Top Stories, February 25th

Fountain Inn To Close Its Doors

2/25/11 - Beaver Dam’s controversial Fountain Inn Tavern is closing its doors for good next week. The establishment formerly known as “Emotional Rescue” was the last remaining building constructed over the Beaver Dam River that remained standing after a city buy-out. The city purchased and demolished ten other century-old buildings in 2009 because their construction in a flood plain violated modern state statutes. Owner Jay Hoeft was the lone hold-out. Hoeft told us in a prepared statement that he has no other choice but to accept a DNR offer and he will close doors on March 1. He says its a public safety concern and cited the flood wall and other fill that the city used to narrow the flow of the river and also what he called “reckless dam” operation and a failure on the city’s part to fix the dam. Hoeft says that, combined with false statements and half-truths from the city and the DNR, limited the use of his property to the extent that the value was greatly reduced. Officials with the DNR did not immediately return our phone calls and the details of the agreement were not disclosed by Hoeft. Beaver Dam Mayor Tom Kennedy says he is surprised it took this long. We’ll hear more from Kennedy on the issue when he joins us Friday afternoon on WBEV’s Community Comment.

Scott Fitzgerald’s Wife Gets Layoff Notice

2/25/11 - The wife of state Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald is getting a layoff notice from the school district where she works. Lisa Fitzgerald is a counselor in the Hustisford School District. And that School Board voted Thursday night to give preliminary layoff notices to all 34 of its teachers and staff – including counselors and librarians. Superintendent Jeremy Biehl said the board had no idea how the bills for the current state budget and the next one would affect their district – so they gave the required advance layoff notices to everyone, and will later reverse as many of them as possible. The Wisconsin Association of School Boards told local districts to decide on their staffing cuts by Monday – or face the risk that those actions would be challenged in court later. State law requires preliminary school layoff notices to go out at the beginning of March, and final notices by March 15th. Meanwhile, at least some other Wisconsin districts are doing what Hustisford did. The Campbellsport School Board in Fond du Lac County also decided to give preliminary non-renewal notices to its entire teaching staff.

Lautenschlager Accuses Walker of Ethics Violation

2/25/11 - A former Democratic attorney general says Governor Scott Walker might have broken ethics, labor, and election laws during the prank call with a blogger who claimed he was billionaire David Koch. The Madison Capital Times asked Peg Lautenschlager to review the audio of Tuesday’s call from blogger Ian Murphy. Walker – assuming he was talking to a big conservative financier – let loose with a number of comments. Walker said he told the blogger nothing he had not already said publicly. Among other things, Lautenschlager says the governor might have shown a willingness to commit an unfair labor practice by refusing to negotiate over his limits on public union bargaining. The former A-G said election officials should look into the legality of Walker talking to a special interest financier about buying ads for Republican lawmakers who are squeamish about voting for his measures. Lautenschlager also questioned Walker’s reply when Murphy asked him to talk about planting trouble-makers at the Capitol protests – and he decided against it so he wouldn’t lose political support. Lautenschlager said the governor has an obligation to preserve public safety. And comments that jeopardize safety quote, “simply amazes me.” The former attorney general also said ethics officials should look into Walker’s comment that it would be quote, “outstanding” if the caller flew him to California as a reward if the budget repair bill passes. Lautenschlager says that raises an ethics question of being offered something of value from outside interests.

Senate Committee Approves Voter ID Bill

2/25/11 - Wisconsin senators gave initial approval Thursday to the bill that requires voters to show photo I-D’s at the polls. The G-O-P majority did not give final approval to the mandate. That’s because it’s a fiscal bill -- and the 19 Republicans need at least one Democrat on hand to call that vote. All 14 Senate Democrats began their second week of a walk-out designed to delay a vote on the governor’s budget repair bill. And efforts by the State Patrol to round up at least one of those Democrats at their homes failed this morning. Democrats have long opposed the photo I-D requirement to vote. Earlier this week, Republicans talked about delaying the start of the law until 2012 so no money would be spent. But the G-O-P apparently decided against that. They’ve been hoping the photo I-D requirement could pass in time for this year’s general elections in April. The bill would spend just over two-million-dollars – in part to educate voters and poll workers on what’s required of them. The Senate approved an amendment this morning dealing with I-D requirements for voters who register on Election Day. They also voted to put the bill to the final step of passage. It was today’s only major action by the senators. They’re in recess until Friday or until the Democrats come back.

