DCSO K9 Unit Tracking More Than Drugs
8/31/11 - The Dodge County Sheriffs Departments new K9 unit is trained to sniff out more than drugs. Sheriff Todd Nehls told us on WBEV’s Community Comment that the department’s new canines, Ziva and Paige, have been trained to detect three types of the most common drugs: marijuana, cocaine and heroin. The young black Labradors have also been trained to find missing children or adults. It’s the first time the sheriffs department has been able to have a canine tracking resource in-house. Paige is a 9-month-old black lab from River Velvet Retrievers in Horicon. Ziva is a 16-month-old black lab that was discovered at the Dodge County Humane Society…surrendered by owners forced to move from their home to an apartment that doesn’t allow pets. Master trainers call them a perfect fit. There have been some donations from the public for bullet-proof dog vests and veterinary services, but Nehls says the bulk of their $18,000 K9 program is being funded through excess money from his 2010 budget. The Sheriffs Department is holding a golf fundraiser for the new K9 program. The First Annual K9 Scramble will be held on Monday, September 19 at Rock River Hills Gold Course in Horicon. More information can be found at www.dodgecountysheriff.com and click on the link for the K9 Golf Scramble, or by stopping by the Sheriff’s Department. If you’re interested in becoming a hole sponsor or to make a donation, call Capt. Molly Soblewski at 920-386-3836 or Detective Kevin Day at 920-386-3963
Columbus City Attorney Interviews Continue
8/31/11 - Candidate interviews were held again last night in Columbus in a search for a City Attorney. Prior to April the City Attorney was elected. Starting in 2012 the position will be under contract to the city. Current City Attorney Randy Lueders is on the list of finalist candidates. Lueders has been the City Attorney for 22 years. One final set of interviews is scheduled for next week and the Council’s approval of the next City Attorney is expected on September 6.
PAVE Receives Crime Victims Grant
8/31/11 - A local domestic violence shelter is among the agencies splitting nearly $8 million dollars in grant funding to provide services to innocent victims of crime in Wisconsin. People Against Violent Environments, or PAVE, has been tabbed to receive almost $60,000 as part of the Victims of Crime Act. PAVE Executive Director Jamie Kratz-Gullickson says the VOCA grant will help them continue to fund their legal advocacy program and their volunteer coordinator position. She says it hasn’t been easy lately as the need for domestic abuse services has skyrocketed since the recession and they’ve already provided as many “nights of service” so far this year as in all of 2010. The Victims of Crime Act was enacted in 1984 and the annual grant is awarded to the Wisconsin Department of Justice -- Office of Crime Victim Services and then distributed to local government and non-profit agencies. VOCA funding comes from revenue generated by various federal criminal fines, forfeitures, assessments and penalties. No taxpayer money is used.
Gassen Street Dedication Wednesday Afternoon
8/30/11 - School Street in Beaver Dam will be renamed during a ceremony Wednesday afternoon to honor a soldier from Beaver Dam who was killed last year while fighting in Afghanistan. The common council this month approved the renaming of the street between Prospect Avenue and Gould Street as Jacob Gassen’s Way. The public is invited to the ceremony, which will be held at 3pm on Jacob Gassen’s Way, which is across from Moraine Park Technical College and adjacent to the Family Center.
Governors Association 2013 Meeting In Milwaukee
8/30/11 - The nation’s governors have chosen Wisconsin for their largest annual meeting two years from now. Governor Scott Walker said Tuesday that the National Governors’ Association will meet August second-through-fourth of 2013 at the Frontier Airlines Center in downtown Milwaukee. Walker said he was looking forward to hosting state government executives from around the country. He says they’ll focus on ideas to improve state governments, as well as the federal government’s partnership with the states. The group Visit Milwaukee says the convention will attract about 12-hundred people, who will stay for a total of 18-hundred nights in hotel rooms. That’s small, compared to the 12-thousand-500 room nights for the annual sales conference put on by Milwaukee’s Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance. But the annual governors’ meeting normally attracts national publicity. When this year’s meeting was held in Salt Lake City, the Washington Post was among the media interested in talking with Walker about his successful effort to limit collective bargaining by most public employee unions – as well as the state Senate recall elections which resulted from that measure. Next year’s governors’ conference will be held in Williamsburg Virginia.
Child Care In Wisconsin Costs More Than College
8/31/11 - Sending your child to daycare is very expensive in Wisconsin. A new report from the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies ranks this state fourth in the nation in the cost of daycare. Parents will spend about nine thousand dollars a year to put a four year old child in a quality daycare operation. That means it costs more to put a young child in daycare than it does to send an older child to the University of Wisconsin. One daycare operator says state licensing regulations and the high expectations of parents to provide quality care could be driving those costs.
Costs for Recall in Fond du Lac County
8/31/11 - The costs for the recall elections for the 14th and 18th State Senate Districts came to nearly $127,500 for Fond du Lac County. County Clerk Lisa Freiberg says that includes over $37,000 in programming costs, which the County did itself but other counties have professional firms perform. Even without those costs included the price tag for the primaries and general elections for the recalls came to nearly $90,000. That included over $52,000 in wages and Freiberg says didn’t include the time her staff spent on the elections in that figure. She says in a typical election year the County would budget about $50,000. Next year $138,000 is being budgeted because of the presidential elections and a number of others. (KFIZ, Fond du Lac)
Swing Set Recall
8/31/11 - A Madison company is recalling about 55-hundred swing sets. Pacific Cycle says the Play-Safe Dartmouth Swing Set has seats that can premature crack or split, and cause riders to fall. Pacific Cycle said it received five reports of seats breaking – and it caused a few minor scrapes and bruises. The swing sets were sold only at Toys-R-Us stores throughout the country from January through May. They were manufactured in China. Officials said the sets have six metal legs with two swings, a two-person glider, rings, and a lawn swing. More information is available by finding Pacific Cycle online, or by calling the following phone number from 8-to-5 weekdays – 1-877-564-2261.
FMUB Celebrates 150 Years
8/31/11 - Farmers and Merchants Union Bank will celebrate 150 years of service tomorrow with a number of events at their downtown Columbus office. Bank spokesperson Lorraine Kasmiski says there will be a Civil War encampment, free coin appraisals, a brat fry, local vendors including Sassy Cow Creamery and Rhodes Bake ‘N Serve, and Columbus Community Hospital will be doing free blood pressure readings and CPR training. Events get underway at 10-am tomorrow.
Marais Players Wrapping Up Fall Show Auditions
8/31/11 - The theater group in Mayville is holding the second and final night of auditions for their fall production tonight. The Marais Players will be presenting Neil Simon’s “Plaza Suite” in early November. The three-act play features a variety of different characters in each act even though it’s set in the same New York hotel suite. Rehearsal times will be discussed during the auditions. Auditions will be held tonight from 6pm to 8pm at Mayville’s Audubon Inn on Main Street.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Top Stories August 30th
Neumann Announces Senate Bid, Fitzgerald On Verge
8/30/11 - Republican Mark Neumann officially said Monday that he will run for the U-S Senate seat to be vacated by Wisconsin Democrat Herb Kohl next year and the announcement comes at the same time a local legislator appears poised to throw his hat in the ring. Neumann – a former congressman – told a Milwaukee radio station that he would focus his campaign on balancing the federal budget and creating jobs. Meanwhile, Republican Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald of Horicon said this weekend that he was 99% certain he would run. The former Beaver Dam alderman told Mike Gousha on his weekly statewide television program that his accomplishments in Madison over the past year would transfer well should he decide to run for U.S. Senate. While stopping short of officially announcing a bid, Fitzgerald touted the successes of his caucus as well as the role he played. Gousha asked Fitzgerald whether he thinks he could win given the role he played in passing some of the more controversial pieces of Gov. Scott Walker's agenda with such a deeply divided state. Fitzgerald said people are starting to realize why Republicans targeted collective bargaining reform to begin with.
State Senate Republican Frank Lasee of De Pere and former state Senator Ted Kanavas of Brookfield are also being mentioned as possible candidates. On the Democratic side, La Crosse House Democrat Ron Kind and former Appleton House Democrat Steve Kagen of Appleton are being mentioned as possible candidates for Kohl’s seat.
Dean Clinic Says Some May Have Been Exposed to Hepatitis or HIV
8/30/11 - Officials at the Dean Clinic in Madison say the risk is “small” that hundreds of diabetics could get H-I-V or some other blood-borne illness. That’s after a nurse educator re-used the handles of insulin demonstration pens and finger-stick devices over the last five years. Chief medical officer Mark Kaufman said it’s possible that blood from patients contaminated the bases of the demonstration pens and the handles of the finger-stick devices. But he said the risk is small, because the nurse changed the needles for each patient that was trained in using the devices. Still, Kaufman said it’s possible that one person’s blood could come in contact with the next person’s blood – and that creates a small risk of hepatitis, H-I-V, or other blood-borne illnesses. The Dean Clinic is contacting over 23-hundred patients who might have been exposed. A team of nurses will determine whether those people will get tested. The clinic asks people to wait to be notified before contacting them. The educator worked at Dean facilities in Sun Prairie and on Madison’s far east side. Craig Samitt, the clinic’s C-E-O, said it was an isolated incident involving a single nurse educator – who has since been fired. Samitt said the Dean Clinic learned of the potential exposure on August 10th from another employee.
WEAC Leaves Recertification Decision To Affiliates
8/30/11 - The head of the Wisconsin Education Association Council says factors like timing and cost would make recertification an “unrealistic option” for some local affiliates. That’s why WEAC is going to leave it up to those local affiliates whether they hold annual votes to remain in existence – as required by the new Wisconsin law on collective bargaining. School district unions have until the end of September to decide whether they will hold a vote to see if they stay organized as a union. The law requires 51 percent of the membership of the bargaining unit to vote to stay together, not just a majority of those who cast ballots.
Hundreds Attend New Berlin School Board Meeting
8/30/11 - As police looked on, hundreds of people on both sides cheered and booed last night as the New Berlin School Board unanimously approved a new employee handbook for its teachers. Like other throughout Wisconsin, it was developed without teacher input under the new state law which limits most public union bargaining. But New Berlin became a lightening rod after teachers in nearby Greenfield argued with their school board last week over a new employee handbook – and police were called to settle things down. Teachers came from other districts came in support of New Berlin’s union, while some taxpayers held up signs saying “Collective Bullying – Stop Union Bullies Now.” Union president Diane lazewski said she believed the work rules set by the school board are more restrictive than others throughout the state. A school board member said their panel was not trying to be punitive.
Nehls Urges Motorists To Be Caution This Time of Year
8/30/11 - Drivers will have to be more careful on the roads – and not just because kids are going back to school this week. Dodge County Sheriff Todd Nehls says farmers are about to begin their harvest season – and that means you’ll see more implement vehicles along with school buses in the countryside. Nehls asks motorists to be patient when they’re stopped by a school bus or slowed down by a farm tractor. Drivers must stop for crossing guards who guide youngsters across streets – and motorists must also stop at least 20-feet from the front or the back of a school bus with red flashing lights. And if they don’t, they’ll pay fines of 150-to-300-dollars in each instance. Nehls also says the owners of those vehicles could be left on the hook for those fines – even if they’re not the drivers at the time.
Council Would Have to Pick Up Tab if GOP Politicians Aren’t Allowed in Parade
8/30/11 - Wausau’s mayor says taxpayers will not cover some of the costs of Monday’s Labor Day parade, unless the local labor council changes its mind about not letting Republican lawmakers take part. Over the weekend, Marathon County Labor Council president Randy Radtke said G-O-P politicians would not be welcome in Monday’s parade. He said they only support labor causes one day a year, on the Labor Day holiday. And Radtke said some of the proof of that was the law which virtually eliminated collective bargaining by most public employee unions. Wausau Mayor Jim Tipple said taxpayers normally cover insurance, traffic control, and the set-up and removal of a stage for the event. He was not sure what those costs are. But he said the labor council would have pay for them if it doesn’t allow Republicans at Monday’s event. Tipple said he expects to hear from Radtke – who did not immediately comment on the mayor’s statement. U-S House Republican Sean Duffy, state Senate Republican Pam Galloway, and Assembly Republican Jerry Petrowski all said they were disappointed at the labor council’s decision. Galloway said parades are one of her best opportunities to speak directly with constituents. She said it should be a “bi-partisan, fun event.”
Lawn Mower OWI Carries Maximum Six Year Sentence
8/30/11 - A signature bond has been set at $1000 for the 73-year-old Fox Lake man arrested last Tuesday for his fifth OWI for riding his lawn mower on the street while drinking a beer. According to the criminal complaint, neighbors told police that Gordon Curtis continually drives his mower while drinking and harasses them when doing so and his behavior had got more erratic over the course of a week. He was allegedly found with an empty can and nearly full beer on the lawn mower, which he reportedly admitted to for transportation and not for lawn maintenance. His blood alcohol level was over the legal limit for operating a motor vehicle at point one-two (.12). Curtis was convicted of driving conviction in 1991 and 2001 and was convicted twice in 1997. If convicted of the newest charge, he could spend over six years in prison. It is illegal to use any motorized vehicle or implement on a Wisconsin roadway while intoxicated – and that does not include just cars, trucks, and motorcycles.
Woman Walks Away From Weekend Watertown Rollover
8/30/11 - Authorities say a woman, who literally walked away from an accident late Sunday morning, is lucky to be alive. The accident happened sometime before 11:30am on Middle Road, about halfway between Watertown and Waterloo. Dodge County Sheriff’s Patrol Captain Molly Soblewski says they believe the 22-year-old woman lost control of the vehicle and left the road. The car went into the ditch, hit an embankment and vaulted into the air with the passenger side striking a tree. The force of hitting the tree spun the vehicle around 180-degrees before it landed on its roof. It is unknown how long the woman was in the car, but she managed to free herself and began walking down the road. A passerby picked her up and took her home, before a roommate drove her to the hospital. Soblewski says the woman does not remember anything prior to the accident. The investigation continues.
Teen Beer Thief Nabbed By Off-Duty Cop
8/30/11 - A Fond du Lac teen chose the wrong time to try and steal beer from a convenience store yesterday Monday morning. Police Captain Steve Klein says an off-duty Fond du Lac Police captain was gassing-up at a Kwik Trip and was watching as the 17-year-old entered the store and ran out the door with a case of beer. The teen dropped the beer as he tried to get away on foot, but the Police Captain caught up with him. The kid was cited for his second underage drinking offense and theft and arrested on charges of possessing drug paraphernalia, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
Intruder Who Was Killed Wasn’t Armed
8/30/11 - Waukesha County’s chief prosecutor said a man was not armed when he broke into a house and was killed by the homeowner. But District Attorney Brad Schimel said the shooting could still be considered justified, if the homeowner thought he was in danger of death or bodily harm – and his belief was reasonable. Authorities say 47-year-old Michael Fitzsimmons of Okauchee grabbed a gun when he heard 39-year-old James Babe the Fourth of Waukesha break into his house early Saturday. He said Babe cornered him in the back yard, and that’s when he shot the intruder. Schimel said he’s still waiting for test results from the State Crime Lab before deciding whether or not to charge Fitzsimmons with the shooting.
OWI Wreck Leads To Evacuation
8/30/11 - At least four homes were evacuated on Green Bay’s east side early Monday, after an apparent drunk driver slammed into a house and hit a natural gas meter. Police said they saw the man speeding at 90-miles-an-hour in a 30-mile-an-hour zone. The crash caused a natural gas leak after the driver hit the front porch of the house. It was right across the street from a fire station, and homes nearby were evacuated. Two people in the car – the 33-year-old male driver from Green Bay and a 26-year-old woman – were not hurt. Police said the man tried to break out of a squad car once he was securely put in – and officers had to use pepper spray to settle him down. Officials said the woman was wanted on a warrant, and the man was jailed for violating a previous probation. It was his first O-W-I offense.
Waupun Man Charged With Groping Waitress
8/30/11 - A Waupun man is charged with misdemeanor sexual assault for allegedly groping a fast food waitress last month. Roland E. Buchholz was arrested after the woman complained to her boss. According to the criminal complaint, the waitress was vacuuming and the 68-year-old snuck up behind her, placed both of his hands on her chest and pulled her close. He reportedly laughed when she turned around, slapped him and shared a few choice words. She told police it was not the first time either. Buchholz reportedly admitted to smacking her rear-end on a previous occasion but told police he was just trying to tickle her during the most recent incident. He had a signature bond set at $500 and will be back in court next month.
