Court Orders BDUSD to Respond to Complaint
7/30/10 - August 18th, that's the deadline for the Beaver Dam School District and Superintendent Steve Vessey to turn over most of the records requested recently by a resident or present a written statement to the court proving why they should not have to. That's after a Dodge County judge ruled in favor of Dan Grulke, who filed a lawsuit Wednesday requesting the court force the district into releasing a number of records most of which relate to seven current and former employees. Those include Vessey, former Superintendent's Don Childs and Brian Busler, former Human Resources Director James Orlenko, current high school secretaries Abby Finke and Anne Pearson, and former Associate Principal Bill Loss.
In a statement about the court order an attorney for Grulke, Deborah Meiners, said, "The Wisconsin Supreme Court has recognized that Wisconsin is a "sunshine state" and that the public is entitled to know how school officials and other public officials are conducting public business. We wish Mr. Vessey had complied with the Public Records law in the first place, and we certainly hope that he complies with the court order."
Vessey declined to comment until he had a chance to review the court's decision and speak with legal counsel.
Much of the lawsuit levies accusations against Childs and Vessey, including that they didn't react properly to reports of harassment or discrimination by certain district employees, and also that Childs and others retaliated against an employee who came forward with a complaint. Childs, now the District Administrator in Waupun, strongly denied those accusations.
"There was never any verbal or written claim of bullying or harassment at the high school or any other building in the four years in which I was there," Childs said.
Childs said there was however a complaint filed by an employee about a hostile work environment, but a thorough investigation of the incident turned up no evidence substantiating the claim.
Other items that Grulke said shows the poor management of the human resources department under Vessey and Childs include a lack of staff evaluations. But Childs contends that every administrator during his time in the district was evaluated at some point.
Included among the records asked for in the petition are possible financial settlements with former employees, the performance evaluations of a number of current and former district workers, and any documents resulting from investigations into alleged conduct by certain staff members.
7/30/10 - August 18th, that's the deadline for the Beaver Dam School District and Superintendent Steve Vessey to turn over most of the records requested recently by a resident or present a written statement to the court proving why they should not have to. That's after a Dodge County judge ruled in favor of Dan Grulke, who filed a lawsuit Wednesday requesting the court force the district into releasing a number of records most of which relate to seven current and former employees. Those include Vessey, former Superintendent's Don Childs and Brian Busler, former Human Resources Director James Orlenko, current high school secretaries Abby Finke and Anne Pearson, and former Associate Principal Bill Loss.
In a statement about the court order an attorney for Grulke, Deborah Meiners, said, "The Wisconsin Supreme Court has recognized that Wisconsin is a "sunshine state" and that the public is entitled to know how school officials and other public officials are conducting public business. We wish Mr. Vessey had complied with the Public Records law in the first place, and we certainly hope that he complies with the court order."
Vessey declined to comment until he had a chance to review the court's decision and speak with legal counsel.
Much of the lawsuit levies accusations against Childs and Vessey, including that they didn't react properly to reports of harassment or discrimination by certain district employees, and also that Childs and others retaliated against an employee who came forward with a complaint. Childs, now the District Administrator in Waupun, strongly denied those accusations.
"There was never any verbal or written claim of bullying or harassment at the high school or any other building in the four years in which I was there," Childs said.
Childs said there was however a complaint filed by an employee about a hostile work environment, but a thorough investigation of the incident turned up no evidence substantiating the claim.
Other items that Grulke said shows the poor management of the human resources department under Vessey and Childs include a lack of staff evaluations. But Childs contends that every administrator during his time in the district was evaluated at some point.
Included among the records asked for in the petition are possible financial settlements with former employees, the performance evaluations of a number of current and former district workers, and any documents resulting from investigations into alleged conduct by certain staff members.
