Top Stories, March 30th

BD Native Collects 30K Books For Tanzania

3/30/10 - Over 30,000 books are en route from Beaver Dam, Wisconsin to Tanzania. Beaver Dam-native Cassie Parkhurst started the project after returning from a volunteer opportunity in the east African country last year. Parkhurst says the shipping container weighs over 15,000 lbs and is large enough to fit a four-door vehicle. Parkhurst says it will be exciting to watch it all come together when she arrived in Africa in late Mat to help with the construction of several libraries and classrooms in the impoverished country. She says she couldn’t have done it alone and thanked the community, local residents and organizations that helped make her vision a reality. She says they are still about $500 short and they are hoping to recoup those costs with a rubber duck race fundraiser this May. Tickets can be purchased from any Noon Kiwanis’s member and they will also be sold this Saturday at Rechek’s Food Pride.

Public Hearing Draws Comments, Requests

3/30/10 - Two people spoke last night during a public hearing for street assessments on a pair of Beaver Dam road improvement projects. Engineering Coordinator Ritchie Piltz says the average assessment for this project is roughly $3400. A Warren Street residents had questions about access and dust control measures. Piltz says there is a dust control measure written in all city project contracts that has a monetary penalty after the first offense. The other speaker represented a church on Stone Street seeking an exemption from the new sidewalk requirement. If a sidewalk was needed, the church is asking that they perform the sidewalk work themselves. Committee Chair Laine Meyer says while it is unlikely that the church will be granted an exemption for the new sidewalk, his committee will discuss the possibility of allowing them to complete the work themselves. With one abstention, the committee gave authorization to proceed with bid advertisement for the street improvement projects.

Committee Approves Community Garden

3/30/10 - The Beaver Dam Operations Committee approved plans by a local organization to build a community garden. The garden will be located on the south side of town, south of Judson Drive and west of Marsh Trail. Approval is contingent with the group securing liability insurance. The contract with the Leadership Beaver Dam group passed on a 4 to 3 vote. Also last night, plans to resurface the parking lot at Smythe Park at a cost of $16,000 died for lack of a motion.

BD Man Accused of $16K Embezzlement

3/30/10 - A Beaver Dam man is accused of embezzling over $16,000 from a non-profit conservation organization. Leonard V. Lauth is charged with a felony count of Theft In A Business Setting for allegedly taking the money from the Wings of Wisconsin, Beaver Dam Chapter over a period of several years. The 56-year-old acted as treasurer for the chapter since 1994, but the organization conducted an audit last fall after hearing that Lauth may have been taking money from two other Beaver Dam non-profits where he also served as treasurer. According to the criminal complaint, Lauth admitted to investigators that he (quote) “may have robbed Peter to pay Paul” over the years and said that he has been living month to month and needed the money for medications and other living expenses. Lauth had a signature bond set at $5000 and will be back in court next week. He faces up to ten years in prison if convicted.

Hustisford Man Charged With Rape

3/30/10 - A Hustisford man has been charged with raping a teenage girl. 26-year-old Jason Fenner is charged with Second Degree Sexual Assault of a Child related to the assault last October. The parents of the high-school age victim got authorities involved after the girl became depressed and they read in a notebook that she had been raped by a 26-year-old. The felony charge carries a maximum prison sentence of up to 40 years in prison upon conviction. Fenner had a signature bond set at $1000 yesterday and a preliminary hearing is set for May 13.

Waupun Mayoral Candidates On Community Comment

3/30/10 - On Community Comment this afternoon we welcome the candidates in the Waupun mayoral race. Incumbent Mayor Jodi Steger and challenger Jay Graf will be live in the studio with us to discuss the issues in advance of next Tuesday’s election. Community Comment airs weekdays on WBEV 1430AM following our noon news block.