8/30/11 - Republican Mark Neumann officially said Monday that he will run for the U-S Senate seat to be vacated by Wisconsin Democrat Herb Kohl next year and the announcement comes at the same time a local legislator appears poised to throw his hat in the ring. Neumann – a former congressman – told a Milwaukee radio station that he would focus his campaign on balancing the federal budget and creating jobs. Meanwhile, Republican Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald of Horicon said this weekend that he was 99% certain he would run. The former Beaver Dam alderman told Mike Gousha on his weekly statewide television program that his accomplishments in Madison over the past year would transfer well should he decide to run for U.S. Senate. While stopping short of officially announcing a bid, Fitzgerald touted the successes of his caucus as well as the role he played. Gousha asked Fitzgerald whether he thinks he could win given the role he played in passing some of the more controversial pieces of Gov. Scott Walker's agenda with such a deeply divided state. Fitzgerald said people are starting to realize why Republicans targeted collective bargaining reform to begin with.
State Senate Republican Frank Lasee of De Pere and former state Senator Ted Kanavas of Brookfield are also being mentioned as possible candidates. On the Democratic side, La Crosse House Democrat Ron Kind and former Appleton House Democrat Steve Kagen of Appleton are being mentioned as possible candidates for Kohl’s seat.
Dean Clinic Says Some May Have Been Exposed to Hepatitis or HIV
8/30/11 - Officials at the Dean Clinic in Madison say the risk is “small” that hundreds of diabetics could get H-I-V or some other blood-borne illness. That’s after a nurse educator re-used the handles of insulin demonstration pens and finger-stick devices over the last five years. Chief medical officer Mark Kaufman said it’s possible that blood from patients contaminated the bases of the demonstration pens and the handles of the finger-stick devices. But he said the risk is small, because the nurse changed the needles for each patient that was trained in using the devices. Still, Kaufman said it’s possible that one person’s blood could come in contact with the next person’s blood – and that creates a small risk of hepatitis, H-I-V, or other blood-borne illnesses. The Dean Clinic is contacting over 23-hundred patients who might have been exposed. A team of nurses will determine whether those people will get tested. The clinic asks people to wait to be notified before contacting them. The educator worked at Dean facilities in Sun Prairie and on Madison’s far east side. Craig Samitt, the clinic’s C-E-O, said it was an isolated incident involving a single nurse educator – who has since been fired. Samitt said the Dean Clinic learned of the potential exposure on August 10th from another employee.
WEAC Leaves Recertification Decision To Affiliates
8/30/11 - The head of the Wisconsin Education Association Council says factors like timing and cost would make recertification an “unrealistic option” for some local affiliates. That’s why WEAC is going to leave it up to those local affiliates whether they hold annual votes to remain in existence – as required by the new Wisconsin law on collective bargaining. School district unions have until the end of September to decide whether they will hold a vote to see if they stay organized as a union. The law requires 51 percent of the membership of the bargaining unit to vote to stay together, not just a majority of those who cast ballots.
Hundreds Attend New Berlin School Board Meeting
8/30/11 - As police looked on, hundreds of people on both sides cheered and booed last night as the New Berlin School Board unanimously approved a new employee handbook for its teachers. Like other throughout Wisconsin, it was developed without teacher input under the new state law which limits most public union bargaining. But New Berlin became a lightening rod after teachers in nearby Greenfield argued with their school board last week over a new employee handbook – and police were called to settle things down. Teachers came from other districts came in support of New Berlin’s union, while some taxpayers held up signs saying “Collective Bullying – Stop Union Bullies Now.” Union president Diane lazewski said she believed the work rules set by the school board are more restrictive than others throughout the state. A school board member said their panel was not trying to be punitive.
Nehls Urges Motorists To Be Caution This Time of Year
8/30/11 - Drivers will have to be more careful on the roads – and not just because kids are going back to school this week. Dodge County Sheriff Todd Nehls says farmers are about to begin their harvest season – and that means you’ll see more implement vehicles along with school buses in the countryside. Nehls asks motorists to be patient when they’re stopped by a school bus or slowed down by a farm tractor. Drivers must stop for crossing guards who guide youngsters across streets – and motorists must also stop at least 20-feet from the front or the back of a school bus with red flashing lights. And if they don’t, they’ll pay fines of 150-to-300-dollars in each instance. Nehls also says the owners of those vehicles could be left on the hook for those fines – even if they’re not the drivers at the time.
Council Would Have to Pick Up Tab if GOP Politicians Aren’t Allowed in Parade
8/30/11 - Wausau’s mayor says taxpayers will not cover some of the costs of Monday’s Labor Day parade, unless the local labor council changes its mind about not letting Republican lawmakers take part. Over the weekend, Marathon County Labor Council president Randy Radtke said G-O-P politicians would not be welcome in Monday’s parade. He said they only support labor causes one day a year, on the Labor Day holiday. And Radtke said some of the proof of that was the law which virtually eliminated collective bargaining by most public employee unions. Wausau Mayor Jim Tipple said taxpayers normally cover insurance, traffic control, and the set-up and removal of a stage for the event. He was not sure what those costs are. But he said the labor council would have pay for them if it doesn’t allow Republicans at Monday’s event. Tipple said he expects to hear from Radtke – who did not immediately comment on the mayor’s statement. U-S House Republican Sean Duffy, state Senate Republican Pam Galloway, and Assembly Republican Jerry Petrowski all said they were disappointed at the labor council’s decision. Galloway said parades are one of her best opportunities to speak directly with constituents. She said it should be a “bi-partisan, fun event.”
Lawn Mower OWI Carries Maximum Six Year Sentence
8/30/11 - A signature bond has been set at $1000 for the 73-year-old Fox Lake man arrested last Tuesday for his fifth OWI for riding his lawn mower on the street while drinking a beer. According to the criminal complaint, neighbors told police that Gordon Curtis continually drives his mower while drinking and harasses them when doing so and his behavior had got more erratic over the course of a week. He was allegedly found with an empty can and nearly full beer on the lawn mower, which he reportedly admitted to for transportation and not for lawn maintenance. His blood alcohol level was over the legal limit for operating a motor vehicle at point one-two (.12). Curtis was convicted of driving conviction in 1991 and 2001 and was convicted twice in 1997. If convicted of the newest charge, he could spend over six years in prison. It is illegal to use any motorized vehicle or implement on a Wisconsin roadway while intoxicated – and that does not include just cars, trucks, and motorcycles.
Woman Walks Away From Weekend Watertown Rollover
8/30/11 - Authorities say a woman, who literally walked away from an accident late Sunday morning, is lucky to be alive. The accident happened sometime before 11:30am on Middle Road, about halfway between Watertown and Waterloo. Dodge County Sheriff’s Patrol Captain Molly Soblewski says they believe the 22-year-old woman lost control of the vehicle and left the road. The car went into the ditch, hit an embankment and vaulted into the air with the passenger side striking a tree. The force of hitting the tree spun the vehicle around 180-degrees before it landed on its roof. It is unknown how long the woman was in the car, but she managed to free herself and began walking down the road. A passerby picked her up and took her home, before a roommate drove her to the hospital. Soblewski says the woman does not remember anything prior to the accident. The investigation continues.
Teen Beer Thief Nabbed By Off-Duty Cop
8/30/11 - A Fond du Lac teen chose the wrong time to try and steal beer from a convenience store yesterday Monday morning. Police Captain Steve Klein says an off-duty Fond du Lac Police captain was gassing-up at a Kwik Trip and was watching as the 17-year-old entered the store and ran out the door with a case of beer. The teen dropped the beer as he tried to get away on foot, but the Police Captain caught up with him. The kid was cited for his second underage drinking offense and theft and arrested on charges of possessing drug paraphernalia, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
Intruder Who Was Killed Wasn’t Armed
8/30/11 - Waukesha County’s chief prosecutor said a man was not armed when he broke into a house and was killed by the homeowner. But District Attorney Brad Schimel said the shooting could still be considered justified, if the homeowner thought he was in danger of death or bodily harm – and his belief was reasonable. Authorities say 47-year-old Michael Fitzsimmons of Okauchee grabbed a gun when he heard 39-year-old James Babe the Fourth of Waukesha break into his house early Saturday. He said Babe cornered him in the back yard, and that’s when he shot the intruder. Schimel said he’s still waiting for test results from the State Crime Lab before deciding whether or not to charge Fitzsimmons with the shooting.
OWI Wreck Leads To Evacuation
8/30/11 - At least four homes were evacuated on Green Bay’s east side early Monday, after an apparent drunk driver slammed into a house and hit a natural gas meter. Police said they saw the man speeding at 90-miles-an-hour in a 30-mile-an-hour zone. The crash caused a natural gas leak after the driver hit the front porch of the house. It was right across the street from a fire station, and homes nearby were evacuated. Two people in the car – the 33-year-old male driver from Green Bay and a 26-year-old woman – were not hurt. Police said the man tried to break out of a squad car once he was securely put in – and officers had to use pepper spray to settle him down. Officials said the woman was wanted on a warrant, and the man was jailed for violating a previous probation. It was his first O-W-I offense.
Waupun Man Charged With Groping Waitress
8/30/11 - A Waupun man is charged with misdemeanor sexual assault for allegedly groping a fast food waitress last month. Roland E. Buchholz was arrested after the woman complained to her boss. According to the criminal complaint, the waitress was vacuuming and the 68-year-old snuck up behind her, placed both of his hands on her chest and pulled her close. He reportedly laughed when she turned around, slapped him and shared a few choice words. She told police it was not the first time either. Buchholz reportedly admitted to smacking her rear-end on a previous occasion but told police he was just trying to tickle her during the most recent incident. He had a signature bond set at $500 and will be back in court next month.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Top Stories August 27th
No Charges in Supreme Court Incident
8/27/11 - In interviews with Dane County detectives, Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice David Prosser admitted he touched Justice Ann Walsh Bradley's neck. And, Bradley admits getting face to face with Prosser as they had a confrontation. But, she says she suffered no physical harm. The sheriff's department released 117 pages of records from the investigation yesterday which centered on the June 13th fight between the two. The interviews include many contradictory versions of the events of that day. The interviews revealed serious personal problems the three justices in the minority on the court have had with Prosser going back a decade. Sixteen months before the latest incident Bradley had met with court staff about Prosser's open displays of anger. Prosser had told interviewers that Bradley charged him and he put his hands up in reflex. He says he didn't intend to touch her, but he did. Bradley denies rushing toward Prosser.
Ma and Pa’s Not So Lucky
8/27/11 - The place where the state’s biggest lottery winners buy their tickets had a run of bad luck Thursday. A driver crashed through a set of doors at Ma-and-Pa’s convenience store on Main Street in Fond du Lac. Owner Mike Forsyth said a woman’s accelerator got stuck – but nobody got hurt, and the only major damage was to the doors themselves. He said somebody walked through the doors just moments before – and another customer was using a nearby copy machine when the car hit them both. Believe it or not, Forsyth said it was the third time that Ma-and-Pa’s was hit by a vehicle. So it’s no surprise that they simply boarded up the damage and went back to work. Some of Wisconsin’s biggest lottery jackpots have been claimed by those buying tickets on Fond du Lac’s Miracle Mile over the years. And Ma-and-Pa’s is the capital of that community, selling millions in winners. Players who buy scratch-off tickets there can get detailed explanations of the available games before they buy.
BDLIA to Hold Annual Meeting
8/27/11 - The Beaver Dam Lake Improvement Association will hold their Annual Meeting today at the Conservation Club Clubhouse in Beaver Dam. A free continental breakfast will be served at 8:30 a.m. and the meeting will start at 9:00. Updates on association activities in the past year will be given by committee chairs. There will be an election of BDLIA Board Directors for two year terms. Possible bylaw changes and any other business that may be conducted at this meeting will be addressed. The meeting will conclude with a talk by Laura Stremick-Thompson, a DNR Fish Biologist. She will review the results of the extensive fish survey she conducted last year on Beaver Dam Lake. The meeting is open to the general public. Only members of the BDLIA will be allowed to vote at the meeting. Renewal memberships and new memberships may be purchased at the meeting. Annual membership fees are $20 for a single membership and $30 for a family membership. Doors will open at 7:15 a.m. The meeting will conclude by 11:00 a.m. or before.
Man Claims He Did “Too Good a Job” in Defending Himself
8/27/11 - A 58 year old Milwaukee man tells his neighbor and a police investigator that he defended himself. Wallace Doman reported told the police officer he did "too good a job" of defending himself. Doman has been charged with first-degree reckless homicide by use of a dangerous weapon. He's accused of stabbing Rickie Blaeske 10 times after an argument over flowers. Blaeske bled to death. Doman could get up to 65 years in prison if he is convicted.
Environmental Group Seeks Help from EPA
8/27/11 - The environmental group Milwaukee Riverkeeper is calling on the EPA to make the We Energies Valley Power Plant modify its system to protect fish. The water it works now, the group says river water is used to cool the plant's equipment -- and the system that sucks the water into the plant kills fish and their eggs. A spokesman for the utility says it is looking at ways to protect the fish in the process, but says it isn't necessary for the Environmental Protection Agency to mandate any changes. We Energies wants to be able to choose the best technology to protect fish, rather than be handcuffed by government regulation. The EPA is expected to release a list of new rules about power-plant cooling systems by some time next summer.
Mayor Agrees that Mifflin Street Block Party Has to End
8/27/11 - Madison city officials agree with a police report that says the Mifflin Street block party has to end. The problem is, ending the annual event is easier said than done. It's been going on near the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus for more than four decades. Happening near the end of the school year, it has been the scene of violence on too many occasions. Madison police say the alcohol-fueld event also costs the department thousands of dollars. This year's party saw two stabbings, three sexual assaults and 162 people arrested. Mayor Paul Soglin admits it might take years to fully end the annual parties.
West Allis Police Prep for Planned Neo-Nazi Rally
8/27/11 - Fearing violent confrontations, West Allis police are urging local businesses to consider locking their doors next weekend. A neo-Nazi group is planning a rally in reaction to black-on-white violence like that seen at the Wisconsin State Fair. The National Socialist Movement says it wants to have a peacefully rally. However, the group's website talks of a, quoting here, "mobilization of battle-hardened White Men." The website has an almost taunting tone when it says it welcomes any flash mob. Black youths attacked fair-goers on the opening night of this year's state fair, leaving dozens injured. At least one of the suspects admitted he targeted white victims.
Former Beloit Worker’s Vacation Ended Early
8/27/11 - Vacation was cut short for a former supervisor with the city of Beloit. The FBI reports Timothy Kosier was at a vacation rental home in Hawaii when he was arrested. Kosier was to have a detention hearing yesterday in Honolulu. He is accused of stealing at least five thousand dollars worth of Beloit city property. Kosier was a maintenance supervisor in the city's water resources department. City officials are quoted as saying the items stolen and the unauthorized use of city credit lines could be worth 150 thousand dollars or more. Kosier was arrested on the island of Maui, then taken to a facility in Honolulu.
State Representative Calls Immigration Reform Proposal a Political Tool
8/27/11 - State Representative JoCasta Zamarripa says it's just a case of using immigration reform as a political tool. The Milwaukee Democrat says a proposal mandating anyone applying for public assistanc programs in Wisconsin prove they are a legal citizen isn't needed. Zamarripa says the current laws would keep undocumented immigrants from accessing public assistance programs. She says there is no evidence suggesting the guidelines aren't working. Zamarripa says the new would make it harder for those who can enroll in those programs to apply and, at the same time, would make it more difficult for social workers to do their jobs. A public hearing is coming up before a committee which has Zamarripa as a member.
Questions Arise After Another Walker Appointee Leaves
8/27/11 - A state official who worked for Governor Scott Walker when he was the Milwaukee County executive took a sudden personal leave this week. Officials would not say why Deputy Administration Secretary Cindy Archer left – or whether it’s tied to a John Doe investigation involving Walker’s former county assistants. Neither Archer nor administration officials have commented on the move. Earlier this summer, Walker discussed the John Doe probe with the Journal Sentinel. It involves county staffers who allegedly helped Walker’s campaign for governor while at work last year. The governor said Archer was involved in scheduling a number of appearances for the candidate. The 52-year-old Archer had worked with Walker for four years in Milwaukee County before taking her state job in January. Former Walker aide Tom Nardelli also resigned a state job in late July as the head of Environmental-and-Regulatory Services. Nardelli said he had second thoughts about taking the post, because he was planning to leave in September anyway.
Woman Reels in a Big One
8/27/11 - A Wisconsin woman was fishing in Minnesota during the July Fourth weekend when she reeled in somebody’s prosthetic leg. Beth Krohn was at her vacation home on Lake Ida near Alexandria Minnesota. She told K-S-A-X T-V that she was on the lake for about an hour when she reeled in something large – and she knew it wasn’t a fish. Once she saw the prosthetic leg, Krohn said she gasped and hoped it was not a dead body. She later realized it was an artificial leg – so she called some specialists, and found that Pam Riley of Morris Minnesota had owned it. Riley also has a vacation home on Lake Ida – and it turned out that she lost the prosthetic leg three years ago while swimming. Riley never thought it would be recovered. But she met up with Krohn the day it happened, and they exchanged stories and body parts. Krohn said her catch is one for the ages. She said it’s like going deer hunting and getting the biggest buck of all.
