Top Stories, February 19th

Man Killed in Train v Mini-Van Identified

2/19/10 - The driver of a mini-van killed by a freight train was identified yesterday as 47-year-old Gary Lewein of West Bend. Washington County authorities are still investigating the crash, which occurred Wednesday night on Highway 33 in Allenton. Officers said the mini-van drove past two vehicles and a warning gate before the Canadian National train hit the mini-van on the tracks. Lewein was the only person in his vehicle, and he died at the scene.

Committee Will Study Size of County Board

2/19/10 - Over the next few months a five-person committee will be conducting a study to determine whether or not trim the number of Supervisors on the Dodge County Board. Chairman Russ Kottke appointed five supervisors that, as a group, represent areas in each region of the county. One of the members, Dave Frohling of Watertown, says he his goal is to save money but also to keep the board efficient. The board currently has 37 members, which makes it the third largest in the state, though by state statute they could have as many as 39 members. The committee’s first meeting is slated for March 10th.

Barrett Calls for Scaling Down of Clean Energy Bill

2/19/10 - Some top leaders joined the main Democratic candidate for governor yesterday in calling for a scaled-down bill to create clean energy in Wisconsin. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett made waves when he told a bio-tech company in Middleton that the package to fight global warming will have to be scaled back. Democratic Senate Majority Leader Russ Decker said he was concerned about the impact it would have in raising utility rates. And with only a month-and-a-half left in the current session, Decker said the package will need re-tooling. The head of the Assembly Clean Energy Jobs Committee, Green Bay Democrat Jim Soletski, said he expected amendments from both houses. And his goals are to make a quarter of Wisconsin’s electricity come from renewable sources by 2025 – and to allow new nuclear power plants in a way that’s constitutional.

DNR Looks to Speed Up Permitting Process for Large Farms

2/19/10 - The state D-N-R says it wants to speed up the process for large farms to get environmental permits. The agency is proposing a uniform, blanket permitting system instead of considering each request from scratch on an individual basis. Officials say farmers would not face easier restrictions – but the review process would be quicker. Public hearings on the change are planned for later in the spring. Right now, farmers must get individual permits from the D-N-R if they plan to start a farm with over a-thousand animal units, which equals about 700 dairy cows. Those permits outline specific restrictions for things like spreading manure when the ground is frozen. But now, the D-N-R wants to change to general permits for farms of one-thousand to 57-hundred animal units. And those with at least 300 units might have to get general permits if they don’t fix old problems with pollution.

Clyman FD Receives $121K Grant

2/19/10 - The Clyman Fire Department has been awarded a $121,000 grant for the purchase new equipment. Fire Captain Dave DeCono says the money will be used to purchase voice-activated face pieces that will allow firefighters to communicate with the command center during a fire. In addition, the department will be getting new Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus. DeCono says the new SCBA equipment will give firefighters up to 35 minutes of breathing time. Their current equipment only provides 15 to 20 minutes of oxygen. The Clyman Fire Department has been applying for the grant for the past five years and this is the first year they’ve been successful.

Sex Offenders To Register Their Twitter

2/19/10 - Registered sex offenders will now have to tell the state whenever they sign up for Twitter, Facebook or other social networking sites under a plan the governor has signed into law. Sex offenders already have to provide the state Department of Corrections with their fingerprints, their home addresses, their current employers and a recent photograph. This plan expands that list to include electronic information. Fort Atkinson Assembly Democratic Sponsor Andy Jorgensen says when he first started working on the plan, it was geared toward e-mail because Twitter didn't even exist yet, but he says the law is written to be flexible, to keep up with technology. The plan passed the full legislature unanimously. It takes effect immediately.

Six Years For Fox Lake Child Molester

2/19/10 - A Fox Lake man who molested a preteen girl was sentenced Thursday to six years in prison. Jonathan Sparacio pleaded “no contest” in December to a felony charge of Child Enticement and had a felony Sexual Assault charge dismissed but read into the record. The 63-year-old committed a series of offenses in 2004. The mother of the victim is said to have legally recorded two conversations with Sparacio in which he admitted guilt but blamed the girl. In addition to the six year prison sentence, Sparacio was ordered to serve three years of extended supervision and must also attend sex offender treatment and provide a DNA sample.

