Top Stories January 16th

Packers One Win Away from the Super Bowl


1/16/11 - Aaron Rodgers is making his mark as the Green Bay Packers quarterback with an exclamation point. Rogers continued his march through the NFL playoffs by slicing Atlanta for three touchdown passes in a surprising 48-21 rout in the Georgia Dome Saturday night. Rodgers also ran for a score. He completed 31-of-36 passes 366 yards, leading his team on a middle-of-the-game rally for 35 straight points against the favored Falcons. After a relatively error-free regular season, the Falcons committed turnover after turnover -- and Rodgers made sure his Packers took advantage. He was the show. The game marked just the second time in history Atlanta came into the playoffs seeded number-one -- and the result was the same. One game, one loss, season over. The Packers will take on the winner of today's game between the Chicago Bears and the Seattle Seahawks for the NFC title and a place in the Super Bowl.

Regionalization Moving Forward for Columbus and Fall River

1/16/11 - Bids for construction of the planned Columbus / Fall River wastewater regionalization project are being prepared and legal and engineering details are underway. Easement agreements for the force main are begin completed. Meanwhile, engineering details for Columbus connections to the collection system are also being finalized. Planners expect bids for the lift station will be going out in the next two weeks and force main bids will be out in early March.

Athletic Complex in Waupun Closer to Reality

1/16/11 - Plans for a new athletic complex got a boost in Waupun this week. The common council approved an agreement with H&K Sports Fields that will allow the firm to, among other things, design several baseball fields. The complex would be on East Lincoln Street just north of the high school and would proved a place to play for Little Leaguers, as well as JV baseball teams. The complex, which will be situated on 10 ½ acres of land owned by the school district and six acres owned by the city, is estimated to cost $4-million. Officials say the project will be paid for with money from TIF District 1 and 4, meaning it will have no impact on the general tax levy.

Son Could Face Charges in Fathers Death

1/16/11 - The son of a Town of Byron man killed by a tractor could end up facing criminal charges in the death. Fond du Lac County District Attorney Dan Kaminsky says that possibility comes after an inquest jury ruled there was probable cause 26-year-old Michael Batterman committed second degree reckless homicide or homicide by negligent use of a motor vehicle. Batterman ran over his 59-year-old father Lee Batterman last August, while driving a tractor on the family farm. Kaminsky says the jury’s verdict is advisory and there are many other factors to consider in the case, including the emotional and financial suffering the son and Batterman’s family have gone through. However, he says the untimely death of Batterman is also a major concern. Kaminsky says he had his suspicions from the start. He says the description of Batterman’s death led him to believe it was something more than just a “pure accident. Michael Batterman has claimed his father failed to get out of the tractor’s way and that he believed the man was playing a “game of chicken” with him. Lee Batterman died as a result of complications from severe head injuries.

Legislature’s Budget Committee to Meet

1/16/11 - Republicans carry the power when the Legislature’s budget committee meets for the first time next week. Committee members are expected to vote on four of Governor Scott Walker’s proposals, cutting taxes on business, Health Savings Accounts and increasing money directed toward economic development. That committee meets as the Capitol on Tuesday. One of the business tax cuts being considered has morphed into a thousand dollar deduction for every job created by a Wisconsin business. That’s significantly different than the governor’s original idea, but Walker has said he would support the approach.

Priebus has his Work Cut Out for Him

1/16/11 - He doesn’t have much time to enjoy his victory. The new chairman of the Republican National Committee has some big jobs to tackle as he takes over from Michael Steele. Reince Priebus won yesterday’s election. He is the former head of the Wisconsin Republican Party. He must immediately start digging the GOP out of 22 million dollars of debt, get the party ready to challenge President Obama in the 2012 election and unite party members in the midst of what some are calling an identity crisis brought on by the rapid rise of the Tea Party activism. Priebus defeated four opponents to win the job.

DNR Looking for Input on New Rules

1/16/11 - Wisconsin residents get a chance to give their input to state agriculture officials on plans for new rules restricting wood and plant imports. The state is trying to slow a disease that causes lesions in black walnut trees, eventually killing them. Thousand cankers disease is spread through firewood, nursery stock and unfinished or untreated black walnut products. It’s been found in 10 states, but not in Wisconsin yet. An emergency rule was passed last October banning important of black walnut wood from those 10 states unless it is certified to be disease-free. A public hearing will be held January 26 on making those rules permanent.

Meningitis Kills Student at UW-Madison

1/16/11 - Health officials believe it was a form of bacterial meningitis that killed a UW-Madison student last week. The student’s name hasn’t been released. An official at University Health Services says the rare and serious infection can cause death in less than 24 hours. She says there is no health risk to the public right now. The bacteria is spread only through intimate and direct contact and doesn’t live on surfaces in the environment. The people who might be at risk are being contacted by the University Health Services. They will need to take antibiotics.

Man Charged with Felony Stalking

1/16/11 - Madison authorities say 54 year old James David Hills just couldn’t get over his municipal citation and the 429 dollar fine he had to pay. Hills is charged with felony stalking. Police say he spent 11 months harassing and threatening the assistant city attorney who handled his case. In the original complaint, he was cited for disorderly conduct after using a racial slur in a confrontation with a neighbor in November 2009. After the case was concluded, he wrote a letter of complaint to the Office of Lawyer Regulation. He followed with letters to assistant city attorney Lana Mades containing threats and insults. When police went to his house last week, Hills admitted sending the letters, saying he had been, quoting here, “done wrong.”

Milwaukee Man: Beer is Poison

1/16/11 - He called beer poison, then started smashing cans on the beer truck outside a grocery store in Milwaukee. Police say they've arrested the 32 year old man who used a metal pipe to attack the beer truck. Witnesses say he scolded the delivery man, then told him to stop unloading his truck. The driver ignored him, so he used the pipe to start smashing the load. The attack lasted about a half-hour, then the man got tired and sat against a wall, waiting for police. While he was wielding the metal pipe, several people reportedly took advantage of the distracted delivery man and stole cases of beer from the truck.