8/27/11 - In interviews with Dane County detectives, Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice David Prosser admitted he touched Justice Ann Walsh Bradley's neck. And, Bradley admits getting face to face with Prosser as they had a confrontation. But, she says she suffered no physical harm. The sheriff's department released 117 pages of records from the investigation yesterday which centered on the June 13th fight between the two. The interviews include many contradictory versions of the events of that day. The interviews revealed serious personal problems the three justices in the minority on the court have had with Prosser going back a decade. Sixteen months before the latest incident Bradley had met with court staff about Prosser's open displays of anger. Prosser had told interviewers that Bradley charged him and he put his hands up in reflex. He says he didn't intend to touch her, but he did. Bradley denies rushing toward Prosser.
Ma and Pa’s Not So Lucky
8/27/11 - The place where the state’s biggest lottery winners buy their tickets had a run of bad luck Thursday. A driver crashed through a set of doors at Ma-and-Pa’s convenience store on Main Street in Fond du Lac. Owner Mike Forsyth said a woman’s accelerator got stuck – but nobody got hurt, and the only major damage was to the doors themselves. He said somebody walked through the doors just moments before – and another customer was using a nearby copy machine when the car hit them both. Believe it or not, Forsyth said it was the third time that Ma-and-Pa’s was hit by a vehicle. So it’s no surprise that they simply boarded up the damage and went back to work. Some of Wisconsin’s biggest lottery jackpots have been claimed by those buying tickets on Fond du Lac’s Miracle Mile over the years. And Ma-and-Pa’s is the capital of that community, selling millions in winners. Players who buy scratch-off tickets there can get detailed explanations of the available games before they buy.
BDLIA to Hold Annual Meeting
8/27/11 - The Beaver Dam Lake Improvement Association will hold their Annual Meeting today at the Conservation Club Clubhouse in Beaver Dam. A free continental breakfast will be served at 8:30 a.m. and the meeting will start at 9:00. Updates on association activities in the past year will be given by committee chairs. There will be an election of BDLIA Board Directors for two year terms. Possible bylaw changes and any other business that may be conducted at this meeting will be addressed. The meeting will conclude with a talk by Laura Stremick-Thompson, a DNR Fish Biologist. She will review the results of the extensive fish survey she conducted last year on Beaver Dam Lake. The meeting is open to the general public. Only members of the BDLIA will be allowed to vote at the meeting. Renewal memberships and new memberships may be purchased at the meeting. Annual membership fees are $20 for a single membership and $30 for a family membership. Doors will open at 7:15 a.m. The meeting will conclude by 11:00 a.m. or before.
Man Claims He Did “Too Good a Job” in Defending Himself
8/27/11 - A 58 year old Milwaukee man tells his neighbor and a police investigator that he defended himself. Wallace Doman reported told the police officer he did "too good a job" of defending himself. Doman has been charged with first-degree reckless homicide by use of a dangerous weapon. He's accused of stabbing Rickie Blaeske 10 times after an argument over flowers. Blaeske bled to death. Doman could get up to 65 years in prison if he is convicted.
Environmental Group Seeks Help from EPA
8/27/11 - The environmental group Milwaukee Riverkeeper is calling on the EPA to make the We Energies Valley Power Plant modify its system to protect fish. The water it works now, the group says river water is used to cool the plant's equipment -- and the system that sucks the water into the plant kills fish and their eggs. A spokesman for the utility says it is looking at ways to protect the fish in the process, but says it isn't necessary for the Environmental Protection Agency to mandate any changes. We Energies wants to be able to choose the best technology to protect fish, rather than be handcuffed by government regulation. The EPA is expected to release a list of new rules about power-plant cooling systems by some time next summer.
Mayor Agrees that Mifflin Street Block Party Has to End
8/27/11 - Madison city officials agree with a police report that says the Mifflin Street block party has to end. The problem is, ending the annual event is easier said than done. It's been going on near the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus for more than four decades. Happening near the end of the school year, it has been the scene of violence on too many occasions. Madison police say the alcohol-fueld event also costs the department thousands of dollars. This year's party saw two stabbings, three sexual assaults and 162 people arrested. Mayor Paul Soglin admits it might take years to fully end the annual parties.
West Allis Police Prep for Planned Neo-Nazi Rally
8/27/11 - Fearing violent confrontations, West Allis police are urging local businesses to consider locking their doors next weekend. A neo-Nazi group is planning a rally in reaction to black-on-white violence like that seen at the Wisconsin State Fair. The National Socialist Movement says it wants to have a peacefully rally. However, the group's website talks of a, quoting here, "mobilization of battle-hardened White Men." The website has an almost taunting tone when it says it welcomes any flash mob. Black youths attacked fair-goers on the opening night of this year's state fair, leaving dozens injured. At least one of the suspects admitted he targeted white victims.
Former Beloit Worker’s Vacation Ended Early
8/27/11 - Vacation was cut short for a former supervisor with the city of Beloit. The FBI reports Timothy Kosier was at a vacation rental home in Hawaii when he was arrested. Kosier was to have a detention hearing yesterday in Honolulu. He is accused of stealing at least five thousand dollars worth of Beloit city property. Kosier was a maintenance supervisor in the city's water resources department. City officials are quoted as saying the items stolen and the unauthorized use of city credit lines could be worth 150 thousand dollars or more. Kosier was arrested on the island of Maui, then taken to a facility in Honolulu.
State Representative Calls Immigration Reform Proposal a Political Tool
8/27/11 - State Representative JoCasta Zamarripa says it's just a case of using immigration reform as a political tool. The Milwaukee Democrat says a proposal mandating anyone applying for public assistanc programs in Wisconsin prove they are a legal citizen isn't needed. Zamarripa says the current laws would keep undocumented immigrants from accessing public assistance programs. She says there is no evidence suggesting the guidelines aren't working. Zamarripa says the new would make it harder for those who can enroll in those programs to apply and, at the same time, would make it more difficult for social workers to do their jobs. A public hearing is coming up before a committee which has Zamarripa as a member.
Questions Arise After Another Walker Appointee Leaves
8/27/11 - A state official who worked for Governor Scott Walker when he was the Milwaukee County executive took a sudden personal leave this week. Officials would not say why Deputy Administration Secretary Cindy Archer left – or whether it’s tied to a John Doe investigation involving Walker’s former county assistants. Neither Archer nor administration officials have commented on the move. Earlier this summer, Walker discussed the John Doe probe with the Journal Sentinel. It involves county staffers who allegedly helped Walker’s campaign for governor while at work last year. The governor said Archer was involved in scheduling a number of appearances for the candidate. The 52-year-old Archer had worked with Walker for four years in Milwaukee County before taking her state job in January. Former Walker aide Tom Nardelli also resigned a state job in late July as the head of Environmental-and-Regulatory Services. Nardelli said he had second thoughts about taking the post, because he was planning to leave in September anyway.
Woman Reels in a Big One
8/27/11 - A Wisconsin woman was fishing in Minnesota during the July Fourth weekend when she reeled in somebody’s prosthetic leg. Beth Krohn was at her vacation home on Lake Ida near Alexandria Minnesota. She told K-S-A-X T-V that she was on the lake for about an hour when she reeled in something large – and she knew it wasn’t a fish. Once she saw the prosthetic leg, Krohn said she gasped and hoped it was not a dead body. She later realized it was an artificial leg – so she called some specialists, and found that Pam Riley of Morris Minnesota had owned it. Riley also has a vacation home on Lake Ida – and it turned out that she lost the prosthetic leg three years ago while swimming. Riley never thought it would be recovered. But she met up with Krohn the day it happened, and they exchanged stories and body parts. Krohn said her catch is one for the ages. She said it’s like going deer hunting and getting the biggest buck of all.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Top Stories August 26th
Gas Prices Up in Beaver Dam
8/26/11 - Gas prices in Beaver Dam are up 15-cents since Tuesday morning. Earlier this week motorists were paying $3.49 per gallon in the city, which was well below the state average at the time of $3.62. However, gas is now going for $3.64, which is more in line with the state average this morning of $3.68. That’s according to WisconsinGasPrices.com, who says motorists in the state are paying six-cents more than a week ago and $1.05 more than a year ago. Gas can also be had for $3.64 in Fond du Lac, Mayville and Watertown.
Horse Hit By Car, Killed
8/26/11 - A horse was killed and one person was injured in a crash in the town of Rubicon early this morning. It happened on Highway 60 near Highway 67 just before 2 a-m. It’s unclear how the horse, which was owned by Earl Captain, got onto the roadway. The 33-year-old woman who hit the horse had minor injuries and refused EMS treatment.
Leintz Bound Over for Trial
8/26/11 - A 25-year-old Horicon man was bound over for trial on charges he attacked his girlfriend at their apartment earlier this month. Keith Leintz is charged with strangulation/suffocation, battery, disorderly conduct and possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. According to prosecutors, Leintz and his girlfriend were arguing about money on August 9th when he let their 7-month old child roll off the couch. The criminal complaint states as the argument escalated, Leintz allegedly began pushing her and then placed his hands around the woman’s neck. Police say the woman told them that Leintz grabbed a knife and threatened her with it. Later in the criminal complaint the girlfriend claimed that when she tried to call police, Leintz told her he would ruin her life and cause her to lose their son by telling the cops that the drugs in the home belonged to her. Leintz is free on a $10,000 cash bond and has an arraignment hearing set for September 14th.
National Labor Leader Unsure of Role in Possible Walker Recall
8/26/11 - The head of the nation’s largest labor organization says he’s not sure if the union movement will support a possible recall of Governor Scott Walker next year. Richard Trumka, head of the A-F-L C-I-O, said in Washington yesterday that the matter is still under discussion by various local union leaders. He said a lot of things will hinge on labor’s involvement in a Walker recall movement – including the likelihood that it would succeed. Democrats defeated two-of-six Republican state senators in this summer’s recall votes. But they failed to win three seats, and therefore did not achieve their main goal of winning back the majority in the state’s upper house. They did, however, make the chamber more moderate by reducing the G-O-P’s majority from five seats down to just one. Trumka said labor’s involvement in the recalls was still a success for those reasons. He said Wisconsin had a Republican governor who tried to quote, “drive the proverbial wooden stake in our heart … and we stopped that.” The labor coalition “We Are Wisconsin” spent a reported 11-million-dollars on the Senate recalls.
Capitol Protests Start Up Again
8/26/11 - Twelve adults and a juvenile were carried out of the State Capitol and arrested during a large protest last evening. It happened on the first payday in which state employees saw smaller checks – as higher pension and health insurance deductions took effect as part of the law which limits public union bargaining. Several hundred people banged on drums, chanted, and sang “Solidarity Forever.” Most left around 6:30 as police tried to close the building for the day. They heard Eric Cobb of the South Central Wisconsin Building Trades Council call the higher pension and health payments “austerity measures” on the backs of the workers – and he said it was not a “shared sacrifice.” But the governor’s office repeated that the measure was necessary to avoid employee layoffs and tax increases. A couple of those arrested last night said they had also been arrested in February’s massive Capitol protests against the union law. The final protester was led out around 7:50 p-m. Capitol Police Chief Charles Tubbs said the arrests were for unlawful assembly, and some could face additional charges of obstructing officers and resisting arrest.
John Deere to Celebrate 100th Anniversary
8/26/11 - John Deere Horicon Works will celebrate its 100th Anniversary in the community tomorrow. It all gets underway with a parade that will step off at 11:30 a-m. Officials say it will include every model of tractor the plant has produced going back to 1911. The parade is expected to be about an hour long. Due to a larger than expected response from current and former John Deere employees, as well as collectors, city officials plan to set up bleachers on Lake Street at three different intersections. Afterwards the tractors will be in a parking lot for the public to view.
Juneau August Fest 2011
8/26/11 - Juneau August Fest gets underway today at City Park with tons of food, music and games. Beginning at 4pm, there will be soccer and kickball tournaments and from 9 to 1-am Cherry Pie will take to the stage. Tomorrow there will be Bingo at 12:30 p-m with a free corn roast beginning at 2. The live music will include the Die Spiel Meister band at 4:30 p-m and Save the Day at 8:30 p-m. On Sunday, there will be a tractor pull at noon. At 1 p-m the Siegmann Family Gospel/Bluegrass Band takes to the stage. And there will also be a pie eating and kiss a pig contests later in the afternoon. More information is available on Juneau Chamber of Commerce’s website. You can find a link on our website wbevradio.com.
Abrahamson Comments on Justice Altercation
8/26/11 - Wisconsin’s chief justice says more of the State Supreme Court’s conferences should be open to the public, as a way to restore civility among the court’s seven members. Shirley Abrahamson proposed the idea in a written statement yesterday. It was the part of her response to a prosecutor’s decision not to charge Justices David Prosser and Ann Walsh Bradley in a physical altercation in mid-June. Prosecutor Pat Barrett said other justices who saw the incident gave conflicting accounts of what happened – and there was not enough evidence to support criminal charges. There has been friction between the Supreme Court’s four conservative justices and three liberal justices for some time. Abrahamson – who commented on the altercation for the first time – said the court must be a place where disputes are resolved, not created. Former Justice Janine Geske, who’s now a law professor at Marquette, said the process of deciding cases is complicated and often takes months. And it would be hard for people to follow, and justices often switch sides as they research various issues. The State Supreme Court already opens its meetings on court rules and finances to the public. Geske says no court in the nation opens its deliberations to the public.
No Bat Colony at Dane County Airport
8/26/11 - Federal health officials said today there’s no evidence of a bat colony or infestation at Madison’s airport. Baggage handlers had told the Centers for Disease Control they occasionally saw dead bats on the ground – and they saw evidence of possibly colony of live bats. That was after a live bat hopped aboard a Delta Airlines flight from Madison to Atlanta on August fifth. The bat flew around the cabin before passengers trapped it in a restroom on board. The bat later escaped. Danielle Buttke of the C-D-C said the incident was apparently an isolated one. And neither federal nor state officials found any evidence of a bat colony or groups of dead birds at the Dane County Regional Airport. Buttke said there were no signs of either trend – like bat droppings.
8/26/11 - Gas prices in Beaver Dam are up 15-cents since Tuesday morning. Earlier this week motorists were paying $3.49 per gallon in the city, which was well below the state average at the time of $3.62. However, gas is now going for $3.64, which is more in line with the state average this morning of $3.68. That’s according to WisconsinGasPrices.com, who says motorists in the state are paying six-cents more than a week ago and $1.05 more than a year ago. Gas can also be had for $3.64 in Fond du Lac, Mayville and Watertown.
Horse Hit By Car, Killed
8/26/11 - A horse was killed and one person was injured in a crash in the town of Rubicon early this morning. It happened on Highway 60 near Highway 67 just before 2 a-m. It’s unclear how the horse, which was owned by Earl Captain, got onto the roadway. The 33-year-old woman who hit the horse had minor injuries and refused EMS treatment.
Leintz Bound Over for Trial
8/26/11 - A 25-year-old Horicon man was bound over for trial on charges he attacked his girlfriend at their apartment earlier this month. Keith Leintz is charged with strangulation/suffocation, battery, disorderly conduct and possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. According to prosecutors, Leintz and his girlfriend were arguing about money on August 9th when he let their 7-month old child roll off the couch. The criminal complaint states as the argument escalated, Leintz allegedly began pushing her and then placed his hands around the woman’s neck. Police say the woman told them that Leintz grabbed a knife and threatened her with it. Later in the criminal complaint the girlfriend claimed that when she tried to call police, Leintz told her he would ruin her life and cause her to lose their son by telling the cops that the drugs in the home belonged to her. Leintz is free on a $10,000 cash bond and has an arraignment hearing set for September 14th.
National Labor Leader Unsure of Role in Possible Walker Recall
8/26/11 - The head of the nation’s largest labor organization says he’s not sure if the union movement will support a possible recall of Governor Scott Walker next year. Richard Trumka, head of the A-F-L C-I-O, said in Washington yesterday that the matter is still under discussion by various local union leaders. He said a lot of things will hinge on labor’s involvement in a Walker recall movement – including the likelihood that it would succeed. Democrats defeated two-of-six Republican state senators in this summer’s recall votes. But they failed to win three seats, and therefore did not achieve their main goal of winning back the majority in the state’s upper house. They did, however, make the chamber more moderate by reducing the G-O-P’s majority from five seats down to just one. Trumka said labor’s involvement in the recalls was still a success for those reasons. He said Wisconsin had a Republican governor who tried to quote, “drive the proverbial wooden stake in our heart … and we stopped that.” The labor coalition “We Are Wisconsin” spent a reported 11-million-dollars on the Senate recalls.
