Top Stories, July 21st

Parkhurst Crate Arrives in Tanzania

7/21/10 - The 20-foot container of school supplies that left Beaver Dam for Africa in March has arrived at its destination. Beaver Dam-native Cassie Parkhurst is half-way into a four month trip to Tanzania, where she and two others are building three libraries. Parkhurst is founder of the Tanzanian Education Project, and is in the middle of her second trip to the impoverished east African country in the past two years. With the help of her home community of Beaver Dam, Parkhurst packed a crate the size of a Buick with books, sports equipment and school supplies. According to the groups most recent blog update, the container arrived in their village on July 10th and the group immediately got to work unloading: “African-style.” That means they had no forklift, there was a lot of shouting in English and Swahili and it took a long time. They wrote that, “it would have been a lot worse if the folks at home had not organized things ahead of time.” They concluded their entry with a “thank you” and said it was “an incredibly successful and wonderful week” and they have accomplished much. The crate was supposed to arrive several weeks ago and the group has had to pay around $500 in extra port charges because of the delays.

MEC Cuts the Ribbon On New Coating Division

7/21/10 - The ribbon has been cut on Mayville Engineering Company’s new, 300,000 square foot painting line. MEC’s Phoenix Coating Division is located in the new Beaver Dam Industrial Park. Phoenix Coaters General Manager and Vice President Bob Wiedenhaft (weed-in-heft) says they have the most state-of-the-art equipment, with high corrosion protection for customers in military, agriculture, construction, off-the-road, furniture and several other markets. Ultimately, MEC hopes to have three full shifts operating around the clock. Right now, Wiedenhaft says they have filled the positions for their current production needs, but they are taking applications for a second shift that they hope to add by the end of the year. Wiedenhaft says there is a great workforce in Beaver Dam, and its location makes it desirable for future expansion. As far as MEC’s ability to add jobs in a time when most employers are laying-off workers, Wiedenhaft says it’s no secret: you listen to the customers needs and give them a quality product, on time, at a competitive price.

Interquest Expands

7/21/10 - A Beaver Dam business is expanding into other counties. Interquest Corp will be opening a new location in Fond du Lac in September. In business for 14 years, Interquest provides computer sales and repair along with home theater design and installation and other technological services.

Tell-A-Tale Presents “Alice In Wonderland”

7/21/10 - Area Middle School students bring their version of “Alice In Wonderland” to the stage of the Beaver Dam Community Theater today. The six-show run is a joint collaboration between the Beaver Dam Middle School and the community theater’s Tell-A-Tale troupe. Director Gary Cross says it’s a contemporary version of the classic Disney cartoon, which means among other things it features a politically correct caterpillar. Cross says the kids in the program are able to learn more about theater, both on the stage and behind the scenes. The kids this year are also wired for sound, and the discreet microphones taped to the sides of their cheeks present new challenges while also providing a learning opportunity. Marq Clawson, who plays The Caterpillar, says he learned the hard way during the final dress rehearsal that you can’t talk off stage while your mic is on or the entire theater will hear your conversation. “Alice in Wonderland” is on the stage of the Beaver Dam Area Community Theater today thru Friday with show times at 2pm and 7pm. Advanced tickets are $5 and are available at Rechek’s Food Pride or at the door.

National Night Out Right Around The Corner

7/21/10 - Police Chief Dan Meister and Fire Chief Randy Kuehn have invited Columbus area residents to another annual “National Night Out.” The public is invited to meet with Columbus Police and Fire professionals at Fireman’s Park from 6:00 to 9:00 pm on Tuesday night, August 3rd. There will be activities on home and personal safety for all ages. National Night Out events will be held across the county. There is also one planned in Beaver Dam. // To find out more about National Night Out, contact Police Department Officer Mandy McFarland at the Columbus Police Department.

Authorities Revisit 20 Year Old Cold Case

7/21/10 - Fond du Lac County authorities never closed the book on a murder case and with the 20-year anniversary of that case are hoping a fresh set of eyes may bring closure to it. Eighteen-year-old Berit Beck’s van was found outside the Fond du Lac Kmart and six weeks after that her body was discovered in a ditch near Waupun. Lieutenant Cameron McGee oversees the Sheriff’s Detective Bureau. He says over the years they chased down every lead and are hoping that Berit’s killer left something behind in her van: DNA. Sheriff Mick Fink is one of two investigators remaining who originally worked on the case. He says they are hoping the state crime lab gives them the miracle they need to bring closure for the family and the investigators for whom the case became very personal. Fond du Lac police were able to close a 33-year-old murder case last year with DNA evidence playing a significant role in that resolution.

