Top Stories, January 3rd

Mayville Teen Flown From Highway 67 Accident Scene

1/3/11 - A Mayville teen was flown from the scene of a one vehicle accident in the Town of Hubbard Saturday night. 18-year-old Adam W. Brown was traveling northbound on Highway 67 near Owens Road around 9:20pm. Authorities say he drifted onto the shoulder, overcorrected and skidded sideways into the east ditch, striking a utility pole on his driver’s side door. Dodge County Patrol Sergeant Brian Loos says the pole was broken in half, with the top half of the pole and a transformer hanging directly above the car, threatening to fall. We Energies cut power in the area so emergency responders could safely remove the driver. Brown was the only occupant. He was taken by Med-Flight to Froedtert Hospital with what are said to be non-life threatening injuries. Alcohol is not believed to be a factor in the wreck and Brown was wearing a seatbelt. Sgt. Loos says speed and other circumstances are being investigated. Highway 67 was closed down for almost six hours.

Speed, Alcohol Factors In Fatal River Plunge

1/3/11 - Speed and alcohol are said to be factors in a crash that killed a New Berlin man Friday night in Mayville. Authorities 62-year-old Reed Wetzel died after his car drove off of South Main Street/ Highway 67 and plunged into the Rock River. It happened just after 11:30pm near the intersection with Ruedebush Street. Mayville Police Captain Chris MacNeill says Wetzel was the lone occupant of the car. He failed to negotiate a curve, vaulted into the river and landed upside down, pinning him underneath the water. A witness jumped into the river to help but was unable to free Wetzel. Wetzel was not wearing a seatbelt. The accident is under investigation by the Dodge County Sheriffs Department Crash Investigation Team.

Sheehan Arraigned In OWI Injury

1/3/11 - An Iron Ridge woman has waived her right to charges that she allegedly left the scene of an accident that resulted in severe injuries to her passenger. Kim Natalie Sheehan subsequently entered a “not guilty” plea to charges of felony Hit and Run when she appeared in a Dodge County courtroom late last week. The 44-year-old reportedly told investigators that she was the designated driver so she only had a couple cans of beer before putting her car in a ditch in the Town of Hustisford this past June. Both she and her passenger were unable to provide any details of the accident and she told investigators she has no idea how she wound up at home. Sheehan faces up to 15 years in prison, if convicted.

BDPD Has Busy New Years Weekend

1/3/11 - The Beaver Dam Police Department was (quote) “unbelievably busy” over the New Years weekend. That’s according to Lt. John Kreuzinger who says they received “call-after-call” Friday night and Saturday morning, and he says most every call had something to do with alcohol.

Officers responded to a fight at the Casa Mora Mexican Restaurant on South Center Street at 11:20pm. Two subjects allegedly refused to stop fighting and pepper spray was deployed. After being checked out by EMS personnel the two were given municipal citations for Disorderly Conduct. Police returned to Casa Mora three hours later for another fight between two completely different men. No charges were filed but a 44-year-old was taken into custody on an outstanding Beaver Dam warrant. At 2:15am Saturday morning, police were dispatched to the Moonlight Bar on Madison Street following reports that people were throwing punches outside the establishment. A 28-year-old Beaver Dam man and a 26-year-old Hartford man were cited for Disorderly Conduct. Police were then contacted at 2:30am Saturday morning by a 23-year-old Fox Lake man who reported that he was involved in a fight at the Game On Bar on Madison Street. The apparent victim did not wish to press charges. Lt. Kreuzinger says department officials will be reviewing all of the incidents to determine if points need to be assessed against any of the drinking establishments as part of the city’s Demerit Point System for alcohol license holders.

Beaver Dam Police were busy with several other incidents in the early morning hours of New Years Day. A sexual assault was reported just before 3am and a 29-year-old Beaver Dam man was taken into custody on charges of False Imprisonment, Disorderly Conduct and Resisting Arrest. And finally, a 35-year-old Beaver Dam man was injured after striking a parked car on the South Spring Street just before 5am Saturday morning. He was treated for injuries at Beaver Dam Community Hospital and taken into custody for Operating While Intoxicated.