Capitol Protests Start Up Again
8/26/11 - Twelve adults and a juvenile were carried out of the State Capitol and arrested during a large protest last evening. It happened on the first payday in which state employees saw smaller checks – as higher pension and health insurance deductions took effect as part of the law which limits public union bargaining. Several hundred people banged on drums, chanted, and sang “Solidarity Forever.” Most left around 6:30 as police tried to close the building for the day. They heard Eric Cobb of the South Central Wisconsin Building Trades Council call the higher pension and health payments “austerity measures” on the backs of the workers – and he said it was not a “shared sacrifice.” But the governor’s office repeated that the measure was necessary to avoid employee layoffs and tax increases. A couple of those arrested last night said they had also been arrested in February’s massive Capitol protests against the union law. The final protester was led out around 7:50 p-m. Capitol Police Chief Charles Tubbs said the arrests were for unlawful assembly, and some could face additional charges of obstructing officers and resisting arrest.
John Deere to Celebrate 100th Anniversary
8/26/11 - John Deere Horicon Works will celebrate its 100th Anniversary in the community tomorrow. It all gets underway with a parade that will step off at 11:30 a-m. Officials say it will include every model of tractor the plant has produced going back to 1911. The parade is expected to be about an hour long. Due to a larger than expected response from current and former John Deere employees, as well as collectors, city officials plan to set up bleachers on Lake Street at three different intersections. Afterwards the tractors will be in a parking lot for the public to view.
Juneau August Fest 2011
8/26/11 - Juneau August Fest gets underway today at City Park with tons of food, music and games. Beginning at 4pm, there will be soccer and kickball tournaments and from 9 to 1-am Cherry Pie will take to the stage. Tomorrow there will be Bingo at 12:30 p-m with a free corn roast beginning at 2. The live music will include the Die Spiel Meister band at 4:30 p-m and Save the Day at 8:30 p-m. On Sunday, there will be a tractor pull at noon. At 1 p-m the Siegmann Family Gospel/Bluegrass Band takes to the stage. And there will also be a pie eating and kiss a pig contests later in the afternoon. More information is available on Juneau Chamber of Commerce’s website. You can find a link on our website wbevradio.com.
Abrahamson Comments on Justice Altercation
8/26/11 - Wisconsin’s chief justice says more of the State Supreme Court’s conferences should be open to the public, as a way to restore civility among the court’s seven members. Shirley Abrahamson proposed the idea in a written statement yesterday. It was the part of her response to a prosecutor’s decision not to charge Justices David Prosser and Ann Walsh Bradley in a physical altercation in mid-June. Prosecutor Pat Barrett said other justices who saw the incident gave conflicting accounts of what happened – and there was not enough evidence to support criminal charges. There has been friction between the Supreme Court’s four conservative justices and three liberal justices for some time. Abrahamson – who commented on the altercation for the first time – said the court must be a place where disputes are resolved, not created. Former Justice Janine Geske, who’s now a law professor at Marquette, said the process of deciding cases is complicated and often takes months. And it would be hard for people to follow, and justices often switch sides as they research various issues. The State Supreme Court already opens its meetings on court rules and finances to the public. Geske says no court in the nation opens its deliberations to the public.
No Bat Colony at Dane County Airport
8/26/11 - Federal health officials said today there’s no evidence of a bat colony or infestation at Madison’s airport. Baggage handlers had told the Centers for Disease Control they occasionally saw dead bats on the ground – and they saw evidence of possibly colony of live bats. That was after a live bat hopped aboard a Delta Airlines flight from Madison to Atlanta on August fifth. The bat flew around the cabin before passengers trapped it in a restroom on board. The bat later escaped. Danielle Buttke of the C-D-C said the incident was apparently an isolated one. And neither federal nor state officials found any evidence of a bat colony or groups of dead birds at the Dane County Regional Airport. Buttke said there were no signs of either trend – like bat droppings.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Top Stories August 25th
Local Unemployment Numbers Down
8/25/11 - The jobless rate in the region decreased across the board over the two-month period from June to July, and most are lower than at the same period last year. In Dodge County, the unemployment rate last month was 7.9%, which is down from a rate of 8.4% in June. It was also 8.4% in July of 2010. Fond du Lac County also saw a half-percent decrease to 7.3%, which is six-tenths of a percent lower than a year ago. Washington County was at 6.9% and Columbia County was at 7.2%…both of them down seven-tenths of a percent from June. Jefferson County decreased six-tenths of a percent to 8.1%. Columbia County was the only county in the region that had a higher jobless rate this year than last year, by one-tenth of a percent. Dane County continues to have the lowest claims for joblessness at 5.4%, while Menominee County’s unemployment rate topped 20%. Of the state’s 72-counties, 70 had lower rates or no change over the reporting period. The seasonally-adjusted rate for the state was up two-tenths to 7.8%, well below the national rate of 9.2%.
Tornado Cleanup Begins
8/25/11 - Authorities now say almost two dozen homes were damaged, and about 20 farm buildings were destroyed by a tornado and thunderstorms in Clark County on Tuesday night. The storms contributed to the death of 75-year-old William Nickel, a hospice patient at a home in Granton. He died after a power outage caused his oxygen machine to stop running. Two people also suffered minor injuries. The National Weather Service said an E-F-Two tornado was on the ground for over seven miles near Chili. It packed winds of up to 130 miles an hour. Clark County emergency management officials said four homes were destroyed, two others had major damage, and 17 received minor damage. Four barns and 15 farm out-buildings were destroyed – and numerous other farm structures were damaged. The National Weather Service surveyed the area yesterday – and it found that some structures near Neillsville were also damaged. A minor “F-Zero” tornado also touched down in the Shawano County town of Lessor on Tuesday night. The only damage was to trees. Wisconsin Emergency Management says it’s monitoring the situation – and so far, it has had no requests for state assistance
ACT Numbers Down in a Majority of Local Districts
8/25/11 - Only 30-percent of local school districts saw increased scores in their students ACT college entrance exams this spring. That’s according to the Department of Public Instruction, who said last week that seniors in Wisconsin who took the test had a composite score of 22-point-two out of 36. That was higher than the national average 21-point-one – which is what state seniors scored in 2010. But in a survey of 10 local districts the average composite score was 21.7, down from 22.2 during the 2009-2010 school year. The biggest decrease of the 10 came in Mayville, where seniors this past spring scored an average of 21.3, down from 23 last April. Columbus High School had the highest composite score, coming in with a 23.4, while Cambria-Friesland had the lowest at 20. One positive in the numbers was the increase in percentage of students taking the exam. Participation was up nearly 3.5-points to 52.7-percent.
Leaders Hoping Charter School Will Reinvigorate City
8/25/11 - Officials in Fox Lake say they hope the reopening of the city’s elementary school as a charter school will help revive the community. Mayor Tom Bednarek is hopeful the school, which will focus on agriculture and environmental studies, will allow for young families and the students that have been open enrolling out of the Waupun School District to move back into the city. Bednarek, who graduated from the school, says he can’t overstate the importance of the reopening. Waupun School District officials got word this week that they had been awarded a $200,000 planning grant from the state to help in the process of getting the school ready to open by next fall.
500,000 State Residents Don’t Have Health Insurance
8/25/11 - About a half-million Wisconsinites do not have health insurance – and a new report says two-thirds of those people will be covered by 2016 under the federal health reform law. But some people who buy insurance through individual exchanges will pay more than they would now – even after they get the tax subsidies in the new program. Those who pay more are likely to have better benefits. Others would pay less, and most Wisconsinites who get their coverage from employers will see no changes in their premiums. Former Governor Jim Doyle’s administration commissioned the report, which was prepared by a Massachusetts consulting firm. It was released yesterday by state health officials. Health Services’ Secretary Dennis Smith said it proves that the Democratic health reform would cause a quote, “very significant disruption in the marketplace” and raise premiums for some. Smith opposes the reform plan along with the rest of the G-O-P Walker administration. He said people were promised lower costs – and the new report proves it won’t be the case. But reform supporter Robert Kraig of Wisconsin Citizen Action said people won’t lose coverage or pay a lot more as they get older. He calls it a “guarantee of good quality coverage for everyone throughout their lives.” And Kraig said it’s a huge change from what’s happening now.
Smith Sentenced on Bail Jumping Charges
8/25/11 - A Beaver Dam woman who was sentenced to three months in jail last month was in court yesterday on four separate charges related to the previous case. A jury convicted Nicole A. Smith in May on a felony charge of causing a child to view a sexual act. A high school-age child used a cell phone to film the 36-year-old and another man engaging in sex on Thanksgiving Day. As part of the conditions of bond in a separate case, Smith had been prohibited from having contact with the man who was with her in the video. The same man also allegedly visited her in jail on four separate occasions following a December OWI conviction. In court yesterday, Smith pled no contest to one charge of bail jumping and had three other charges dropped for violating her probation. In exchange, Smith was sentenced to one year of concurrent probation.
First Cases of West Nile Virus Found
8/25/11 - Wisconsin has confirmed its first cases of West Nile virus in animals for this year. Health officials said yesterday that two birds tested positive for the mosquito-borne illness. One was in Waupaca County, and the other in Dane County. Experts say the bird cases should serve as a warning to humans – and they’re urged to protect themselves against mosquito bites while outdoors. Wisconsin normally has birds, horses, and people come down with the West Nile disease. There were two human cases in the Badger State a year ago.
Dorm at UW-Madison to Be Named for Civil Rights Leader
8/25/11 - U-W Madison has re-named a dormitory in honor of civil rights pioneer Vel Phillips. The university said yesterday that the former Friedrick Hall on Lake Mendota is now called Phillips Hall – and each floor of the building will be named in honor of other well-known women on campus. Phillips is best known throughout Wisconsin as being the first woman and the first African-American to hold a statewide constitutional office. She was elected Secretary-of-State and served one term from 1979-through-’82. Phillips was also the first black woman to graduate from the U-W Law School in 1951. She was also Milwaukee County’s first female judge, and the state’s first African-American judge. Phillips Hall was run from the U-W Extension Service as a conference center until 2008. And when it became a dorm, the school was given a chance to re-name it.
8/25/11 - The jobless rate in the region decreased across the board over the two-month period from June to July, and most are lower than at the same period last year. In Dodge County, the unemployment rate last month was 7.9%, which is down from a rate of 8.4% in June. It was also 8.4% in July of 2010. Fond du Lac County also saw a half-percent decrease to 7.3%, which is six-tenths of a percent lower than a year ago. Washington County was at 6.9% and Columbia County was at 7.2%…both of them down seven-tenths of a percent from June. Jefferson County decreased six-tenths of a percent to 8.1%. Columbia County was the only county in the region that had a higher jobless rate this year than last year, by one-tenth of a percent. Dane County continues to have the lowest claims for joblessness at 5.4%, while Menominee County’s unemployment rate topped 20%. Of the state’s 72-counties, 70 had lower rates or no change over the reporting period. The seasonally-adjusted rate for the state was up two-tenths to 7.8%, well below the national rate of 9.2%.
Tornado Cleanup Begins
8/25/11 - Authorities now say almost two dozen homes were damaged, and about 20 farm buildings were destroyed by a tornado and thunderstorms in Clark County on Tuesday night. The storms contributed to the death of 75-year-old William Nickel, a hospice patient at a home in Granton. He died after a power outage caused his oxygen machine to stop running. Two people also suffered minor injuries. The National Weather Service said an E-F-Two tornado was on the ground for over seven miles near Chili. It packed winds of up to 130 miles an hour. Clark County emergency management officials said four homes were destroyed, two others had major damage, and 17 received minor damage. Four barns and 15 farm out-buildings were destroyed – and numerous other farm structures were damaged. The National Weather Service surveyed the area yesterday – and it found that some structures near Neillsville were also damaged. A minor “F-Zero” tornado also touched down in the Shawano County town of Lessor on Tuesday night. The only damage was to trees. Wisconsin Emergency Management says it’s monitoring the situation – and so far, it has had no requests for state assistance
ACT Numbers Down in a Majority of Local Districts
8/25/11 - Only 30-percent of local school districts saw increased scores in their students ACT college entrance exams this spring. That’s according to the Department of Public Instruction, who said last week that seniors in Wisconsin who took the test had a composite score of 22-point-two out of 36. That was higher than the national average 21-point-one – which is what state seniors scored in 2010. But in a survey of 10 local districts the average composite score was 21.7, down from 22.2 during the 2009-2010 school year. The biggest decrease of the 10 came in Mayville, where seniors this past spring scored an average of 21.3, down from 23 last April. Columbus High School had the highest composite score, coming in with a 23.4, while Cambria-Friesland had the lowest at 20. One positive in the numbers was the increase in percentage of students taking the exam. Participation was up nearly 3.5-points to 52.7-percent.
Leaders Hoping Charter School Will Reinvigorate City
8/25/11 - Officials in Fox Lake say they hope the reopening of the city’s elementary school as a charter school will help revive the community. Mayor Tom Bednarek is hopeful the school, which will focus on agriculture and environmental studies, will allow for young families and the students that have been open enrolling out of the Waupun School District to move back into the city. Bednarek, who graduated from the school, says he can’t overstate the importance of the reopening. Waupun School District officials got word this week that they had been awarded a $200,000 planning grant from the state to help in the process of getting the school ready to open by next fall.
500,000 State Residents Don’t Have Health Insurance
8/25/11 - About a half-million Wisconsinites do not have health insurance – and a new report says two-thirds of those people will be covered by 2016 under the federal health reform law. But some people who buy insurance through individual exchanges will pay more than they would now – even after they get the tax subsidies in the new program. Those who pay more are likely to have better benefits. Others would pay less, and most Wisconsinites who get their coverage from employers will see no changes in their premiums. Former Governor Jim Doyle’s administration commissioned the report, which was prepared by a Massachusetts consulting firm. It was released yesterday by state health officials. Health Services’ Secretary Dennis Smith said it proves that the Democratic health reform would cause a quote, “very significant disruption in the marketplace” and raise premiums for some. Smith opposes the reform plan along with the rest of the G-O-P Walker administration. He said people were promised lower costs – and the new report proves it won’t be the case. But reform supporter Robert Kraig of Wisconsin Citizen Action said people won’t lose coverage or pay a lot more as they get older. He calls it a “guarantee of good quality coverage for everyone throughout their lives.” And Kraig said it’s a huge change from what’s happening now.
Smith Sentenced on Bail Jumping Charges
8/25/11 - A Beaver Dam woman who was sentenced to three months in jail last month was in court yesterday on four separate charges related to the previous case. A jury convicted Nicole A. Smith in May on a felony charge of causing a child to view a sexual act. A high school-age child used a cell phone to film the 36-year-old and another man engaging in sex on Thanksgiving Day. As part of the conditions of bond in a separate case, Smith had been prohibited from having contact with the man who was with her in the video. The same man also allegedly visited her in jail on four separate occasions following a December OWI conviction. In court yesterday, Smith pled no contest to one charge of bail jumping and had three other charges dropped for violating her probation. In exchange, Smith was sentenced to one year of concurrent probation.
First Cases of West Nile Virus Found
8/25/11 - Wisconsin has confirmed its first cases of West Nile virus in animals for this year. Health officials said yesterday that two birds tested positive for the mosquito-borne illness. One was in Waupaca County, and the other in Dane County. Experts say the bird cases should serve as a warning to humans – and they’re urged to protect themselves against mosquito bites while outdoors. Wisconsin normally has birds, horses, and people come down with the West Nile disease. There were two human cases in the Badger State a year ago.
Dorm at UW-Madison to Be Named for Civil Rights Leader
8/25/11 - U-W Madison has re-named a dormitory in honor of civil rights pioneer Vel Phillips. The university said yesterday that the former Friedrick Hall on Lake Mendota is now called Phillips Hall – and each floor of the building will be named in honor of other well-known women on campus. Phillips is best known throughout Wisconsin as being the first woman and the first African-American to hold a statewide constitutional office. She was elected Secretary-of-State and served one term from 1979-through-’82. Phillips was also the first black woman to graduate from the U-W Law School in 1951. She was also Milwaukee County’s first female judge, and the state’s first African-American judge. Phillips Hall was run from the U-W Extension Service as a conference center until 2008. And when it became a dorm, the school was given a chance to re-name it.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Top Stories August 24th
DC Board Gets First Look at 2012 Budget
8/24/11 - The Dodge County Board of Supervisors got their first look at the 2012 budget last night. County Administrator Jim Mielke introduced the preliminary budget that would keep the tax levy the same as the 2011 budget, but due to a 2.2-percent decrease in county property values, the mill rate would go up 12-cents to $5.52 per $1,000 of assessed value. If they left the mill rate the same, the levy would be about $700,000 less causing issues in the 2013 budget because of levy limits being in place. Mielke told the board that, with the increased contributions by county employees to their health care and retirement, the county would save about 2.5-million. The budget also includes a 1-percent pay raise that will cost the county $370,000. Despite that, the budget presented has a $584,501 surplus that some county officials want to put into a rainy day fund. Mielke says the numbers are not set in stone, and they’ll know more next month after individual department heads hand in their budget requests.
