Top Stories, February 24th

County Reaches Tentative Agreement With AFSCME

2/24/11 - Dodge County and representatives of the six local AFSCME unions have reached tentative agreements for a one year contract with no increase in wages in 2011 and no step increases for a one-year period. AFSCME Staff Representative Lee Gierke says the Governor’s budget repair bill, that would take away most bargaining rights of public unions, expedited the negotiations. In past years, the contracts have been multi-year agreements but the uncertainty in Madison led to just a one-year deal. The next step in the process is for each union to ratify the agreements and then they would go in front of the full county board on March 8.

Dem’s Criticize Walker Prank Chat

2/24/11 - Democrats say Governor Scott Walker showed that he’s insensitive, out-of-touch, and out to make a name for himself during his talk with a blogger who posed as a conservative financial backer. Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca said that if Walker really talked about crushing the public unions like Ronald Reagan did, his intention is to make a name for himself instead of solving Wisconsin’s budget deficit. Senate Democrat Jon Erpenbach of Waunakee, who’s still in Illinois to avoid a vote on Walker’s budget package, said the real story is the “lack of compassion” Walker showed in his chat with blogger Ian Murphy from the “Buffalo Beast.” According to his publisher, Murphy figured he could talk to Walker if he quote, “had enough oomph behind him.” So Murphy chose to impersonate David Koch, a major financier for the conservative Americans for Prosperity. In his 20-minute talk – which was on the Buffalo Beast Web site Wednesday – Walker said he told his cabinet quote, “This is our time to change the course of history.” He discussed a plan to pass his limits on public union bargaining powers without the 14 Senate Democrats who fled to hold up the vote. Erpenbach said Walker was out of touch by calling the protestors a group of quote, “’60s liberals.” And the senator said Walker was being “delusional” by comparing himself to Reagan and the fall of the Berlin Wall. The governor’s spokesman said Walker took the same stands privately that he’s taken publicly.

Senate Approves Repeal of Racial Data Collection

2/24/11 - With no Democrats present, the Wisconsin Senate voted Wednesday to repeal the requirement that police collect racial data from the people they stop on the roads. The law took effect in January, after Democrats approved it in the last session. The officers’ data is supposed to be sent to a state office, to determine if racial profiling is taking place. But sheriffs in Racine and Kenosha counties stopped collecting the data just days after the law took effect, saying officers spent way too much time filling out reports in their squad cars – and collecting data about drivers that can be found elsewhere. The bill passed 19-to-nothing. Republicans were again the only ones present, as all 14 Senate Democrats remained in Illinois to delay a vote on the budget repair bill and its limits on public union bargaining power. The measure now goes to the Assembly. The Senate held a brief session for a second straight day without the Democrats. They also voted 19-nothing to praise the Wisconsin football team for its Rose Bowl season. Tomorrow, they’re expected to vote on a bill that Democrats have been fighting for years – the one that makes voters show photo I-D’s at the polls. A Senate committee endorsed that measure yesterday.

Special Assembly Election Set For May

2/24/11 - Special elections will be held May third for three open Wisconsin Assembly seats. Governor Scott Walker announced the date Wednesday. The Assembly posts were vacated when Republican Mark Gottlieb of Port Washington was named the transportation secretary – Mike Huebsch of West Salem was named Walker’s administration chief – and Scott Gunderson of Waterford was picked as the executive assistant in the D-N-R. Candidates for all three seats have until March eighth to file nomination papers with the state Government Accountability Board. And if more than two people run for any of the seats, a primary will be held April fifth, the same day as the spring general elections.

Forbes Gets Life

2/24/11 - Curtis Forbes was sentenced to life in prison for killing a young mother over 30 years ago. That sentence was handed down Wednesday in Portage by Columbia County Circuit Court Judge Alan White. In November, a jury picked in Jefferson County convicted the 53-year-old Randolph man of first-degree murder in the death of 18-year-old Marilyn McIntyre. She was beaten, stabbed, and strangled in March of 1980 at her apartment in Columbus. Her husband Lane was at work at the time, and their three-month-old son was in his crib. Forbes was a friend of the couple, dating back to their high school years. Authorities exhumed the victim’s body in 2008 to look for new evidence. And they arrested Forbes in March of ’09, saying that blood from both the killer and the victim were found in a sink at the apartment.