Aerators On Beaver Dam Lake

1/3/11 - Aerators are out on Beaver Dam Lake this year. The Lake Improvement Association installed the aerators off Skunk and Minders Islands. The units are used when oxygen drops to a level that would be dangerous to the health of the lake and its fish population. The machine circulates water in such a way that it thins the ice for as much as a mile around. The Lake Improvement Association warns those on the lake to be on the look out for ropes, polls and reflectors. Aerators were not needed on Beaver Dam Lake last year, but they were needed in 2008 and 2009.

Dodge County ATV Trail Open

1/3/11 - ATV riders can begin using the Wild Goose Trail again. Dodge County Parks and Trails Manager Bill Ehlenbeck says the ATV trail was re-opened at 10am yesterday morning. Local snowmobiles are not as fortunate and have been closed since before last weeks brief early winter thaw. More information is available at www.dodgeparks.com.

Jefferson Ethanol Spill Results in Evacuation

1/03/11 - People living near an ethanol plant in Jefferson County were evacuated for a brief time in the middle of the day Friday. A tanker overturned, spilling about three thousand gallons of ethanol. Sheriff's Captain Patrick Brown says the people were allowed to return homes around noon after the tanker had been emptied of an additional 47 hundred gallons of ethanol. It was then removed from the scene. The tanker was leaving the Valero Renewables plant when it flipped on a spot of soft ground. A spokesman for the company said the spill didn't stop plant operations and workers were not evacuated.

DOT Announces Dodge County Road/ Bridge Funds

1/03/11 - The state Department of Transportation has announced grant funding for a variety of road and bridge projects in Dodge County. The state is doling out nearly $49 million dollars to fund 209 projects along Wisconsin’s 100,000-mile local roads system. The funds will be used to pay construction costs for the Rock River Bridge on County Y in addition to design costs for the Rock River Bridge at Second Street in Watertown. The DOT says all of the projects that received funding are expected to be completed in the next three to five years. The Local Bridge Improvement Assistance Program provides 80% federal or state funding to replace or rehabilitate deteriorating bridges and requires a 20% local match. The state has also announced the disbursement of over $50 million in federal funds for 86 projects along rural highways. That includes 80% of the costs of the construction of Dodge County Highway S from West Pleasant Street to South Main Street.

Bruins On Brancel Selection

1/03/11 - Governor-elect Scott Walker has announced more members of his administration. Ben Brancel -- a longtime figure in Wisconsin farming -- will lead the state’s Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, his second time as secretary as he also served under Governor Tommy Thompson. Bill Bruins of Waupun is the president of the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation, which endorsed Walker for governor. Bruins says Brancel is a good communicator who will fight hard for farmers. Brancel also served as the Wisconsin director of the USDA Farm Service Agency. Lately he’s worked as a state liaison for the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

DNR Investigating Possible Cougar Attack

1/3/11 - The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources says it needs more information before it decides if a cougar was responsible for killing a horse in Dane County. A worker at Freedom Stables in the Town of Deerfield found the horse dead last Wednesday afternoon with its throat ripped out. A veterinarian says the animal's major neck artery and airway were deeply cut. He says horses can sometimes cut themselves on machinery, but those cuts are not as deep as the one in this case. Owners of the stable report they found tracks nearby suggesting a big cat was on the property. The DNR says it is still looking for conclusive evidence to support that theory. A spokesman for the DNR says if a cougar had attacked the horse, it would probably have dragged it away to eat it. In this case, the horse went about 60 yards, then collapsed.

Lawmaker Offended By High Speed Bumper Sticker

1/3/11 - A key Republican lawmaker says he’s offended by a new bumper sticker from Democrats which shows a high-speed train coming out of Scott Walker’s head. The bumper sticker is offered on the State Democratic Party’s Web site. It shows a train coming out of the Governor-elect’s head with jagged red marks flying out of the front – and it has the phrase “High Speed Fail.” Incoming G-O-P finance chairman Robin Vos says the red marks resemble blood – and he calls the bumper sticker indecent. Democrats are still livid that the Republican Walker turned down millions of federal dollars for a new high-speed train from Milwaukee-to-Madison. And Vos says the party should stop offering the bumper sticker. But Democratic spokesman Graeme Zielinski said Vos’s complaint is laughable. He said Vos is a “partisan hack” who understands how the political game is played.