Top Stories, June 6th

Juneau Man Cited For OWI Following Crash

6/6/10 - A Juneau man was cited for his third OWI early Sunday morning after crashing his vehicle in the Town of Hustisford. According to the Dodge County Sheriffs Department, 42-year-old Christopher Kotewa rolled the vehicle on County E and walked to a nearby residence to report the accident. Kotewa told authorities that he pulled a 43-year-old woman from the vehicle but they were reportedly unable to locate her at the crash scene. Evidence led deputies to allege that Kotewa was the only person in the vehicle at the time of the accident and he was cited for Operating While Intoxicated. Kotewa was transported to the Watertown Hospital for treatment of injures.

Brummond Pleads Out

6/6/10 - A Mayville man has entered plea on charges that he inappropriately touched an 8-year-old girl. Kenneth W. Brummond was in court Friday for a motion hearing, but instead pleaded “no contest” to a felony count of First Degree Child Sexual Assault for the incident last August. According to the criminal complaint, the 82-year-old admitted the offense and told authorities he wasn’t sure why he did it. A pre-sentencing investigation was ordered and a sentencing hearing is set for August 20.

Packer Arrested On Rape Charges

6/6/10 - A member of the Green Bay Packers is being investigated in connection with an alleged sexual assault at a Lake Delton resort cabin early Saturday. the player isn't being named and he has been released. Two women say they were assaulted. The player apparently maintains the sex was consensual. Charges will be considered by the district attorney tomorrow or Tuesday. Authorities were called to a Lake Delton condominium a little after 4 a.m. Seven Packer players were staying in a nearby cabin. The two women from Milwaukee had met the players a few hours earlier.

Bears Infiltrate Southern Wisconsin

6/6/10 - There have been so many sightings recently, the DNR reports it means bears are living in southern Wisconsin. Some witnesses have reported seeing sows with their cubs. That is significant because a sow won't travel more than 25 miles with her cubs. Those sightings are up significantly this season. Nearly every county in south-central Wisconsin has had at least one reported, including neighboring Washington County. The experts say the bear population may top a dozen in the region. Several areas would provide the bears the dense cover and area for a den they are seeking. Ideal locations would be the heavily-wooded Baraboo Hills and the broad floodplain along the lower Wisconsin riverway.

Madison Health Dept To Study Fireworks Residue

6/6/10 - It takes a specific chemical to make the brilliant colors seen each year in Madison's Rhythm and Booms celebration. Perchlorate can leave a residue behind. The city has asked its health department to recommend whether testing should be done on soil, vegetation and water after the July 3rd event at Warner Park. City officials say this is more an case of curiosity than concern. An industry spokesperson calls the situation more hype, than factual, saying amounts of perchlorate used are very small and the worries are overblown. Perchlorate occurs in nature, according to the American Pyrotechnics Association. A similar study was done a few years ago in Madison, but that testing didn't include perchlorate.

Tea Party Considers Endorsements

6/6/10 - Tea party leaders from more than 70 Wisconsin groups will meet next Saturday to make a big decision. Will they endorse political candidates? If so, which candidates? Tea party members are growing increasingly frustrated with candidates trying to associate their campaigns with the independent call for a rejection of Obama-care, support for smaller government, less spending and lower taxes. The coalition of tea party groups says it fears the movement's integrity could be compromised if politicians claim they are supported by the tea party -- when that isn't necessarily true. They repeat that they are not a Republican movement, even though many of the tea party goals are a part of the Republican party platform.

Construction Provides Challenges For New UW Students

6/6/10 - Construction projects could impact the first summer SOAR session at the University of Wisconsin. SOAR stands for Student Orientation, Advising and Registration. Basically, it’s the students’ introduction to their academic experience. Wren Singer is director of the Center for the First-Year Experience. She says extensive road and building construction on campus is presenting a few logistical challenges. She says it is complicated, but it provides a realistic orientation to what they should expect. Singer says the construction won’t matter because families and students are focused on academics, not aesthetics. More than 7,000 new and transferring students and their parents plan to visit UW-Madison during continuous two-day sessions that run through August 4th.

Comprehensive Cancer Plan Takes Shape

6/6/10 - State Department of Health Services Secretary Karen Timberlake said the five-year Wisconsin Comprehensive Cancer Control plan is designed to provide a framework for further prevention and treatment of the disease. That plan addresses cancer disparities that exist among ethnic groups, rural and urban dwellers, and those who have high school diplomas compared to those who don’t. The Wisconsin Cancer Council has been working on the comprehensive plan for the past year. The council is a long standing coalition of the UW and the state’s public health division.

Sports Shrink: ‘Teach Children Resilience’

6/6/10 - Don’t let your young athlete take summer sports failures in the wrong way. A sports psychiatrist says if kids get bummed from making a bad play or losing a game it’s important not to sweep the situation under the rug. Dr. Claudia Reardon of the UW School of Medicine and Public Health says it’s important to acknowledge the child’s feeling about what happened. It’s also an opportunity to have a conversation about resilience. Reardon also suggests citing the child’s favorite athletes who show determination in the face of failure.

FFA Convention Begins June 15

6/6/10 - Thousands of young Wisconsin residents planning on a career in agriculture will attend an FFA convention later this month. But while there’s great interest in agriculture-related careers, there’s not so much when it comes to old fashioned farming. More than 3,000 people are expected at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison. State FFA director Cheryl Zimmerman says members involved in the organization are interested in a wide variety of careers, such as agri-science and horticulture. Zimmerman says there’s still interest in production agriculture, but uncertainty over the industry's future keeps some away. For example, dairy market prices dropped to near record lows during 2008 and 2009. She is concerned about the drop in the number of people in production agriculture, and asks if those people aren’t replaced, “where will people get their food from?” But Zimmerman says production agriculture will likely live on. She says some FFA members enjoy that sort of life because it’s what they’ve known growing up, and they can be their own boss. The FFA convention runs June 15-17 in Madison.

Fish Kill Anticipated In Northern Wisconsin

6/6/10 - Warmer weather could lead to fish kills in northwestern Wisconsin in the coming weeks. Department of Natural Resources biologists say the Columnaris bacteria becomes active and starts impacting the fish population when water temperatures top 65 to 70 degrees. That bacteria doesn't hurt human beings, but it can kill fish. It erodes their skin, causes bodily fluids to leak and results in death pretty quickly. Bluegill, bullheads, crappies and yellow perch are affected the most. State wildlife officials warn of the potential for fish kills in Polk, Barron, Washburn and Burnett counties. Though we could see a lot of dead fish, the overall fish population won't be affected dramatically.