Top Stories February 8th

Fire Causes Extensive Damage to Home in BD

2/8/10 - A mid-morning fire caused extensive damage to a one-story home on Lake Street in Beaver Dam Sunday. The Beaver Dam Fire Department says they received a call from a neighbor reporting smoke and some fire coming from the home at 508 Lake Street around 9:35 a.m. Once on scene firefighters were able to get the blaze under control within 15 to 20 minutes. The home had extensive damage to the kitchen area and moderate damage to a bedroom and front room. The owner, William Michel, was not home at the time, but one of his two dogs perished in the fire. Officials say the cause and origin of the fire is still under investigation by the fire department and the Beaver Dam Police Department. (Picture Courtesy of the Beaver Dam Fire Department)

Winter Storm Bearing Down on WI

2/8/10 - A winter storm warning has been issued for 14 eastern Wisconsin counties including Dodge, Fond du Lac, Washington and Jefferson. That warning goes into effect at midnight tonight and does not expire until 6am Wednesday. The national weather service says the storm will bring with it heavy snow with blowing and drifting. They say steady snow will begin to movie into the southeastern part of the state tonight. By the time everything is done accumulations are expected to range from 7 to 14 inches with the heaviest amounts seen in the counties closest to Lake Michigan. Wind will also be a problem as wind gusts of up to 30-miles-per-hour are expected tomorrow, which could lead to hazardous driving conditions.

BD Police Continue Game Stop Robbery Investigation

2/8/10 - The Beaver Dam Police Department says it will release video surveillance footage this week from the armed robbery at the Game Stop, in hopes the images will spur new tips. Lt. John Kreuzinger told us on WBEV's Community Comment last Friday that they have two possible suspects and a good description of the vehicle. An eyewitness account and video surveillance footage shows a mid-sized tan, four-door luxury vehicle with a colorful license plate and an emblem on the hood. The robbery occurred at 7:22pm on Wednesday, January 20 at the Francis Point Shopping Center. It was one of seven armed robberies at Game Stops in the state and Kreuzinger says investigators are working to see if they are connected. The armed robbery is not believed to be connected to a similar robbery that occurred two hours later at a Lomira gas station, even though there hadn't been an armed robbery in Dodge County since May of 2008. Anyone who may have seen anything is asked to Detective Corey Johnson, his direct line is 356-2560. The surveillance images will be posted this week on the department website, which can be found at http://www.cityofbeaverdam.com/.

Investigation into death of Wild Rose Man Continues

2/8/10 - Authorities are still investigating the death of a Wild Rose man, after his truck fell through the ice on the Fox River in Berlin. Rescuers found 45-year-old Kenneth Nigbor inside the truck, after it fell about 10-to-15 feet from the shore on Saturday. He was taken to a Berlin hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Asian Carp Summit Today in Washington DC

2/8/10 - The Asian carp summit will be held today at the White House. Wisconsin's Jim Doyle and other Midwest governors will meet with a host of federal officials. Their goal is to keep the bloated carp out of the Great Lakes. A typical Asian carp can eat 40-percent of its weight each day in native plants-and-fish. The American Sport-fishing Association calls it a major threat to its seven-billion-a-year industry. But some experts like U-W Stevens Point professor Mike Hansen say the carp is not made to dominate the deepest, coldest parts of the Great Lakes. Still, he says they could cause problems in some areas.

Scheduling Changes Coming to Waupun Schools

2/8/10 - Waupun High School students and their parents will notice a number of changes that will affect scheduling beginning next year. Administrators say the biggest change will be to graduation requirements for students. Beginning with this fall’s freshmen class, students will be required to pass three credits each of math and science instead of two. In addition they’ll need to pass a senior level service-based social studies class. A second change, that is budget related, will change how the district will offer new classes. Administrators will conduct a survey of classes students would like offered. From that they will develop a master list of the needs and wants of the students. Once that’s completed, sometime in late March or early April, students will be asked to sign up for the classes they’ll take next year. The plan is for the classes to be scheduled, teachers hired, and students registered before June 1st.

Deer Donations to the Needy Down from ‘08

2/8/10 - State officials say Wisconsin hunters donated almost 4,000 deer last year to help feed the needy. That's down substantially from the 6,300 donated in 2008. But the state Department of Natural Resources says the decline was expected because the 2009 harvest was down. Last year's donations translated to about 176,000 pounds of ground venison. The meat was distributed to Wisconsin food pantries. DNR spokeswoman Laurie Fike says even with fewer donations, food-pantry volunteers were especially grateful last year. She says they told her that with so many residents laid off "there was more need than ever." Deer donations were highest in Dane County with 483 deer, followed by Buffalo County with 258 and Columbia County with 200.

Thompson to Speak in Madison

2/8/10 - Former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson is slated to give the keynote speech at a conference in Madison on Thursday. The speech comes as Thompson continues to be mentioned as a possible candidate for the U.S. Senate race against Democratic incumbent Russ Feingold. Two Republicans, Terrence Wall and Dave Westlake, are already in the race. Thompson has not said whether he intends to get in the race. He's speaking at a conference hosted by the Wisconsin Forward Award, an organization that promotes excellence in organizational management.

Citizen's Academy in BD Starts Soon

2/8/10 - The Beaver Dam Police Department will be holding their Seventh Annual Citizens Police Academy beginning in March. Officer Bill Linzenmeyer says the 10-week course covers a number of topics including firearms training, defensive tactics and cadets even participate in a ride-along. The academy is free of charge, but applicants must be 18 years of age and either reside in or own property in Beaver Dam. The programs begin March 10th and continue on consecutive Wednesday's through May 12. Applications can be picked up at the police department and are due March 1. Contact Bill Linzenmeyer at 382-6529 or 887-4614 or email blinzenmeyer@bdpd.org.

Powerball Finds a Winner, Mega-Millions Does Not

2/8/10 - A ticket sold in North Carolina won the 141-million-dollar Powerball jackpot over the weekend. It was the year's first jackpot of over 100-million. Wisconsin players did not do well on Saturday. The jackpot goes back to 20-million dollars on Wednesday night.

Meanwhile, nobody won the jackpot in Friday's Mega-Millions drawing. The Mega-Millions' jackpot goes up to 32-million for the next drawing tomorrow night.