Top Stories, May 19th

Flood Recovery Continues for Area Cities, Towns, Villages


5/19/10 - Fox Lake has been given 1.75-million-dollars in grant money to upgrade their wastewater treatment system. The money is part of 62-million-dollars Governor Doyle will allocate to cities still hurting from the 2008 floods. 1.5-million of Fox Lake’s money will cover the entire cost of a court mandated equalization basin. City leaders say they will still have to borrow 1.2-million for other sewer related projects. Other local places getting grant money include: $350,000 in Beaver Dam for the Cooper Street culvert replacement, $58,000 in Hustisford for dam and embankment repairs, and about $330,000 in Iron Ridge for sewer projects. And Fall River will get 1.2-million-dollars to relocate their main lift station as part of the regionalization process with the city of Columbus. Their partnership became official last night when their two governing bodies approved the Inter-Governmental Agreement contracts. That will lead to a multi-million dollar upgrade of sewer capabilities in and between the two communities. The regionalization of the two systems means Fall River will witch over from a lagoon system of wastewater treatment to the use of the Columbus treatment plant.


Car In Fatal Hit and Run Detailed

5/19/10 - The Columbia County Sheriffs Department has come up with a very specific description of the car they believe was involved in last weeks fatal hit and run of a pedristian near Portage. Sheriff Dennis Richards says they are looking for a 2001 or 2002 Saturn SL four-door. The color is described as metallic bronze but it could easily be mistaken for gold, dark tan, medium brown or pewter. There were parts of the car left at the scene of the accident, which occurred on Highway 16 around 9:45pm Thursday. The driver left the scene heading eastbound toward Portage. While the vehicle was apparently drivable, it was leaking a considerable amount of fluid. Richards says the car they are looking for have been the second car to strike the victim and he speculates that perhaps the driver was not aware that he struck a pedestrian. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Columbia County Sheriffs Department or the anonymous Crime Stoppers. Richards says an auto mechanic in the area may just hold the key to solving this case. 47-year-old Shari Sampson of Portage was killed in the accident. (608-742-4166).

Prescription Drop-Off Dates Announced

5/19/10 - The Dodge County area will see several prescription drug collections in coming months. The first collection is coming up Saturday June 5. It’s sponsored by the Beaver Dam Community Hospital and will be located near their Emergency Room. The Kiwanis Club has three more planned in July in Horicon, Fox Lake and Beaver Dam. There will also be a collection site in Beaver Dam this September as part of the Clean Sweep program. Prescription drugs should be kept out of the water supply and landfills. Authorities say the availability of prescription medications can be a stepping stone for youth into harder drugs. They also say it’s one of the most common items stolen in residential burglaries.

BDPD April Crime Stats

5/19/10 - The Beaver Dam Police Department has released crime statistics for the month of April. According to the activity report, there was one robbery last month and four burglaries; one involved forced entry. The robbery and two of the burglaries were residential. There were 34 general thefts reported and one stolen vehicle. All of that resulted in a total of $45,998 in stolen property, of which $1092 was recovered. Beaver Dam police officers issued 15 tickets for Operating While Intoxicated, and issued four citations for liquor law violations. There were ten citations for Disorderly Conduct along with five domestic incidents, two child abuse offenses and seven sex offenses reported. There were 95 adults arrested in April along with 29 minors. There were 37 traffic accidents in the city last month resulting in four injuries.

Baldwin Applauds Columbus Green Jobs Efforts

5/19/10 - The City of Columbus received a pat on the back when Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin spoke at the Business Awards Luncheon earlier this week. Baldwin said the City’s efforts to combine economic development and energy sustainability are connected to new job creation. Representative Baldwin pointed to the City’s use of Electric vehicles and the planned conversion to LED Street Lights as leading edge examples of “going green.” The City of Columbus has been working with the Water and Light Commission in searching for ways to reduce energy costs and consumption.

Parkhurst on Community Comment Today

5/19/10 - On Community Comment Wednesday afternoon we welcome Cassie Parkhurst of the Tanzanian Education Project. The Beaver Dam-native was responsible for sending a library full of books and educational supplies to the east African country last month. She started the task after returning from a 4-month volunteer opportunity in the impoverished nation. Parkhurst is gearing up for a return trip to Tanzania in just a few days but she is making time for us at 12:35pm today on WBEV 1430AM.

Wisconsin Spends $853M On Out-of-State Coal

5/19/10 - Just over two-thirds of Wisconsin’s electricity was produced by out-of-state coal in 2008. That’s the fifth-highest percentage in the nation, according to a report released Tuesday by the Union of Concerned Scientists. Barbara Freese, the group’s senior policy analyst, said Wisconsin spent 853-million-dollars on out-of-state coal in 2008 – and about 700-million of it came from Wyoming. The report said most states which rely heavily on coal spend the least amount of money on energy efficiency – but Wisconsin is the exception. The scientists’ group said utility customers in the Badger State spent over 14-dollars a person on energy-efficiency programs in 2007. And it reduced the demand for power by two-thirds of a percentage point that year. But the group points out that it’s still only one-tenth of what state firms spend to bring in out-of-state coal.

Farmers On Schedule

5/19/109 - Wisconsin farmers continue to get their crops in the ground earlier than normal, despite more precipitation and cooler temperatures last week. Officials say 78-percent of the state’s corn has been planted, and almost a-third has emerged. Thirty-one percent of Wisconsin soybeans have been planted, up 11-percent from a year ago and around the five-year average. Both remain ahead of last year, as well as the average for the past five years. The oat crop is 89-percent emerged, up 14-percent from last year and 24 points better than the norm. Spring tillage was held up by wet fields, but farmers still made progress. Eighty-eight percent of the work is finished, 11 percent more than last year. Most places have adequate moisture, but 41-percent of fields in northeast Wisconsin are short or very short.

Wisconsin Business Climate Improves Slightly

5/19/10 - Wisconsin’s business climate is a little better than a year ago – but that’s not saying much, according to over 650 C-E-O’s throughout the country. A survey by Chief Executive Magazine says Wisconsin has the 42nd best business climate among the 50 states and Washington D-C. That’s up slightly from 43rd the year before. The magazine asked the C-E-O’s to use their personal experience to rate the states according to their taxes, regulations, the quality of the workforce, and the overall living environment. The C-E-O’s said Texas had the nation’s best business climate – and California has the worst.

Appeals Ct: ‘Compost Not Deer Bait’

5/19/10 - A state appeals court says a D-N-R warden was wrong to ticket a farmer from Hayward who was hunting deer over a pile of compost on his own property. Gary Blinkwolt was cited for illegal deer baiting, after he bow-hunted from a tree-stand over piles that included squash, corn, and broken pumpkins. Blinkwolt said he was creating compost with those items – and he could not till the property because his tractor was broken. A circuit judge in Sawyer County found Blinkwolt innocent, saying the compost was a reasonable practice in agriculture. And the Third District Appellate Court in Wausau agreed. It said the D-N-R encourages composting – and a reasonable person would have found that Blinkwolt was legitimate with his piles.