Walker Declares State of Emergency
2/1/11 - Governor Scott Walker has declared a State of Emergency for Dodge County and 28 other counties as a major winter storm continues to impact Wisconsin. Also named in the declaration are the other counties that are included in the blizzard warning: Adams, Calumet, Columbia, Crawford, Dane, Fond du Lac, Grant, Green, Green Lake, Iowa, Jefferson, Juneau, Kenosha, Kewaunee, Lafayette, Manitowoc, Marquette, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Richland, Rock, Sauk, Sheboygan, Walworth, Washington, Waukesha, and Winnebago Counties.
"The heavy snow, falling temperatures and anticipated blizzard will cause dangerous drifting and blowing snow as well as limited visibility on roads and highways. These factors will cause treacherous driving conditions," said Governor Walker. "As a precautionary measure, I want to make sure all state resources are ready and available if needed."
The Governor's State of Emergency calls to active duty elements of the Wisconsin National Guard as deemed necessary by Brigadier General Don Dunbar to assist local authorities if needed. The declaration also directs all state agencies to assist in any response or recovery efforts
Winter Snow Could Mean Spring Floods
2/2/11 - All this snow could add insult to injury come spring. The National Weather Service says above-normal flooding is possible on the Mississippi River and its tributaries. Hydrologist Mike Welveart said last fall’s heavy rains kept the rivers flowing at higher levels than normal – and then a lot of snow fell. As a result, he says the snow that’s lying around at the moment has nowhere to go, except to cause the rivers to rise over their banks. Welveart said the ideal situation is to have a slow melting this spring – and the worst-case scenario would be 60-degree days and rain-storms. Brian Hahn of the Weather Service in Sullivan says the chances for flooding are also better-than-average on the Wisconsin River at Portage and the Baraboo River in Sauk County. But he says the Mississippi is the biggest concern. The big river is expected to cause problems in Iowa and Minnesota as well.
Lynch Bound Over on Molestation, Stalking Charges
2/2/11 - Former Fox Lake Police Chief Pat Lynch will proceed to trial on charges that he molested a young girl and then later stalked her and two other people. The 54-year-old is charged with the alleged sexual assault of a 7-year-old child more than 20-years ago. During a preliminary hearing Tuesday, Judge Andrew Bissonnette found probable cause to bind Lynch over on one count of First Degree Sexual Assault of a Child Under the Age of 13 and three counts of Stalking. The alleged sexual assault occurred in the summer of 1989 at home in Randolph. The victim’s father was friends with Lynch, who was an officer with the Randolph Police Department at the time. The victim says, years later, Lynch kept showing up where she worked and would drive his police car past her home. He is also accused of stalking a woman who used to work for the Fox Lake Police Department – as well as a man who was dating his ex-wife. Also Tuesday, a motion to dismiss the charges was denied. Attorneys for Lynch had argued that the victim was unreliable because she failed to report Lynch’s alleged molestation when she reported her father’s sexual assaults in 1992. Lynch resigned from his job as police chief in Fox Lake in the spring of 2009. He will be back in court for an arraignment hearing in two weeks.
Koch Sentenced To Four Years In Drunken Chase
2/2/11 - A Burnett man who led police on drunken high speed pursuit last September will be spending the next four years in prison. Keaton Koch had only been out of jail for a short amount of time when he failed to stop for a traffic violation in Beaver Dam sparking the chase. The 24-year-old lost control of his minivan while going around the curve on South Center Street near the Kraft Foods plant and struck an unoccupied car. He ran from the accident scene was apprehended after one block. His blood alcohol level was point-one-two (.12). Koch pleaded “no contest” yesterday (Tue) to OWI and a felony count of Second Degree Recklessly Endangering Safety and had another felony and two misdemeanors dismissed. Keaton will also spend six years under extended supervision and was ordered to pay restitution.
Wrong Way Driver Report Leads To OWI Arrest
2/2/11 - Beaver Dam Police responded to reports of a driver traveling the wrong way on Highway 151 early Tuesday morning. The call came in at 2:20am that older-model, white Chevrolet Lumina was northbound in the southbound lanes. About couple minutes later, officers located a vehicle matching that description near the city limits, however the car was traveling in the right direction: northbound in the northbound lanes. A 28-year-old was ticketed for his first Operating While Intoxicated. There were no citations issued for driving the wrong way because there were no other witnesses than the anonymous caller.
PFC Approves More Fire Department Fee’s
2/2/11 - The Beaver Dam Police and Fire Commission last night approved new fees for some Fire Department services. Car fires will now cost the owner $500. Also, a $250 fee will be charged if the fire department needs to assist a boater or tow a disabled boat. The two additions approved last night are a part of a revamping of the fee structure for police and fire services. Over a dozen new fees were implemented last month for things like vehicle crashes that require the jaws-of-life or have hazardous leaks; drafting fire prevention plans in renovated and new construction; malfunctioning fire alarms and lift assist calls.
BBB Warns of Super Bowl Scams
2/2/11 - The Wisconsin Better Business Bureau is warning restaurants and caterers about a Super Bowl party scam. Joellen Wollang, with the Bureau’s office in Appleton, says the con artists phone-in orders using the TTY relay system for the hearing impaired. They claim the company delivering the order will not accept credit cards and ask the restaurant to pay the delivery driver in cash and then charge the difference to the customer’s credit card. Wollang says the credit card is usually stolen, leaving the restaurant or caterer out of both money and goods. A restaurant in Oak Creek was a victim of the scam last weekend. Wollang says a business should be leery if a customer asks them to wire money, or pay cash to a third party.
No comments:
Post a Comment