LaHood on Rail: ‘Can’t Be Stopped’
7/30/10 - State and federal officials were in Watertown yesterday (Th) to announce that Wisconsin will receive a second round of stimulus funding totaling $46.5 million for the planned high speed rail program. Governor Jim Doyle says the over the next two and-a-half years, over 5500 construction workers, engineers, machine operators and others will be working to make track improvements, build train stations and improve roads around the tracks. U-S Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says high speed rail is a game changer for Wisconsin that will also reduce or dependence on foreign oil.
LaHood also said there’s no way a new governor will stop the high-speed train. Both major Republican candidates for governor – Scott Walker and Mark Neumann – have threatened to scrap the new line if they’re elected in November. And Walker repeated yesterday that he would definitely shut it down, regardless of how much has been spent on it. He says most people will choose the cheaper route of driving between Milwaukee-and-Madison, while taxpayers cover the empty seats. Walker says the state faces a lot of other transportation needs, in the face of an expected two-and-a-half billion-dollar deficit in the next state budget. But LaHood brushed off those concerns. He says high-speed rail is a national program that will survive political leadership changes.
In January, it was announced that the state was awarded 810-million federal stimulus dollars to build the new high-speed train from Milwaukee-to-Madison – and another $12 million to shore up the tracks for Amtrak’s existing high-speed line from Milwaukee-to-Chicago. One million will be allocated to make final determinations on a route between Milwaukee and the Twin Cities, as part of a plan to connect Chicago, Milwaukee and Madison with the Twin Cities. Watertown is one of the stops for the 79-mile-an-hour train.
AG Comments On Private Emails
7/30/10 - Wisconsin’s attorney general is telling state-and-local officials not to abuse their new ability to keep personal e-mails secret on their tax-funded computers. The State Supreme Court ruled two weeks ago that it was okay for Wisconsin Rapids school teachers not to release personal e-mails on their work computers. But Attorney General J-B Van Hollen says that if any part of an e-mail sheds light on government business, it must be released – and any personal information in those notes can be blacked out. Van Hollen released a memo on the subject yesterday, after concerns were raised that state-and-local officials will use the court ruling to hide important business or corruption just by putting personal nuggets in their messages. Van Hollen says anyone concerned about a misuse of public time or resources should ask for records that could reveal the abuse. And he said people can still get statistical information about the number of e-mails from a government computer, and when they’re sent.
From Idol To Log Jam
7/30/10 - A Beaver Dam woman says the experience she gained during the recent American Idol auditions in Milwaukee just might help her get to Nashville. Chelli Wuesthoff was one of three contestants from Dodge County who advanced to the first round of the “Country’s Hottest Star” competition taking place during this weekends Log Jam Festival in Phillips. While she did not advance in the Idol competition, she says it was good practice. Wuesthoff has three different songs planned for this weekend and if she makes it to the final round on Sunday, she will perform “Gun Powder and Lead” by Miranda Lambert with a live band on the main stage. The winner will head to Nashville, where they will perform with musician Cowboy Troy at the Hard Rock Café.
Ripon Roulette
7/30/10 - Authorities said a woman from Ripon unknowingly helped a Russian militia group obtain military weapons and other illegal goods. Officers were investigating credit card fraud earlier this month, when they found that a number of packages were being sent to the woman’s home. Police confiscated about 20 packages – and they contained sniper scopes for rifles, and other illegal military equipment. And it was all bought with credit card numbers that were stolen. According to Ripon Police, the woman thought she was doing good. She said an on-line temporary job agency hired her to re-ship packages – and she thought she was helping an orphanage in Russia. The F-B-I and other federal agencies are now involved in the investigation. But Ripon Police Chief Dave Lukoski does not believe she’ll be charged with any crimes.
Martens Appointed To Election Fraud Task Force
7/30/10 - The state Justice Department is trying to get more counties to prosecute election fraud. Attorney General J-B Van Hollen announced Thursday that eleven district attorneys, including Washington County’s Todd Martens, have agreed to serve on a task force that routinely seeks charges for election law violations. Van Hollen, a Republican, says the group will try to create a uniform statewide enforcement of laws against registration fraud, voting twice, and voting while still on probation-or-parole as a convicted felon. Van Hollen says some counties do not make those crimes a priority – and it might be because they’re under-staffed, or they’re not familiar with the state’s election laws.
