Top Stories, January 4th

Two Arrested After Gun Incident At Cellar

1/4/11 - Authorities were called to the Cellar bar in Beaver Dam early yesterday (Mon) morning after receiving a report of man with a gun. It happened just after midnight at the Rowell Street business and two men were taken into custody. One of the men was arrested is affiliated with the establishment, though names are not being released. He was taken into custody on charges of being armed while intoxicated, pointing a firearm at another person, battery and disorderly conduct and has since posted bond. The other man was taken into custody on a probation and parole violation. Police say because it is an ongoing investigation the names of the two men involved are not being released at this time. This is the latest in a series of incidents at the tavern, which last month saw two break-ins in less than a week. The first was discovered Christmas morning and the second was reported to police last Tuesday. In both cases the establishment was ransacked and extensive damage was reported in the upstairs ballroom and downstairs bar. After the second break-in, management fired up their pizza oven and discovered that live ammunition rounds were left in the bottom of the oven.

BDFD Fire, EMS Calls Up, Transport Calls Down

1/4/11 - The Beaver Dam Fire Department saw a 3.6% increase in their Emergency Medical Service calls last year compared to 2009. There were 1597 EMS calls in 2010, while there were 1541 the previous year, that’s an increase of 56 calls. Those numbers do not include revenue-generating inter-facility transports, which were down nearly 12 percent. There were 470 transports last year, compared to 533 in 2009, a difference of 63 transports. Fire calls were up by over 28%. There were 310 fire calls last year, compared to 241 in 2009. The Beaver Dam Fire Departments total call volume last year was 2,111.

Dodge County Traffic Fatalities Down

1/4/11 - There were nine traffic fatalities on Dodge County roadways last year, half as many as there were in 2009. That’s also the fewest traffic fatalities since 1945. In that time there has been an average of just over 20 traffic fatalities each year in Dodge County. There were no multiple fatality accidents in 2010. County officials credit the low numbers to stepped-up enforcement, improved road systems, better automobile safety designs, and tips from the motoring public about problem drivers.

BDPD November Stats

1/4/11 - The Beaver Dam Police Department has released crime statistics for the month of November. According to the activity report, there were four residential burglaries reported; none involved forced entry. There was one armed robbery and 27 general thefts reported. That resulted in a total of $5,153 in stolen property, of which $638 was recovered. Beaver Dam police officers issued three citations for Operating While Intoxicated, and issued one citation for liquor law violations. There were 18 citations for Disorderly Conduct and 7 domestic incidents. Fourteen reports of fraud and forgery were filed. Three sex offenses are being investigated. There were 50 adults arrested and 45 minors taken into custody. Finally, there were 43 traffic accidents in November resulting in ten injuries and one death.

VINE Program Takes Root in Dodge County

1/4/11 - The Dodge County Sheriff’s Department recently joined a program designed to inform the victims of crime and the public about the status of offenders in Wisconsin’s jails. Sheriff Todd Nehls says Wisconsin VINE will allow for people to sign up on a website and choose a particular offender. When that person is released from jail or transferred to another facility you would receive a notice. Nehls says the system will be updated by all county jails every 15-minutes, 24-hours a day, and 365-days per year. For more information or to sign up you can visit the website, vinelink.com.

UW Oshkosh Turning Garbage Into Green Energy

1/4/11 - Beaver Dam is not the only place in Wisconsin that’s converting garbage into green energy. Food waste and yard waste will soon provide much of the electricity being used at the U-W Oshkosh campus. A Florida company called “Two-G Cenergy” announced Monday that it is building an anaerobic bio-digester for the campus, and it will start operating this spring. The firm says it will provide both heat-and-electricity for university buildings in Oshkosh – and bio-gas to be produced will create almost 31-hundred megawatts of power each year. That’s enough to power about 350 homes. Michael Turwitt, the C-E-O of “Two-G Cenergy,” says it’s the first dry bio-digester plant in the U-S. And officials plan to expand it a year from now. Beaver Dam is constructing a $20 million dollar wastewater treatment plant with a digester that will pre-treat waste from companies like Kraft Foods and convert it to biogas; enough to power as many as 800 homes.

Pesticide Notification List Deadline Feb 1

1/4/10 - Almost a-thousand Wisconsinites get advance notice when their neighbors are about to have pesticides applied to their lawns, shrubs, and trees. The state Agriculture Department keeps a list in which homeowners apply each year to get notifications. This year’s deadline to register for the list is February first. Homeowners can list the addresses on their own block and immediate surrounding blocks where they’d like to get notified about pesticide applications. And each person on the list mentions an average of 14 properties. The ag department’s Jane Larson says there are people who like to know in advance about pesticide applications so they can shut windows – not hang laundry in the yard – or bring kids inside so they don’t get exposed to chemicals. Companies must post signs on yards where they apply pesticides, and they’re required by law to give advance notice to nearby properties which have asked for it. The registry does not apply homeowners who apply pesticides themselves, or agricultural and non-pesticide applications. More information is available online at the ag department’s Web side, accessible at Wisconsin-Dot-Gov.

Schraufnagel Wins BD Ford Giveaway

1/4/11 - A Mayville woman ushered in the New Year with a new car she won at a Beaver Dam car dealership giveaway. ElDonna Schraufnagel (shroff-nag-ill) was chosen from over 2000 names to win a brand-new, fully-loaded, 2011 Ford Fusion valued at over $21,000. Schraufnagel says she was surprised though she says she may have had a little help. The drawing was on December 23, which would have been her late husbands 77th birthday. Beaver Dam Ford Owner Joe Goodson says the giveaway was successful and they may do it again this year. Schraufnagel – who was driving a 2001 Ford Windstar with 111,000 miles – exercised her option of taking the $21,000 value of the car and upgrading to a different model. She just recently took ownership of a 2011 Ford Edge. She says she is used to driving a bigger car and the Edge was more practical and didn’t come with all the bells-and-whistles of the Fusion.

Waupun Memorial Announces New Years Baby

1/4/11 - Waupun Memorial Hospital welcomed its first baby of the New Year on Saturday at 11:25am. Violet Kay Wegner was born to Keri Bushweiler and Eric Wegner, of Waupun. Violet Kay weighed six pounds, 12 ounces and was 17 3/4 inches long. As the first baby of the year, Violet Kay and her family were given a basket full of baby items from the Waupun Memorial Hospital Women & Infants Unit staff.

Klavekoske Family Welcomes New Years Baby

1/4/10 - The first baby of the New Year born at Beaver Dam Community Hospital was welcomed to the world at 8:25pm Saturday night. Owen Michael Klavekoske weighed eight pounds and one ounce and is 20 inches long. His parents are Tiffany and Ryan Klavekoske of Beaver Dam. Ryan – who is a detective with the Beaver Dam Police Department and a regular guest on WBEV’s Community Comment – tells us that this is a (quote) “blessing beyond imagination.”