Foul Play Not Suspected In Off-Ramp Death

2/24/11 - Foul play is not suspected in the death of a Beaver Dam woman whose body found near Highway 151 Wednesday morning. The 47-year-old was discovered on the side of the County Road G off-ramp just before 4am. Sheriff Todd Nehls says a passerby noticed the body. Investigators are awaiting the results of an autopsy. The name will be released once the next of kin has been notified.

BDPD Investigating Craigslist Scam

2/24/11 - The Beaver Dam Police Department is investigating a scam that involves the online classified website craigslist. Deputy Chief Dan Schubert says the unknown suspect posted a picture of a house for rent on craigslist. The ad says potential renters should send money if they want to receive the keys to the residence. Schubert says the home was not up for rent. The picture is of a local home that is for sale and it was copied from a realtor’s website and placed in the phony craigslist ad. No one lost money in the attempted swindle and the matter is under investigation.

Behrle Gets Probation In Lottery Ticket Theft

2/24/11 - A Beaver Dam woman who stole lottery tickets from her neighbor’s house has been placed on probation. Michelle Behrle pleaded “no contest” to reduced misdemeanor charges of Criminal Trespass and Receiving Stolen Property. The victim told police that she accidentally left her door unlocked and when she returned home, she discovered her iPod missing and her laptop power cord gone. She also had $30 worth of winning lottery tickets taken from her coffee table. The victim noted that they were new Wisconsin State Lottery Green Bay Packer tickets, so new they were numbers #9 and #10. Authorities used that information to find out where the tickets were cashed and then reviewed video surveillance footage. According to the criminal complaint, Behrle says she found the lottery tickets in her backyard and blamed area kids. The 29-year-old also told investigators that when she learned her neighbor had her laptop power cord stolen, she gave the neighbor a spare. Detectives were able to determine based on the serial number that the spare power cord actually belonged to the victim. A psychological evaluation was also ordered for Behrle and she must pay $270 in restitution.

Former WBEV Announcer On Film Fest Circuit

2/24/11 - A former WBEV-WXRO radio announcer has a film entered in this weekend’s Green Bay Film Festival. Brenda Lau, whose maiden name is Schuett, grew-up in Ashippun and later attended junior high and high school in Oconomowoc. In 1976, she was the Dodge County Dairy Princess. After WBEV, Lau was a news reporter at WTMJ for a couple years before moving to Los Angeles where she is currently a senior writer and producer for ABC Entertainment. She’s the one behind the promotional segments on shows like Desperate Housewives, No Ordinary Family and Grey’s Anatomy. Her short movie “Deadbeat” is a psychological thriller about a woman whose teenage daughter runs away to her be with her father, who is a member of the Chinese Mafia. Lau says she has also made the movie into a feature-length script and television series. “Deadbeat” has already taken first place at the Vegas Cinefest and was an official selection of South Florida’s International Women’s Film Festival. In addition, if Lau is able to secure a win at the 35th Annual Cleveland International Film Festival, she can submit the short film to be considered for an Oscar. Lau will not be in attendance at the Green Bay Film Festival this weekend because she has a previous work commitment with the Academy Awards. One final note: when Lau first moved to Los Angeles, she got a behind-the-scene’s job in television along side Bill McCollum’s daughter but it was six months before the two connected the dots.

BDHS Increases Science, Math Requirements

2/24/11 - Students at the Beaver Dam High School will now be required to take more math and science credits to graduate. Currently students are only required to take two-credits in math and science but that will change to three starting with the incoming freshmen this fall. Superintendent Steve Vessey says between 80 and 85-percent of students already take three credits in both so it won’t be a huge change. The incoming freshmen will now also be required to take U.S. History as a freshman. Another course, American Problems, which is currently a full year course, will be broken into two segments. One will be about economics in the U.S. while the other will teach students about the nation’s government. Each would be a one-semester course. None of the changes would affect current students as officials say the new requirements would begin with this fall’s freshmen class.

Columbus Welcomes Train Upgrades

2/24/11 - Recent upgrades of the Amtrak “Empire Builder” route through Columbus have drawn the attention of Transportation and Rail officials. Even though Governor Walker has turned down the federal stimulus money for a Milwaukee to Madison high speed route, other routes are being considered. Last night the Columbus Council passed a resolution supporting “siting of the Chicago to Twin Cities High Speed Rail on the existing Amtrak ‘Empire Builder’ route and keeping Columbus as a boarding / alighting station.