Top Stories March 23rd

Groundwork Laid For New BDPD \

3/23/10 - The Beaver Dam Operations Committee got to work last night on planning for the new police station. The committee first approved bid advertising for the demolition of the former YMCA property on Park Avenue, the site of the planned $5.1 million facility. The committee also moved forward with seeking Requests for Proposals for a project manager along with engineering and architectural services. Director of Facilities David Stoiser says they hope to receive the RFP's back by the middle of next month with hopes of awarding a contract by May 3. Construction would start as early as the fall, with the shell built before winter and occupancy by November of 2011. Both Mayor Tom Kennedy and Committee Chair Laine Meyer called the timeline "aggressive" but were optimistic the goals could be reached.

WI AG: Won't Be Joining Health Care Lawsuits

3/23/10 - Wisconsin won't be joining other states in suing the national government over the health care reform package. But it's not because no one wants to do it. The two main Republican candidates for governor asked Attorney General J-B Van Hollen to sue Washington but Van Hollen said he'd need approval from the governor or at least one house of the Legislature to file a lawsuit - something Jim Doyle and his fellow Democrats said they'd never allow. Scott Walker and Mark Neumann also said they'd push for a state bill or a constitutional amendment to stop what Neumann called "new taxes, new fees, and explosive growth in the national debt." Walker promised it would be a defining issue in the governor's race. But a spokesman for Democratic candidate Tom Barrett says the state should look ahead, and make sure the law is implemented fairly in Wisconsin. One of the big legal questions is whether the government can make people buy insurance and penalize those who don't. U-W Madison professor Howard Schweber believes the mandate and most other parts of the package would be found constitutional.

Downtown Beaver Dam Inc To Selected Board

3/23/10 - An organization dedicated to revitalizing the downtown Beaver Dam business district will select a Board of Directors this week. Michael Firchow says Downtown Beaver Dam Inc. has applied for status as a non-profit organization so that the group can be more flexible in what it can offer the community and what it can do for the downtown. To accomplish their vision of the downtown, the group is hoping the city will create a Landmark Commission, a body that would have the final say in the aesthetic future of the business district. The Commission would establish criteria for lighting, signage, façade improvements and the river walk. Firchow says they are looking to preserve the historic, early Twentieth Century architecture of the downtown. Plans are also being discussed to drape exposed downtown wall space with murals designed by Frank Mittelstadt or vintage advertisements from Beaver Dam's past, like Monarch Range and Weyco Shoes. The Annual Meeting will be held Friday morning.

Oconomowoc Man Charged With Withholding Withholdings

3/23/10 - The president of a failed Watertown company faces felony Theft charges for allegedly not paying the state and federal government money that was withheld from his employee's paychecks. David W. Duerson of Oconomowoc was the majority shareholder of Sustainable Groundwater Services LLC. The 54-year-old could spend over ten years in prison for failing to pay the IRS and Wisconsin Department of Revenue nearly $44,000 in withholdings. The money accumulated over a six-month period beginning in September of 2008 until the business closed its doors the following February. Duerson told investigators that, while he has a business degree, he never thought about paying and he just didn't know the procedure. A signature bond was set at $1000 and a preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 6.

Firefighter Charged with Identity Theft

3/23/10 - An Ashipun firefighter is facing charges after he allegedly used a fire department credit card to charge more than $1,000 for beer, cigarettes, and gas. 35-year-old Adam Riddle of Oconomowoc has been charged with two counts of identity theft. According to the criminal complaint, officials with the fire department were monitoring the use of the card and began seeing irregularities last September. Police say they were able to identify Riddle from surveillance video at one of the businesses where the card was used. Riddle later told investigators he started using the card after losing his job. If convicted, Riddle could see up to 12-years in prison and fines of up to $20,000. He's due in court for his preliminary hearing in May.

Oshkosh Corp Teams With General Dynamics

3/23/10 - The Oshkosh Corporation is almost synonymous with U-S military trucks. Now, the firm is working General Dynamics to try-and-get similar business in Canada. The two firms are working with a Canadian division of General Dynamics to seek contracts to make armored patrol units and other military trucks. And Oshkosh would be the major contractor. Oshkosh says it has worked with General Dynamics in the past on contracts for Canadian military vehicles. It's now making suspension systems for Mine Resistant-Ambush Protected trucks used by Canada's troops. No one is saying yet how many vehicles could be made under the new arrangement

Person Killed by Train in Milwaukee

 

3/23/10 - Amtrak train service from Milwaukee-to-Chicago was interrupted yesterday, after a person was struck-and-killed by a train while on a trestle. It happened right after the northbound Hiawatha passenger train left a station at Milwaukee's Mitchell International Airport. Nobody on the train was hurt. Amtrak chartered buses to help deal with the delays. Authorities were investigating the mishap. The victim's name was not immediately released.