Dane Co Man Leaves Kid In Tavern Parking Lot

7/21/10 - A Dane County man faces charges after leaving his young son in a truck while he drank at rural tavern. Sheriff’s spokeswoman Elise Schaefer said it happened Saturday night at Heather’s Bar in Rockdale. “When one man was leaving the bar at about 12:30 he noticed a small child sleeping in a pickup truck outside. The truck had the keys in the ignition and the radio was playing,” said Schaefer. She said the patron removed the keys from the ignition, went back inside the bar, and located the truck’s owner, 33 year-old David Hines, who deputies later determined to be intoxicated. Schaefer said that when Hines realized the sheriff’s department had been called, he tried to take his three year-old son out of the truck and leave on foot. A couple of patrons held him until officers arrived. “They were definitely very concerned that this child could be in danger,” Schaefer said. Hines was arrested on a child neglect charge.

Court Rules on Secret GPS Tracking

7/21/10 - The State Supreme Court says it was okay for police to secretly put a G-P-S tracking device on the car of a suspected stalker. The justices ruled that Michael Sveum, formerly of Madison, was not the victim of an illegal search under the Fourth Amendment. The Supreme Court agreed with an earlier ruling from an appeals court, which said the G-P-S device provided information that could have been obtained by a visual surveillance. And therefore, police did not violate Sveum’s constitutional rights by putting the satellite tracking device on his car while it was parked at his house. Officers were looking for evidence that Sveum stalked a woman in 2003. They used the data from the G-P-S to get a warrant for his car and home, where they found the evidence that convicted Sveum. He was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in prison in early 2007 – plus five years of extended supervision. He’s serving his term in Oshkosh.

Court Ruling Adds $200 Million To State Deficit

7/21/10 - It’s too early to tell if tax increases or spending cuts will be needed, after the state budget took a 200-million-dollar hit today. The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled on a 5-to-2 vote that it was unconstitutional for the governor and Legislature to transfer the 200-million to balance the rest of the budget – after it was paid by doctors for the express purpose of paying for medical malpractice court settlements. The transfer in question occurred in 2007. And it was not immediately known what the fiscal impact would be on the current two-year state budget that runs through next June. Assembly Democrat Mark Pocan of Madison, a co-chair of the Joint Finance Committee, said it’s too early to tell if lawmakers will have to be called back before January to close what could be a big budget hole. At the moment, the current budget is projected to have a balance of 45-million-dollars – almost a quarter of what the malpractice fund will have to be paid back. A year ago, the fees paid by doctors rose by almost 10-percent. But the Legislative Audit Bureau said it was not enough to create a 109-million-dollar shortfall in the malpractice fund, once all expected malpractice settlements are taken into account. Pocan said it was fair to blame the fund transfer on the Republicans who controlled the Assembly in 2007 – even though a Democratic Senate and Democratic Governor Jim Doyle went along with it. Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson and Justice Ann Walsh Bradley voted against today’s decision.

Kohl, Feingold Support Kagan

7/21/10 - Both of Wisconsin’s U-S senators voted yesterday (Tu) to confirm Elena Kagan to the nation’s highest court. Herb Kohl and Russ Feingold joined the other Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee in recommending the solicitor general to the full Senate. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina was the only Republican who supported Kagan in 13-to-6 committee vote. Democrats have more than enough votes to confirm her, and a few more Republicans are expected to back her as well. Feingold said last week he would vote for Kagan. At the recent confirmation hearings, Kohl said he knew virtually nothing about her judicial philosophy. But yesterday, Kohl said she impressed the panel with quote, “her sharp mind, keen intellect, and comprehensive knowledge of the Constitution and the law.” Kohl said Kagan was more candid at times than previous nominees – but like others in recent years, she said only the bare minimum about substantive views to get her confirmed. And by refusing to grade past cases, Kohl said Kagan went too far to avoid pre-judging matters that might come before the Supreme Court. He said the country has a long way to go in quote, “meeting the high standard to which we should hold Supreme Court nominees.” But Kohl praised Kagan for making what he called “small inroads” in that department.

Farmer Find FoodShare Program Easier

7/21/10 - Farmers are finding it easier to apply for FoodShare—a program that helps low-income people buy food. Determining their eligibility for assistance has improved after the state made some changes to enrollment. Paul Dietmann says fewer farmers are calling to seek help in applying for FoodShare in the first half of this year. Dietmann is the director of the Wisconsin Farm Center. He says 20 to 30 calls have come in so far, which is down from around 100 during the same time-span one year ago. He believes the reason calls are down is because farmers are now getting the help they need to get access to the program. Eligibility is usually determined on a person’s earnings in the previous year. But, because farmers are experiencing significant changes and uncertainty in their income, the state Department of Health Services created a new form in May just for farmers. Vicki Jessup is the policy chief in the DHS bureau responsible for FoodShare enrollment. She says if farmers can’t use their tax forms because it’s not an accurate picture of their current income, the new form helps them provide more current financial information. The form is modeled after the same worksheet farmers fill out when reporting their income to the IRS. While there’s less difficulty applying, Dietmann says he doesn’t believe there are fewer farmers seeking help. The Department of Health Services doesn’t specifically track the number of farmers receiving FoodShare, but it does report a 32 percent increase in those seeking FoodShare assistance from last year at this time.