Top Stories February 20th

Major Winter Storm Approaching
2/20/11 - Winter weather returns today for much of Wisconsin, including our listening area. We are under a Winter Storm Warning until 6 p-m tomorrow night. Meteorologist Jeff Smith says fluctuating temperatures could mean several different types of precipitation will be seen, from snow, to rain to freezing rain. He said we should expect 4 to 6 inches of snow by this evening and an additional 2 to 3-inches by early Monday morning. Compounding problems will be the wind with gusts of 25-miles per hour possible.

70,000 Show Up in Madison for Protests

2/20/11 - Madison police estimate the crowd converging on the Wisconsin state Capitol approached 70 thousand Saturday. Police say 60 thousand people were gathered on the Capitol grounds, with another eight thousand inside the building. Today is the sixth day of protests over Governor Scott Walker's plans to take most collective bargaining rights away from public employees. No arrests were made Saturday even though a smaller group of Tea Party supporters showed up to give support to Governor Walker's plan. Winter weather is expected to put a damper on the crowd at the Capitol today.

Walker Rejects Democratic Compromise

2/20/11 - Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has rejected an approach from a Democratic state Senator aimed at ending the standoff over a budget bill being considered. State Senator Jon Erpenbach said Saturday he had been told that state and public employees would agree to the financial portions of Walker's bill - if they could retain their collective bargaining rights. A spokesman for the Governor said Erpenbach and other Democrats should return and debate the bill in Madison. A spokeswoman for the Wisconsin Education Association Council confirmed Erpenbach's assertion that the workers would accept the concessions the Governor wants.

Fitzgerald Says He Tried to Reach Out to Democratic Senators

2/20/11 - Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald says he has tried to reach out to the 14 Democratic senators that left the state to avoid having to vote on Governor Walker’s budget repair bill. But he has been unsuccessful. The Senate needs 20 legislators present to vote on a financial bill and Republicans are one short of that. The Democratic senators have said they won’t return until the Governor is willing to sit down and allow for negotiations on the bill. The Assembly also tried to take up the bill on Friday but passed on taking any action after Democrats said they needed more time to finish their proposed amendments. They’ll be back in session on Tuesday.

Tea Party Members Exploring Recalling of Missing Senators

2/20/11 - Members of the Tea Party are exploring options to recall the Democratic senators who left Wisconsin to avoid a vote on Governor Scott Walker's budget bill. At least two of the absent lawmakers have been targeted. Northwoods Patriots leader Kim Simac says the group will meet today to discuss an effort to recall state Senator Jim Holperin. Simac is a small business owner from Eagle River who says, it's embarrassing for the state of Wisconsin that half of the Senate has gone missing. A similar effort is reportedly underway in Kenosha where an exploratory committee plans to talk about recalling Senator Robert Wirch. An article in the Capital Times says the recall efforts would require the collection of 15 to 20 thousand signatures on petitions.

Palin Chimes in on Protests

2/20/11 - Former Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin says union members have to be willing to sacrifice during tough economic times. Palin says by choosing to challenge the Republican plan to balance the state's budget by cutting collective bargaining rights, they are taking up what she calls the wrong fight at the wrong time. Palin offered her input on the debate last Friday in a posting on her Facebook page, but she didn't say she would join weekend counter-protests by groups like Americans for Prosperity and the Tea Party Patriots. In her posting Palin said taxpayers shouldn't be asked to pay for benefits which aren't sustainable.

Finance Director Leaving Columbus

Columbus Finance Director Barbara Green will be leaving City Hall at the end of next week after 23 years of service. Green was born and raised in Columbus and had served as the City’s Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer. Green said that her new Accountant / Treasurer position in DeForest will begin on March 1st. Green said she will miss Columbus and thanks the City for her time there. The closing date for applications for the open position will close February 28th.

Hockey Player Bound Over for Trial

2/20/11 - One of two UW-Stout hockey players, accused in the death of a fellow student, will go on trial next October in Dunn County. Jedidiah Glasson of Menomonie faces felony murder charges in the death of 22 year old Bradley Simon last year. Authorities say the victim was shoved off his bicycle and into a wall in downtown Menomonie last September. He died of head injuries. Also charged in the death is McGlasson's teammate, Jaren Britton of St. Cloud, Minnesota. Police say the altercation that resulted in Simon's fatal injury came after a dispute in a nearby bar. Both defendants were kicked off the Stout hockey team.

Woman Facing 25 Years in Prison

2/20/11 - When she is sentenced in April, 21 year old Brandie Nelson could get up to 25 years behind bars. Nelson pleaded no contest to charges of felony negligence in the death of her 16 month old son. When police responded to a call from Prairie du Sac's VFW park last summer they found Nelson trying to revive her son. He was taken to Sauk Prairie Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Nelson said she had left Tanner in the trailer with the air conditioning on, checking on him every half-hour. Investigators found, even with the air conditioning running, the day was so hot the interior would have reached a temperature of more than 110 degrees. A prosecutor says he won't recommend prison time for the defendant.

Bike Maker Hoping to Go National

2/20/11 - A bike builder from Wisconsin tries to take his business to the next level by taking his wheeled products to a national show in Austin, Texas, next week. John Sotherland has been building Sotherland Custom Bicycles since 2006. His bikes can cost anywhere from four thousand to 10 thousand dollars, taking about 20 hours to complete. He builds about 10 bikes each year. Sotherland used to work for Schwinn. He says he doesn't want to make thousands of bikes a year any more. He'll seek more exposure for his product at the National Handbuilt Bicycle Show, which last year drew 150 exhibitors and around six thousand lookers and buyers. Sotherland and his wife live in a home south of Whitewater that includes a production space where he makes his bikes.