Top Stories, February 6th

No One Injured In Jefferson County Plane Crash

2/6/11 - Authorities say the pilot escaped without injury when he crashed his small plane in Lake Koshkonong Saturday afternoon. It happened on the Jefferson-Rock County line just after 3pm. Jefferson County Sheriff Paul Milbrath says when emergency responders arrived on scene two hours later they discovered an overturned Piper fixed wing aircraft on the ice about one mile east of the Bingham Road boat launch in the Town of Sumner. There was nobody around the aircraft but authorities later located the pilot, David McCoy of Helenville. McCoy and his passenger, Michael Claxton of Edgerton, attempted a low pass over the lake when the plane experienced mechanical problems. He reportedly tried to land on the lake, hit a snow drift and the plane flipped on its top. Neither man was injured. The crash is under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Brown Deer Man Missing His 45th Super Bowl

2/6/11 - Robert Cook won't be at today's Super Bowl 45. He was one of four men featured in a national commercial for never missing a single Super Bowl game. And, he's missing a game featuring his Green Bay Packers. Family members say Cook has been hospitalized after he became very weak last Thursday. Cook's wife says she and her 79 year old husband were packed and ready to leave for Dallas when he became ill. Sarah Cook says her husband is very depressed because he won't be able to watch the game. The man from Brown Deer, Wisconsin, had attended every Super Bowl since 1967.

Neighbors Rescue Janesville Man During Blizzard

2/6/11 - It's another "lucky to be alive" story from last week's huge winter storm. Retired autoworker Joe Latta went outside his house early last Wednesday morning to get his mail and his newspaper. When he fell, he was buried under about three to four feet of snow. While he was there, a snow plow tossed more snow on top of him. About three hours after he was buried, Latta's neighbor looked out the front window to see how big the snow drifts were. She thought she saw something dark in the white snow. She called another neighbor, who went out and spotted Latta's glove sticking out of the snow -- and tried to dig him out. Unable to do that, he covered Latta with a blanket and called for more help. Betsy Nelson is the neighbor who spotted Latta in the snow. Janesville firefighter Todd Herrington is the one who started digging him out and got the help needed to save Latta's life.

Nine Year Old Shot, Goes To School

2/6/11 - Green Bay police say a nine year old girl was not seriously hurt when she was accidentally shot by her brother. The girl was actually driven to school Friday morning by her father, who didn't know about her injury. When she started looking like she was sick, teachers at her school checked her out and found the bullet wound. The gun had discharged the night before, penetrating her chest and the bullet came out the back. The two children were home alone when they heard their dog barking and feared an intruder was trying to get in. When they got their dad's gun, it went off. Investigators say it's a miracle the bullet didn't hit anything vital. The girl is epected to be okay. No charges have been filed, though the father could face legal ramifications for not securing the gun.

Assembly Approved Additional Oversight By Governor

2/6/11 - The state Assembly has approved legislation that gives the governor more oversight on administrative rules written by state agencies. Those rules are how laws passed by the Legislature are enforced, and lawmakers are supposed to give them final approval before they go in to effect. However, state Representative Jim Ott says that often didn’t happen under Democratic control of the Legislature. If a committee does not act, the rules take effect. As a result, Ott says it basically allowed state agencies to create their own laws without oversight from the Legislature. The bill approved in the Assembly this week would require the governor to also sign-off on those administrative rules as well, which Ott say will keep agencies from exceeding their power. Democrats called the bill nothing short of a power grab by the Governor. The bill passed on a 59-34 vote, with state Representative Mark Radcliffe (D-Black River Falls) the only Democrat backing the measure. It now heads to the state Senate.

UW Prof Predicts Mubarak Departure

2/6/11 - A professor of Middle Eastern studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison thinks it’s unlikely Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak can stay in office until September. Mubarak has said he won’t run for reelection then. Professor Jennifer Lowenstein says the people in Egypt are ready for him to go now. And Lowenstein said it’s ‘hypocritical’ for President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton to call on the Egyptian government to listen to the people there. “This should have been the case 30 years ago,” she says. “Where has the United States been all these decades, while people in Egypt have been summarily detained, tortured, in some cases executed. She says there have been thousands of political prisoners detained. Lowenstein said U.S. support has been the essential element in Mubarak’s reign. She says she would like to see Egypt wind up with a genuinely Democratic government.

Ryan Rules Out Presidential Bid

2/6/11 - Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan refuses to rule out a possible U.S. Senate bid next year, or serving as the Vice Presidential candidate on the GOP ticket. Ryan's political profile has been rising, as he gave the Republican response to President Obama's State of the Union address last month. During a forum in Milwaukee Thursday, Ryan ruled out a run for president next year, as he said that would take him away from his family. Ryan is less certain about turning down any offer he might get about 18 months from now, to serve as the Republican nominee for vice president. He’s also been mentioned as a possible contender for the Wisconsin Senate seat now held by Democrat Herb Kohl. Ryan says he's concentrating, for now, on his duties as house Budget Committee chairman, but he says he doesn't have to make a quick decision on a Senate bid.

Kennedy To Hold Open Door Session

2/6/11 - Beaver Dam Mayor Tom Kennedy has listening sessions scheduled for Tuesday. Kennedy says city residents are invited to meet with him, one-on-one, without appointment on the first and third Tuesday of every month. He says it is important that constituents have the opportunity to speak with him the day after each regular meeting of the common council. The meetings are held in Room 109 on the first floor of City Hall from 10am until noon and again from 5pm to 6pm. Kennedy also makes himself available for private meetings by appointment by contacting the mayor office.