1 Killed, 2 Injured in Central Wisconsin Storm
8/24/11 - Authorities in central Wisconsin say a possible storm-related death is being investigated, after a tornado and heavy thunderstorms hit the region last evening. Clark County had the brunt of the damage. And county emergency management director Michelle Hartness said one person may have died from the storms while two other people had minor injuries. A statement gave no other details. Chief sheriff’s deputy Jim Backus said a witness saw a tornado on the ground about 5:30 near Chili, about 15 miles west of Marshfield. The National Weather Service said it blew roofs off houses, destroyed barns, and took a house off its foundation. W-D-L-B Radio in Marshfield said the storm destroyed the home of Kevin-and-Kelly Korth – and they and their 15-year-old son escaped injury by fleeing to their basement. Reports late last night said a number of residents were still without power, and County Trunk “Y” in the Chili area was still closed while other roads had re-opened. To the east, a funnel cloud was spotted near Marshfield – which could have been the same tornado that hit Chili. The Weather Service also reported a funnel cloud over an hour later near Navarino in Shawano County. Officials also said lighting started a business on fire near Wausau, and a house caught fire at Tomahawk. Other parts of north central Wisconsin had trees and power lines down. Thorp in Clark County had tennis-ball-sized hail. The storms have since left Wisconsin, and forecasters expect a sunny-and-breezy day today. It’s supposed to be less humid but still warm, with highs from the 70’s to near 90 in the far south.
Grant Comes In for Waupun Charter School
8/24/11 - The Waupun School District is one step closer to opening a charter school at the former Fox Lake Elementary. Officials got word yesterday that they had been awarded a $200,000 planning grant that can be used for orientation and training, staff development and acquisition of educational materials. Starting next fall the school would run kindergarten through 6th grade, a second year would include 7th graders, and the third year would allow for 8th graders. Childs says the school will focus on agriculture and environmental studies, with emphasis on using technology and field work to better students learning. Officials say a separate grant will be needed to operate the school, the reopening will not have an impact on the district’s tax levy. The building was closed following the 2008-2009 school year in a budget cutting measure.
VA Earthquake Felt in Milwaukee
8/24/11 - Some folks in Wisconsin are still abuzz over the earthquake that hit the East Coast yesterday. People in downtown Milwaukee felt something shake when the tremor hit just before 1 p-m. And U-W Whitewater said the quake was registered on its seismometer. U-W Milwaukee normally gets intensity readings when an earthquake is felt in the Badger State – but its seismograph was down yesterday for repairs. Yesterday’s tremor registered at five-point-nine, and was centered south of Washington D-C near Mineral Virginia. Wisconsin has felt its share of distant earthquakes – most notably a tremor from southern Illinois a few years ago that was felt as far away as Chippewa Falls. But U-W Green Bay professor Steve Dutch says Wisconsin is one of the least likely places to have its own earthquake. He said the fault lines in the state have had more time to stabilize, and get welded back together.
No So Special Teams
8/24/11 - A Brown County sheriff’s deputy has done his part to help the Green Bay Packers. Jason Vogel was checking for speeders yesterday in the suburb of Allouez (al’-oh-way), when he saw pages from a Packers’ playbook flying out of a recycling truck. Vogel said the pages were scattered for half-a-block – and they were starting to create a hazard, so he picked them up. He was shocked to see specific plays drawn up for the Packers’ special teams. Vogel figured the Pack would want to know what he found – so his supervisor called the team. Packers’ spokesman Aaron Popkey said the coaches were not worried that the material had anything an opponent could use. And Popkey said the coaches didn’t throw the playbook away. He said anything important is normally shredded and then recycled.
Survey Suggests Only a Few Districts Will See Improved Fiscal Situation
8/24/11 - Wisconsin school administrators say only a minority of districts can improve their fiscal situations with the tools provided in the new state budget. G-O-P Governor Scott Walker points to school systems like Kimberly that have saved millions, even with big cuts in state aid. And many schools have added staffers with the savings realized by the virtual end of collective bargaining, and bigger employee payments for pensions and health coverage. But Miles Turner of the state Association of School District Administrators says those are only one-time savings – and they hurt districts hit the hardest by state revenue limits that have been in place since 1993. The Madison Capital Times sent questionnaires to all 424 Wisconsin school districts. None of the state’s largest systems responded, and about 17-percent did reply. Of those, two-thirds of schools say they’ll have smaller staff levels this fall than last – 27-percent will have fewer programs and activities – and 32-percent will have larger class sizes.
Brewers Make Cover of SI
8/24/11 - The Brewers are trying to downplay their Sports Illustrated cover appearance this week. Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder, and Nyjer Morgan are shown celebrating Milwaukee’s home victory over the L-A Dodgers last Tuesday night. It’s the first all-Brewers’ cover on S-I since 1987, when the team won its first 12 games. Reporters have brought up the legendary cover jinx – forgetting that Aaron Rodgers was on the magazine’s cover two weeks before he won the Super Bowl M-V-P award, when his Packers took home the Lombardi Trophy. Braun doesn’t buy the idea of a jinx anyway. He said it’s not like the Madden video game jinx, when players sign contracts to be on the cover and then get hurt the next season. Braun says players have no choice being on the Sports Illustrated cover – and he says it’s a great thing the team, for Milwaukee, and for all of Wisconsin to get such national notoriety. Morgan said he was excited about making the cover, but he wouldn’t talk about the infamous jinx. Brewers’ manager Ron Roenicke shrugged his shoulders and said quote, “I don’t think much about it.”
State Still Spending Millions to Preserve Nature Lands
8/24/11 - In spite of the rough economy, Wisconsinites are still giving millions-of-dollars to preserve valuable nature lands. The Nature Conservancy has exceeded a 30-million-dollar fund-raising goal over the past four years. The group said it raised 32-million in its fund drive, including nine-million early in the campaign to help protect the Mukwonago River watershed in Waukesha County. Mary Jean Huston, who chairs the Conservancy’s Wisconsin chapter, said the drive had its ups-and-downs during the recession. But she believes people kept giving because of their love for the outdoors. Just over half of what was raised – around 18-million – has been spent on land purchases, managing nature lands, and related scientific research. She said two ongoing projects include the cutting of phosphorus pollution along the Sheboygan and Pecatonica rivers. Huston said her group often combines its funding for land purchases with state dollars from the D-N-R’s Stewardship Program – and the Conservancy plans to keep doing that whenever possible.
Milwaukee Listed as 52nd Most Sedentary City in US
8/24/11 - Wisconsin has its share of couch potatoes – but no city in the Badger State is among the 50 Most Sedentary Cities in the U-S. That’s according to a new survey by Men’s Health Magazine. Madison is rated as the 20th most active city in the nation, and Milwaukee is 52nd. The study was based on the percentage of households that buy 11-or-more video games a year and watch 15-or-more hours of cable T-V each week. Cities were also ranked according to their death rates for deep-vein thrombosis, which you can get by sitting a lot. Men’s Health gave Madison a grade of “B”-plus for its efforts to keep people active. Milwaukee got a “C”-minus. Lexington Kentucky has the biggest percentage of couch potatoes, followed by Indianapolis. Seattle is the most active city in the survey, followed by San Francisco. Minneapolis is 10th.
WI Indian Trips Will Share Federal Dollars
8/24/11 - Two Wisconsin Indian tribes will share more than a million federal dollars for rural development projects. The Department of Housing-and-Urban Development is giving 789-thousand-dollars to the Lac Courte Oreilles Chippewa band at Hayward. It will help the tribe boost tourism by turning an old school into a visitor center – complete with a museum and gift shop. The Ho-Chunk Tribe is getting the other grant. Its housing agency is getting 300-thousand-dollars to make 21 homes in Black River Falls more energy-efficient. The homes are located in the Indian Mission community. They’ll get new insulation in their basements, and geo-thermal heat pumps.
State Residents Concerned About Hurricane’s Effect on Haiti
8/24/11 - Wisconsinites who helped with the aftermath of last year’s earthquake in Haiti are worried about the damage that Hurricane Irene might cause there. Mary Ann Lee, the disaster relief coordinator at Elmbrook Church in Brookfield, said all of Haiti’s recovery efforts could be washed away by Irene’s torrential rains. Many Wisconsin churches have ties with communities and parishes in Haiti. Lee said church members have made five missions to Haiti. Four more are set for next year, but the next one won’t be until January at the earliest. The National Weather Service said Hurricane Irene would pass north of Haiti today. It has caused massive damage in Puerto Rico. President Obama has made the U-S territory eligible for federal relief. Meanwhile, forecasters say Florida could start feeling the effects of Irene starting late tomorrow – and the pounding rains are expected to run up into North Carolina later this week.
Mourning Dove Hunting Season Begins Next Week
8/24/11 - Wisconsin’s hunting season for mourning doves begins a week from Thursday. The state D-N-R says about 140-thousand birds are taken each year – and their populations have been growing. Hunters can shoot the state’s official peace symbol through November ninth. They must use non-toxic ammunition on all state-managed properties. And they must use shotguns with up to three shells in the magazine-and-chamber combined.
8/24/11 - The Dodge County Board of Supervisors got their first look at the 2012 budget last night. County Administrator Jim Mielke introduced the preliminary budget that would keep the tax levy the same as the 2011 budget, but due to a 2.2-percent decrease in county property values, the mill rate would go up 12-cents to $5.52 per $1,000 of assessed value. If they left the mill rate the same, the levy would be about $700,000 less causing issues in the 2013 budget because of levy limits being in place. Mielke told the board that, with the increased contributions by county employees to their health care and retirement, the county would save about 2.5-million. The budget also includes a 1-percent pay raise that will cost the county $370,000. Despite that, the budget presented has a $584,501 surplus that some county officials want to put into a rainy day fund. Mielke says the numbers are not set in stone, and they’ll know more next month after individual department heads hand in their budget requests.
1 Killed, 2 Injured in Central Wisconsin Storm
8/24/11 - Authorities in central Wisconsin say a possible storm-related death is being investigated, after a tornado and heavy thunderstorms hit the region last evening. Clark County had the brunt of the damage. And county emergency management director Michelle Hartness said one person may have died from the storms while two other people had minor injuries. A statement gave no other details. Chief sheriff’s deputy Jim Backus said a witness saw a tornado on the ground about 5:30 near Chili, about 15 miles west of Marshfield. The National Weather Service said it blew roofs off houses, destroyed barns, and took a house off its foundation. W-D-L-B Radio in Marshfield said the storm destroyed the home of Kevin-and-Kelly Korth – and they and their 15-year-old son escaped injury by fleeing to their basement. Reports late last night said a number of residents were still without power, and County Trunk “Y” in the Chili area was still closed while other roads had re-opened. To the east, a funnel cloud was spotted near Marshfield – which could have been the same tornado that hit Chili. The Weather Service also reported a funnel cloud over an hour later near Navarino in Shawano County. Officials also said lighting started a business on fire near Wausau, and a house caught fire at Tomahawk. Other parts of north central Wisconsin had trees and power lines down. Thorp in Clark County had tennis-ball-sized hail. The storms have since left Wisconsin, and forecasters expect a sunny-and-breezy day today. It’s supposed to be less humid but still warm, with highs from the 70’s to near 90 in the far south.
Grant Comes In for Waupun Charter School
8/24/11 - The Waupun School District is one step closer to opening a charter school at the former Fox Lake Elementary. Officials got word yesterday that they had been awarded a $200,000 planning grant that can be used for orientation and training, staff development and acquisition of educational materials. Starting next fall the school would run kindergarten through 6th grade, a second year would include 7th graders, and the third year would allow for 8th graders. Childs says the school will focus on agriculture and environmental studies, with emphasis on using technology and field work to better students learning. Officials say a separate grant will be needed to operate the school, the reopening will not have an impact on the district’s tax levy. The building was closed following the 2008-2009 school year in a budget cutting measure.
VA Earthquake Felt in Milwaukee
8/24/11 - Some folks in Wisconsin are still abuzz over the earthquake that hit the East Coast yesterday. People in downtown Milwaukee felt something shake when the tremor hit just before 1 p-m. And U-W Whitewater said the quake was registered on its seismometer. U-W Milwaukee normally gets intensity readings when an earthquake is felt in the Badger State – but its seismograph was down yesterday for repairs. Yesterday’s tremor registered at five-point-nine, and was centered south of Washington D-C near Mineral Virginia. Wisconsin has felt its share of distant earthquakes – most notably a tremor from southern Illinois a few years ago that was felt as far away as Chippewa Falls. But U-W Green Bay professor Steve Dutch says Wisconsin is one of the least likely places to have its own earthquake. He said the fault lines in the state have had more time to stabilize, and get welded back together.
No So Special Teams
8/24/11 - A Brown County sheriff’s deputy has done his part to help the Green Bay Packers. Jason Vogel was checking for speeders yesterday in the suburb of Allouez (al’-oh-way), when he saw pages from a Packers’ playbook flying out of a recycling truck. Vogel said the pages were scattered for half-a-block – and they were starting to create a hazard, so he picked them up. He was shocked to see specific plays drawn up for the Packers’ special teams. Vogel figured the Pack would want to know what he found – so his supervisor called the team. Packers’ spokesman Aaron Popkey said the coaches were not worried that the material had anything an opponent could use. And Popkey said the coaches didn’t throw the playbook away. He said anything important is normally shredded and then recycled.
Survey Suggests Only a Few Districts Will See Improved Fiscal Situation
8/24/11 - Wisconsin school administrators say only a minority of districts can improve their fiscal situations with the tools provided in the new state budget. G-O-P Governor Scott Walker points to school systems like Kimberly that have saved millions, even with big cuts in state aid. And many schools have added staffers with the savings realized by the virtual end of collective bargaining, and bigger employee payments for pensions and health coverage. But Miles Turner of the state Association of School District Administrators says those are only one-time savings – and they hurt districts hit the hardest by state revenue limits that have been in place since 1993. The Madison Capital Times sent questionnaires to all 424 Wisconsin school districts. None of the state’s largest systems responded, and about 17-percent did reply. Of those, two-thirds of schools say they’ll have smaller staff levels this fall than last – 27-percent will have fewer programs and activities – and 32-percent will have larger class sizes.
Brewers Make Cover of SI
8/24/11 - The Brewers are trying to downplay their Sports Illustrated cover appearance this week. Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder, and Nyjer Morgan are shown celebrating Milwaukee’s home victory over the L-A Dodgers last Tuesday night. It’s the first all-Brewers’ cover on S-I since 1987, when the team won its first 12 games. Reporters have brought up the legendary cover jinx – forgetting that Aaron Rodgers was on the magazine’s cover two weeks before he won the Super Bowl M-V-P award, when his Packers took home the Lombardi Trophy. Braun doesn’t buy the idea of a jinx anyway. He said it’s not like the Madden video game jinx, when players sign contracts to be on the cover and then get hurt the next season. Braun says players have no choice being on the Sports Illustrated cover – and he says it’s a great thing the team, for Milwaukee, and for all of Wisconsin to get such national notoriety. Morgan said he was excited about making the cover, but he wouldn’t talk about the infamous jinx. Brewers’ manager Ron Roenicke shrugged his shoulders and said quote, “I don’t think much about it.”
State Still Spending Millions to Preserve Nature Lands
8/24/11 - In spite of the rough economy, Wisconsinites are still giving millions-of-dollars to preserve valuable nature lands. The Nature Conservancy has exceeded a 30-million-dollar fund-raising goal over the past four years. The group said it raised 32-million in its fund drive, including nine-million early in the campaign to help protect the Mukwonago River watershed in Waukesha County. Mary Jean Huston, who chairs the Conservancy’s Wisconsin chapter, said the drive had its ups-and-downs during the recession. But she believes people kept giving because of their love for the outdoors. Just over half of what was raised – around 18-million – has been spent on land purchases, managing nature lands, and related scientific research. She said two ongoing projects include the cutting of phosphorus pollution along the Sheboygan and Pecatonica rivers. Huston said her group often combines its funding for land purchases with state dollars from the D-N-R’s Stewardship Program – and the Conservancy plans to keep doing that whenever possible.
