Top Stories, July 15th

MIS Embezzlement Suspects Make Deal

7/15/10 - The first three individuals involved in a sophisticated embezzlement scheme involving former employees of the Fond du Lac Management Information System Department have been charged. Two of them are former MIS employees Jonathan Lippert and Jason Wianecki and a vendor, Emil Devcic. The three have reached plea agreements with prison or jail time and restitution. Fond du Lac County District Attorney Dan Kaminsky says because North Fond du Lac police did a good job investigating it gave him room to negotiate terms with the suspects. Prison and jail time is contingent on their cooperation in the prosecuting of several others and judges’ approval but could total 8 years of confinement, 9.5 years of extended supervision, and 3 years of probation. $85,000 has been recovered for the City of Fond du Lac with a commitment for $160,000 through the first three agreements. It’s estimated that $200,000 to $240,000 worth of equipment was taken through the phony invoicing scheme.

BD Man Charges With Sexual Assault

7/15/10 - A 20-year-old Beaver Dam man faces charges of felony sexual assault for having an alleged relationship with a 13-year-old girl. Authorities say Kyle C. Bahr was aware of the young teen’s age when he was with her on several occasions this spring. Bahr reportedly told investigators that he thought she was 18-years-old and just had a strict mom. Bahr also told investigators that the victim never said “she was 18” but he says she told him her birthday was in 1992, which at the time still made it illegal for the two of them to be together. In addition, Bahr’s roommate knew the victim’s age and said Bahr was aware of it as well. The victim believed Bahr was a couple years younger than his actual age. He faces a maximum of 40 years in prison if convicted. Bahr is free on a signature bond and has a preliminary hearing Thursday morning.

Small Districts Get Extra Funding

7/15/10 - Several of the smaller school districts in our area will be getting extra state funding. The Department of Public Instruction has announced that 123 rural school districts will receive Sparsity Aid totaling nearly $15 million. The Randolph School District is slated to get $142,000. Cambria-Friesland will get $121,000. Neosho is in line to receive $61,000 and Hustisford is expecting $120,000. To be eligible for the aid, each district must enroll no more than 725 students, have less than 10 students per square mile of district territory, and have more than 20 percent of its students qualified for free or reduced-price school meals based on family income.

Tell-A-Tale Presents ‘High School Musical’

7/15/10 - It’s opening night for the kids at the Beaver Dam Area Community Theater. The Tell-A-Tale production of High School Musical Jr. features 75 young thespians from across the region. Harm Venhuizen plays the lead, Troy Bolton. The fifth-grader says he loves everything about the show except for the part about playing somebody’s boyfriend. Izzy Aamodt, who plays his girlfriend Gabriella, is about two years older and two feet taller that her co-star. The production features all the hit songs of the popular Disney-channel movie, with one addition and one subtraction. Tickets are $5 at Rechek’s Food Pride or at the door. High School Musical Jr. is on the stage of the Beaver Dam Community Theater through Sunday.

Vets To Have Online Option

7/15/10 - The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is planning a new online system to streamline the process for veterans filing disability claims. However, state and county veterans reps don't recommend it. The online filing program will become available this fall, and Vietnam veterans suffering from hairy-cell leukemia, Parkinson’s or ischemic heart disease will be the first to use it. The federal VA estimates as many as 100,000 veterans could benefit. Bill Kloster applauds the VA’s efforts. He’s the claims bureau director with the state Department of Veterans Affairs. Yet, Kloster says vets filling out applications online may find the process longer than that of working with a trained veterans service officer. A process which Kloster says already takes around 180 days. The federal VA says the goal of the new online system is to reduce backlog and process claims in 125 days or less.

PSTD Guidelines Forthcoming

7/15/10 - The dangers of war can often leave many veterans with lingering anxiety, which can often manifest in the form of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The condition can make it difficult for them to hold down a job or adjust to civilian life. New federal guidelines are expected to make it easier for those suffering from PTSD to access treatment and benefits, according to the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs. The change means vets will no longer need to document the specific incident that may have triggered their PTSD. Instead, Department spokesperson Sara Stinski says they’ll just need to be able to show they were in or near combat conditions where they would have been exposed to situations that would have made them fear for their lives. Stinski says the change will help prevent claims from being denied or delayed, and could also increase the chances that some veterans will try to seek treatment for PTSD. Safeguards are being put in place to help avoid fraudulent claims.

Bankers Assoc on Reform

7/15/10 - Rose Oswald Poels with the Wisconsin Bankers Association says community banks have “huge concerns” over the costs of compliance in new banking reform legislation. Oswald Poels sees higher costs and few benefits. She says the new regulations are going to impact the bottom lines of small to medium sized banks – and there will be impacts on their customers as well. The U.S. Senate is expected to take action on the biggest rewrite of banking laws since the Great Depression sometime in the next two weeks. The WBA recently surveyed its member banks, and survey respondents overwhelmingly said it will increase compliance costs, limit revenue opportunities and may force them to charge for services that are currently free.

Stimulus Dollars Fund Temp Jobs

7/15/10 - A 34 million dollar program, financed by federal Recovery Act money, will provide thousands of temporary jobs to low-income Wisconsin residents over the next two years. Reggie Bicha, secretary of the state Department of Children and Families, says four thousand people will be benefiting from the Transitional Jobs Demonstration Program. Bicha stresses that these are “real jobs, with real paychecks.” Participants must be between the ages of 18 and 24, or noncustodial parents between the ages of 21 and 64, unemployed for at least four weeks, and ineligible for unemployment insurance benefits and W-2.