Top Stories, May 27th

Hustisford Woman Charged With Reckless Homicide

5/27/10 - A Hustisford woman was been charged with Reckless Homicide in connection with the death of a two-year-old boy she was babysitting in 2007. According to the criminal complaint, Renee S. Kuehl was being investigated about injuries to a 2-year-old girl in November of 2009 when the previous incident was called into question. The 2-year-old boy died in November of 2007 as a result of blunt force trauma to the head. Dodge County Medical Examiner P.J. Schoebel listed the cause of death as “accidental.” Kuehl says the child died from a fall down the stairs but a neurological expert called it “extensive, severe, inflicted trauma.” Dr. P. Douglas Kelley reviewed the medical records, photos and the autopsy report and concluded that “the injuries found…are non-accidental in nature and would be appropriate to certify…as a homicide.” The 47-year-old also faces felony child abuse charges for allegedly injuring the two-year-old girl, whom she was spinning around and fell on the concrete. Kuehl faces a maximum of 70 years in prison upon conviction.

Oconomowoc Woman Continues Search For Daughter

5/27/10 - Milwaukee Police say fragments found in an underground fallout shelter are not human remains. But the medical examiner’s office says an anthropologist will make the final decision, after getting a good look at the items. The mother of 23-year-old Becky Marzo claims that her daughter’s late ex-boyfriend Carl Rodgers killed her, and buried her in the fallout shelter outside the Milwaukee home where both used to live. The mother, Karren Kraemer of Oconomowoc, had an excavation firm dig up the shelter yesterday – and apparent fragments of bone, hair, and teeth were found. But Milwaukee Police spokeswoman Anne Schwartz said her department analyzed the items, and they were not consistent with human remains. Marzo was last seen in 2003, and Rodgers killed himself four years later – denying to the end that he killed his ex-girlfriend. But Marzo’s mother remains convinced that Rodgers did it – and she’s been trying to find the proof ever since.

Appeals Court Rules On Registry Requirement

5/27/10 - A state appeals court changed the rules Wednesday for exempting young adults from registering as convicted sex offenders, if they’re caught having consensual sex with minors. The law says offenders do not have to register if they’re less than four years older than their victims. But the Second District Appeals Court in Waukesha said the four-year calculation should be based on the actual birthdays of the two parties – and not their calendar year ages. It means that Matthew Parmley of Sheboygan must register with the state as a sex offender – because he was four years and four months older than the girl he was convicted of having sex with in 2004. Parmley had asked that be exempt from registering – and while a circuit judge agreed with him, the appellate court did not. Appeals Judge Daniel Anderson said the old formula allowed for a nearly five-year age difference in some cases, and that was not the intent of the law. There was no immediate word on whether Parmley would appeal to the State Supreme Court.

Unemployment Rate Drops

5/27/10 - Local unemployment rates saw a considerable decline from March to April. Dodge County dropped out of double digits and fell two full percentage points to 8.6%. Last year at this time Dodge County was at 9.2%. Columbia County also dropped two percent to 7.9%. Fond du Lac and Washington Counties are both at eight percent even after dropping 1.9%. Jefferson County saw a similar decrease and sits at 8.9%. All but one of the state’s 72 counties saw a decrease over the two-month period. Menominee County increased to by a half point to 14.6%. Dane County continues to have the lowest unemployment rate in the state at 5.4%. Workforce Development Secretary Roberta Gassman says the numbers are a positive sign of that recovery is underway but there is still work ahead. The unadjusted jobless rate dropped 1.6% to 8.2% while the nationwide rate dropped out of double digits to 9.5%.

Lowell – Reeseville Memorial Day Plans Detailed

5/27/10 - The Lowell VFW and the Reeseville American Legion will be joining forces for Memorial Day again this year. It begins at 7:45am Monday at the Reeseville Village Cemetery and after a brief ceremony, the parade will march through the business district with a flag raising at the municipal building. Parade participants will then reassemble at St. John’s Catholic Cemetery in Lowell at 8:45am for a brief service and then proceed to the Lowell Village Cemetery for the Memorial Day program, which begins at 9am. The guest speaker this year is Dodge County Veterans Service Officer Mark Grams, who was recently named the state Veterans Service Officer of the Year. Cain says entries are still be accepted the parade.

DOT Meeting on Highway 60

5/27/10 - The state DOT will be hosting a public information meeting early next month to discuss proposed improvements to the Highway 60 and County E intersection in Hustisford. The meeting, set for June 8th, will follow an “open house” format, so visitors may come and go at their convenience. A variety of exhibits and maps will be featured and representatives with the DOT will be on hand to discuss the project and answer questions. The meeting will be held in the cafeteria/commons of the Hustisford High School. It starts at 6pm and there will be a brief presentation at 7pm.

Health Care Costs Detailed

5/27/10 - Wisconsin taxpayers will spend between 205-million and 314-million-dollars to expand health insurance coverage from 2014-through-2018. That’s according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, which issued a state-by-state cost estimate of the federal reform package approved earlier this year. The federal government will pick up most of the coverage, but Kaiser says Wisconsinites will pay about six-percent of the tab. The figures are said to be estimates – and they do not reflect some of the savings the state expects from health reform. The Kaiser Foundation estimated the cost of insuring childless adults, as well as families that make less than 133-percent of the federal poverty figure. The report said an extra 205-thousand to 287-thousand Wisconsinites would get health coverage under Medicaid by 2019. That includes people who are eligible for Medicaid but are not signed up for one reason or another – and those losing insurance by private employers.