Top Stories July 22nd

Heavy Rain Hitting the State


7/22/10 - A storm bringing more heavy rain to the area is already making its presence felt this morning. The radar has rain stretching all the way back through Iowa and Minnesota and forecasters say we could see as much as 3 or 4 inches of rain today. Because of that a flash flood watch goes into effect at 10am for most of our listening area including Dodge, Columbia and Fond du Lac Counties. Meanwhile, forecasters say more showers are expected late tonight into Friday. The next totally dry day may not come until Sunday.

AG Secretary Nilsestuen Drowned

7/22/10 - Wisconsin’s agriculture secretary drowned late yesterday afternoon while swimming in Lake Superior. An ag department spokesman said 62-year-old Rod Nilsestuen was on vacation in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Marquette Police were told about 5:50 p-m that a man was having trouble in Lake Superior. And after a 50-minute search, two rescuers found him floating about 300 yards south of Marquette’s Picnic Rocks. Efforts to revive Nilsestuen were not successful, and he died later at a Marquette hospital. Police did not release his name. But Governor Jim Doyle issued a statement calling Nilsestuen a visionary leader and a wonderful friend.

Unemployment Rates Up Throughout Area

7/22/10 - Local unemployment rates were up across the board last month. Dodge County jumped from 7.8% to 8.2% in June. Last year at this time it was at 10%. Fond du Lac County was up three-tenths of a percent to 7.8%. Jefferson County sits at 8.8% up from 8.4%, while Washington County jumped two-tenths of percent to 7.9%. Columbia County went up two-tenths of a percent to 7.5% giving it the lowest rate in the area. Only 12 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties saw their actual unemployment rates go down or hold steady last month, and many of those places are tourist spots. Dane County continued to have the lowest rate at 5.7% while Menominee County has the highest rate at 17.1%. The statewide rate was at 8.1%. That’s up four-tenths of a percent from May but still a full percentage point lower than a year ago.

Water and Sewer Rates Going Up in Fox Lake

7/22/10 - For the first time in nearly two decades water and sewer rates in Fox Lake are expected rise. Last night the city council agreed, pending a vote next month, to raise the water rate by 3-percent and the sewer rate by 10-percent. Based on estimates that the average house hold uses 450-cubic feet of water, their monthly water bill would go up by 27-cents and their sewer bill by $2.83. The council is expected to vote of the rate increases at their meeting next month and if everything falls into place they expect them to go into effect at the beginning of September. It’ll be the first rate increase since 1992. The council also heard last night that all of their construction projects are on schedule, including the Highway 33/Spring Street project. A portion of that roadway has been closed since April, but officials believe it could reopen on or before its projected finish date of August 20th.

American Idol Auditions Held in Milwaukee

7/22/10 - Over 10-thousand people had their shot at stardom yesterday, when they converged on Milwaukee’s Bradley Center for the “American Idol” auditions. Candidates from throughout Wisconsin and the nation were on hand. A line had formed since Tuesday night – and Fox producers made sure the crowd was wired by the time the doors opened at 7:30 yesterday morning. They were treated to performances by previous Idol contestants Danny Gokey of Milwaukee and Matt Giraud. And they got excited when seeing the show’s host, Ryan Seacrest. Once the doors finally opened, the would-be stars went to 12 stations to sing brief songs – and many were chosen for a second round of auditions next month before a group of executive producers. It will be a few weeks before the final nominees get their auditions before the show’s on-camera judges, who will decide which ones go to Hollywood for the next rounds. The show’s 10th season will start airing on Fox in January.