Brandon Woman Sentenced For Bethesda Thefts

2/19/10 - A Brandon woman was placed on probation for one year for stealing money from residents at Bethesda Lutheran Homes in Fox Lake. Lalonnie Schouten pleaded “guilty” to one misdemeanor charge of Theft In A Business Setting and had four others dismissed but read into the record. According to the criminal complaint, the 41-year-old was employed part-time at the facility and was responsible for conducting banking transactions for residents. Over the course of her 18-month employment, an audit revealed that Schouten stole money from five different residents. There were nine transactions in question resulting in a total of $1000 in stolen money. A restitution hearing will be held at a later date.

Fishing With Fuzz Casts First Line

2/19/10 - In an effort to keep younger teens out of trouble the Dodge County Sheriff’s Department will be hosting the first annual “Fishing with the Fuzz” event that will teach kids age 12 to 14 how to ice fish. Communications Director Pat Ninnman says the goal of the event, which will be held on February 28th, is to allow law enforcement and the younger people in the community to bond. Ninmann says the event will take place at Beaver Dam Bay Marina beginning at 9am. Following two hours of fishing the kids will be brought back inside for some refreshments. Ninmann says the kids will be able to take home the ice fishing gear and there is no cost. For those wishing to participate, Ninnman says you can go online to shopwithcops.org to find the sign up forms which can be mailed in.

Wisconsin Pension Obligations Covered

2/19/10 - A new report said Wisconsin was one of only four states which had enough money set aside in 2008 to cover its pension obligations to public employees. The Pew Center on the States said there was one-trillion-dollar gap nationally between the money that state-and-local governments set aside for retirement benefits – and the actual costs of those benefits. In 2000, Pew said just over half the states had fully-funded pension accounts – but the number shrunk to just six by 2006. And two years later, only Wisconsin, Washington, New York, and Florida still had fully-funded pensions. Pew rated Wisconsin as one of nine solid performers in maintaining its benefits for state retirees, for both pensions and other commitments.

Unemployment Projected To Hold Steady

2/19/10 - The Federal Reserve says the nation’s unemployment rate will stay around 10-percent this year, and eight-to-nine-percent in 2011. The biggest reason is that consumers will most likely keep their spending down. U-W Whitewater professor Russell Kashian says the projection is quote, “dead on.” He says the current recovery is not creating enough new jobs to meet the demands of the unemployed, plus those now entering the workforce. Over 160-thousand Wisconsinites lost their jobs over the past year – and Kashian says the state has only created an average of two-thousand-jobs a month over the last decade. Analysts say jobless rates won’t go down very much until the economy starts growing by five-percent a year. It’s expected to grow no more than three-and-a-half percent in 2010. Wells Fargo economist Jay Mueller of Menomonee Falls said the big rush for credit before the recession will be felt for a long time. He says families and businesses are using any new-found money to pay down their debt – and as a result, consumption could be restrained the next 2-to-5 years. Mueller expects some consumer spending growth – but not as much as past economic recoveries. In the last recession in 1991, Mueller said it took 21 months for employment to return to its pre-recession levels.

Badger State Web Surfers Leading The Nation

2/19/10 - More Wisconsinites go on-line than the national average. The U-S Census Bureau says 79-percent of household residents have Internet access – and that’s the 10th highest percentage in the nation. Also, the Census Bureau said 75-percent of all Wisconsinites three-and-older used the Internet last year, either inside or outside their homes. That makes Wisconsin ninth in total Web usage. Nationally, 68-percent of Americans used the ‘Net in 2009 – and 73-and-a-half percent lived in households with Internet access. Alaska had the highest percentage of users at 79-percent. Mississippi had the lowest at 55-percent.

Fitzgerald On Community Comment Friday

2/19/10 - Assembly Minority Leader Jeff Fitzgerald will be our guest on WBEV’s Community Comment this afternoon. The Republican from Horicon will be on to talk about the current legislative session and answer questions from our listeners. Community Comment airs weekdays on WBEV 1430AM beginning at 12:35pm.