Top Stories, September 1st

Klomberg Tabbed As New D-A

9/1/10 - Dodge County’s Assistant District Attorney Kurt Klomberg has been promoted. Governor Jim Doyle announced yesterday that Kurt Klomberg will fill the vacancy created by the resignation of former District Attorney Bill Bedker. He will begin serving immediately for a term set to expire on January 7, 2013. Klomberg has served as an assistant district attorney in Dodge County since 2006. Prior to that, he served as an assistant D-A in Marathon County and as a special prosecutor in Kenosha County. Doyle says Klomberg has shown that he is a dedicated prosecutor with the experience and commitment to the people of Dodge County that will make him an excellent District Attorney. Klomberg says he will do everything he can to (quote) “keep our children, schools and communities safe.”

Fitzgerald Critical of Nehls Absence

9/1/10 - After an eight year absence, Steve Fitzgerald is seeking to reclaim the post of Dodge County Sheriff. On Community Comment yesterday, the Republican from Hustisford told us that he didn’t initially plan on entering the race, but made the decision after being asked by constituents and employees of the sheriffs department. The former US Marshall says the incumbent had chosen not to be available for almost one year of his term and specifically cited the two semesters he spent in Washington DC attending War College. Fitzgerald didn’t have a problem with Sheriff Todd Nehls serving in Afghanistan during his first term, but he says War College was an elective and Nehls chose to leave his post. Fitzgerald says he was always available to the public during his 14-years as Sheriff, and would continue that relationship if elected back to the position. The Dodge County Sheriffs race will be decided during the September 14 primary as there are no democrats running for the office.

Nehls on Community Comment Today

9/1/10 - On WBEV’s Community Comment this afternoon we’ll talk to Sheriff Todd Nehls, who is seeking a third term. The incumbent Republican will join us on 1430AM beginning at 12:35pm. Both candidates will join us on Community Comment one week from today. The Beaver Dam Chamber of Commerce is also hosting a Candidates Forum next week dedicated solely to the Nehls-Fitzgerald race. The format will include six segments, including questions and answers between local media and the candidates, a structured debate between the candidates and a segment at the end where the public will have the opportunity to ask questions. The forum will be moderated by our own John Moser. The public is invited to attend the free event which will be held next Tuesday at the Bayside Supper Club in Beaver Dam from 7pm to 8pm. On election night, make sure you tune into WBEV 1430AM or WXRO 95.3FM for live updates beginning the minute the polls close.

BDUSD Lawsuit Deadline Extended

9/1/10 - A judge has given the Beaver Dam School District and attorney’s for Dan Grulke two more weeks to reach an agreement in an open records lawsuit. About ten days ago the district turned over 300 pages worth of documents requested by Grulke as part of the lawsuit filed in late July. In a letter to the court last week, Grulke’s attorneys wrote they did not believe Superintendent Steve Vessey and the district fully complied with the court order to produce all documents related to an investigation into conduct by former Superintendent Don Childs. The attorneys want to see the results of the investigation into Childs conduct after he was accused of retaliating against a district employee, who came forward with concerns about harassment and discrimination by former high school principal Don Patnode. An attorney for the district, Laurie Labinski, says the two sides are working toward a resolution. In a press release issued last week, the school board said (quote), “As a board, we are legally responsible to protect the privacy rights of our employees with regard to personal matters and we are striving to do so.” The court gave the two parties until September 13 to come to an agreement.

New PD Should Done in One Year

9/1/10 - The chair of the Beaver Dam Operations Committee says its “amazing” how quick the progress has been in constructing a new $5.1 million police station. Laine Meyer says intensive planning over the past 17 weeks is paying off. There have been setbacks with demolition of the former YMCA, where the new police station will be built, but Meyer says that should not affect the construction portion of the project much at all. Marty Sell with the architectural firm MSA Integrated Services told city officials this week that the initial bid packages are due back by mid-month, allowing preliminary construction to start as planned early next month. Excavation and concrete work is expected to begin in mid-October with the floor slab expected to be in place by the beginning of December. If all goes according to plan, the building is expected to be substantially completed by Friday, September 2, 2011. If the project were to be delayed at this point, the city would incur considerable costs associated with winterization of the work site.

Former Teachers Union Treasurer Sentenced for Embezzlement

9/1/10 - The former treasurer of the Hustisford Education Association will spend 70 days in jail. Melissa Klein was accused of embezzling over $6800 from the teachers union but pleaded to an amended felony charge yesterday that puts the total between $2500 and $5000. Klein served as treasurer of the Association for over three years. She tendered her resignation in March after an audit by the Wisconsin Education Association turned up the shortfall. The 40-year-old Hustisford woman removed the money from the account over a 22-month period and spent it on groceries, insurance and other personal items. Klein was also placed on probation for two years and will have a restitution hearing at a later date.