Top Stories, October 7th

Randolph School District Outlines Referendum For Public

10/7/10 - Randolph school officials held a public information meeting last night to detail the two referenda that district voters will see on their ballot next month. Question one asks for $12.6 million to add a grade six through eight middle school addition to the high school. Question two asks for $20.8 million to consolidate both schools with the kindergarten through eight grades moved to the high school. That could also reduce costs associated with running two separate campuses, like bussing and duplicate administrators. Board President Gary DeVries told the crowd last night that he knows the economy isn’t great but construction costs are at an all-time low. One of the more common questions: what if both referenda pass. DeVries says the two referendums would not be combined; instead they would go with the higher amount and basically complete the whole project at once, instead of in two phases. He says if you support the second question, you should also vote in favor of the first referendum, otherwise you’d be voting against the project as a whole. Another question from the audience involved open enrollment. With Randolph having turned kids away from other districts for lack of space, Devries was asked if there was adequate space to allow for more students from outside the district. He says open enrollment has not played a huge part in the planning. Members of the audience also asked for a breakdown on how the $20.8 million dollars – if approved – would be spent. DeVries says that information will be available in the district offices beginning on Monday. A second public meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, October 20.

Beaver Dam Addresses More Flooding Issues

10/7/10 - City action from this week is anticipated to alleviate some flooding problems in Beaver Dam. Terra Engineering and Construction of Madison was hired for the construction of flood walls on the 200 block of Front Street. Operations Committee chair Laine Meyer says the $560,000 project will remove about a half dozen buildings from the flood plain. Council action this week also allowed for a $350,000 grant to be re-directed. It had been awarded by FEMA to remove culverts under Cooper Street, where water sometimes pools over the street during heavy rain. Meyer says the Operations Committee recently determined that the benefits of replacing a north side lift station outweighed the benefits of the removing the Cooper Street culverts. The total cost of the new lift station has yet to be determined but Meyer says most of it should be covered by the grant.

Kohl’s Hiring More Holiday Workers

10/7/10 - Kohl’s Department Stores expect to hire 20-percent more employees for this holiday season than last. The Menomonee Falls chain says it plans to hire over 40-thousand people nationwide, for an average of 35 for each of its nearly 11-hundred stores. New York analyst Richard Jaffe says it could be a double-edged sword. He says Kohl’s and other retailers appear to be optimistic about their fourth quarter sales – but it’s also possible they’ll need a disproportionate amount of part-time help, since many firms have cut their full-time staff to the bone. A Chicago employment said U-S stores could add up to 650-thousand jobs over the holidays, 30-percent more than in 2009. The National Retail Federation says holiday retail sales will rise two-point-three percent, for the best season since 2006.

Drug Take-Back in Columbus Today

10/7/10 - A prescription drug “take-back” will be held in Columbus this (Th) morning. The Columbus Community Hospital is teaming up with the police department in holding the drug drop near the hospitals main entrance. Organizers say take-back programs are aimed at reducing the amount of unused pharmaceuticals entering the water supply, and also reducing the amount of drugs available for theft or accidental poisoning. Medications should be brought in original containers with the personal identification blanked out or removed. Loose medications will also be accepted. There is no cost to dispose of the unused or expired over-the-counter and prescription medications. Hours are 10am to noon at the Columbus Community Hospital main entrance.

Ribbon Cutting on Bridge Today

10/7/10 - The ribbon will be officially cut this (Th) morning on a new pedestrian bridge in downtown Beaver Dam. The bridge was needed after culverts were removed under the Tower Parking lot last year in an effort to reduce flooding problems in the downtown. The culvert removal created an open channel for the Beaver Dam River through the parking lot. The improvements were part of Phase II revitalization plan that also includes decorative matching fencing in the area where ten downtown buildings once stood over the river. Mayor Tom Kennedy says city alderpersons, downtown business and property owners and the general public are welcomed to attend the ceremonial ribbon cutting, which will be held at 11am in the Tower Parking lot.