Top Stories, May 15th

One Dead, Two Injured in Highway 33 Wreck

5/15/11 - A Fox Lake man was killed and two other people were injured in a two-vehicle accident Saturday night in the Town of Beaver Dam. According to the Dodge County Sheriffs Department, the wreck occurred on Highway 33 and Hickory Lane just after 6pm. The man who was killed was traveling northbound on Highway 33 when he crossed the centerline and struck a southbound minivan. The driver of the minivan, 79-year-old Willard Johnson of Beaver Dam, was taken to Beaver Dam Community Hospital. His passenger, 82-year-old Marjorie Spiel of Beaver Dam, was flighted from Beaver Dam hospital to UW Hospital Madison. Both lanes of Highway 33 were closed down for several hours yesterday evening. The accident remains under investigation by the Dodge County Crash Investigation Team.

Saudi National Could be In Dodge County

5/15/11 - A Saudi national whose strange behavior at a downtown Madison hotel led a bomb squad to check out his luggage last week could be in a Dodge County jail. Nobody's really saying where 29-year-old Ayad Almutairi is being held. The latest word indicates he has been transferred out of the Dane County Jail and into federal custody. Immigration and Customs Enforcement had placed a legal hold on him after the incident. ICE isn't saying where he's being held. Almutairi had a student visa to student English in Wisconsin, but hadn't attended classes there since last October. One official told Madison-dot-com that inmates on holds by ICE are usually held at the Kenosha or Dodge county jails because they have a contract with the feds. Dodge County Sheriff Todd Nehls says he could be in Juneau for all he knows, there are over 300 individuals incarcerated in the jail. He could also be in Chicago pursuant to an immigration hearing.

Kohl’s Profits Increase

5/15/11 - The Kohl’s Department Store chain based in Menomonee Falls reports a healthy six-percent increase in its profits over the last year. Kohl’s said it made 211-million dollars from January-through-March – 12-million dollars more than the same period a year ago. Earnings totaled 73-cents a share. That’s nine-cents more than the previous year – and it’s higher than what outside analysts predicted. Sales were up one-point-three percent at Kohl’s stores that were open for at least a year. Total revenues jumped three-percent to over four-point-one billion dollars. Company officials credited the numbers to controlling expenses, and expanding its on-line retailing. C-E-O Kevin Mansell says Kohl’s is on pace to have a billion-dollars in Internet sales this year. It’s projecting a jump of over 50-percent in on-line sales.

Walker DNR Charter Proposal Likely

5/15/11 - Governor Scott Walker is working on a proposal to turn the state DNR into a so-called charter agency that would have more flexibility, primarily to help businesses. But an audit released in Iowa this year says a charter experiment in that state had significant problems. The audit looked at six state agencies that were put into charter status for about five years. Warren Jenkins, the chief deputy state auditor in Iowa, says the initiative saved some money for part of the period, but the experiment fell short of achieving promised goals, and has not been reauthorized. Jenkins says putting the Iowa DNR into charter status didn't seem necessary. He adds overall there was no way to assess if the targets of the charter program were being achieved. And there were problems with the bonuses that were given out to some workers.

Walker Targets Debt With Revenue Windfall

5/15/11 - Governor Scott Walker says he wants to use a 636-million-dollar windfall to pay down the state’s debts. And a Republican lawmaker says one of those payments should go to Minnesota. The Badger State owes the Gopher State 58-million-dollars from an income tax reciprocity agreement that ended in 2009. It allowed people who live in one state and work in the other to file one state income tax return instead of two. Up to 80-thousand people had to file tax returns to both states this spring – and Senate Republican Sheila Harsdorf of River Falls says those folks are paying more as a result. She wants Governor Walker to pay the debt, and work to restore the tax reciprocity. Harsdorf said Walker is committed to paying Wisconsin’s bills, while former Governor Jim Doyle quote, “failed to meet our state’s obligations to Minnesota.” Earlier this week, Wisconsin officials said the state would take in 636-million-dollars more than expected between now and mid-2013. Most of that is in higher individual income taxes. Republicans want to use the extra money to pay down the state’s debts and budget deficit. Democrats say it should go to local governments and public schools which are facing big losses in state aid.

Bid Deadline Friday For Vets Memorial Expansion

5/15/11 - Local veteran’s organizations in Beaver Dam are soliciting bids until the end of this week in their efforts to expand the Veterans Memorial at Oakwood Cemetery. There are currently over 1100 names of area soldiers are displayed on engraved bricks, but there is no room left to add any new names. The new addition would allow for another 600 names. The plans call for removing the granite sign that reads “Veterans Memorial” from the main wall and constructing a smaller wall for that sign closer to Highway 33. There would be more space for names on the backside of that new wall, in addition to the backside of the main wall where the granite sign is currently located. The plans also call for the addition of six flag poles along the north side of the main wall, representing each branch of the service. A heart-shaped sidewalk would also added around the main wall. The original Memorial was completed in 2004 after an aggressive two-year fundraising campaign. The price tag was $100,000, not counting in-kind labor donations. The Veterans Memorial Park Committee is hoping for the same generosity with this effort, estimated to cost between $45,000 and $55,000. Any service member, living or deceased, who honorably served their county in war or peace time, can have a name on the wall. A waiting list has been started. Those interested in being involved in the project should have bids postmarked no later than this coming Friday, May 20. Contact David Noe, PO Box 97, Beaver Dam WI 53916.

Senior Center Birthday Bash This Wednesday

5/15/11 - Two sixth grade students from the Dodgeland School District will be reading their winning essay’s at the Beaver Dam Senior Center this week. Rhiannon Ruffner and Patrick Caine each won $50 for writing the winning 300-word composition sponsored by the Senior Center. The theme was “My Grandparents” or “My Best Older Friend.” Honorary mention and $25 went to Melanie Knight from the Beaver Dam Middle School. The stories will be read during a special tribute to Beaver Dam’s “Older Americans” on Wednesday (May 18). They’re calling it their “90th Birthday Bash” and it begins at 5pm in the Beaver Dam Senior Center and Recreation Building on East Third Street.

Kennedy Listening Sessions Tuesday

5/15/11 - 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.