Indian Logo’s Under Fire Again
7/30/10 - The state’s education department is thinking about making all 35 Wisconsin schools with Indian mascots and logos prove that they don’t discriminate. A state law passed in May allowed the Department of Public Instruction to make schools change their Indian monikers if the agency believes they’re racist. The law created a system in which residents must file complaints before the D-P-I could review the nick-names. But at a hearing yesterday (Th), department officials said they wanted to list all the school names-and-mascots it believes are discriminatory – and then make all those schools defend themselves, whether a complaint is filed or not. Earlier this week, the D-P-I ordered the Osseo-Fairchild School District to drop its Chieftains logo and mascot. Similar complaints are pending in Oconomowoc and Kewaunee. Under the law, schools found to be discriminatory must change their logos-and-nicknames in a year – or face possible fines of up to a-thousand-dollars a day.
Roush At Mayo
7/30/10 - NASCAR team owner Jack Roush has been moved from a hospital in Neenah to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester Minnesota. That’s where he’ll continue his treatment for facial injuries suffered in a crash-landing of his airplane on Tuesday night at the E-A-A’s Air-Venture show in Oshkosh. Roush Fenway Racing says that the 68-year-old Roush had surgery Tuesday night in Neenah, and was transferred to Mayo Wednesday night. Roush’s corporate jet broke in two as it crash-landed at the E-A-A. The National Transportation Safety Board is looking into the incident.
Property Taxes Due
7/30/10 - Dodge County Treasurer Patti Hilker is reminding taxpayers who postponed the second installment of their property taxes that the balance must be paid on or before July 31. However, because the deadline falls on a Saturday this year, Hilker says her office will accept payments on Monday, August 2 without penalty. Because post offices are open on Saturday’s though she expects letters to be postmarked no later than July 31. She also says to make sure you check the balance of your first installment receipt to ensure proper payment because your second payment is not the same as your first payment…as the first payment may have been reduced by lottery credit. Payments can be made online with a credit card or electronic check at www.witreasurers.org, by telephone at 800-272-9829 or at the treasurers office, 127 East Oak Street in Juneau. Taxpayers mailing after the deadline are subject to interest and a penalty of ten point five percent (10.5%)… and for the second installment that is retroactive to February 1.
We Energies Posts 39% Increase In Profit
7/30/10 - The owner of Wisconsin’s largest electric utility reports a 39-percent increase in its quarterly profits. Wisconsin Energy of Milwaukee, which operates as We Energies, netted almost 89-million dollars from April-through-June, compared to 64-million at the same time a year ago. C-E-O Gale Klappa said We Energies, which serves much of southern and far eastern Dodge County, benefited from stronger economic activity over the past three months. Large business-and-industrial customers used 14-percent more electricity in the second quarter than it did the year before. Small firms used almost five-percent more. And homes used almost two-percent more electricity, due mainly to a warmer-than-normal spring. A good share of We Energies’ higher profits was due to the opening of its new coal-fired power plant in Oak Creek.
Seat Belts Usage Up
7/30/10 - Seat belt use is at an all-time high in Wisconsin. That’s according to the State Patrol, which found that 79-percent of motorists in its annual survey are following the law and buckling up. That’s a six-percent increase from a year ago. And Patrol Major Dan Lonsdorf credits the law passed last year in which police no longer have to find other violations before stopping motorists for not buckling up. Also, Lonsdorf says campaigns “Click It or Ticket” are motivating people to wear their seat belts. The survey says young drivers are the biggest violators, with only 69-percent buckling up. Also, 80-percent of women follow the law which just 72-percent of men do. And Metro Milwaukee – the place with the highest traffic – has the lowest compliance in the state at 71-percent.
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