PFC Reaches Consensus On Police Chief
12/1/10 - We could find out who Beaver Dam’s next police chief is in the next week to 10 days. That’s according to Police and Fire Commission Chair Nancy Conley who says the PFC reached a consensus on a candidate in a closed, special session meeting last night. The field was narrowed to four in August and includes: Matthew Evans, former Chief of Police from Westchester, Illinois; John Fay, former Deputy Chief from Glencoe, Illinois; Steven Kopp, former Deputy Chief from Janesville, Wisconsin; and Ronald Smith, Lieutenant with the Norwalk, Connecticut Police Department. Conley says once the offer has been accepted in writing, the commission will vote on the hiring. She says that could happen before the PFC’s next regular meeting on Tuesday, December 7. The candidate chosen will succeed Dale Boldt, who retired in May.
Smash and Grab Burglar Probation Revoked
12/1/10 - A Beaver Dam man who burglarized a gas station four years ago will be going to prison for a year-and-a-half after having probation revoked. James E. Luck was one of four people who smashed the front doors of the Beaver Dam North Plaza Shell back in October of 2006 and stole cash cigarettes and other items. The 21-year-old had his probation revoked yesterday following an August arrest for Felon In Possession of a Firearm. Luck has a jury trial on the new felony charge scheduled next month.
Waupun Adopts Zero Increase Budget
12/1/10 - For the second consecutive year, the Waupun Common Council adopted their 2011 budget with no increase in the tax levy. The budget approved last night totals $6.9-million, which is a 1.1-percent increase over 2010. City official’s credit revenue increases from items like state transportation aid for the tax freeze. The mill rate for Waupun residents in Dodge County will stay at $6.19 per thousand, the same as this year. Waupun residents in Fond du Lac County will pay the same $6.19 per thousand, but that’s actually down from the $6.33 per thousand from this year.
Fall River Adopts Budget
12/1/10 - Fall River trustees passed a $1.5 million dollar 2011 Village Budget last night. Village Trustee Jeff Slotten said the Budget was drafted with conservative cost estimates. There will be no wage increases for Village employees in 2011, although there will be increases in health insurance premiums and Wisconsin Retirement. Slotten said the $45 thousand dollar increase in the tax levy is still well below the $681 thousand dollar levy limit. The Budget will result in an increase of 7.5 per cent in the mil rate from $5.73 per thousand in 2010 to $6.16 cents per thousand in 2011. That means a property owner with a $150 thousand dollar home would pay $924 in taxes for the Village portion of the December tax bill.
Wisconsin High-Tech Exports Decline
12/1/10 - Wisconsin has been selling fewer of its high-tech products overseas. A report by the Tech-American Foundation said businesses in the Badger State had eight-percent fewer high-tech exports last year, compared to 2008. But that’s only half the national decrease of 16-percent. The foundation said Wisconsin ranks 13th in the amount of high-tech products it sells to foreign countries – three-point-two billion dollars’ worth in 2009. And the Badger State was far from the only one to see a decrease. Only four states bucked the recession to sell more high-tech goods overseas – Alaska, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Wyoming. The report said Wisconsin is the nation’s seventh-largest exporter of electro-medical equipment, and the 10th-largest exporter of computers and electronic components. The Tech-American group said 19-percent of Wisconsin’s total exports involve high-tech equipment – and they employ over 12-thousand people in the state.
Political Check-Off Donations Down
12/1/10 - The number of Wisconsinites who use their income tax returns to support publicly-financed political campaigns hit an all-time low last year. Only 161-thousand people designated one-dollar for the state’s Election Campaign Fund. That’s four-percent of all tax filers – only half as many as about a decade ago. Candidates who agree to limit their spending can take advantage of the tax funding. But many don’t – and we’ve been seeing multi-million-dollar races for governor and some other high offices. Mike McCabe of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign says he’s disappointed at the low participation in the political fund check-off. But he’s not surprised, saying that people have seen that elections have become auctions – and they want to know they’re investing in something that can quote, “turn those auctions back into elections.” And until that happens, McCabe says won’t spend even a dollar on the process. Still, he says there are many times more people investing in the check-off than who give directly to politicians. For the next returns, the check-off will rise to three-dollars – and most of the money will go to Supreme Court races.
Walker Announces Chief-Of-Staff
12/1/10 - The man who ran Scott Walker’s campaign will stay with the new governor as chief-of-staff. Keith Gilkes was named Tuesday as Walker’s top aide once the Republican governor-elect takes office on January third. It’s the first major appointment of the new administration. Walker’s transition team is coming up with recommendations for the new cabinet. Gilkes is a political consultant, and he’s no stranger to the State Capitol. He ran an effort to give Republicans the majority in the state Senate in 2006 – and he’s been a Senate policy adviser. He had been with the Walker campaign for about a year-and-a-half. The governor-elect says Gilkes is a “trusted adviser” who did an outstanding job in helping Walker win the election earlier this month. Gilkes is originally from Prairie du Chien.
