Top Stories, December 9th

Home Destroyed by Fire


12/9/10 - Two people were forced to jump from second floor windows last night after a fire engulfed their town of Beaver Dam home. It happened at a residence owned by David Washtock on County Highway E just before midnight. Beaver Dam Fire Chief Alan Mannel says within 25 minutes of their arrival the house collapsed, at which point an excavation company was called in to pull down the remaining structure to help in putting the fire out. Three firefighters suffered minor injuries and two dogs were killed in the fire. Mannel says there were no working smoke detectors in the home, and added the home and its contents were a total loss. Beaver Dam got mutual assistance from Burnett, Fox Lake, Randolph and Waupun with crews staying on scene until about 4:30 a-m. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.


Funeral Procession Updates This Afternoon on WBEV-WXRO

12/9/10 - You can tune into WBEV-WXRO this afternoon to monitor the status of the funeral procession for Private Jacob Gassen, the Beaver Dam soldier killed last week in Afghanistan. Local residents are being encouraged to line the streets of the procession as Gassen’s body leaves Horicon and is brought to its final resting place in Randolph. Visitation for the 21-year-old is being held today from 10am until 12:30 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Horicon. Funeral services begin at 1pm and are expected to conclude around 2pm. The procession will follow Highway 33 to Highway 73 and then turn onto County P. You can tune into WBEV 1430AM or WXRO 95.3FM beginning at 2pm to find out when the procession leaves the church and then we’ll have regular updates throughout the hour as it enters Beaver Dam, Fox Lake and Randolph.

Good Karma Food Drive A Success

12/9/10 - A box truck full of non-perishable food items was collected amid single-digit temperatures during the annual WBEV-WXRO Food Drive. In addition to the food, Wednesday morning’s two-hour effort resulted in $1,576 in cash donations for the Dodge County Food Pantry. Store manager Kathy Wheeler says this time of year is important because the generosity of people runs highest around the holidays, even given the nations current economic situation. Station manager John Moser says it takes the whole community to stock the shelves of the food pantry and cited the efforts of, Countryside GM Auto Group, Mischler’s Harley Davidson and Charter Communications, in addition to the listeners who helped out this year.

LSD: Trees Versus Safety

12/9/10 - Around 100 people attended a public hearing last night on the proposed reconstruction of Beaver Dam’s Lake Shore Drive, and the discussion boiled down to trees versus safety. Some residents pointed out the debt burden that taxpayers would inherit if the project moves forward. Others criticized the process, which didn’t allow for formal public input until after preliminary designs were drawn up. But the common concern by most all who spoke against the project was the affect that the installation of sidewalks, and resulting loss of trees, would have on the unique feel of the street.

Alderman Robert Ballweg stated that he supports the project but agreed that the public involvement process is flawed. He was less supportive of the tree argument and pointed out that all the trees in question are on public property and could be removed at any time by the city or by a utility company. Operations Committee Chair Laine Meyer said bottom line it’s a safety issue that concerns all the residents of Beaver Dam, not just those on Lake Shore. Meyer says the city would be negligent the minute they tell people to walk in the street.

A Committee of the Whole meeting was called by the Administrative Committee for next month so that the entire council can discuss 2011 borrowing for all capital improvement projects. The reconstruction from Oneida to Denning is currently proposed for this summer and would include concrete street, curb and gutter, decorative street lighting and sidewalk installation on both sides of the street.

Bower Gets 15 Year Sentence In Runaway Assault

12/9/10 - A Beaver Dam man was sentenced Wednesday to 15 years in prison for sexually assaulting two young teens. Christopher Bowers pleaded “no contest” in July to a pair of felony counts of Second Degree Sexual Assault of a Child. The 20-year-old had a relationship with one teen last fall. The second offense occurred in April, with a young runaway that Bowers and another man were hiding. Robert Hinkley Jr. was previously sentenced to 60 days in jail and placed on deferred prosecution for a felony assault charge. According to the criminal complaints, Bowers admitted to the relationships but said all contact stopped once he learned their age. Bowers said that he had been under the impression that both teens were 17-years-old, which investigators pointed out was still illegal. In the case of the runaway, he removed ‘missing person’ posters with the age of the victim listed. During the investigation, witnesses told police that Bowers had been with as many as four other minors, most under the age of 15. In addition to 15 years in prison, Bowers was also sentenced to 15 years of extended supervision.

BDACT Announces $2.5M Expansion Plan

12/9/10 - Officials with the Beaver Dam Area Community Theater are planning a major, $2.5 million renovation. Board President Jay Wilkens says they are seriously pursuing the idea of adding 10,000 square feet over two stories on the south and east sides of the current building on North Spring Street. There would be ground-level access on the north side of the building and an elevator to allow for handicap access. Marty Sell with MSA Professional Services is drawing up the designs. Sell says the main theater would increase from 220 to 262 seats while two smaller performance areas would be added for rehearsals or more experimental productions. The new designs also call for the addition of an orchestra pit, an expanded backstage area and dressing rooms. There are still some logistical hurdles to work out and that includes asking the city to designate green space around the theater as a “park” to help with attaining tax-exempt status. Wilkens says they are planning on fundraising over the next two to three years with the goal of having renovations complete by their golden anniversary in 2014.

Bruins Re-Elected State FSA President

12/9/10 - Waupun farmer Bill Bruins was reelected President of the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation this week during the organization's 91st Annual Meeting in Wisconsin Dells. Bruins, who is a dairy farmer, was first elected president in 2003. Meanwhile, Jerry Bradley, a corn and soybean grower from Sun Prairie, was elected as Vice President. The Federation is the state’s largest general farm organization providing legislative representation, public relations, leadership development and services to farmers across the state.