Top Stories January 12th

BDAC Approves Union Contract


1/12/11 - Beaver Dam Administrative Committee has approved a three-year contract with AFSCME, the union that covers a majority of city workers. Under the proposed contract, city employees will see a three percent wage increase retroactive to 2010. There will be no increase for this year and a one-percent increase in January of next year, followed by another one-percent increase six months later. The common council rejected tentative agreement last July and mediation was requested. The new contract will cost the city more in wages but concessions were made in employees share of health insurance premiums. Most city employees are contributing ten percent for insurance. This contract establishes a sliding scale in 2012 that would require a greater contribution depending on increases in insurance premiums. AFSCME covers nearly every city employee except police and fire personnel and record keepers. The common council will review the contract at their meeting on Monday.

Horicon School Board Postpones Decision on Principal Contract

1/12/11 - The Horicon School Board postponed making a final decision on not renewing the contract of current assistant high school principal and athletic director Jeff Higgins. A hearing was scheduled last night, but the board agreed to delay it for one-week to allow Higgins’ attorney, who had just been hired earlier in the day, a chance to review all the information. The board issued a preliminary notice of non-renewal to him last month. Higgins was put on administrative leave while serving as Principal of the high school in early June when issues between he and his staff came to light but was reinstated in August. Superintendent Gary Berger said last month that non-renewal isn’t based solely on this summer’s events, and that the school board is looking at the big picture. With that in mind, Higgins attorney also asked for a detailed list of reasons the board decided to issue the preliminary non-renewal. The hearing is now set for next Tuesday.

APC in Columbus Expanding

1/12/11 - Columbus will be seeing a multi-million dollar plant expansion and over 40 new jobs in the near future. A $350,000 Department of Commerce grant will allow American Packaging Corporation to implement an almost $17 million dollar plant expansion to the James Street facilities. A-P-C officials had been considering expanded operations in Story City, Iowa before the decision to remain in Columbus was made.

Brothers Sentenced In Crime Spree

1/12/11 - Two brothers from Watertown were sentenced to jail yesterday in connection with a series of daytime burglaries. 19-year-old Jacob Wandeloski will spend 100 days behind bars while 17-year-old Dakota Wandeloski got 30 days with work release privileges. The two had previously pleaded “no contest” to felony Burglary in Dodge County court. Last month, 20-year-old Samuel Cremers of Columbus was sentenced to four months. According to the criminal complaint, Columbus police received an anonymous tip that alleged co-conspirator Adam Orr of Fox Lake was involved with Cremers in a daytime residential burglary in Beaver Dam last April that netted jewelry and electronic equipment. In May, authorities followed the group to Waupun where they were arrested after burglarizing two houses. Orr has a plea hearing in Dodge County court Thursday for the Beaver Dam burglary. He and the Wandeloski brothers will be sentenced in the next couple months in Fond du Lac County for the Waupun burglaries.

Hammond Accused of Molesting Young Child

1/12/11 - A Watertown man is accused of molesting a six-year-old. Cory Hammond is charged with First Degree Sexual Assault of a Child Under the Age of 12 for a pair of alleged incidents that are said to have occurred between May and November of last year. According to the criminal complaint, the 19-year-old reportedly promised the girl several presents if she kept their secret. When questioned, Hammond admitted his actions to investigators saying they were isolated incidents. He faces up to 170 years in prison, if convicted. He was bound over for trial during a preliminary hearing Monday in Dodge County court. An arraignment hearing is scheduled for next month. Hammond is being held on a $20,000 cash bond.

Probation For Selling Rented Skid Steer

1/12/11 - A South Beloit man will spend five years on probation for selling a skid-steer that he had rented. Daniel Lyman obtained the machinery from a Madison business and then advertised it on craigslist. According to the criminal complaint, Lyman sold the skidsteer to a Columbus man for $12,000 then went to a casino. The 29-year-old is currently incarcerated at Winnebago County Jail in Rockford, Illinois and will serve the probation after completing an Illinois prison sentence. Lyman was also ordered to pay $12,000 in restitution.

Hopper Targets Capital Gains Tax

1/12/11 - One Wisconsin lawmaker wants to do away with Capital gains taxes by the year 2014. State Senator Randy Hopper of Fond du Lac e-mailed his proposal to other lawmakers yesterday. It would end an increase in the capital gains tax passed in 2009 which dropped the allowable exemptions under the tax from 30 to 60 percent. His bill would restore the exemptions to 60 percent starting next year, then to 80 percent the year after that and no capital would be taxed at all in 2014. Hopper says higher taxes on capital slows investment dedicated to job creation and limits economic growth.

Raiding Segregated Funds Under Scrutiny

1/12/11 - A constitutional amendment that would prohibit the Wisconsin Legislature from raiding segregated state funds to pay other bills is being circulated by Republican lawmakers. Before the constitution could be amended the Legislature would have to pass it twice, over at least a two-year span, and then the public would have to approve it. The amendment is being circulated for co-sponsors with a deadline of Friday for lawmakers to sign on. Governor Scott Walker and Republicans have been critical of fund raids in the past. Former Governor Jim Doyle transferred about $1.3 billion from the transportation fund to help pay for schools, aid to local governments and other needs across the state. In November, voters in Dodge County and 52 counties approved an advisory referendum to ban future governors from raiding the state’s gas tax fund.

Kohl’s Recognized for Customer Service

1/12/11 - Two Wisconsin-based companies are listed among the top-10 U.S. websites for customer service. Results of a survey were released today at the National Retail Federation convention in New York. Lands’ End is based in Dodgeville and Kohl’s is based in Menomonee Falls. Both companies got high marks for ease of use of their websites. Lands’ End ranked fifth and Kohl’s seventh on the list. About 93 hundred consumers were surveyed last September. Zappos and Amazon ranked one-two.

Move Over Law Reminder

1/12/11 - Wisconsin State Patrol Sergeant Paul Wolfe says it’s common courtesy to pull over a lane when you see an emergency responder on the side of the road with his flashers on. It’s also the law. Wisconsin’s Move Over Law is designed to protect those who work on the side of the road, like police, ambulance crews and construction workers. Sergeant Wolfe says when a driver see the first responder vehicle on the side of the road, he or she is required by law to change lanes, creating a safety zone. If traffic doesn’t allow that, you need to slow down. Wolfe says failing to move over, or slow down, is one of the main reasons motor vehicle crashes kill more law enforcement officers on duty than any other occurrence. The law was enacted 10 years ago. You can get a 264 dollar fine and three points knocked off your driving record for failing to comply.

Carbon Monoxide Detector Law Begins Feb 1

1/12/11 - Beginning next month, many Wisconsin homes will be required to have carbon monoxide detectors installed. In 2008, 20 people in Wisconsin died due to carbon monoxide poisoning. To help prevent more fatalities, the Wisconsin legislature passed a law requiring carbon monoxide detectors to be installed in homes with potential sources such as ovens or furnaces. As of February 1, new single and two-family dwellings must have detectors on each floor and the alarms need to be hardwired. Department of Commerce spokesperson Tony Hozeny says property owners are responsible for the installation, but it’s up to municipalities to enforce the rules. He says when new homes are built, they’ll inspect it. For existing homes, owners can purchase a battery-operated, stand alone carbon monoxide detector. Commerce department officials say these can cost $25 to $50.