Top Stories, December 30th

Numerous Rollovers and Runoffs Reported

12/301/0 - The Dodge County Sheriffs Department is reporting numerous run-offs and rollovers resulting from slick driving conditions related to the early winter thaw. The reports stared coming in just before 6pm last night and continued into the morning hours. The most serious occurred just after 11pm in the Town of Chester. A 24-year-old male and his 22-year-old female passenger were transported to Waupun Memorial Hospital following a rollover on State Highway 26.The driver was cited for Driving Too Fast For Conditions. The Sheriffs Department is also reporting multiple snowmobile patrol DNR checks.

Snowmobile Trails Closed

12/30/10 - Our early winter thaw has led to the closing of snowmobile trails in Dodge, Columbia and Fond du Lac Counties. All zones of the Dodge County Snowmobile Trail are also closed due to deteriorating trail conditions. The Dodge County ATV trail along the Wild Goose Trail from Highway 60 to Highway 49 is also closed to prevent trail damage. Columbia County trails are also closed until the region gets more snow and freezing temperatures. Jefferson County trails have been closed since before Christmas. Meanwhile, ATV riding on the Eisenbahn Trail in Fond du Lac County is only permitted when the ground is frozen and the temperature is 28 degrees or lower.

Manure Spreading Discouraged

12/30/10 - The state Agriculture Department is asking farmers to avoid spreading manure on their fields for the next couple days. Officials say the rain and the melting snow will flow easily on the frozen ground – and that creates the risk of run-off into lakes and streams, causing problems with water quality. If farmers must spread manure because of a lack of storage, officials urge them to choose fields with no snow cover and minimum slopes if possible. County land conservation officials can help with alternatives. Acting Dane County Executive Scott McDonell says he’s concerned about avoiding fish kills due to run-off – and he’s asking everyone who manages manure to be extra careful the next few days.

Lynch Prelim Set For February

12/30/10 - Former Fox Lake Police Chief Pat Lynch was back in a Dodge County courtroom Wednesday in connection with the alleged sexual assault of a 7-year-old child more than 20-years ago. The 54-year-old was arrested last week following an investigation by the state Department of Justice and the Dodge County Sheriff’s Department. Lynch had a continued Initial Appearance on the felony charges this morning and had a preliminary hearing moved from tomorrow to February 1, 2011 before Dodge County Judge Andrew Bissonnette. Lynch is charged with one count of First Degree Sexual Assault of a Child Under the Age of 13 and three counts of Stalking. The alleged sexual assault occurred in the summer of 1989 at home in Randolph. The victim’s father was friends with Lynch, who was an officer with the Randolph Police Department at the time. In the criminal complaint, the victim says that Lynch would drive past her home when she was in high school and show up at her place of employment at least early 2008. A second stalking count came as a result of numerous alleged altercations between Lynch and the former boyfriend of his ex-wife. The criminal complaint states the two got in a shoving match in a bar in 2005 and a fight at the ex-wife’s home, which resulted in charges against the boyfriend and a four-day suspension for Lynch. The complaint also states Lynch also followed the boyfriend around Fox Lake in his squad car while serving as the police chief. The third count relates to a former Fox Lake Police Department employee who says Lynch stalked her after she left the department, including driving past her home as many as ten times per day, coming into her home uninvited and stopping by her place of employment. Lynch resigned from his job as police chief in Fox Lake in the spring of 2009. Assistant Attorney General Dennis R. Krueger is representing the state as a special prosecutor for Dodge County.

BDPD Investigates Second Tavern Break-In

12/30/10 - The Beaver Dam Police Department is investigating the second break-in a local tavern in less than one week. Management with The Cellar on Rowell Street reported a break-in to police Tuesday morning that would have occurred during the overnight hours. The first break-in was discovered Christmas morning. In both cases the establishment was ransacked and extensive damage was reported in the upstairs ballroom and downstairs bar. Lt. John Kreuzinger says detectives are investigating the possibility that the two break-ins are related. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Beaver Dam Police Department.

Waupun Man Charged in Break-In

12/30/10 - A Waupun man accused of rifling through vehicles and garages had a cash bond set at $500 during an Initial Appearance Wednesday in Dodge County court. Christopher McCullough allegedly broke into a garage in Waupun in September and stole electronic equipment, cash and gift certificates. The 32-year-old was arrested while walking the streets of Waupun at 4am and connected to the crime through stolen gift certificates said to be in his possession. McCullough denied taking them and told police they were given to him by the actual burglar. He faces over 13 years in prison, if convicted. McCullough will be back in court for a preliminary hearing on January 13. Meanwhile, McCullough is being held in the Fond du Lac County Jail on two counts of issuing worthless checks. He has a plea and sentencing hearing in that case next Tuesday.

We Energy Bills On The Rise

12/301/0 - Wisconsin’s biggest electric utility will have some big rate increases when the New Year begins. We Energies provides service for southern and far eastern Dodge County in addition to Jefferson and Washington counties. They say industrial and large business customers can expect to pay 13-percent more. Most other businesses face an 8-to-10-percent rate hike. And residents will pay just under five-percent more. We Energies’ customers have been getting credits on their bills for the last three years, after the utility sold its share of the Point Beach Nuclear Power Plant near Two Rivers. But those credits expire on Saturday. Todd Stuart of the Wisconsin Industrial Energy Group said his members knew it was coming, but it still hurts. He said one large company faces a 20-percent increase in its electric costs. We Energies has contacted 20-thousand business customers to warn them about the impending increase. It will also be explained to everyone in their next bills. The utility shared 700-million-dollars in proceeds from the Point Beach plant sale. It netted We Energies just over a billion dollars. Brian Manthey of We Energies says companies should analyze their bills to make sure they’re in the correct rate class. He said the recession might have dropped some of them down a notch.

Columbus Schools Focus On Technology

12/30/10 - Columbus Schools are emphasizing technology in 2011. Superintendent Bryan Davis told the School Board that students are more likely to know more about communications technology than most adults…and he says that is a good thing. Davis said technology devices in schools were not as important to student learning as the knowledge of how digital systems can be used. A District-wide technology plan has been under development since September.

Grothman Criticized Over 4K Comments

12/30/10 - Madison’s school superintendent says it’s “very troubling” that a G-O-P lawmaker wants to prevent the city’s district and others from starting four-year-old kindergarten. Senate Republican Glenn Grothman of West Bend said yesterday that the state should stop paying for new programs like those planned for Madison. Grothman said taxpayers cannot afford them. And he cited a study showing that fourth-graders in Oklahoma and Georgia continue to have poor test scores, more than a decade after those states began four-year-old kindergarten. But Madison Superintendent Dan Nerad said there are plenty of studies which show it’s a good idea to invest in youngsters as early as possible. Beth Graue of U-W Madison cites a 2005 Northstar Economics study showing that every dollar spent on four-year-old kindergarten saves 68-cents elsewhere – because early childhood education reduces the need for more expensive special-ed programs. Lawmakers tried twice to drop state funding for four-year-old kindergarten – but Republican Governor Scott McCallum vetoed it in 2001, and Democrat Jim Doyle did the same in ’03. Eighty-five percent of Wisconsin school systems now have four-year-old kindergarten – and over 40-thousand youngsters are enrolled statewide.