Top Stories, February 7th

Snow On The Way

2/7/10 - Snow is on the way, but nothing like the huge storm that hit the eastern seaboard. Forecasters are saying several inches could fall Monday night through Tuesday in the area. Unlike the nation's Capitol, Wisconsin will measure its snow in inches -- not feet. Next week's snowfall could accumulate anywhere from five to nine inches in the region. High temperatures through the period will be in the 20s. The National Weather Services says we’ve received nearly 37 inches of snow so far this winter. That's about four inches above normal, but 20 inches less than last year.

BDPD: Truancy Down At High School

2/7/10 - The Beaver Dam Police Department says truancy has been down at the high school since Municipal Court Judge Ken Peters implemented new penalties this past year. Lt. John Kreuzinger told us on WBEV’s Community Comment Friday, that incidents of truancy are dropping significantly. Among the new penalties: suspension of hunting licenses and fines for repeat offenders that start at $400. Students can work off that fine by being in school, earning $10 for every week they avoid truancy. Kreuzinger also commended the addition of court on Saturdays, which he says has allowed Judge Peters to spend more time working one-on-one with offenders in an effort to help get to the root of the problem.

February Is American Heart Month

2/7/10 - Wisconsin moms, daughters and sisters could be putting themselves at risk by thinking that heart problems are just a “guy thing.” One-in-three American adults have one or more types of cardiovascular disease, yet more than 80 percent of cardiovascular disease can be prevented. February is American Heart Month, and there are some exciting new developments concerning women’s heart health. Heart disease is the number-one health threat for both men and women, but Dr. David Cullinane, of the Pro Health Care Regional Heart and Vascular Center in Oconomowoc says women often have different heart problem symptoms than men.

"They have more shoulder, back, and or jaw and neck pain, completely independent of any chest pain," he says. Dr. Cullinane says women have one thing going for them that men don’t…they’re usually quicker to respond to signs from their body. "Women actually tend to seek medical attention earlier than men, but unfortunately many times the evaluation may not be targeted towards a heart workup,” he says. American Heart Month draws attention to the strides being taken through research and education to raise awareness of risk factors and to decrease death rates. Dr. Cullinane is particularly enthusiastic about a new technique called Electron Beam Cat Scan, which doctors call E-B-C-T, because it’s a significant advance. "This technology can detect calcium in arteries before it advances to the point where it creates potential risk for heart attack,” he says.

Another advantage of E-B-C-T is that it’s very low in radiation exposure, which Dr. Cullinane says is important in maintaining women’s health. The American Heart Association says women can make a positive first step to saving their lives by joining “Go Red For Women” at www.goredforwomen.org. The A-H-A says 96 percent of the women who have joined the movement have taken at least one action toward moving up the ladder toward a healthier lifestyle.

Marinette Marine Awarded $123 Million Contract

2/7/10 - A Wisconsin ship builder has been awarded a 123 million dollar contract to build a research ship for the University of Alaska. Marinette Marine will make the 250-foot "Alaska Region Research Vessel" to operate in the Arctic Sea. Federal stimulus dollars helped the university and the National Science Foundation pay for construction of the vessel. It should be ready to go in 2013. The research vessel will carry more than 500 researchers and students at a time. This project means more consistent work at the Wisconsin company, filling the production gap between the existing work on the Littoral Combat Ship and a possible future Navy contract.

WellPoint Moves Jobs To Indiana

2/7/10 - WellPoint, Incorporated, has informed the state it is moving 111 jobs from its claims center in Green Bay to in Indianapolis. WellPoint is the corporate parent of Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield. The job cuts should start in April and be completed by the start of next summer. The company says moving the jobs to Indianapolis will lower its overall administrative costs.

Carp Plan In The Works

2/7/10 - While the governor is in Washington, D.C., for a summit on the Asian carp, local Wisconsin officials are working up a plan if the predator fish arrives here. Asian carp can drive out local species by eating all the food in the water. The Department of Natural Resources has approved a four-year, 100 thousand dollar grant for Dane County to implement a plan developed last year. That plan would control the spread of invasive species already here and stop the introduction of others, like the Asian carp. The carp have been found in the Mississippi River near La Crosse. They could move up the Wisconsin River to Dane County.

Amtrak Riders On The Rise

2/7/10 - An Amtrak spokesman says more people are deciding to skip the crowded highways and take the train to Chicago. Ridership on the Hiawatha service from Milwaukee was up eight percent in December when compared to the year before. Those numbers offer optimism for the future of high-speed rail service between Madison and Milwaukee. Construction on the route is expected to start later this year, with service offered in 2013. About 810 million dollars in federal stimulus money will pay for the project.

Drugs Played Role In Snowmobile Death

2/7/10 - Investigators say a 22 year old man from the Town of Mukwonago had marijuana in his system when he crashed his snowmobile last December. Chelsey Lobenhofer of Vernon died three days later. She was 17 years old. A criminal complaint has been filed against Wayne Barkley in Waukesha County Circuit Court. Barkley was reportedly racing another snowmobile when he swerved to avoid a car on Lower Phantom Lake December 23rd. He lost control and the vehicle turned over. Lobenhofer flew off the snowmobile and hit the car with her head, suffering a fractured skull. Chemical testing of Barkley's blood revealed the presence of marijuana.

South Milwaukee State Of Emergency

2/7/10 - For 26 hours people living in South Milwaukee had to find their water somewhere other than the faucet in their homes. That crisis is over now. A broken 20-inch water main, connected directly to the city's water plant, had broken. A state of emergency was called. The break dropped water pressure and South Milwaukee city officials were worried that E. coli bacteria or other contaminants could get into the water and make people sick. Bottled water was handed out to about 18 hundred families Friday. The break had been at 8:30 that morning. The main was repaired by 8:30 a.m. Saturday, but it took a couple of hours for the city to flush out its lines and make sure the water was safe to drink.