Milwaukee Listed as 52nd Most Sedentary City in US
8/24/11 - Wisconsin has its share of couch potatoes – but no city in the Badger State is among the 50 Most Sedentary Cities in the U-S. That’s according to a new survey by Men’s Health Magazine. Madison is rated as the 20th most active city in the nation, and Milwaukee is 52nd. The study was based on the percentage of households that buy 11-or-more video games a year and watch 15-or-more hours of cable T-V each week. Cities were also ranked according to their death rates for deep-vein thrombosis, which you can get by sitting a lot. Men’s Health gave Madison a grade of “B”-plus for its efforts to keep people active. Milwaukee got a “C”-minus. Lexington Kentucky has the biggest percentage of couch potatoes, followed by Indianapolis. Seattle is the most active city in the survey, followed by San Francisco. Minneapolis is 10th.
WI Indian Trips Will Share Federal Dollars
8/24/11 - Two Wisconsin Indian tribes will share more than a million federal dollars for rural development projects. The Department of Housing-and-Urban Development is giving 789-thousand-dollars to the Lac Courte Oreilles Chippewa band at Hayward. It will help the tribe boost tourism by turning an old school into a visitor center – complete with a museum and gift shop. The Ho-Chunk Tribe is getting the other grant. Its housing agency is getting 300-thousand-dollars to make 21 homes in Black River Falls more energy-efficient. The homes are located in the Indian Mission community. They’ll get new insulation in their basements, and geo-thermal heat pumps.
State Residents Concerned About Hurricane’s Effect on Haiti
8/24/11 - Wisconsinites who helped with the aftermath of last year’s earthquake in Haiti are worried about the damage that Hurricane Irene might cause there. Mary Ann Lee, the disaster relief coordinator at Elmbrook Church in Brookfield, said all of Haiti’s recovery efforts could be washed away by Irene’s torrential rains. Many Wisconsin churches have ties with communities and parishes in Haiti. Lee said church members have made five missions to Haiti. Four more are set for next year, but the next one won’t be until January at the earliest. The National Weather Service said Hurricane Irene would pass north of Haiti today. It has caused massive damage in Puerto Rico. President Obama has made the U-S territory eligible for federal relief. Meanwhile, forecasters say Florida could start feeling the effects of Irene starting late tomorrow – and the pounding rains are expected to run up into North Carolina later this week.
Mourning Dove Hunting Season Begins Next Week
8/24/11 - Wisconsin’s hunting season for mourning doves begins a week from Thursday. The state D-N-R says about 140-thousand birds are taken each year – and their populations have been growing. Hunters can shoot the state’s official peace symbol through November ninth. They must use non-toxic ammunition on all state-managed properties. And they must use shotguns with up to three shells in the magazine-and-chamber combined.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Top Stories August 23rd
Home Sales Up in Dodge County, Prices Down
8/23/11 - Wisconsin Realtors said their home sales skyrocketed in July compared to the same month a year ago. The Realtors Association said today that its members sold just over 51-hundred homes statewide last month, up a whopping 34-percent from the 38-hundred sold in July of last year. And the median price dropped by almost six-percent to 139-thousand-dollars. The jump in Dodge County wasn’t nearly as drastic but sales were up 11-percent last month from 2010. But like the state as a whole the median price was down in the county coming in at $124,000, a drop of nearly 9.5-percent. The trend of sales being up but prices being down was seen in other areas counties too. Columbia County sales were up 54-percent while the median price fell nearly 38-percent. Sales were up 8-percent in Jefferson County but the median price dropped about 12-percent. In Washington County, sales were up 29-percent with the median price dropping around 6-percent. And in Fond du Lac County sales jumped 44-percent while the average price was down 6-percent. John Horning, who chairs the Realtors’ board, said his group anticipated the big jump in sales last month. He said they reflected a more seasonal pattern this year, as opposed to last year when more people bought homes from January-through-June to take advantage of a big federal income tax credit.
Gas Could Drop with End of Gadhafi Reign
8/23/11 - The downfall of Libya’s Moammar Gadhafi might mean a break for you at the gas pump. But it will probably take awhile. And at least one Midwest analyst says the effect might not be all that much. Crude oil prices fell today on the hopes that Libya would resume its oil production soon, after a long-running civil war halted its output. Independent analyst Jim Ritterbusch said there might be some additional selling with Gadhafi getting pushed out. But he says it might not be pronounced, because there are still be lots of questions about how long it would take for Libya’s oil production to resume. Italy’s foreign minister said at least one company has already sent people to Libya to look into a re-start of oil production. Libya made about two-percent of the world’s supply before the civil war slashed its output. Gas prices in Wisconsin continue to hold steady for now. The state’s Triple-“A” said today’s price was 3.62 for a gallon of unleaded regular. That’s down two-tenths from yesterday, and up a penny from last Monday. Gas is almost 11-cents cheaper than a month ago, but 93-cents more expensive than a year ago with Labor Day two weeks away. Gas could be had for $3.49 in Beaver Dam this morning.
BD Police Use Pepper Spray to Break-up Fight
8/23/11 - Authorities were forced to use pepper spray to take a Beaver Dam teen into custody early Sunday morning after responding to a report of a fight. Beaver Dam police officers were called to a residence at 320 Madison Street just after 3 a-m after a caller reported five people were fighting and one of them had a baseball bat. Police say they were forced to use pepper spray to get a 15-year-old boy into custody. He was taken to the hospital where he was treated and released. The teen was cited for disorderly conduct and resisting and obstruction. The boy’s 17-year-old brother was cited for disorderly conduct.
FDL Man Charged with Smuggling Tobacco into Prison
8/23/11 - A Fond du Lac man is accused of trying to smuggle tobacco into the Fox Lake Correctional Institution. Ray Pfantz is charged with a felony count of Delivering Illegal Articles to an Inmate. Corrections officials say they heard the inmate bragging that Pfantz would often smuggle contraband inside for him, so they monitored his visits by video camera. During a visit earlier this month, Pfantz allegedly slipped two cigar tubes with chewing tobacco into a potato chip bag and handed it to the inmate. That inmate was said to be videotaped reaching his hand into the bag and instead of putting chips in his mouth, he reportedly placed the cigar tubes in his socks. They were discovered during a pat down. A signature bond was set at $1000 on Friday and a preliminary hearing will be held later this month. If convicted, Pfantz could spend up to three-and-a-half years behind bars.
BD Athletic Hall of Fame Names Inductees
8/23/11 - The Beaver Dam Athletic Hall of Fame will welcome three new members to its ranks during the Homecoming celebration next month. The Hall of Fame committee recently announced the class of 2011. They include Hank Derleth Sr, Don Paitrick, and Cheri Brooks Brower. Derleth, who was inducted into the Wisconsin High School Coaches Hall of Fame in 1981, was a long time athletic director and led the Golden Beavers football team to 92 wins in 15 seasons. Paitrick, a 1969 graduate of Beaver Dam High School, was a three sport athlete who excelled in tennis in both high school and at Carroll College. After lettering three years at BDHS and went on to letter four times at Carroll where he won the conference singles championship in 1973. Brooks Brower, class of 1980, earned seven varsity letters while playing volleyball, basketball and softball. She was named MVP for each of those sports in her senior year and was named Female Athlete of the Year. The three will be inducted into the Hall of Fame during Homecoming activities at the high school on September 30.
Big Response to John Deere Celebration
8/23/11 - John Deere is Horicon is gearing up for their 100th Anniversary this weekend and officials say the response has been much larger than expected. Mayor Jim Grigg says so many former employees and tractor collectors are coming to the event that hotel rooms are scarce throughout the area. The celebration is slated to take place on Saturday beginning with a parade of every tractor ever made at the plant. Grigg says there will be bleachers set up at three different intersections with Lake Street to accommodate the crowd. There will also be a viewing of the tractors following the parade. Events get underway at 11:30 a-m.
Deductions for Heath Insurance and Pensions Begin this Week
8/23/11 - State government employees are about to feel the effects of the new law which makes them pay more for their health insurance and pensions. The deductions begin with Thursday’s bi-weekly pay checks – and the Walker administration says the average worker will get a nine-percent cut in take-home pay. But they’re no longer getting a three-percent annual pay cut from the furlough days that ended in June. And Republican Governor Scott Walker has often pointed out that state workers can also save money by cutting out the union dues they’re no longer required to pay. Assembly Republican Finance Co-Chair Robin Vos says public workers are making sacrifices – but he says the situation is nowhere near as dire as lobbyists and special interest groups had predicted. Vos also said it prevented layoffs at both the state-and-local levels – and other states with large budget deficits cannot say the same thing. Wisconsin’s measures were aimed at eliminating a three-billion-dollar revenue shortfall over the next two years.
Walker Gearing Up for Possible Recall
8/23/11 - Governor Scott Walker is gearing up for a possible recall election next year. Yesterday morning on Twitter, the Republican governor said he’s the quote, “next target of the special interest groups in D-C.” And Walker asked his supporters to quote, “grow our grass-roots movement to counter their attacks.” Democrats, union leaders, and other Walker critics continue to consider a possible statewide recall effort next year – even though they failed in their goal to win back control of the state Senate in this summer’s recall elections. Walker could not be touched this year, because officials must stay in office for at least a year before they can be recalled. Walker’s term began in January. Much of it has been marked by protests over his successful effort to virtually end collective bargaining for most of Wisconsin’s public employee unions.
Unions Must Decide to Whether to Recertify
8/23/11 - Most of Wisconsin’s public employee unions must decide in the next few weeks whether to try and remain certified. Groups that represent state-and-municipal workers must tell the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission by September 15th whether they plan to have re-certification votes. And those elections must then take place by November first. Local teachers’ unions that don’t have ongoing contracts must decide by September 30th whether to try-and-recertify for the coming year. And that vote must take place by December first. Commission chairman James Scott says he has not been officially notified that any public unions plan to de-certify.
Police Called to School Board Meeting
8/23/11 - Police were called last night to a heated school board meeting in suburban Milwaukee. An overflow crowd showed up, as the Greenfield School Board was scheduled to discuss changes resulting from the state’s new collective bargaining limits. W-T-M-J T-V said teachers asked that the meeting be moved so everyone could watch – and when the board refused to move, union members started chanting and a board member called police. Officers said there were no incidents, and the police left after about a half-hour. A board member told the T-V station the meeting could not be moved, because the location was posted on the legal notice for the meeting.
Beloit College Release “Mind-set List”
8/23/11 - This fall’s college freshmen assume there has always been an Internet ramp onto the information super-highway. And video games have always had ratings. Those are just some of the things that Beloit College professors are being told to keep in mind when they relate to their students in class. The college has issued its annual “Mind-set List,” which has 75 items that show how today’s freshmen see the world. The only national labor disputes in their lifetimes have been in professional sports. People swipe cards instead of merchandise. Their schools’ blackboards have always been getting smarter. Women have always commanded U-S Navy ships. Bicycle helmets have always been required by parents. L-B-J has always stood for LeBron James – not former President Lyndon Baines Johnson. And movie goof-off Ferris Buehler is now old enough to be their father.
8/23/11 - Wisconsin Realtors said their home sales skyrocketed in July compared to the same month a year ago. The Realtors Association said today that its members sold just over 51-hundred homes statewide last month, up a whopping 34-percent from the 38-hundred sold in July of last year. And the median price dropped by almost six-percent to 139-thousand-dollars. The jump in Dodge County wasn’t nearly as drastic but sales were up 11-percent last month from 2010. But like the state as a whole the median price was down in the county coming in at $124,000, a drop of nearly 9.5-percent. The trend of sales being up but prices being down was seen in other areas counties too. Columbia County sales were up 54-percent while the median price fell nearly 38-percent. Sales were up 8-percent in Jefferson County but the median price dropped about 12-percent. In Washington County, sales were up 29-percent with the median price dropping around 6-percent. And in Fond du Lac County sales jumped 44-percent while the average price was down 6-percent. John Horning, who chairs the Realtors’ board, said his group anticipated the big jump in sales last month. He said they reflected a more seasonal pattern this year, as opposed to last year when more people bought homes from January-through-June to take advantage of a big federal income tax credit.
Gas Could Drop with End of Gadhafi Reign
8/23/11 - The downfall of Libya’s Moammar Gadhafi might mean a break for you at the gas pump. But it will probably take awhile. And at least one Midwest analyst says the effect might not be all that much. Crude oil prices fell today on the hopes that Libya would resume its oil production soon, after a long-running civil war halted its output. Independent analyst Jim Ritterbusch said there might be some additional selling with Gadhafi getting pushed out. But he says it might not be pronounced, because there are still be lots of questions about how long it would take for Libya’s oil production to resume. Italy’s foreign minister said at least one company has already sent people to Libya to look into a re-start of oil production. Libya made about two-percent of the world’s supply before the civil war slashed its output. Gas prices in Wisconsin continue to hold steady for now. The state’s Triple-“A” said today’s price was 3.62 for a gallon of unleaded regular. That’s down two-tenths from yesterday, and up a penny from last Monday. Gas is almost 11-cents cheaper than a month ago, but 93-cents more expensive than a year ago with Labor Day two weeks away. Gas could be had for $3.49 in Beaver Dam this morning.
BD Police Use Pepper Spray to Break-up Fight
8/23/11 - Authorities were forced to use pepper spray to take a Beaver Dam teen into custody early Sunday morning after responding to a report of a fight. Beaver Dam police officers were called to a residence at 320 Madison Street just after 3 a-m after a caller reported five people were fighting and one of them had a baseball bat. Police say they were forced to use pepper spray to get a 15-year-old boy into custody. He was taken to the hospital where he was treated and released. The teen was cited for disorderly conduct and resisting and obstruction. The boy’s 17-year-old brother was cited for disorderly conduct.
FDL Man Charged with Smuggling Tobacco into Prison
8/23/11 - A Fond du Lac man is accused of trying to smuggle tobacco into the Fox Lake Correctional Institution. Ray Pfantz is charged with a felony count of Delivering Illegal Articles to an Inmate. Corrections officials say they heard the inmate bragging that Pfantz would often smuggle contraband inside for him, so they monitored his visits by video camera. During a visit earlier this month, Pfantz allegedly slipped two cigar tubes with chewing tobacco into a potato chip bag and handed it to the inmate. That inmate was said to be videotaped reaching his hand into the bag and instead of putting chips in his mouth, he reportedly placed the cigar tubes in his socks. They were discovered during a pat down. A signature bond was set at $1000 on Friday and a preliminary hearing will be held later this month. If convicted, Pfantz could spend up to three-and-a-half years behind bars.
BD Athletic Hall of Fame Names Inductees
8/23/11 - The Beaver Dam Athletic Hall of Fame will welcome three new members to its ranks during the Homecoming celebration next month. The Hall of Fame committee recently announced the class of 2011. They include Hank Derleth Sr, Don Paitrick, and Cheri Brooks Brower. Derleth, who was inducted into the Wisconsin High School Coaches Hall of Fame in 1981, was a long time athletic director and led the Golden Beavers football team to 92 wins in 15 seasons. Paitrick, a 1969 graduate of Beaver Dam High School, was a three sport athlete who excelled in tennis in both high school and at Carroll College. After lettering three years at BDHS and went on to letter four times at Carroll where he won the conference singles championship in 1973. Brooks Brower, class of 1980, earned seven varsity letters while playing volleyball, basketball and softball. She was named MVP for each of those sports in her senior year and was named Female Athlete of the Year. The three will be inducted into the Hall of Fame during Homecoming activities at the high school on September 30.
Big Response to John Deere Celebration
8/23/11 - John Deere is Horicon is gearing up for their 100th Anniversary this weekend and officials say the response has been much larger than expected. Mayor Jim Grigg says so many former employees and tractor collectors are coming to the event that hotel rooms are scarce throughout the area. The celebration is slated to take place on Saturday beginning with a parade of every tractor ever made at the plant. Grigg says there will be bleachers set up at three different intersections with Lake Street to accommodate the crowd. There will also be a viewing of the tractors following the parade. Events get underway at 11:30 a-m.
Deductions for Heath Insurance and Pensions Begin this Week
8/23/11 - State government employees are about to feel the effects of the new law which makes them pay more for their health insurance and pensions. The deductions begin with Thursday’s bi-weekly pay checks – and the Walker administration says the average worker will get a nine-percent cut in take-home pay. But they’re no longer getting a three-percent annual pay cut from the furlough days that ended in June. And Republican Governor Scott Walker has often pointed out that state workers can also save money by cutting out the union dues they’re no longer required to pay. Assembly Republican Finance Co-Chair Robin Vos says public workers are making sacrifices – but he says the situation is nowhere near as dire as lobbyists and special interest groups had predicted. Vos also said it prevented layoffs at both the state-and-local levels – and other states with large budget deficits cannot say the same thing. Wisconsin’s measures were aimed at eliminating a three-billion-dollar revenue shortfall over the next two years.
