Top Stories January 8th

Prasalowicz Gets Probation


1/8/11 - A former Town of Clyman woman who tried to poison her husband has been placed on probation. Marja Prasalowicz pleaded “no contest” to reduced misdemeanor charges of Possessing an Illegally Obtained Prescription yesterday in Dodge County court. She had been facing felony charges of Placing Foreign Objects in Edibles. According to the criminal complaint, the 31-year-old put sleeping pills in soda, coffee and water bottles. Her husband became suspicious in August after the drinks began tasting like insect killer. She initially denied the allegations to her husband, and even drank a bottle of water the victim said was tainted. He says she then became somewhat woozy. Prasalowicz admitted the poisoning saying she did it because he wasn’t sleeping well.

Evans Bound Over for Trial

1/8/11 - One of the two Beaver Dam men facing felony Theft charges for allegedly stealing thousands of dollars worth of scrap metal will proceed to trial. 22-year-old Joseph Evans was bound over for trial during a preliminary hearing this week in Dodge County court. 34-year-old Jason Woodke was in court for an arraignment hearing earlier this week and entered a “not guilty” plea. Woodke has a court trial scheduled in March while Evans will be back in court for an arraignment hearing in February. The two are accused of stealing 50 stainless steel sheets weighing 50 pounds each from Supreme Manufacturing in Beaver Dam last May. They were apprehended after reportedly selling the scrap to a company in Washington County. According to the criminal complaint, Woodke admitted to selling the scrap and he faces up to ten years in prison if convicted. Evans reportedly admitted to being the driver and faces up to three-and-a-half years.

Police See Similarities in Bank Robberies

1/8/11 - Fond du Lac police work with police in Grand Chute and the FBI, investigating the possibility that the same bank robber victimized both communities late last month. The American Bank was robbed in Fond du Lac December 20, and an Anchor Bank in Grand Chute was hit December 30. Fond du Lac Police Captain Steve Klein says there appear to be similarities in the robberies. Klein says clear video footage and witness description are reasons they believe the same robber hit the Fond du Lac bank. In both robberies the suspect is said to be about 6 feet tall Caucasian man, wearing a long dark wig, dark-colored baseball cap and a camouflage jacket.

(NOTE: Anyone with information is asked to call (920) 906-5555.)

Plane Lands at Dane Co. Airport after Engine Goes Out

1/8/11 - A Mesaba Airlines flight from Minneapolis to Dayton, Ohio, made an unscheduled landing at Dane County Regional Airport yesterday afternoon. The FAA reports flight 3637 landed after one of its engines went out midflight. None of the passengers was injured. The plane was brought to a gate at the Madison airport where all 40 passengers disembarked normally. Regional jets like the one making the landing reportedly can fly on just one engine with no trouble. The FAA reports it is investigating to see what might have happened.

Voter ID Bill Picking Up Steam

1/8/11 - Wisconsin could become the 28th state to require persons to show ID before they can register to vote, or even cast a ballot. Republican leaders have promised to push the voter ID bill through after they won back majority control of the Legislature in the November election. The voter ID requirement was passed three times while Democrat James Doyle was Wisconsin governor. He vetoed it each time. The current bill is co-authored by State Representative Jeff Stone of Greenfield and state Senator Joe Leibham of Sheboygan. It includes a stricter standard, requiring a photo ID of the voters. Eighteen states require voters only show an ID -- not necessarily one with a photo. Republicans say this is a way to combat voter fraud, but Democrats say there is no evidence of widespread fraud. They say all the new requirement would accomplish is making it harder for people to vote.

Authorities Warn of Ice Shack Break-ins

1/8/11 - With the first reports this week of ice shack break-ins on Beaver Dam Lake local authorities are offering tips to make sure your property isn’t taken. First and foremost, take your valuable fishing equipment when you leave. Authorities say power augers, electronics, and tip-ups will invite thieves to break-in. Secondly, if you don’t have any valuables in your shack, don’t cover the windows. It’s a lot less likely they’ll try to break-in if there isn’t anything to take. And finally, should you chose to leave property in your shack, have your name, phone number, and address permanently placed on the equipment because thieves are less likely to steal these marked items. If your a late night fisherman and observe suspicious behavior on the lake contact the Sheriffs Department at 920-386-3726.

Woman Rides Bicycle to Hospital to Deliver Her Baby

1/8/11 - A Menasha woman is getting a lot of attention for riding her bicycle to the hospital to deliver her baby. Susie Weber enjoys biking and other outdoor hobbies, and while she had to scale back while she was pregnant, she stayed very active, and rode her bike to her first prenatal appointment. “It was just a whim, actually. My first appointment was in March, and it happened to be a gorgeous day, so I hoped on my bike and rode over there,” says Weber. “I just happened to mention it to my doctor and we were laughing about it I said, really kind of off the cuff, ‘I think I’m going to bike to every appointment and my delivery.’ And she laughed and I laughed, and I don’t know if I was really serious about it then.” But Weber did ride her bike to all of her appointments. So when she began having contractions on October 7th, she got on her bike once again and made the one mile ride to Theda Clark Medical Center in Neenah. She says her husband, Paul, had everything ready for her. Weber and daughter Tess didn’t bike home though – Paul rode home to pick up their car to make that trip. Weber says Tess is a healthy three-month old, and everything is going well.

Changes Happening but Slowly

1/8/11 - Schools in more than three dozen states – including Wisconsin – are implementing a new set of standards that’ll outline what students are expected to learn in math and reading. But, in Wisconsin education officials are moving slowly on the changes. The Common Core Standards were developed as a more uniform way to mark academic progress from state to state. The Center on Education Policy recently surveyed states to gauge their progress on the standards. Their findings show roughly three-quarters of respondents said they won’t fully implement them any earlier than 2013. Paul Sandrock of the state Department of Public Instruction says everything’s on track in Wisconsin. While the state won't have everything in place until 2014, he says that will coincide with the launching of a new standardized testing system based on the same standards. Once the standards are in place, Sandrock says Wisconsin’s colleges, universities, and tech schools will use them as a factor for placement into college courses.

DNR Asking for Input on Study for Regulating Silica

1/8/11 - A DNR rule package passed seven years ago called for a study into whether Wisconsin should regulate silica as a pollutant. The department's Joanie Burns says the DNR has been short on staff and had other priorities, but over the last year, had requests from DNR board members, state lawmakers and others to begin the study. Burns says a draft version of the study has just been released. It mainly reviews what's known about sources, controls, health effects, monitoring and what other states are doing about silica. Burns stresses there are no policy recommendations at this time. Burns says for the next five weeks, the DNR is seeking public comment on how the silica study should proceed. She hopes a final report will go to the DNR board this summer.