Driver Killed When Car Plunges Into Rock River
1/01/11 - A 62-year-old New Berlin man was killed after his car plunged into the Rock River in Mayville last night. It happened just after 11:30pm on South Main Street/ State Highway 67 near the intersection with Ruedebush Street. Mayville Police Captain Chris MacNeill says the driver and lone occupant 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 the man. The Mayville Fire Department recovered the body shortly after midnight. His name is being withheld pending notification of family.
Jefferson Ethanol Spill Results in Evacuation
1/01/11 - 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.
Aerators on Beaver Dam Lake
1/01/11 - Aerators are out on Beaver Dam Lake this year. Officials with the Lake Improvement Association tell us current oxygen levels in were lower than the average for this time of year. The devices have been installed off Skunk and Minders Islands. A third one could still be installed near Rasmussen Point. Aerators were not needed on Beaver Dam Lake last year, but they were needed in 2008 and 2009 and that was after a three year absence. 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 and polls and avoid the Skunk and Minders Island area.
Rose Bowl Grounds Locked Down Friday
1/01/11 - A little more than 24 hours before today's scheduled kickoff, the Rose Bowl was put on lockdown by security officials. The temporary lockdown came when an unattended vehicle was found on the stadium grounds. The car was found at about 5 p.m. Pacific Time Friday. Police were eventually able to find the owner and the lockdown was lifted. Representatives from both the Wisconsin Badgers and TCU had attended a Rose Bowl Kickoff luncheon at the stadium earlier in the day. People associated with the two teams say they weren't aware of any situation while teams were in the stadium in Pasadena, California. Kickoff is set for today at 4 p.m. Central Standard Time.
Milwaukee Homicides Increase
1/01/11 - The number of homicides in Milwaukee was up 31 percent in 2010, but still below a 25-year average. Ninety-four people were killed in Wisconsin's biggest city last year. Milwaukee's increase compares to a national trend where murder and overall crime figures are on the decline. Homicide is the only crime among the eight major violent and property crimes measured by the FBI that did go up in Milwaukee. Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn points to domestic disputes or arguments that escalated to violence this year. In addition, there were five cases in 2010 that involved multiple homicide victims, accounting for 12 of the 94 murders in the city.
Wisconsin Drifter Killed In NOLA Fire
1/01/11 - A 22 year old man from Abbotsford was among eight young people who died in a warehouse fire in New Orleans. Names were released yesterday of those who perished in the flames last Tuesday. Jeffrey Geerts was in a group of young people known as drifters -- many of them artists, poets or musicians. Temperatures had dropped below freezing that night. The eight young people had set a fire inside the building to stay warm and it is thought carbon monoxide fumes knocked them out. The fire then went out of control and destroyed the building.
DOT Announces Dodge County Road/ Bridge Funds
1/01/11 - 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
1/01/11 - 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.
State Employees Considering Early Retirement
1/01/11 - Many long-time state government employees are retiring early, for fear that Governor-elect Scott Walker will take away the benefits they’ve earned. About 50 D-N-R veterans are heading out the door, twice as many as a year ago. The Department of Employee Trust Funds says the number of state-and-local employees asking about their retirement benefits jumped by 80-percent in early December, compared to the same time in 2009. And the department put a notice on its Web site stressing that benefits already accrued cannot be taken away. It also said the agency has not seen any proposals about changing the policy of letting retirees pay for state health insurance with their unused sick leave. Still, 37-year D-N-R veteran Bob Barnum says he’s seen enough. He tells the Wisconsin State Journal it’s “sad when you don’t trust the new boss coming in.” D-N-R water supply specialist Carol McCurry says she handles public safety and quote, “It’s not something we should have to fight to do.” But incoming Senate G-O-P leader Scott Fitzgerald wonders why people would leave before giving Walker a chance to roll out his plans. The Juneau Republican says there are great people in state agencies – and he hopes they’d be willing work with the new governor on quote, “innovative reforms.”
$10M Transferred to Energy Assistance
1/01/11 - The state has transferred $10 million from its weatherization program to its energy assistance program, which will help low-income residents pay their heating bills. Tim Brewer with Energy Services, Incorporated says a growing number of people are coming forward looking for help with paying their heating bills. His company will help administer the money, and there has already been a record number of applications for help. Brewer says the program helps to keep people from being forced from their home, simply because they can’t afford to keep the heat on when the weather gets cold. New income eligibility guidelines mean that more people may qualify for the help. Brewer says those who may not have qualified in the past should check again.
Fruit & Veg Conference Starts Sunday
1/01/11 - Hundreds of Wisconsin fruit and vegetable farmers meet this weekend to talk about some of the challenges in their trade in the past year. The state’s estimated 1700 farmers who raise and sell produce contended with rough weather, disease, and pests in 2010. Anna Maenner, executive director of the 2011 Wisconsin Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Conference, says those challenges will drive much of the conversation. Maenner says every year is a challenging year for Wisconsin fruit and vegetable farmers, but that doesn't keep more people from considering starting up an operation of their own. She says about 100 new farmers enter the field annually, especially during economic hard times. Maenner expects about 600 farmers to attend the 2011 Wisconsin Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Conference. The three-day event begins tomorrow in Wisconsin Dells.
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