Walker Gearing Up for Possible Recall
8/23/11 - Governor Scott Walker is gearing up for a possible recall election next year. Yesterday morning on Twitter, the Republican governor said he’s the quote, “next target of the special interest groups in D-C.” And Walker asked his supporters to quote, “grow our grass-roots movement to counter their attacks.” Democrats, union leaders, and other Walker critics continue to consider a possible statewide recall effort next year – even though they failed in their goal to win back control of the state Senate in this summer’s recall elections. Walker could not be touched this year, because officials must stay in office for at least a year before they can be recalled. Walker’s term began in January. Much of it has been marked by protests over his successful effort to virtually end collective bargaining for most of Wisconsin’s public employee unions.
Unions Must Decide to Whether to Recertify
8/23/11 - Most of Wisconsin’s public employee unions must decide in the next few weeks whether to try and remain certified. Groups that represent state-and-municipal workers must tell the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission by September 15th whether they plan to have re-certification votes. And those elections must then take place by November first. Local teachers’ unions that don’t have ongoing contracts must decide by September 30th whether to try-and-recertify for the coming year. And that vote must take place by December first. Commission chairman James Scott says he has not been officially notified that any public unions plan to de-certify.
Police Called to School Board Meeting
8/23/11 - Police were called last night to a heated school board meeting in suburban Milwaukee. An overflow crowd showed up, as the Greenfield School Board was scheduled to discuss changes resulting from the state’s new collective bargaining limits. W-T-M-J T-V said teachers asked that the meeting be moved so everyone could watch – and when the board refused to move, union members started chanting and a board member called police. Officers said there were no incidents, and the police left after about a half-hour. A board member told the T-V station the meeting could not be moved, because the location was posted on the legal notice for the meeting.
Beloit College Release “Mind-set List”
8/23/11 - This fall’s college freshmen assume there has always been an Internet ramp onto the information super-highway. And video games have always had ratings. Those are just some of the things that Beloit College professors are being told to keep in mind when they relate to their students in class. The college has issued its annual “Mind-set List,” which has 75 items that show how today’s freshmen see the world. The only national labor disputes in their lifetimes have been in professional sports. People swipe cards instead of merchandise. Their schools’ blackboards have always been getting smarter. Women have always commanded U-S Navy ships. Bicycle helmets have always been required by parents. L-B-J has always stood for LeBron James – not former President Lyndon Baines Johnson. And movie goof-off Ferris Buehler is now old enough to be their father.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Top Stories August 22nd
Injured High Speed Chase Suspect In Trouble Before
8/22/11 - The Markesan man who reportedly ran from authorities in two counties Friday night before crashing his motorcycle has been busted for running from police before. That’s according Dodge County Sheriff Todd Nehls who says the 28-year-old was convicted of eluded his deputies in May of 2010. The first chase started in Columbus around 10:30pm but was called off because of county fair traffic and Highway 151 construction. Dodge County deputies attempted a traffic stop a short time later but the suspect sped away toward Highway J then crashed at a T-intersection near Highway 16/60. The man operating the machine was ejected but immediately sprang to his feet and began talking with the deputy before going into convulsions. He was flown from the scene to UW Hospital Madison. Nehls says he is facing felony charges in both pursuits.
Numerous Accidents on Saturday
8/22/11 - There were at least four accidents on Saturday that resulted in injuries. Authorities say around 10:15 a-m a 20-year-old man fell asleep while driving on Highway 175 in the town of Theresa, and ran off the road. He was cited for failure to report the accident and inattentive driving. Later, at least two people were taken to the hospital when they were involved in a crash on Highway 33 near Sunset Bay in the town of Trenton. Just before midnight, a man was cited for OWI Causing Injury after rolling his vehicle on County Trunk F-W in the town of Westford. Authorities responded to another rollover accident early yesterday morning on County Trunk H-H in the town of Lomira. The vehicle was unoccupied but deputies made contact with the registered owner at his home and he was arrested for OWI First Offense and later released. None of the injuries were considered to be life threatening.
Tornado Cleanup Continues
8/22/11 - The clean-up continues in Marinette County, where an E-F-One tornado killed a man near Wausaukee late Friday. Governor Scott Walker toured the area yesterday, and emergency officials say they’ll know within a week whether the damage was enough to qualify for state disaster aid. The storm damaged several homes and other structures. The Wisconsin Public Service utility said only a couple of electric customers in the Wausaukee area were still without power this morning. Around two-thousand customers lost their electricity at the height of the storm – which packed winds of 105-miles-an-hour. The National Weather Service said the tornado was on the ground for over seven miles from Long Lake across the north edge of Wausaukee. 43-year-old Douglas Brem was killed while working inside a mobile home north of Wausaukee. But no other injuries were reported, despite the fact the storm came so quickly, it gave residents little-or-no time to prepare. Sirens in Wausaukee did not sound before the tornado hit.
Columbus Listening Session On Tuesday
8/22/11 - The Mayor and Police Chief will be joining Columbus Council members in a public listening session at 6:30 Tuesday evening. With major projects such as the Safe Routes to School and wastewater regionalization underway the special citizen comments meeting was scheduled. Council Members have been pleased in having the results of the 2009 W S L survey to help them in making budget decisions. They are hoping that additional public input from the Community Center listening session will help them set priorities for the 2012 budget.
2011 Dodge County Fair a Wrap
8/22/11 - The annual demo derby yesterday capped what organizers are calling a very successful Dodge County Fair. Officials said the weather was great for most of the five day event, with only rain showers on Wednesday and Saturday mornings putting a damper on things. Authorities say there weren’t many disruptive incidents. They say a couple of steers got loose and injured a child, and then a horse got loose on Saturday and damaged a vehicle. Final attendance figures are expected to be announced sometime today, but there were sizable crowds each day, and Thursday saw near record attendance.
Watertown Couple Arrested On Ferris Wheel For Counterfeiting
8/22/11 - A Watertown couple was arrested at the Dodge County Fair on Friday night. Sheriff’s officials say the couple was with their two young children and decided to pass around counterfeit $20 bills at the fair. Carnival employees were able to provide a physical description, and deputies arrested the two on the Ferris wheel. The father of the children was said to be cooperative and admitted to manufacturing the funny money at his residence, which was searched by police that night. The couple was taken to the Dodge County Detention Facility and booked on felony charges of Passing Forged US Currency. The mother was released on her own recognizance to care for the children. The Secret Service will be notified today (Monday). The quality of the currency was said to be (quote) “terrible.”
Protests Mark Cream Puff Contest
8/22/11 - Protests marked an otherwise protest-filled Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Contest on Friday at the Dodge County Fair and “Recall Fitzgerald” signs were just the beginning. It all started when Former Green Bay Packer Dave Robinson challenged K9 Deputy Chad Enright’s 58-second hands-free finish. Robinson questioned the judges ruling pointing out that his plate was licked clean while Deputy Enright still had plenty left. When host Uncle Bill “Puff Daddy” McCollum questioned the red flag, the Pro Bowl MVP quoted the subject of his newest book “Lombardi’s Legacy” in saying “winning is the only thing.” Robinson was not alone in his protest and found support from fellow contestant and Assembly Majority Leader Jeff Fitzgerald of Horicon who said (quote)”I think there should have been a protest.” State Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald of Juneau agreed saying rumors are already flying that they are (quote) “going to recall the deputy on the cream puff” finish. Enright took possession of the Excellence in Pastry Consumption trophy right after that evening’s swearing-in of his new K9 partners Paige and Humane Society-rescue Ziva, who contrary to previous reports is not pregnant and is not descended from the Dali Llama. Robinson said he will be coming back next year for a one-on-one showdown with Deputy Enright.
Meanwhile, another protest, just minutes later this time from Beaver Dam Area Community Theater Board of Director’s Chair Dr. Jay Wilkens who competed against local film stars and musicians with a “Recall Warmbold” bumper sticker clearly displayed on his shirt. But Wilkens was not alone in his protests as Managing Theater Director David Saniter defended the integrity of WBEV-WXRO News Director Craig Warmbold with his own “Re-Elect Warmbold” bumper sticker. Local actor Rick Ramirez was caught in the middle, finishing at the exact same time as “Recall Warmbold” protest contestant Wilkens. Ramirez protested the photo finish that left Wilkens the winner but a food fight ensued that left all three covered in cream puff. Aside from that, Circuit Court and Cream Puff Judge Daniel Klossner remarked to us following the contest that he was glad to see the recall protests were respectful and allowed for an expression of free speech without disrupting fellow fairgoers pleasant evening at the county fair.
In other news from the contest: 2010 Fairest of the Fair Danielle Hammer emerged from a panel of five-years worth of Fairests with the Sweetest of the Fair Trophy while County Board Supervisor Jeff Schmidt claimed the Fastest of the Fair Trophy from Sheriff Todd Nehls. Emergency Management Director Joe Meagher was also a winner against his fellow county officials, including County Administrator James Mielke, who has not yet answered to rumors that Meagher’s budget was cut in half following the victory.
LWV Believes Photo ID Voting Law Unconstitutional
8/22/11 - The League of Women Voters says Wisconsin’s new photo I-D requirement at the polls violates the state Constitution – and the group plans a lawsuit to strike it down. The League’s attorney, Lester Pines, says the Constitution guarantees the right to vote to all Wisconsin residents over 18 with specific exceptions – and the lack of a photo I-D is not one of them. But Marquette law professor Rick Esenberg does not believe the argument will be enough to throw out the I-D mandate. He tells the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that voters can be required to prove their residency under the Constitution. And Esenberg believes the photo I-D law legally falls under the proof-of-residency provision. But Pines says the law denies voting rights to citizens who don’t have birth certificates for some reason – and it’s hard for those people to get I-D’s. Senate Elections Committee chair Mary said the League did not bring up its objections before the law was passed in May. And she said lawmakers took great pains to make sure the photo I-D requirement follows both the state-and-federal constitutions. Pines says the League’s new lawsuit will be filed in Dane County Circuit Court. Esenberg says it’s a sign that opponents no longer believe they’ll win a challenge to the new law in federal court.
8/22/11 - The Markesan man who reportedly ran from authorities in two counties Friday night before crashing his motorcycle has been busted for running from police before. That’s according Dodge County Sheriff Todd Nehls who says the 28-year-old was convicted of eluded his deputies in May of 2010. The first chase started in Columbus around 10:30pm but was called off because of county fair traffic and Highway 151 construction. Dodge County deputies attempted a traffic stop a short time later but the suspect sped away toward Highway J then crashed at a T-intersection near Highway 16/60. The man operating the machine was ejected but immediately sprang to his feet and began talking with the deputy before going into convulsions. He was flown from the scene to UW Hospital Madison. Nehls says he is facing felony charges in both pursuits.
Numerous Accidents on Saturday
8/22/11 - There were at least four accidents on Saturday that resulted in injuries. Authorities say around 10:15 a-m a 20-year-old man fell asleep while driving on Highway 175 in the town of Theresa, and ran off the road. He was cited for failure to report the accident and inattentive driving. Later, at least two people were taken to the hospital when they were involved in a crash on Highway 33 near Sunset Bay in the town of Trenton. Just before midnight, a man was cited for OWI Causing Injury after rolling his vehicle on County Trunk F-W in the town of Westford. Authorities responded to another rollover accident early yesterday morning on County Trunk H-H in the town of Lomira. The vehicle was unoccupied but deputies made contact with the registered owner at his home and he was arrested for OWI First Offense and later released. None of the injuries were considered to be life threatening.
Tornado Cleanup Continues
8/22/11 - The clean-up continues in Marinette County, where an E-F-One tornado killed a man near Wausaukee late Friday. Governor Scott Walker toured the area yesterday, and emergency officials say they’ll know within a week whether the damage was enough to qualify for state disaster aid. The storm damaged several homes and other structures. The Wisconsin Public Service utility said only a couple of electric customers in the Wausaukee area were still without power this morning. Around two-thousand customers lost their electricity at the height of the storm – which packed winds of 105-miles-an-hour. The National Weather Service said the tornado was on the ground for over seven miles from Long Lake across the north edge of Wausaukee. 43-year-old Douglas Brem was killed while working inside a mobile home north of Wausaukee. But no other injuries were reported, despite the fact the storm came so quickly, it gave residents little-or-no time to prepare. Sirens in Wausaukee did not sound before the tornado hit.
Columbus Listening Session On Tuesday
8/22/11 - The Mayor and Police Chief will be joining Columbus Council members in a public listening session at 6:30 Tuesday evening. With major projects such as the Safe Routes to School and wastewater regionalization underway the special citizen comments meeting was scheduled. Council Members have been pleased in having the results of the 2009 W S L survey to help them in making budget decisions. They are hoping that additional public input from the Community Center listening session will help them set priorities for the 2012 budget.
2011 Dodge County Fair a Wrap
8/22/11 - The annual demo derby yesterday capped what organizers are calling a very successful Dodge County Fair. Officials said the weather was great for most of the five day event, with only rain showers on Wednesday and Saturday mornings putting a damper on things. Authorities say there weren’t many disruptive incidents. They say a couple of steers got loose and injured a child, and then a horse got loose on Saturday and damaged a vehicle. Final attendance figures are expected to be announced sometime today, but there were sizable crowds each day, and Thursday saw near record attendance.
Watertown Couple Arrested On Ferris Wheel For Counterfeiting
8/22/11 - A Watertown couple was arrested at the Dodge County Fair on Friday night. Sheriff’s officials say the couple was with their two young children and decided to pass around counterfeit $20 bills at the fair. Carnival employees were able to provide a physical description, and deputies arrested the two on the Ferris wheel. The father of the children was said to be cooperative and admitted to manufacturing the funny money at his residence, which was searched by police that night. The couple was taken to the Dodge County Detention Facility and booked on felony charges of Passing Forged US Currency. The mother was released on her own recognizance to care for the children. The Secret Service will be notified today (Monday). The quality of the currency was said to be (quote) “terrible.”
Protests Mark Cream Puff Contest
8/22/11 - Protests marked an otherwise protest-filled Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Contest on Friday at the Dodge County Fair and “Recall Fitzgerald” signs were just the beginning. It all started when Former Green Bay Packer Dave Robinson challenged K9 Deputy Chad Enright’s 58-second hands-free finish. Robinson questioned the judges ruling pointing out that his plate was licked clean while Deputy Enright still had plenty left. When host Uncle Bill “Puff Daddy” McCollum questioned the red flag, the Pro Bowl MVP quoted the subject of his newest book “Lombardi’s Legacy” in saying “winning is the only thing.” Robinson was not alone in his protest and found support from fellow contestant and Assembly Majority Leader Jeff Fitzgerald of Horicon who said (quote)”I think there should have been a protest.” State Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald of Juneau agreed saying rumors are already flying that they are (quote) “going to recall the deputy on the cream puff” finish. Enright took possession of the Excellence in Pastry Consumption trophy right after that evening’s swearing-in of his new K9 partners Paige and Humane Society-rescue Ziva, who contrary to previous reports is not pregnant and is not descended from the Dali Llama. Robinson said he will be coming back next year for a one-on-one showdown with Deputy Enright.
Meanwhile, another protest, just minutes later this time from Beaver Dam Area Community Theater Board of Director’s Chair Dr. Jay Wilkens who competed against local film stars and musicians with a “Recall Warmbold” bumper sticker clearly displayed on his shirt. But Wilkens was not alone in his protests as Managing Theater Director David Saniter defended the integrity of WBEV-WXRO News Director Craig Warmbold with his own “Re-Elect Warmbold” bumper sticker. Local actor Rick Ramirez was caught in the middle, finishing at the exact same time as “Recall Warmbold” protest contestant Wilkens. Ramirez protested the photo finish that left Wilkens the winner but a food fight ensued that left all three covered in cream puff. Aside from that, Circuit Court and Cream Puff Judge Daniel Klossner remarked to us following the contest that he was glad to see the recall protests were respectful and allowed for an expression of free speech without disrupting fellow fairgoers pleasant evening at the county fair.
In other news from the contest: 2010 Fairest of the Fair Danielle Hammer emerged from a panel of five-years worth of Fairests with the Sweetest of the Fair Trophy while County Board Supervisor Jeff Schmidt claimed the Fastest of the Fair Trophy from Sheriff Todd Nehls. Emergency Management Director Joe Meagher was also a winner against his fellow county officials, including County Administrator James Mielke, who has not yet answered to rumors that Meagher’s budget was cut in half following the victory.
