Top Stories December 25th

Crash Kills One, Injures Another in Columbia County


12/25/10 - A two-vehicle crash 20 miles north of Madison took one life and left a passenger seriously injured. According to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, a semi driver had stopped on the right shoulder of I-90 westbound near Arlington to assist with a previous crash at about 9 a.m. Friday. Within minutes, the driver of a north bound pick up lost control and struck the rear of the semi. That driver was pronounced dead at the scene by the Columbia County Coroner’s office and the only passenger in the vehicle was taken to UW Hospital with serious injuries. The semi driver was uninjured. Speed is considered a contributing factor.

Milwaukee Man to Appear on Drunk Driving Charge

12/25/10 - A Milwaukee police sergeant is scheduled to appear in Fond du Lac County court next month on drunk driving charges. John P. Corbert is accused of driving drunk while his 13 year old daughter was in his car. It happened November 21. The girl told investigators the people she was with had gone deer hunting, then stopped at a tavern. She said she had been driving because he father was drunk, but she got lost and woke him up to drive the car. A preliminary breath test performed on Corbett found his blood alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit.

Shooting was in Self Defense

12/25/10 - The Columbia County district attorney says a report from the Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation proves that two deputies fired in self defense when they killed a man last month. Kelly Bishell of Cambridge was killed in the incident November 14. The sheriff's office got a call says Bishell was threatening to kill himself and his dog that night. They responded to a home in a rural area near Pardeeville. The report indicates Bishell shot at the deputies, narrowly missing one and wounding another. They returned fire. The shooting death of Bishell was the second fatal shooting involving the Columbia County Sheriff's Office in a five-month period.

Beloit Man Killed in Hunting Accident

12/25/10 - The Rock County Sheriff's office reports a 30 year old man from Beloit has died in an apparent hunting accident. The report of the shooting was received Friday at about 12:30 p.m. Deputies say they got a call reporting an 11 year old boy was requesting help for his father. Ambulance personnel found the man in a wooded area with a gunshot wound to his abdomen. He was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. A final determination hasn't been made, but the sheriff's office reportedly says it appears to have been an accidental shooting.

Doyle Hopes State will Continue Stem Cell Research

12/25/10 - Governor Jim Doyle hopes the state will continue moving ahead as a leader in stem cell research. Wisconsin has seen work with stem cells boom under Doyle, with the UW-Madison adding facilities to explore the science and private companies locating here so they can be closer to that research and talent. Doyle says it has created hope for scientific discoveries that could cure diseases many thought could only be treated before, such as diabetes or Alzheimer’s disease. He says it has also been a significant contributor to the state’s economy. The future of that work remains in question though under Governor-elect Scott Walker, who says he favors work with adult stem cells instead of embryonic lines. Most researchers say work with both is necessary. Doyle hopes science overcomes the politics of the issue.

2011 Could be Tough for Dairy Farmers

12/25/10 - Wisconsin dairy farmers are expecting next year to be a very tough one for their industry due in part to a payment system which leaders say is well below what’s needed for many farmers to break even. Because of milk overproduction, and high feed costs, milk market prices are expected to drop down in 2011, possibly as low as 13 dollars per hundred weight. Wisconsin dairy farmers faced similar challenges in 2009, and industry experts had hoped this year would be one of recovery. Prices did improve in 2010, but only enough for many farmers to break even, if even that. Dairy producer Paul Rozwadowski of Stanley is with the National Family Farm Coalition. He says farmers took drastic measures to survive 2009, using their savings, cashing in retirement accounts, or borrowing the money. He says it will be harder for farmers to withstand next year because they won't have those financial resources to call upon.

Men Fined for Stealing Salvation Army Kettle

12/25/10 - Two men have paid a fine for stealing a Salvation Army kettle from in front of a Milwaukee Walmart store. That kettle was taken Monday while the bell ringer was away on a break. Surveillance video showed the thieves, but police couldn't identify them. Then, police backed up the video and watched the suspects pull a car to the front door to help their aunt return a mattress. She didn't have a receipt, so Walmart personnel took her personal information - and police used that information to contact her. The woman didn't know the two had taken the kettle and she quickly led officers to the thieves. News converage of the theft led an anonymous donor to give 500 dollars to the Salvation Army last week.

Beware of Identity Theft

12/25/10 - Identity theft is on the rise this year – and Wisconsinites are urged to take a closer look at their bank-and-credit card statements when they finish shopping for the holidays. Almost three-thousand Wisconsin residents reported identity theft to the Federal Trade Commission last year. Ron Van Haden of the Professional Insurance Agents of Wisconsin calls it an amazing number. He says the number of ways your identity can be compromised keeps growing by the day. A woman near Appleton used her A-T-M card on Black Friday, and later noticed it was overdrawn by a few hundred dollars. They later learned that somebody in West Virginia used the woman’s information to buy things on-line. The person was nabbed, and the woman got her money back. But officials say those kinds of happy endings are rare. Von Haden says shoppers should also be careful flashing their credit cards at the checkout line – because it’s easier than ever for somebody to take a picture of it with a cell phone. If you find something wrong on your bank statements, Schilz says to report it immediately. Identity theft victims normally have two months to file fraud claims with their banks and credit card companies.

Technology Making it Easier to Donate

12/25/10 - It’s easier than ever to play Santa, thanks to computers and cell phones. Milwaukee’s Hunger Task Force found that out this week, after it reported a large decrease in its donations. The Journal Sentinel put the story on its Web site. And within minutes, over 130 people pledged 14-thousand-dollars on the group’s Internet site and in text messages. The Hunger Task Force provides food to numerous pantries in southeast Wisconsin. Donations on its Web site are up 44-percent from a year ago. And it started taking 10-dollar gifts in text messages, after a similar campaign for earthquake victims in Haiti proved to be a huge success. But it’s still not enough for the Hunger Task Force to avoid an overall drop in donations. People have given 287-thousand-dollars in the past three months, compared to the same time a year ago. Director Sherri Tussler says donors who gave 30-thousand-dollars in past years are down to around 10-thousand this year. And donations in food drives have fallen by 11-percent. There are plenty of volunteers to make sure folks in shelters get Christmas meals. But Tussler hopes that continues. Without more donations, she says the Task Force could run out of food this spring. That hasn’t happened since 1997.

A Classic Christmas

12/25/10 - Don’t be surprised if you see some low-tech, classic toys under your Christmas tree today. It could be due in part to nostalgia, or to the economic downturn, but this holiday’s hot new trend is actually old. “Erector sets, Legos, Lincoln Logs and board games, card games, games that kids can play with their friends, their siblings, their moms and dads and grandpas and grandmas.” Doug Johnson is a retail analyst. Remember the Slinky, Shrinky Dinks, Tinker Toys? They’re back, too. Old or new, Johnson says kids just love toys. “Kids are kids and toys are toys.”