Top Stories, August 11th

Drainage Issue Divides Lowell Officials

8/11/10 - The Town of Lowell Treasurer is accusing the Town Board Chair of flooding her farmland. Lowell Treasurer Eileen Borth says Chair John Schmitt failed to follow proper procedure when he ordered that a berm be installed in a ditch in the right-of-way on Well Road last spring, causing water from heavy rains to collect upstream on her farm. Borth says after a heavy rain her corn crops are underwater and Schmitt alone made the decision that his in-laws should be the ones on dry land. Schmitt did not speak to the accusations but Town Attorney George Neuberger says a situation like this is a lose-lose for any township because either the property owner upstream or downstream will be unhappy. Neuberger issued an opinion last year that said the berm was ok because the ditch should not have been there in the first place. Borth presented documentation from the Natural Resources Conservation Council that says the ditch should be there and says she wants Schmitt to do the neighborly thing and remove the berm by week’s end. Neuberger says the issue won’t be resolved that quickly but her concerns will be addressed. The matter was tabled until the next meeting so that the three-member board could review the information.

Tanzanian Project Update: Library Complete

8//11/10 - All three members of the Tanzanian Education Project have now contracted Malaria. Cassie Parkhurst of Beaver Dam and two others are over halfway through a four-month trip to the impoverished East African country, building libraries with a crate of books collected in her hometown. In their most recent blog update, they wrote that Eileen, the only member of the trio who had been disease free, came down with the mosquito-borne illness but is feeling better. In addition, Teresa came down with Malaria for a second time but also said to be “top-notch.” As for Parkhurst, they wrote that she is “still under the weather” even though no one can tell because she (quote) “still functions at full speed.” They suggested she is a robot. Meanwhile, one of the three libraries that the group is constructing is finished. They wrote that “students and teachers alike are excited to have all of the excellent resources now at their fingertips.” They write: “Not only do the students now have a good reason to want to improve their English and writing skills, but they will have the ability to rub away the fog blurring the window to the outside world.”

BDPD July Stats

8/11/10 - The Beaver Dam Police Department has released crime statistics for the month of July. According to the activity report, there were 6 burglaries; one involved forced entry. Four of the burglaries were residential the other two were business-related. There were 36 general thefts reported and one stolen vehicle. All of that resulted in a total of $24,187 in stolen property, of which $797 was recovered. There were three death investigations last month. Beaver Dam police officers issued ten tickets for Operating While Intoxicated. There were 14 citations for Disorderly Conduct along with eight domestic incidents, one child abuse offense and four sex offenses reported. There were 94 adults arrested in July along with 11minors. There were 34 traffic accidents in the city last month resulting in ten injuries.

Wind Mill Committee Forwards Recommendation

8/11/10 - A committee designed to put together recommendations to standardize statewide rules for wind farms released their findings Monday. The Wind Siting Advisory Council developed the recommendations to guide the Public Service Commission (PSC) in rulemaking after the State Legislature passed Wisconsin Act 40 last year. This law charges the PSC with replacing an over-stringent collection of local regulations for permitting wind farms with sensible statewide standards. The committee, made up of individuals in businesses, environmentalists and health professionals, found no negative health impacts of wind energy systems but did recommend minimum setback distances for wind turbines. Other recommendations include giving neighboring landowners an opportunity to participate in the siting process through wind easements and establishing a complaint resolution process. The PSC will now use these recommendations as it crafts final rules for permitting wind farms.

Columbus FD Recruitment Campaign Successful

8/11/10 - Columbus Fire Chief Randy Koehn had good news for the Police and Fire Commission last night. The Fire Department has just finished a three month recruitment campaign that brought in seven new candidates who applied for four open Firefighter positions. Koehn told the commission that this is the first time in years that the Department will be up to a full roster of 40 Firefighters. The PFC is in the process of determining which four will be recommended for duty and if they will have enough remaining candidates to have the luxury of a waiting list.

Regional Bear Population Increasing

8/11/10 - The bear population continues to grow in Southern Wisconsin. Greg Matthews of the DNR says there have been 140 bear sightings in the region since March. He admits some of those may be multiple reports of the same bear in the area. Still, Matthews says residents should be prepared to see more of them. The estimated bear population in the state 20 years ago was about 9,000. Now, it’s between 26 and 40,000.

Three Exotic Dancers Cited for Disorderly Conduct

8/11/10 - A dispute over how a stripper made more money than her dancing counterparts lead to disorderly conduct charges for three exotic dancers in Fond du Lac. According to police the disorderly dancers got into an argument in a changing room at The Other Place on North Main Street early last Friday and it carried outside the night spot. Two dancers who go by the stage names of Chelsea and Kiwi accused a 21-year-old dancer of making more money by allowing customers to inappropriately touch her. Spit was exchanged and the younger dancer was grabbed by an arm as she tried to get into a cab. She left in the taxi, but was dropped off just down the street. All three women were cited for disorderly conduct.