Top Stories, August 6th

Hoffman Pleads Out In Assault, Robbery of Pregnant Woman

8/6/10 - One of the men accused of assaulting a pregnant woman and stealing her student loan money has struck a deal with prosecutors. 21-year-old Andrew Hoffman Thursday pleaded “no contest” to a felony Theft charge and had a felony Robbery count and a misdemeanor battery charge dismissed but read into the record. According to the criminal complaint, the victim was attempting to get into her car at the Watertown High School in February when Hoffman and two other men walked up behind her, knocked her to the ground and started kicking her. She was around four months pregnant at the time and sustained cuts and scrapes. Around $1000 in student loan money was stolen from her purse. The trio claims the victim had stolen $400 that they had collected to purchase illegal drugs and say they were just trying to get their money back. 23-year-old Brad Kiefer of Delafield has a plea hearing set for next month. 23-year-old Desmond Durow of Mukwonago was bound over for trial yesterday, stood mute at a subsequent arraignment hearing and the court entered a “not guilty” plea on his behalf. Hoffman will be sentenced in October.

Police Station Designs Nearly Complete

8/6/10 - Beaver Dam Mayor Tom Kennedy gave the Police and Fire Commission an update this week on the progress of the planned $5.1 million police station. As we reported earlier, the project hit a snag with the environmental clean-up, setting demolition back a couple weeks. Kennedy said that should not affect the construction timeline. Architectural designs are 70% complete and bidding on the project should take place this month, with awarding next month and construction anticipated in October. The delay ate into the four-week cushion that had been in place between demolition and construction. If the project were to be delayed into the winter months, Kennedy says costs associated with winterizing the construction site would affect the budget considerably.

Dodge County Clerk Offers More DNR Services

8/6/10 - The Dodge County Clerks Office has expanded its service offerings to the public. County Clerk Karen Gibson says residents no longer have to go to a Department of Natural Resources Service Center to register and get decals for boats, ATVs and snowmobiles. Gibson says with the state closing many DNR service centers or limiting their office hours she felt the public needed another alternative. The new service offerings join several other services that the County Clerks office had provided for years. Gibson’s office is authorized to issue hunting and fishing licenses, work permits and temporary license plates. The Dodge County Clerks office is located in the Administration Building at 127 East Oak Street in Juneau and is open weekdays from 8am to 4:30pm.

Columbus Seeks Tech Manager

8/6/10 - Columbus Schools have been working at improving the understanding and use of technology at all grade levels. That effort has led to a recently approved search for a new “Technology Manager” position for the District. Superintendent Bryan Davis presented the proposed job description to the School Board. The school district sought increased funding for teacher training and computer systems upgrades in a voter referendum three years ago. That referendum failed. As the District prepares for a new school year, the Board, Administration and teachers are considering drafting a similar referendum to improve the technology plan for Columbus Schools. As a first step toward improved technology in the District the search is now underway to fill the new “Technology Manager’s” position.

Wood Balks At Plea Deal

8/6/10 - State Representative Jeff Wood rejected a plea deal Wednesday on one of the three impaired driving charges he’s had over the past couple years. The independent from Chippewa Falls appeared in Monroe County Circuit Court, and said he did not fully understand the consequences of the proposed plea agreement. The judge will meet with attorneys on August 16th to review the status of that case. Wood is accused of driving under the influence of excessive medicines in Tomah last year. He spent 34 days in jail after a drunken driving conviction in Columbia County dating back to late 2008. And Wood still faces impaired driving charges in Marathon County involving the use of prescription drugs. Wood is not running for re-election this fall, and will leave the Assembly after eight years. He told reporters yesterday that he’s sober and is trying to put his life back together. Wood said quote, “Things on a personal level have improved quite a bit.” And he says he goes to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.

“I Want A Soft Shell Taco, and This Is A Stick-Up”

8/6/10 - Authorities say a drunk-and-pregnant woman in La Crosse tried to rob a Taco John’s restaurant with a hammer to get drug money for her roommate – but it didn’t work. 38-year-old Julie Bailey of La Crosse is being held on a 10-thousand-dollar cash bond. She’s expected to be charged with attempted robbery and obstructing police when she returns to court next Wednesday. According to police, the woman went into the restaurant late Tuesday night and said quote, “I want a soft-shell, and this is a stick-up – give me all of your money.” But police said she couldn’t get the hammer out of her pocket – and the restaurant cashier called 9-1-1 as the woman ran off. She was arrested a few minutes later. Bailey reportedly told officers that her roommate would evict her if she didn’t get money to buy him crack cocaine. Officials said the roommate, 51-year-old Bruce Collins, is due to be charged with being a party to armed robbery and bail jumping. A five-thousand-dollar bond was ordered, and he’s also due back in court Wednesday.

Alliant Revenue Outpaces Costs

8/6/10 - Alliant Energy reports a 64-percent increase in its quarterly profits. That’s because the Madison-based utility took in more money from rate increases than it spent for higher transmission costs, and higher costs related to new wind energy farms. Alliant reported a net income of almost 48-million dollars from April-through-June. That’s up from 29-million in the same quarter of last year. The company said the figures included a decision to close a power plant that was heavily damaged by floods in Cedar Rapids Iowa. And its income was cut by another one-point-seven million dollars due to a lawsuit over the distribution of pension money to retirees. Alliant said its combined electric sales in Wisconsin and Iowa rose almost five-percent from a year ago – and factories used about three-percent more power. Alliant serves northwest Dodge County, along with most of Columbia, Green Lake and Fond du Lac counties.

New Prosecutor Was Focus of Investigation

8/6/10 - In Milwaukee on Wednesday, a new U-S Attorney was installed for the eastern half of Wisconsin – which includes Dodge County. And James Santelle revealed that he was the subject of a criminal investigation for 10 months, right after he served as a legal adviser in Iraq. He said he inadvertently packed classified documents when he shipped a dozen boxes of legal items back to the U-S after his two years in Iraq in 2008. None of the items had information on troop movements, and the Justice Department did not take action against him. But Santelle said the experience helped him understand the power of his office – and how important it is to make sure investigations are done right. U-S Attorney General Eric Holder attended the ceremony. He praised Santelle’s prosecutions of criminal fraud – and during these tough economic times, he says the need for fraud prosecution has never been greater. Santelle replaced former U-S Attorney Steve Biskupic in January. He said his office is focusing on violent crime, civil rights cases, financial crimes, human trafficking, environmental laws, and protecting the rights of victims. Santelle did not mention public corruption – which was a top priority for Biskupic.

Fall River Concert Cashing Rain Check

8/6/10 - The Fall River Concert in the Park will be held tonight after being postponed two weeks ago because of heavy rains. It’s a concert, dance, picnic and village pot luck all rolled into one. Country musician Jesse Walker will be on the stage. There will also be brats, hot dogs, ice cream and beverages. Attendees are asked to donate home made cake, pie or desert bar. Lawn chairs and blankets are encouraged. All proceeds will benefit the park. The concert begins at 6pm tonight (Fri) in the Village Park and shelter.