Female Trucker Push Underway
12/1/10 - A Wisconsin group is trying to get more women to pursue trucking as a career. Ellen Voie of the Women-in-Trucking Association says females only make up less than five-percent of what she calls a very male-dominated environment on the road. She says men also dominate other parts of the industry, including leadership and office roles. Voie’s group is based in Plover. It works with manufacturers on ways to make trucks accommodate women better. And they work with travel centers to understand the needs of female truck drivers. She said the industry is becoming more female-friendly, but it’s got a long way to go. The American Trucking Association reported a shortage of drivers five years ago – but of course, the recession changed all that. Now, Voie says women can play a pivotal role in filling needed trucking jobs once the economy gets back up to speed.
Fox Lake Elementary as a Charter School?
12/1/10 - A task force has decided to recommend that the former Fox Lake Elementary reopen as a charter school. The group finalized the decision and set parameters for the school last night. In the first year the school would run kindergarten through 6th grade, a second year would include 7th graders, and the third year would allow for 8th graders. Interim Superintendent Don Childs says the school will focus on agriculture and environmental studies, with an emphasis on using technology and field work to better students learning. The building was one of three in the district to close at the end of the 2008-2009 school year due to cost cutting measures, so Fox Lake Mayor Tom Bednarek says reopening it would be huge for the community. Officials say reopening the building would not have an impact on the districts tax levy, though they do expect a slight increase in operating costs. The task force will make their recommendation to the Waupun School Board later this month and, if approved, it could be ready to open as early as next fall.
Horicon Passes 2011 Budget
12/1/10 - City of Horicon residents are looking at a 20-cent increase to their mill rate for 2011. The city council unanimously approved the $3.4-million budget last night, which saw a spending increase of about 3-percent over the current year. The total tax levy is up 3.2-percent to $1.8-million, which makes the mill rate $9.74 per thousand before the TIF districts are factored in. Owners of a property worth $100,000 would pay $974 for the city portion of their tax bill.
Deer Harvest Numbers up 11% Statewide
12/1/10 - Wisconsin deer hunters fared better than a year ago. The D-N-R said over 218-thousand deer were taken during the nine-day gun season that ended last Sunday. That’s an 11-percent increase from last year – when the harvest was the lowest in 27 years. The numbers were even higher in Dodge County where hunters bagged a total of 3,040 deer, a 38-percent increase over 2009. Other area counties were up as well, including Fond du Lac County at 32-percent, Washington County at 12-percent, Jefferson County at 9.5-percent, and Columbia County at 1.5-percent. The D-N-R’s Keith Warnke said hunters seemed to be pleased with the season in general. They said the weather was better on Opening Day than a year ago, when it was foggy in lots of places. Also, Warnke said hunters saw more deer-per-hours-hunted than in ’09. For the first time since 1974, no hunters were shot-to-death. But 12 people were injured.
Fox Lake Elementary as a Charter School?
12/1/10 - A task force has decided to recommend that the former Fox Lake Elementary reopen as a charter school. The group finalized the decision and set parameters for the school last night. In the first year the school would run kindergarten through 6th grade, a second year would include 7th graders, and the third year would allow for 8th graders. Interim Superintendent Don Childs says the school will focus on agriculture and environmental studies, with an emphasis on using technology and field work to better students learning. The building was one of three in the district to close at the end of the 2008-2009 school year due to cost cutting measures, so Fox Lake Mayor Tom Bednarek says reopening it would be huge for the community. Officials say reopening the building would not have an impact on the districts tax levy, though they do expect a slight increase in operating costs. The task force will make their recommendation to the Waupun School Board later this month and, if approved, it could be ready to open as early as next fall.
Horicon Passes 2011 Budget
12/1/10 - City of Horicon residents are looking at a 20-cent increase to their mill rate for 2011. The city council unanimously approved the $3.4-million budget last night, which saw a spending increase of about 3-percent over the current year. The total tax levy is up 3.2-percent to $1.8-million, which makes the mill rate $9.74 per thousand before the TIF districts are factored in. Owners of a property worth $100,000 would pay $974 for the city portion of their tax bill.
Deer Harvest Numbers up 11% Statewide
12/1/10 - Wisconsin deer hunters fared better than a year ago. The D-N-R said over 218-thousand deer were taken during the nine-day gun season that ended last Sunday. That’s an 11-percent increase from last year – when the harvest was the lowest in 27 years. The numbers were even higher in Dodge County where hunters bagged a total of 3,040 deer, a 38-percent increase over 2009. Other area counties were up as well, including Fond du Lac County at 32-percent, Washington County at 12-percent, Jefferson County at 9.5-percent, and Columbia County at 1.5-percent. The D-N-R’s Keith Warnke said hunters seemed to be pleased with the season in general. They said the weather was better on Opening Day than a year ago, when it was foggy in lots of places. Also, Warnke said hunters saw more deer-per-hours-hunted than in ’09. For the first time since 1974, no hunters were shot-to-death. But 12 people were injured.
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