Top Stories, June 13th

Childs Takes Interim Post In Waupun


6/13/10 - The Waupun School District has announced an interim Superintendent. Dr. Don Childs, who served in the Interim role in the Beaver Dam School District for the past four years, will take over the helm in Waupun for the next two school years. Childs has had experience as Superintendent in the Howard-Suamico and Lake Mills school districts. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Current Superintendent Randy Refsland announced in March that he would be leaving at the end of this month to take the top position in the Clinton Community School District.


Motorcycle Trailer Disconnects On 151


6/13/10 - A vehicle lost a motorcycle trailer while traveling on Highway 151 in Dodge County yesterday afternoon. According to the Sheriff’s Department, the accident occurred near County Highway G in the Town of Beaver Dam around 1:30pm. The 4 x 6 trailer reportedly disconnected and scattered debris all over the roadway. Miller Towing used a flatbed to remove the wreckage. The owner of the vehicle is from the state of Iowa. There were no injures.


45 Months For 7th OWI


6/13/10 - A seventh OWI earned a Michigan man 45 months in prison this week. Wilhelm Von Menze of Marquette entered a “no contest” plea to the felony charge and had second felony dismissed but read into the record. A misdemeanor charge of Operating After Revocation was dismissed all together. Authorities clocked Von Menze going 77-miles-per-hour in a 65-mile-per-hour-zone on Highway 60 in early February. The 44-year-old had a blood alcohol level nearly twice the legal limit for driving at (point).13. It was the third time Von Menze had been convicted in Wisconsin for drunken driving; the other four were in Michigan. Von Menze was also sentenced to five years of extended supervision and lost his driving privileges for three years followed by three years with an ignition interlock device on his vehicle.


Barrett Speaks At Convention


6/13/10 - Tom Barrett tells members of his Democratic Party that he is a pragmatist who can work with Republicans. He says the two candidates running for the GOP nomination are ideologues who would gut state programs. Barrett is the only Democrat still running for Wisconsin governor. He was in Middleton yesterday for the annual party convention. He says business in Madison shouldn't be about an ideological war, but about what can be done to improve the lives of people who live here. Barrett says neither Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker nor former Congressman Mark Neumann have offered any specifics of how they would cut state spending.


15 Milwaukee Firefighters Injured


6/13/10 - None of the injuries are believed to be serious, but as many as 15 Milwaukee firefighters are recovering from bumps, bruises, scrapes and strained muscles suffered Friday night. The first fire was reported a little before 8 p.m., but it quickly spread to a house next door. A dozen people living in three apartments were displaced by the fire. Most of the injuries to the firefighters came when they fell off a piece of equipment. About 100 firefighters responded to the fires, along with 16 ladder trucks and five paramedic units. They had to deal with hot and sticky weather conditions.


Nobel Prize Winner Gives Address


6/13/10 - Nobel Prize winner Thomas Steitz gives the commencement address today at Lawrence University in Appleton. Steitz won the Nobel Prize in chemistry for his work on describing ribosomes, atom-by-atom. Ribosomes are the protein-making machinery within cells. The research done by Steitz and three other scientists will be used to develop new antibiotics. Steitz is a Wisconsin native who grew up in Milwaukee, graduated from Wauwatosa High School and got a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Lawrence in 1962. The schools science hall has been renamed the Thomas A. Steitz Hall of Science.


Madison Man Arrested For Assault


6/13/10 - He was apparently angry because they were speaking Arabic. That's why 27 year old Daniel Gall of Madison got some time in jail. Two men from the Wisconsin English Second Language Institute were walking home when Gall started shouting at them, telling them to speak English. The victims tried to avoid him and a possible confrontation, but he wouldn't leave them alone. They called 9-1-1 when he pulled something out of his pocket that looked like a knife. No one was injured, though Gall is accused of pushing one of the men as he tried to get inside his home.


New La Crosse Bishop Visits Diocese


6/13/10 - Until he drove into town last week, the incoming bishop of the Diocese of La Crosse had never been in the western Wisconsin city. Bishop Designate William Patrick Callahan assumes his duties in August, serving a diocese that covers 19 counties and 15 thousand square miles. Callahan says his approach is pastoral, saying he's a people person who plans to get out of the office and into the parish. He wants to restore and maintain pride in the Catholic Church.


Milwaukee Metro Home Sales Spike


6/13/10 - It's not time to declare the real state crisis over, but home sales in the four-county Milwaukee area are reported to be up 27 percent compared to May 2009. Ozaukee County is literally booming, with a 52 percent rise in home sales. Washington County was right behind at a 51 percent increase. The Greater Milwaukee Association of Realtors released the numbers last week for the four-county area -- and all four showed substantial improvement over the numbers from a year ago.


Deputy Facing OWI Charges


6/13/10 - Prosecutors will review the case against a Milwaukee County deputy and decide whether to press charges. The 34 year old deputy was arrested last week when she was involved in a car accident. Cudahy police held her on suspicion of drunken driving. The deputy was off-duty at the time. She has been suspended without pay. Cudahy police chief Thomas Poellot says no involved in the crash requested medical attention at the scene.