Governor Would Have Control Following UW Split

2/25/11 - Governor Scott Walker would have control of U-W Madison’s policy-setting body, under a plan to separate the campus from the rest of the U-W System. The university has released a summary of what the Republican Walker plans to propose in his next state budget. The state’s flagship campus would be run by a 21-member board, 11 of whom would be appointed by the governor. Various university groups would name the rest. Vice chancellor Darrell Bazzell says the school’s mission would stay the same, and it would still be a public institution with public funding – but its relationship with the government would change. Chancellor Biddy Martin has long advocated that Madison be freed of the state’s bureaucracy, and set its own guidelines for buildings, purchases, and tuition. System president Kevin Reilly called it a dismantling of the public university structure that will have consequences for all campus, the U-W Extension service, and all families who dream of having kids earn a U-W degree. The regents will discuss the plan in a special meeting Friday.

Identified Released In Off-Ramp Death

2/25/11 - Authorities have released the name of the 47-year-old Beaver Dam woman who was found near Highway 151 Wednesday morning. Shelley Kiekhaefer’s body was discovered on the side of the County Road G off-ramp just before 4am. Sheriff Todd Nehls says a passerby noticed the body. Foul play is not suspected but authorities are awaiting results of an autopsy in determining a cause of death.

Aasen Expected To Plead Out In Stand-Off

2/25/11 - A Neosho man accused of sparking a short stand-off with police earlier this month has reportedly entered into a plea agreement with prosecutors that would result in a felony charge being dropped. 59-year-old Dennis Aasen of Neosho was charged with a felony Intimidation of a Victim and misdemeanor counts of Operating a Firearm While Intoxicated, Obstruction and Disorderly Conduct. The Dodge County Sheriff’s Department says they got a call from Aasen’s wife on February 10 saying she had barricaded herself and her young daughter in the bathroom after he allegedly threatened both of them while holding a rifle. Sheriff’s Deputies and the Special Weapons and Tactics Team surrounded the home and after 45-minutes Aasen reportedly came out unarmed and was taken into custody. During a preliminary hearing Thursday, Dodge County Judge Brian Pfitzinger recused himself because he is friends with the family. A computer program will assign the case to another branch. The public defender and prosecutors reportedly reached an agreement though that would dismiss the felony and Aasen would plead to a misdemeanor. A date has not yet been set for the plea hearing.

Felony Charges Reinstated In Deer Slaughter

2/25/11 - A state appeals court brought back felony animal mistreatment charges today against two Waupaca County brothers accused of killing deer with snowmobiles. The Fourth District Appellate Court in Madison said two circuit judges were wrong to drop mistreatment counts against Rory and Robbie Kuenzi of Weyauwega. They were dismissed after the D-N-R issued citations against both defendants, accusing them of breaking the state’s hunting laws. The Kuenzis used the citations to show that they were hunting, and not mistreating animals, when they allegedly ran down a half-dozen deer on a Waupaca County snowmobile trail in January of 2009. The judges agreed, saying the hunting laws exempt people from animal mistreatment charges. But the appellate court said the Legislature never intended such an exemption in this type of case. State Attorney General J-B Van Hollen praised the court’s ruling, saying it will be appreciated by all who love wildlife. A third defendant, Nicholas Hermes of Waupaca, was not included in today’s ruling. But his case has been on hold pending the Kuenzis’ appeal. Snowmobile groups throughout the state criticized the slayings of the deer when they happened, saying it hurt the public’s image of their sport. It forced other snowmobilers to go miles out of their way, after the owner of the trail closed public access where the incident occurred.

BDAAA Area High School Art Exhibit Opens Sunday

2/25/11 - The Beaver Dam Area Arts Association will be featuring the work of high school students at their new exhibit opening this weekend. March is Youth Art Month and, for the past 15 years, the Association has highlighted the talents of local teens by giving them their own exhibit. Executive Director Karla Jensen says over a dozen high schools are participating this year featuring hundreds of pieces. Jensen says the exhibit opening will include music, refreshments and an opportunity to meet the artists. The Association will also be awarding of $1000 in scholarships. The Area High School Art Exhibit opening is this Sunday from 1pm to 4pm. It runs through April 3 at the Seippel Homestead and Center for the Arts on North Spring Street in Beaver Dam.

Wisconsin Ag Sets New Record

2/25/11 - Wisconsin agriculture set two new records last year. Farmers produced just over 26-billion pounds of milk – the most ever, despite a slight decrease in the number of licensed dairy farms. And Wisconsin’s agricultural exports totaled a record two-point-four-one billion dollars in 2010. That’s up a whopping 36-percent from the previous year. Cereal grains were the biggest farm products to be exported, totaling almost 520-million-dollars. Dairy exports were next at over 213-million.