’s frozen pizza business has some in Madison wondering about the future of the Oscar Mayer hot dog-and-lunch meat business. Kraft has owned Oscar Mayer for almost a quarter century, and company spokesman Mike Mitchell says they have no plans to sell it. But it’s a possibility, according to research analyst Matt Arnold of Edward Jones in Saint Louis. He tells the Wisconsin State Journal that Kraft wants to focus on the products it sells worldwide and quote, “Oscar Mayer is no more global than DiGiorno and Tombstone” pizza. Arnold says Kraft’s pizza business has done well – and selling it raises questions about Kraft’s commitment to its other portfolio brands. But Mitchell says the frozen pizza industry is different from Kraft’s other lines – and it has a totally different delivery system and sales personnel. Kraft announced the sale of its U-S and Canadian pizza operations yesterday (Tu) to Nestle. That includes Tombstone Pizza of Medford, and Jack’s of Little Chute.

Oshkosh Corp Secures Another Military Contract

1/7/10 - Another day, another military contract for the Oshkosh Corporation. A 33-million-dollar deal was announced yesterday (Wed), in which the company will install rear-view camera units on over 22-hundred all-terrain trucks – including vehicles Oshkosh is now making for our troops in Afghanistan. Infra-red cameras will be placed in the tail-light units of each vehicle – and it will help the soldiers see better in bad weather and dusty conditions. The work will begin in March and continue through May. Oshkosh has received orders to build over 66-hundred all-terrain trucks for the Afghanistan effort – and more could be on the way. Yesterday, Oshkosh announced a 290-million-dollar to build a new type of delivery truck for transporting weapons and supplies.

50 Arrested In Berlin Drug Bust

1/7/10 - Almost 50 people face over 200 felony charges in a drug operation based in Berlin. As of yesterday (We), 12 people were wanted on warrants – and 37 others had been arrested. Berlin police officers picked up 34 suspects Tuesday. Police Chief Dennis Plantz said officers staged a year-and-a-half-long undercover investigation with the help of the Central Wisconsin Drug Task Force. He said the drug deals were both large and small – and they involved marijuana, cocaine, heroin, ecstacy, and prescription medications. The chief said most of the sales were in the Berlin area of Green Lake County, but he could not give an immediate estimate of the amount of drugs which officers confiscated. Plantz said he was not sure when charges would be filed, but prosecutors have been drafting dozens of criminal complaints.

Deer Hunting Arrests

1/7/10 - Twenty-nine Wisconsin felons were arrested for deer hunting with a gun in November. And the D-N-R says that’s the highest number in the last seven years. Chief warden Randy Stark says felons cannot possess firearms under state or federal laws – but they can still buy hunting licenses. State Assembly Democrat Jeff Smith of Eau Claire wants to change that. He’s working on a bill to ban felons from buying any kind of gun license for hunting – and violators would pay fines of up to a-thousand-dollars. Nine felons were arrested for weapon possession in the 2008 gun deer season. Sixteen were picked up in ’07, and nine in ’06.

Wisconsin Uninsured Stats Hold Steady

1/7/10 - About six-percent of Wisconsinites did not have health insurance in 2008, and that’s the same percentage as the year before. State health officials interviewed people in 25-hundred households. Almost 90-percent of them had health coverage for all of 2008. Another five-percent were insured for part of the year, and five-percent had no coverage. The survey also showed that 11-percent of Wisconsin households were getting their insurance through Badger-Care-Plus or other Medicaid programs.

Cheese Could Be Official State Snack

1/7/10 - A new bill in the Wisconsin Legislature would make cheese the official state snack. The Senate Agriculture Committee will hold a public hearing tomorrow on the measure, which is served up by Wauwatosa Democrat Jim Sullivan. The bill does not slice up a certain kind of cheese for recognition. All types of cheese would be honored. Several other foods are state symbols – including corn as the official state grain, milk as the state beverage, and cranberries as the official fruit. Lawmakers are currently considering a bill to create an official state microbe – the bacteria which turns milk into cheese. There was also a bill to name Harley-Davidson as the official state motorcycle. But that’s been withdrawn for now – but its sponsor promises to have it roaring back soon.

Troops Return

1/7/10 - The first of 32-hundred troops in Wisconsin’s Red Arrow Brigade have come back from Iraq. Over 200 friends and relatives braved cold temperatures yesterday, as 115 soldiers flew into Volk Field in Juneau County. Most are members of a unit based in Fort Atkinson. They spent much of the last year on a host of security missions in Iraq – and they’re now spending about a week at Fort McCoy getting de-briefed. Brigadier General Mark Anderson told the returning troops that their successes will have a listing impact in Iraq. Guard commander Donald Dunbar noted the sacrifices that were made – and he said nobody knows it more than the troops’ families. Thomas Slaten said the group stopped in Germany and Iceland on their way home – and it helped them get ready to face Wisconsin’s cold temperatures. It was about 60 degrees in Iraq when they left. The unit was part of the largest deployment of Wisconsin National Guard troops since World War Two. The deployed soldiers come from units in 36 Wisconsin communities, including Waupun, Ripon, Fond du Lac, Watertown and Oconomowoc. The other brigade members are due back later this month.
BDCH Welcomes New Year Baby

1/7/10 - The Beaver Dam Community Hospital celebrated the first birth of the New Year on January 3. Christopher Cano was born on Sunday at 7:28am to parents Margarita Martinez and Jose Cano. Christopher weighed in at eight pounds, nine ounces and joins two siblings at home. The hospital celebrated by presenting the baby and his parents with a basket full of baby clothes, blankets, bath items, toys, gift certificates and a six month supply of baby diapers.

Frank Mittelstadt Joins BDAAA On Community Comment Thursday

1/7/10 - Noted Beaver Dam artist Frank Mittelstadt will be among our guests on WBEV’s Community Comment this afternoon. Mittlestadt is one of ten Wisconsin artists who will be featured in the Beaver Dam Area Arts Associations newest exhibit “Brothers in Art,” which opens this Sunday. Also joining us this afternoon: exhibit chairs Earl Ritter and Jerry Kamps; Executive Director of the Association Karla Jensen and Arts board member Dave Edwards, who also has several pieces in the exhibit. Community Comment airs weekdays on WBEV 1430AM beginning at 12:35pm.