Top Stories, February 6th

Oconomowoc Murder-For-Hire Suspects Bound Over

2/6/10 - Two of three men suspected in the murder of Kimberly Smith have been bound over for trial. The Oconomowoc woman was killed last October while she was engaged in a bitter custody dispute with Darren Wold over their four year old son. After a four-day hearing, a court commissioner ruled there was enough evidence to send Wold and Jack E. Johnson to trial. Prosecutors say they can prove a money trail indicating Wold funneled 900 dollars through Johnson to the third suspect, Justin Welch. He's the man authorities think killed Smith. The prosecution admits the evidence used in court last week was circumstantial, but they say bank, airline and phone records, DNA evidence and witness testimony do link Wold and Johnson to a murder-for-hire plot.

Acker Sentenced To 20 Years In Prison

2/6/10 - A Milwaukee County judge calls former West Allis Swim coach Daniel Acker "a parent's worst nightmare." Then, Judge Kevin Martens sentenced Acker to 20 years in prison. Acker had told a Department of Corrections official he had touched about 20 boys sexually over the years. Those victims were aged 10 to 17. He said he would never hurt a child. The judge called that "bitterly ironic." Acker maintained he hadn't hurt his victims because he didn't use weapons or physical force during the assaults. The 20-year sentence was longer than the 15 years suggested by the prosecution. Acker is 62 years old. He will have to serve eight years extended supervision when he gets out of prison.

Jury Trial Set For Sauer

2/6/10 - A Cambria man, accused of stealing farm equipment from area farmers and businesses, had a jury trial scheduled yesterday for April. Gene Sauer is charged in Dodge County court with three felony counts of Theft of Movable Property. The 40-year-old Sauer was arrested after one of his alleged victims spotted his stolen hay mower in a Green Lake County farm field that Sauer was renting. The find led to the discovery of several other stolen farm implements, including a John Deere lawn tractor and Gator taken from Ballweg Implement. According to the criminal complaint, Sauer admitted to authorities that he stole the items, which were valued at over $30,000. Sauer faces a maximum of 30 years in prison, if convicted.

Portage Woman Arrested on Drug Distribution Charges

2/6/10 - The Columbia County Sheriffs department arrested a Portage woman yesterday on multiple drug offenses. Julie Sweeney was taken into custody after a three-month investigation by the Portage Police Department and the Sheriffs Office. According to Sheriff Dennis Richards, the 49-year-old was selling marijuana from both her place of employment and her residence. A search of her residence late last month resulted in the recovery of drugs and drug paraphernalia. Sweeny was issued a summons to make an initial appearance in Columbia County court on February 17 on charges of marijuana delivery and possession and maintaining a drug trafficking place.

Watertown Senate Candidate Clears Up Tax Question

2/6/10 - Republican U-S Senate candidate Dave Westlake has cleared up accusations that he didn’t pay some state income taxes in the past decade. The Watertown businessman said he did not pay Wisconsin taxes in 2002 because he lived and worked in Illinois that year, as a consultant for Caterpillar in Peoria. The Associated Press reviewed tax records provided by the state Revenue Department. Earlier reports said Wall did not have a net state tax bill for nine-of-the-last 10 years. For the moment, Westlake is running only against Madison real estate developer Terrence Wall for the G-O-P nomination against incumbent Democrat Russ Feingold. Several other Republicans are rumored to be considering a run, including former Governor Tommy Thompson.

Feingold / Ryan Urge Presidential Earmark Veto Bill

2/6/10 - Wisconsin lawmakers Senator Russ Feingold and Congressman Paul Ryan are urging President Obama to support their line item veto legislation to help eliminate what they call “wasteful congressional earmarks”. After the president indicated his interest in the legislation at a meeting with Republican members of the House of Representatives, Feingold and Ryan wrote to the president asking to meet and discuss their bipartisan proposal. The legislation would give the president the authority to cancel wasteful, unauthorized pet projects and send the earmarks back to Congress to vote on whether or not to rescind, or cancel, the funding.

Ryan’s Roadmap in Spotlight

2/6/10 - Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan tells newspaper editors the country is on a path to fiscal ruin. The Republican is the ranking member of the House Budget Committee. He told Journal-Sentinel editors and reports we all know there is a debt crisis -- and we need to act now before the damage can't be fixed. Ryan has been pushing his own plan, "A Roadmap for America's Future," which he says will ensure health and retirement security for everyone, deal with the growing debt and promote a market-driven competitiveness in the U.S. economy. Ryan's Roadmap was unveiled two years ago while George Bush was in the White House. It has reportedly been tweaked -- and has been getting some national attention in the media in recent days.

Dem’s Supporting Sheridan

2/6/10 - Democrats are standing behind Assembly Speaker Mike Sheridan during his controversy, but that hasn't stopped the angry e-mails. Many express disappointment the powerful politician was dating a lobbyist for the payday loan industry, Shanna Wycoff. A bill to regulate that industry is expected to be passed out of committee next week. Several of the e-mails call for Sheridan to be removed from his leadership position. One e-mailer said the public trust is "not for sale." Sheridan has said he did nothing wrong by dating Wycoff, saying the relationship didn't affect the way he handled the legislation changing regulations for the payday loan businesses in Wisconsin.

Flood Insurance Payouts Boost Tyson Profits

2/6/10 - Tyson Foods made money in its last quarter, in part because it got an insurance payment from the devastating flood at its Jefferson plant in 2008. Tyson, which is based in Arkansas, said it received eight-million-dollars in insurance proceeds from its Jefferson plant – which was temporarily closed in the summer of ’08. It was a small factor behind an overall profit of 160-million dollars for Tyson from October-through-December. That compares to a loss of 102-million in the same quarter the previous year. Tyson’s beef, chicken, and pork lines all made money in the first quarter of its fiscal year. And the chicken line had its third straight quarterly profit.

UWGP Change Underway

2/6/10 - Untied Wisconsin Grain Producers began the process of converting shares after stockholders voted to take the company private last weekend. The company operates an ethanol plant in Columbia County and with the move expects to save around $250,000 per year. The plan is to split company’s 950 shareholders into three segments. Those with 50 shares or more would be Class A, those with 11-49 would be Class B and those 10 or less would be Class C. All stockholders would still share in the profits but voting rights will change for the bottom two classes.

Amtrak En Route To Milwaukee Hits Pedestrians

2/6/10 - An Amtrak train headed to Milwaukee caused delays of 30 minutes or more last night by hitting several pedestrians at a crossing in Lake Forest, Illinois. The accident happened between 5:30 and 6 p.m. At least two pedestrians were injured, though the extent of their injuries wasn't reported. The Amtrak train was using tracks it shares with the Metra commuter trains in the Chicagoland.

Snowmobiler Killed

2/6/10 - A snowmobile accident in northern Wisconsin leaves an Illinois man dead. The Vilas County sheriff's office says it got a call about an accident Friday afternoon at 1:45. The caller said the victim was being given CPR. The 26 year old man apparently ran his snowmobile into a tree in Boulder Junction. The dead man is from Bloomington, but authorities aren't releasing his name until his family is notified.

Unemployment Benefits Running Out

2/6/10 - Eight thousand letters went out this week, but by the end of April an estimated 104 thousand Wisconsin residents will see their unemployment benefits run out. People living in this state can get up to a maximum of 93 weeks of benefits when they lose their job. The Department of Workforce Development reports it will be sending out about 15 hundred letters each week. There are reports that some Democratic lawmakers are asking the state's congressional delegation to extend those benefits through the end of this year. Wisconsin's seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate stands at 8-point-7 percent. That figure is well above the 5-point-9 percent level seen a year ago.