Top Stories, May 31st

Beaver Dam Veterans Day Parade and Ceremony

5/31/11 - Several hundred people turned out for the 2011 Beaver Dam Memorial Day Ceremony yesterday at Oakwood Cemetery. David Noe with the Marine Corps League was the Master of Ceremonies. He read from a letter written by the son of a soldier buried at Arlington Cemetery, which tied into the ceremonies theme, “Won’t You Remember Me, The Veteran.”

“Every moment of everyday since the beginning of this great country someone’s child, parent, sibling or spouse has stood watch in harms way so that you and your family can be safe and enjoy freedom we so often take for granted.”

Noe asked the crowd to “please go out of [their] way to thank a member of our military and their families and let them know that you are grateful for their sacrifice.” The keynote speaker this year was retired Dodge County Circuit Court Judge Daniel Klossner, a Vietnam veteran and Purple Heart recipient. You can head Judge Klossner’s keynote address as part of a picture montage we put together from Monday’s Memorial Day Parade and Ceremony by clicking below.

Beaver Dam Memorial Day 2011 Keynote Address & Pictures:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DMjYdGfIlk&feature=youtube_gdata

House Fire in Washington County

5/31/11 - A home in Washington County suffered an estimated $200,000 in damage this morning after a grill tipped over and started the house on fire. It was reported at 2:30 a-m at a home in the town of Addison. Investigators say the family had been grilling last night and when they were done they took the cover off to let the charcoal cool. After the family went to bed, it appears wind tipped the grill over, spilling the coals onto the wooden deck sparking the fire. All four residents were able to get out safely. The Allenton Fire Department extinguished the fire with assistance from Kohlsville, West Bend, Slinger, and St Lawrence Fire Departments. The Red Cross responded to assist the family.

Man Found in Columbia County Identified

5/31/11 - A Waukesha man found dead on Gibraltar Rock near Lodi (low-die) has been identified as 29-year-old David Hoelzer. Columbia County authorities are still trying to figure out what happened, but they do not suspect foul play. Hoelzer’s body was found Friday abut 100-feet below the crest of Gibraltar Rock. The bluff is about 200-feet tall, and there’s a hiking trail that goes to the top. It’s located in a state natural area in the town of West Point.

FDL Judge Sees Troubling Trend

5/31/11 - A judge in Fond du Lac County says a growing number of drug addicts are choosing to spend more time in jail, rather than get help to go clean. Circuit Judge Peter Grimm says he’s seeing more adult offenders decline probation – so they don’t have to deal with the requirements of getting treatment, urine tests, and other rules. Grimm says it tells him that those offenders don’t want to change their drug habits or their lifestyles. Fond du Lac County sheriff’s deputy Mark Strand says adult drug offenders who serve full sentences don’t need to go through monitoring when they get out. And many times, those people will commit more robberies, burglaries, and thefts to get the money to continue their drug habits. Judge Grimm says the crimes are getting more brazen. And Strand says too many drug offenders don’t get encouraged by loved ones to get help – so they’re left to fight their drug habits on their own. Juveniles don’t have that option. Those offenders can be forced to get treatment-and-monitoring.

Last Day to Get on No-Call List

5/31/11 - Today is the deadline to get onto Wisconsin’s next do-not-call list for telemarketers. More than two-million state residents have their home-and-cell numbers on the no-call list – but they have to re-register every two years. Those who forgot when they signed up last can do it again now, just to be safe. Telemarketers will get an updated no-call list on July first. About half the numbers on the previous list in April were from cell phones. Getting on the no-call list will reduce your sales pitches, but they won’t eliminate them altogether. Political candidates can still call – and so can those with whom you’ve done business in the past. And there are still lots of telemarketers who just ignore the no-call list. It was the number-one consumer complaint in Wisconsin last year. Several larger calling firms were charged – and violators face fines of up to 100-dollars a call. Here’s the number to call to get on the no-call list – 1-866-966-2255. Or you can register online at NoCall-Dot-Wisconsin-Dot-Gov.

School Districts Scrambling

5/31/11 - Many Wisconsin school districts have scrambled to meet some key deadlines this week, while their state funding and union bargaining rules remain uncertain. Some districts are required to give layoff notices by tomorrow, June first. And some must tell their teachers by tomorrow if they want to switch to a less expensive health insurance plan for the new school fiscal year that begins July first. Dan Rossmiller of the Wisconsin Association of School Boards says schools are in an awkward position due to all the uncertainty. Dozens of school districts have extended their labor contracts. They give teachers security, since they don’t have to follow the expected limits on union bargaining until those deals expire in a couple years. Jack Linehan of the Southeast Wisconsin Schools Alliance says it gives taxpayers the impression that the schools are caving in to their teachers’ unions. But Linehan says the deals are more of a “bridge” of security for teachers, as key state budget issues remain unresolved. Many teachers are still paying the higher pension and health insurance costs that Governor Scott Walker wants state employees to pay. And quite a few districts have gone to cheaper health insurance by dropping plans from the state union’s trust.