Top Stories March 4th

Fire Destroys Historic Bowling Alley in FDL

3/4/10 - Authorities in Fond du Lac are trying to determine what caused a fire that destroyed a landmark bowling center. The blaze was reported about four yesterday morning at the Last Stop Bar-and-Lanes. No one was hurt. The business dates back to 1917 – and it was known as West Side Lanes for over 85 years.

Motion Denied, Davis Set for Trial Next Month

3/4/10 - A former Fox Lake Correctional Institution inmate, who allegedly attacked two guards with a claw-hammer in November 2008, is set to go to trial next month. 50-year-old Terrance Davis pleaded “not guilty by mental defect” last June to charges of 1st degree intentional homicide. The court appointed doctor deemed Davis fit for trial and yesterday Judge Andrew Bissonette denied a motion by Davis’ attorney to allow for another mental evaluation. Davis allegedly assaulted the guards in the prison’s furniture-making shop. A 52-year-old officer sustained head injuries and a broken arm and a 38-year-old guard required surgery for a fractured skull. Davis has been in prison since he killed two Milwaukee police officers 24 years ago when the officers walked into a drug deal. Davis faces up to 80-years in prison if found guilty.

Fox Lake Gets Their Meeting with the DOJ

3/4/10 - A meeting between the members of a Fox Lake citizen’s committee and Department of Justice officials will take place later this month. The city is under a court order to build an equalization basin in an effort to avoid bypassing the wastewater treatment plant during times of heavy water flow. However, the city council, pressured by citizens, voted last month against accepting a bid to do the project citing cost concerns. They also felt building the basin would not solve the problem. In its place the committee put together an alternative plan that would consist of, among other things, having private citizens replace their sewer laterals. City attorney Bruce Elbert says the meeting with the DOJ, which is set for March 17th, will allow the committee to present that plan.

BD Lake Improvement Association President Speaks Out on Rumors

3/4/10 - Beaver Dam Lake Improvement Association President Bob Roell says there is always fish kill on the lake but he’s seen nothing to suggest it will be worse this year. Rumors have been swirling in recent weeks about a large fish kill because of low oxygen levels but Roell says the levels are just slightly below last years. He says they decided not to run the aerators on the lake this year because of the way the oxygen levels looked early in the winter. Meanwhile, he says rumors that the meter he was using was malfunctioning were incorrect. They borrowed the meter from Fox Lake after a missing piece on their tester left them unable to calibrate it in their last readings at the end of February. Finally, Roell says what people fail to realize sometimes is the size of the lake and that the association has to be selective in its management processes because of high costs.

Study: $1.2B Needed for State Prisons in the Next 10-Years

3/4/10 - A recent study says deteriorating conditions at a number of aging state prisons, including Dodge and Fox Lake, pose substantial safety, security, operational and maintenance problems. The study, which was conducted by Mead and Hunt, also states the policy of double-bunking to relieve overcrowding at Waupun needs to be abandoned. There are currently 22,600 inmates housed in state prisons, which means they are at 125-percent capacity. In its recommendations to fix the issues, the study says Wisconsin needs to spend $1.2-billion over the next 10-years. Department of Corrections officials say they used the study when putting together their budget for 2011-2013.

Obama Pushes for Health Care Bill

3/4/10 - President Obama says every argument has been made for-and-against health care reform. And he told Congress yesterday to wrap up their deliberations and take an up-or-down vote on a final bill in the next few weeks. Milwaukee House Democrat Gwen Moore supported the push by Senate Democrats for a majority vote through the reconciliation process that’s normally used to settle budget matters. Moore said most Democrats believe the American people are on their side despite polling evidence to the contrary. Janesville House Republican Paul Ryan criticized the scrapping of the 60-vote closure requirement and he called the Democrats’ move quote, “an abuse of reconciliation by orders of magnitude far beyond any purpose it’s ever served.” Democrats say it’s been used 22 times since 1980 to ram through welfare reform, two major tax cuts, and COBRA health benefits.

Film Wisconsin Hoping Tax Credits Return

3/4/10 - A group that promotes the filming of movies in Wisconsin hopes the next governor will want to give more attractive incentives to producers. Film Wisconsin says Hollywood’s interest in the Badger State has gone down since Governor Jim Doyle scaled back the tax credits which were approved in 2008. Among other things, those credits resulted in the Johnny Depp film “Public Enemies” being filmed at several spots in Wisconsin, including Beaver Dam and Columbus. But Doyle was not happy after the producers left the state with four-and-a-half million dollars in tax breaks. Doyle replaced the film credits in the current budget with a half-million-dollars of yearly grants for each production. Also, the budget cut out 200-thousand dollars for Film Wisconsin – and two full-time employees and a part-timer lost their jobs. Dave Fantle says the Film Wisconsin board still meets on a regular basis – and it’s working with legislators and the main candidates for governor to try and bring back more attractive incentives next year.

AG Announces Funding for Drug and Gang Investigations

3/4/10 - Dodge and Jefferson are two of five southern Wisconsin counties that will share just less than $77,000 to help fund their drug and gang investigations. Attorney General JB Van Hollen made the announcement yesterday saying the funds for the South East Area Drug Operations Group will come in the form of penalty assessment surcharge funds, which makes up 26-percent of the money you pay when you are issued a citation. Van Hollen says drugs and gang related crime are a problem in Wisconsin and these funds will allow the group to work together in conducting their investigations.

Decision on Rep. Wood Delayed

3/4/10 - A special panel delayed action yesterday on a request to have the Wisconsin Assembly expel Representative Jeff Wood for his three O-W-I charges. Whitewater Republican Steve Nass introduced a resolution last fall to remove the 40-year-old independent from Chippewa Falls. And committee members were upset that Nass did not show up to explain his actions. Wood testified that he was guilty of driving drunk near Portage – but he’s innocent on charges of driving under too much medication near Wausau and in Tomah. All the arrests took place in the last 15 months, and Wood’s attorney told the ethics panel it does not have the power to force his client out of office for it. The head of the committee says she won’t let the panel vote on punishing Wood until Nass shows up and undergoes cross-examination from Wood and his attorney. An aid to Nass said the lawmaker did not show up for the hearing because it had a quote, “circus-like atmosphere.”

Dalai Lama to Return to Madison

3/4/10 - The Dalai Lama will return to Madison this spring – this time to help open the U-W’s new Center for Investigating Healthy Minds. The center was created to study the development of the human mind. Its founder, U-W neuro-scientist Richard Davidson, will speak at a public forum with the Dalai Lama on May 16th as part of the center’s grand opening weekend. Davidson said the highly-regarded peace envoy encouraged him to start the center, when he challenged him in 1992 to use scientific tools to study positive qualities like kindness and compassion. The Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of Tibet. He has made six previous visits to the Madison area since 1979.

No Winner in Powerball

3/4/10 - The Powerball jackpot goes up to 139-million dollars, after nobody won the top prize last night. It was a bad evening for Wisconsin players, since nobody won any more than 400-dollars. The current jackpot has been building since February sixth, when a player in North Carolina won 141-million dollars. Saturday’s cash option is just under 68-million. Meanwhile, the jackpot for the recently added Mega-Millions game is 133-million for tomorrow night.