Top Stories August 23rd

Town of Elba Bomb Scare


8/23/10 - The Dane County Bomb Squad was called to a residence on Ninabuck Road in the Town of Elba Friday night after the homeowners reported a suspicious man. Dodge County Sheriff Todd Nehls says his department received a report just before 10pm that that the subject was acting odd and then fled the area but not before placing what appeared to be an improvised explosive device in the back of their van. It was soda bottle wrapped in tape but was determined not to be a danger. A couple hours later, just after midnight Saturday morning, deputies responded to reports of a naked man running around the Astico Park campground. Deputies took 29-year-old Seth Christian of Sullivan into custody and determined he was the same man suspected in the bomb scare earlier in the evening. Christian was taken into custody on charges of Lewd and Lascivious Behavior, Disorderly Conduct and felony Bail Jumping. Christian is also facing charges related to a three-county high-speed chase last month.

DC Sheriff’s Investigate Missing Money

8/23/10 - The Dodge County Sheriffs Department is investigating the theft of $4500 from a Reeseville man early Saturday morning. Authorities say the victim heard a noise outside of his residence on Lincoln Street just before 2:30am and when he went out to investigate, the cash was stolen from his front pants pocket. It is unknown why the victim was carrying that much money. Detectives have interviewed several suspects and the investigation is ongoing.

BDUSD Turns Over Documents

8/23/10 - The Beaver Dam School District has complied with a court order and turned over around 350 pages of documents requested by Dan Grulke that he contends will show the district did not properly deal with accusations of harassment and discrimination at the high school under previous administrators. Among the documents released are statements that show the district has paid about $100,000 since 2006 in legal fees, including $32,000 since last October when two employees came forward with their concerns about discrimination and harassment in the school. Grulke’s attorneys are still reviewing the documents, which also include personnel records of seven current and former employees.

New Bridge Going in at Tower Parking Lot

8/23/10 - The new pedestrian bridge for the Tower Parking Lot in Beaver Dam will be installed this week. Mayor Tom Kennedy says the contractor will deliver the bridge Wednesday and put in place the same day. It will take another month before the bridge will be available for use as the city works on lot improvements, which will include redesigned parking spaces, a pedestrian path and landscaping. The bridge is part of the city’s phase two downtown revitalization plan that began last year with the removal of ten buildings from the floodway over the Beaver Dam River. The city also removed culverts and opened a river channel in Tower Parking Lot. The installation of the pedestrian bridge over the river will reconnect the east and west sides of the parking lot. The Tower Lot will remain open during the bridge installation, but the west side will be closed for lot improvements.

West Bend Gets Power Restored

8/23/10 - Power was finally restored yesterday to the thousands who lost it during Friday night’s heavy thunderstorms in southeast Wisconsin. We Energies said the final customers got their electricity back late yesterday afternoon in West Bend. Over 36-thousand customers were without power at the peak of the storm. The West Bend, Richfield, and Trenton areas were the hardest hit. Winds of up to 60-miles-an-hour blew down power lines, utility poles, and trees. Meanwhile, folks in Milwaukee who had basement flooding twice in July were hit again. Whitefish Bay officials said 15 homeowners complained – and all of them had sewage backups last month. Village president Kathleen Pritchard said sewer repairs were underway, and the Village Board has hired an engineering firm to see what other flood-prevention measures should be taken. Meanwhile, a sunny day is in store for all of Wisconsin after some patchy fog clears this morning. Highs are expected to be in the 80’s. There a chance for more rain tonight in western areas.