Top Stories October 29th

Ink Magazine Lists Columbus Business As ‘Fastest Growing’


10/29/10 - A web-based company headquartered in Columbus has made the INC. Magazine “fastest growing” list. “Discount Office Items” was listed as the 418th fastest growing small businesses in the United States. Director of Economic Development, Steve Sobiek, told downtown Columbus business leaders this week that the November “Business Roundtable” meeting would be held at Discount Office Items headquarters. The web-based company takes orders for and delivers a wide range of office supplies throughout the U.S. Discount Office Supplies was founded in 2003 by Tim and Jim Horton. The Columbus headquarters has been at the Industrial Drive location since 2008.

Former Horicon Police Chief Passes Away

10/29/10 - A prominent member of the Horicon community passed away Tuesday. Doug Glamann was a 20-year veteran of the police force and served as police chief before retiring in 2005. He was a member of the school board, and served one term as school board president. Glamann also spent 12 years as the head coach for the Horicon High School boys basketball team. Funeral services are Monday under the direction of the Murray Funeral Home in Horicon. Memorial donations can be made to the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Memorial or to the American Cancer Society. Glamann was 55.

Washington County Fatality

10/29/10 - One man was killed Wednesday night in a three-car crash in Germantown. Police Chief Peter Hoell said the man appeared to be driving erratically. His car was going east when it sideswiped another eastbound vehicle, then careened into an oncoming vehicle. Four people were trapped in the oncoming vehicle, and they were extricated by rescuers. They were taken to a hospital, but there was no immediate word on their conditions. Hoell said he did not believe the winds were a factor in the crash, but he’s not ruling anything out as an investigation continues.

Lomira Man Injured In One-Vehicle Wreck

10/29/10 - Alcohol was said to be a factor in an accident in Washington County Wednesday night in which a pickup truck went off County Highway H in the Town of Wayne and was impaled on a bridge’s guardrails. Forty-four-year-old Patrick Gonyo of Lomira, who was driving the truck was taken to St. Josesph’s Hospital in West Bend with non-life threatening injuries. His passenger 42-year-old Kewaskum resident Todd Behling was flown to Froedtert Hospital with serious leg injuries.

Unemployment Down in Region, State

10/29/10 - Unemployment rates are down in virtually all of Wisconsin. State officials say the unadjusted jobless rates improved last month in all but one of the 72 counties. Dodge County dropped from 7.7% in August to 7.1% last month. Last year at this time it was at 8.6%. Fond du Lac County was down nine-tenths of a percent to 6.7%. Jefferson County sits at 7.4% down from 8.2%, while Washington County dropped six-tenths to 6.4%. And Columbia County was down a half-percent to 6.5%. Menominee County still has the highest county jobless rate at 14-and-a-half percent – but that’s down from 20-and-a-half percent in August. Jobless rates also went down in 30 of the state’s largest cities. Beloit still has the highest rate at 14-point-four percent, down more than a full point from August. Madison has the lowest city unemployment at five-point-one percent. Statewide, the seasonally-adjusted jobless rate went down one-tenth-of-a-point in September to seven-point-eight.

Weekend Halloween Activities Abound In Beaver Dam

10/29/10 - There are several Halloween activities planned in Beaver Dam this weekend. The Community Theater is holding their first-ever “Spaghetti Spooktacular” fundraiser Saturday night. Managing Director David Saniter says it will be an old-time radio show performance with entertainment will be provided by “Loco Vocals,” “Take Note,” and “The Little Big Band” plus there will be two “Reader Theater” productions: “Arsenic and Old Lace,” and “Old Miss Brooks Thanksgiving Turkey.” The “Spaghetti Spooktacular” will be held in the St. Stephens School gymnasium from 5pm to 9pm.

Also on Saturday, the Dodge County Historical Society is holding their first-ever “Haunted History Tour” at the Old Beaver Dam City Cemetery, which is the oldest cemetery in Dodge County. Organizer Kathy Barnett says they will use live actors to portray actual, historical figures from Beaver Dam’s earliest days. The “Haunted History Tour” will be held from 6pm to 8pm tomorrow night. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at the cemetery, which is located at the intersection of North University and East Burnett streets.

And then on Sunday, before trick-or-treating hours begin, there will be four miles of horses winding through the streets of Beaver Dam. On our Community Comment program this afternoon we’ll sit down with Mailey Kocinski with the Dodge County Boots and Saddle Club Second Annual Halloween Horse Parade. Kocinski will join us around 1:35pm, right after our regular last-Friday-of-the-month guest, Beaver Dam Mayor Tom Kennedy.

Petri, Kallas Clash On Health Care

10/29/10 - Health care was discussed at length with candidates for the Sixth Congressional District when they were our guests on WBEV’s Community Comment this week. Democrat Joe Kallas of Princeton is a teacher at Fox Lake Correctional and has an agricultural background. Kallas says everybody should pay into the system and everybody should be covered in the system. Incumbent Tom Petri says it’s important to get health care right and the bill that was passed is a mess. The Fond du Lac Republican says the practical thing that Congress can do moving forward it to simply not fund the portions that do not work. Kallas is the vice chairman of the Democratic Party of Green Lake County and has served on the Princeton Town Board as well as the Green Lake County Board. Petri is seeking a 16th term in Washington and is a current member of both the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and of the Committee on Education and Labor. Petri is also the Ranking Republican on the Aviation Subcommittee of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Candidate Sued For Getting Drunk Woman Pregnant

10/29/10 - The Republican candidate for Wisconsin Secretary-of-State has been sued for allegedly getting a drunk woman pregnant. David King of Milwaukee is running against long-time Secretary-of-State Doug La Follette next Tuesday. The lawsuit was filed in Milwaukee County Circuit Court by Charlette Harris. The suit said King hired her to work at the Buy-Seasons costume company in New Berlin. They reportedly had lunch in August – and she said King bought her several drinks and took her to his apartment where she passed out. In September, she learned she was pregnant. And her lawsuit said the 31-year-old Harris was a lesbian, and had not been with any other men around that time. She also claimed that King told her to get an abortion. King called the lawsuit stupid, ridiculous, and a plot against his campaign – and he had no other comment.

12K Purged From Voter Registration List

10/29/10 - Over 12-thousand people have been removed from Wisconsin’s voter registration list. That’s after their personal information was not identical on the various government data-bases. The state Government Accountability Board spent the last year-and-a-half confirming almost 800-thousand voters who registered from January of 2006 through August of ’08. All but about 70-thousand names had the proper matches – and the board tried twice to reach those people. Officials said 12-thousand-431 people did not respond either time, so their registrations are no longer valid. Those recently removed can still vote next Tuesday, but they’ll have to re-register at the polls. In the meantime, you can go on-line to see if you’re registered. The address is V-P-A Dot W-I dot Gov (vpa.wi.gov). Leave the W-W-W out.

Fall Is A Good Time To ID Invasive Species

10/29/10 - Wisconsin wildlife officials say it’s a good time to look around your property for invasive plants. D-N-R biologists say many invasive plants are easier to see this time of year. For example, new garlic mustard plants can stay green even under the snow. Experts say honey-suckle and buckhorn shrubs keep their leaves going into the late fall – and invasive vines often make fruits that stand out during the autumn months. Also, the D-N-R says many plants spew out seeds – and people should check their clothes so they don’t spread invasive seeds to new areas.