LWV Believes Photo ID Voting Law Unconstitutional
8/22/11 - The League of Women Voters says Wisconsin’s new photo I-D requirement at the polls violates the state Constitution – and the group plans a lawsuit to strike it down. The League’s attorney, Lester Pines, says the Constitution guarantees the right to vote to all Wisconsin residents over 18 with specific exceptions – and the lack of a photo I-D is not one of them. But Marquette law professor Rick Esenberg does not believe the argument will be enough to throw out the I-D mandate. He tells the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that voters can be required to prove their residency under the Constitution. And Esenberg believes the photo I-D law legally falls under the proof-of-residency provision. But Pines says the law denies voting rights to citizens who don’t have birth certificates for some reason – and it’s hard for those people to get I-D’s. Senate Elections Committee chair Mary said the League did not bring up its objections before the law was passed in May. And she said lawmakers took great pains to make sure the photo I-D requirement follows both the state-and-federal constitutions. Pines says the League’s new lawsuit will be filed in Dane County Circuit Court. Esenberg says it’s a sign that opponents no longer believe they’ll win a challenge to the new law in federal court.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Top Stories, August 20th
Motorcyclist Flighted Following Police Chase
8/20/11 - A motorcyclist apparently crashed his bike Friday night after running from authorities. According to the Dodge County Sheriffs Department, deputies attempted to pull over the motorcycle on County Highway G in the Town of Beaver Dam around 10:45pm but the subject fled. The 28-year-old Markesan man lost control, crashed a short time later and was taken by helicopter to the hospital. We’ll have more information for you as it becomes available.
Also last night, traffic on Highway 151 was snarled following a three car accident near County Road S in the Town of Calamus. One injury was reported. The incident was reported at 5:45pm and the scene was cleared about one hour later.
One Death Blamed On Possible Tornado in Marinette
8/20/11 - At least one death is blamed on an apparent tornado that hit Marinette County last night. The name of the man killed has not been released. Local officials say many trees and power lines were knocked down when the storm hit at about 5 p.m. Friday. The National Weather Service has confirmed the storm included hail nearly two inches in circumference. A damage survey team will check out the Marinette and Menomonie county areas today. At least two thousand customers were without power before Wisconsin Public Service crews started working to make repairs.
Appeals Court Orders Force Feeding of Waupun Inmate
8/20/11 - A state appeals court has ordered Waupun prison workers to resume force-feeding an inmate who’s been on a hunger strike since 2003. Warren Lilly Junior began his hunger strike soon after he began a 10-year sentence for armed battery. He stopped eating all solid food in 2004, saying he wanted to publicize what he thought were injustices in the court and prison systems. And the state Corrections’ Department soon began to force-feed Lilly under a doctor’s care. Five years later, officials got the okay to feed Lilly while he was restrained in a chair for up to 60-minutes once a day. But he responded by vomiting his food on purpose. A doctor told court officials he weight dropped from 230 pounds to 125 – and because he had a history of heart failure, Lilly would die in six month if the weight loss continued. Dodge County Circuit Judge Andrew Bissonnette ordered the feedings to end in 2009. But corrections’ officials appealed and the state’s appellate court allowed the feedings to resume, in a way that counteracts Lilly’s effort to vomit the food out of his system.
Fond du Lac City Engineer Has Bond Reduction Denied
8/20/11 - The Fond du Lac City official charged with having repeated sex with a young girl will remain in jail with a $150,000 cash bond. Fond du Lac County Judge Dale English Friday morning denied a motion to have bail reduced. District Attorney Dan Kaminsky says Richard Goding was then arraigned and he pled not guilty to the charges he’s facing. Goding is charged with 1st degree sexual assault of a child, Repeated 1st degree sexual assault of the same child, and causing harm to a child under 13 by causing them to view or listen to a sex act. The alleged sexual assaults occurred over five years ago. The victim, who is now 13-years-old, brought the alleged assaults to light during a church discussion on sexual relationships. Goding is the City Engineer in Fond du Lac. He’s been placed on administrative leave.
Sauk County Babysitter Charged In Infant Death
8/20/11 - A 24 year old babysitter is charged with killing a four-month girl she was supposed to be caring for. Jeanette Janusiak told investigators the girl was fine after she dropped her and became unresponsive later. A doctor disputed her version of events, saying due to the severity of her injuries, the infant would have become unresponsive immediately. A Reedsburg police officer was called to Janusiak's home early Thursday. He performed CPR until paramedics arrived and took her to the hospital. She was flown to a Madison hospital where she died. The girl reportedly had suffered three skull fractures and other injuries. Janusiak is scheduled to make an appearance in Sauk County Court Monday.
Milwaukee Crime Numbers Below Average
8/20/11 - Crime numbers in Milwaukee continue to go down. In the first half of this year, 12 percent fewer crimes were reported, compared to last year. Milwaukee police report total crime is down more than 26 percent since 2007, including a 33 and a half percent decrease in violent crime. Rape was up by 11 percent and the city did record one more homicide in the first six months of this year. High scrap metal prices are blamed for a significant jump in stolen cars, though property crime overall was down 13 percent.
Walker Mulling Action on Downed Trees
8/20/11 - Governor Scott Walker says the state of Wisconsin will do all it can to help salvage thousands of tree downed in the far northwestern corner of the state. It's a balancing act -- salvage the trees before they rot or catch fire, without upsetting the state's 18 billion dollar a year timber industry. Storms last July knocked the trees down in six counties. The sheer volume of the trees could drive industry prices down. Walker joined local politicians and Wisconsin National Guard commanders in a Friday tour of the region by car and helicopter. He met with timber industry officials for about two hours in Siren, but left the meeting with no clear plan of action. Walker says it's possible tax credits could be offered to private landowners to clear their property. And, the state could look overseas for possible markets for the timber.
New Bill Targets Special Election Timeframe
8/20/11 - When special elections are needed, a new bill would require they be held without delay. Current state law is silent on how much time can pass between a vacancy in the Wisconsin Legislature and when the governor can or should call an election to fill it. State Representative Mark Pocan and Senator-elect Jennifer Shilling think 60 days is enough. That way people living in the district don’t lose their voice in legislative matters for an excessive amount of time. Pocan says putting the limit at 30 days might give an unfair advantage to some potential candidates. Shilling’s vacant Assembly seat will have to be filled by a special election, after he recent recall victory over Republican Senator Dan Kapanke.
Celebrity Cream-Puff Contest Attracts Good Crowd
8/20/11 - There was a huge turnout for yesterday’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Contest at the Dodge County Fair. The event kicked off with a swearing-in of the Sheriffs Departments two new K9’s, Ziva and Page. While we couldn’t get the dogs to compete, Deputy K9 handler Chad Enright carried the momentum of the swearing-in into the Cream Puff Eating contest and defeated his fellow K9 Deputy along with local legislators Jeff and Scott Fitzgerald and former Green Bay Packer Dave Robinson, who’s in town promoting his new book “The Lombardi Legacy.” Dodge County Emergency Management Director Joe Meagher withstood a challenge from his fellow county officials to take home his first Cream Puff trophy, beating out the District Attorney, Treasurer, FSA Director, County Clerk and the County Administrator. Dr. Jay Wilkens, the Beaver Dam Area Community Theater Board President, beat out the theaters Managing Director David Saniter, screen actor Dan Bell of Mayville and Casey Carney of Casey and the Moonshine Band. The Fastest of the Fair trophy went to County Board Supervisor Jeff Schmidt who beat out Sheriff Todd Nehls, Beaver Dam Mayor Tom Kennedy, State Patrol Superintendent Steve Fitzgerald, and Ann Killian-Kahn, the Children’s Advocate with PAVE who was eating for two. The contest wrapped up with 2010 Dodge County Fairest of the Fair Danielle Hammer securing the Sweetest of the Fair trophy after beating out the Dodge-Jefferson Honey Queen and four-of-the-last-five Fairests’ of the Fair, plus a surprise appearance from the 2000 Fairest of the Fair Melanie Welles. In terms of overall attendance, Fair Board Secretary Sharon Keil says at least 11,000 people came through the gates on Thursday night when Luke Bryan performed, second only to Toby Keith’s 2001 concert that drew 18,000 fair goers. Wisconsin-native and American Idol finalist Danny Gokey is on the Grandstand Stage tonight followed by music from Geoff Landon in Radio Park.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Top Stories August 19th
Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Contest Line-Up
8/19/11 - There are a variety of local celebrities lined up for this afternoon’s Cream Puff Eating contest at the Dodge County Fair. The event kicks off with a swearing-in of the Sheriffs Departments two new K9’s. Their deputy handlers have been invited to compete alongside local legislators Jeff and Scott Fitzgerald and former Green Bay Packer Dave Robinson, who’s in town promoting his new book and his people tell us is willing to participate. Also on tap, a variety of county officials including the District Attorney, Treasurer, FSA Director, Emergency Management Director, County Clerk and the County Administrator. Your favorite performers with the Beaver Dam Area Community Theater will be competing against stage and screen actor Dan Bell of Mayville and Casey Carney of Casey and the Moonshine Band. Those vying for the Fastest of the Fair trophy include Sheriff Todd Nehls, Mayor Tom Kennedy, State Patrol Superintendent Steve Fitzgerald, County Board Supervisor Jeff Schmidt and Ann Killian-Kahn, the Children’s Advocate with PAVE who is going to be eating for two. The contest wraps up with the Dodge County Fire Queen, Dodge-Jefferson Honey Queen and four-of-the-last-five Fairest’s of the Fair. The Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Contest starts at 5pm in Radio Park and will be broadcast live on WBEV 1430AM.
Feingold Won’t Run for Senate or Governor
8/19/11 - Former U-S Senate Democrat Russ Feingold says he will not try to win his old job back next year. And he will not run for governor if there’s a recall election against Scott Walker. In an e-mail to his supporters this morning, Feingold said it was a hard decision – but he said he’d rather spend his time on his current projects. Feingold said he’s enjoying the life of a private citizen – and after 28 years in public office, he has spent the last eight months seeing things from a different perspective. Feingold teaches full-time at the Marquette Law School in Milwaukee. He’s also writing a book on the nation’s response to the September 11th terrorist attacks. And he’s building up a political committee he started called Progressives United. Voters removed Feingold from his U-S Senate seat last November after 18 years in that post. He also spent a decade in the Wisconsin Legislature. Many observers said Feingold would have been the strong Democratic front-runner for the Senate seat to be given up by Herb Kohl next year. His decision not to run comes two days after former Governor Tommy Thompson named two campaign chairs for a possible Republican Senate bid. With Feingold out of the picture, the speculation is that Madison Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin is the front-runner for the Democratic Senate bid – along with La Crosse Congressman Ron Kind.
Walker Blames Job Loss, In Part, on Recall Elections
8/19/11 - Governor Scott Walker blames the state Senate recall elections for part of Wisconsin’s largest monthly job loss since the Great Recession. The Badger State lost 12-thousand-500 private sector jobs in July – the most since April of 2009 in the aftermath of the financial collapse on Wall Street. In Waukesha yesterday, Walker said the current turmoil in the national and world economies had a big effect on Wisconsin’s job losses. But the Republican governor also said employers felt a “high level of uncertainty” due to a possible change-of-power at the State Capitol, spurred by the nine Senate recall contests. And Walker said the negative recall T-V ads made employers unsure as to what was going to happen next in Madison. The governor said Wisconsin’s pro-business laws adopted in the first six months of this year helped create quote, “certainty in the state.” The heaviest job losses in July were in the service industry. The state’s employment sector, durable goods manufacturing, added two-thousand jobs. But overall, the state’s unemployment rate jumped two-tenths of a percent to seven-point-eight, at a time when the national jobless rate went down slightly to nine-point-one percent. Walker commented on the new numbers at Weldall Manufacturing in Waukesha, where he announced state incentives that will add up to 50 new jobs. The metal fabricating firm more than doubled its workforce in the last year to almost 240 jobs.
Another Lawsuit Filed Against Collective Bargaining Restrictions
8/19/11 - Public employees have filed a third lawsuit to try-and-restore full collective bargaining for most of Wisconsin’s state-and-local public unions. Madison Teachers Incorporated and Milwaukee sanitation workers filed suit yesterday in Dane County Circuit Court. They said the union law illegally clamps down on free speech and free association. That’s because non-union employees can individually bargain for whatever they want, while unions can only seek pay raises at-or-below inflation. The suit also accused legislative Republicans of breaking constitutional restrictions on special sessions. The union limits were passed during a special session on job creation and the budget repair bill. And the financial elements of the budget repair bill were delayed so the G-O-P could pass the union limits while 14 Senate Democrats left Madison in a failed effort to block the bill. The state Justice Department and the Walker administration did not comment on the new lawsuit. They’ve said in the past that they were careful to follow both the state and the U-S constitutions in adopting the union limits. The other two lawsuits are still pending in both state-and-federal courts. One suit was filed by a coalition of seven unions. The other was filed by public workers in Madison and Dane County.
First Year for Vessey as BDUSD Superintendent had Ups and Downs
8/19/11 - It was a challenging first year on the job for Beaver Dam School District Superintendent Steve Vessey. It was a year in which controversy often overshadowed what school board members and teachers alike say were significant strides in improving the district. In his annual review by the school board, which was completed earlier this month, Vessey was commended in a number of areas including an overhauled evaluation process for administrators, the reestablishment of administrative cabinet meetings to address district issues and brainstorm for solutions, and a reworking of the school board policies. However, Board President Marge Jorgensen says his biggest contribution may have been the Data Dashboard, which she called a ground breaking method for evaluating student progress. Still, the controversy of the governor’s budget and resulting budget deficits, the union negotiations, the record number of retirements, and the continuing legal issues got much of the attention. However, for Jorgensen that’s what made the letter of support signed by more than 50 staff members and presented to the board at their meeting this week by leaders from the Beaver Dam Education Association that much more meaningful. Vessey’s review wasn’t without its critiques. Among other things, the board said the district’s facilities goal has not been adequately addressed, and there was a need for closer scrutiny and oversight with meeting notices, after the board was fined for a violation recently. Still, Jorgensen says there’s been growth in Vessey’s first year.
Driver Sober Campaign Underway
8/19/11 - The Beaver Dam Police Department is participating in a nationwide effort to crack down on drunk drivers. Deputy Chief Dan Schubert says the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign begins Friday and runs through Sept. 5. He says if you drive drunk, you are risking public humiliation, huge fines and possible jail time. The most devastating and tragic consequence, Schubert says, is causing a crash that kills or seriously injures you, your passengers or an innocent victim. He urges motorists to designate a driver and says if you’re feeling buzzed, you are probably over the point-oh-eight limit and should not drive. There were more than 40,000 convictions for drunken driving in Wisconsin last year; 220 people were killed and more than 3,500 injured in nearly 5,800 alcohol-related traffic crashes. Under a state law enacted last year, those convicted of first-offense OWI with a blood alcohol level of point-one-five (.15) or higher, and all repeat drunken drivers, are required to have an ignition interlock device on every vehicle they own. The law also makes first offense OWI a criminal offense if there is a passenger under age 16 in the vehicle. Schubert says if you witness a driver on the road who you suspect is drunk, you should contact police immediately. The Dodge County Sheriffs Department is also part of the crackdown.
Fondy Police Looking For Imposters
8/19/11 - Fond du Lac Police are asking for the publics help to find three men who posed as police officers during an incident involving a 14-year-old girl two weeks ago. It happened near Portland and Sheboygan Streets the afternoon of Friday, August 5. The girl told police she was walking along the street when two black-colored vehicles pulled up and a white man got out of one of the vehicles and ordered her to lie on the ground. He said he was a police officer and was holding a handgun. The men talked amongst themselves saying “It’s not her” and told her to go home. They then got back into their vehicles and left. Police Captain Steve Klein says they are concerned because a handgun was displayed during the incident. He says anyone with information can call Detective Brian Bartelt at 906-6779 or 906-5555. Those wishing to remain anonymous can phone 322-3740 or 906-4777. For more info:
http://newsletter.fdlpolice.com/index.iml?mdl=printerfriendly.mdl&article_id=15409&Issue_ID=4894
Petri Scheduled for Beaver Dam City Hall, WBEV
8/19/11 - Congressman Tom Petri will be holding office hours in Dodge County today (Fri). The Fond du Lac Republican will be at the Watertown Senior and Community Center from 10am to 11am. Later this afternoon, he will appear at Beaver Dam City Hall from 3pm to 4pm. In between, Petri will join us on WBEV’s Community Comment beginning at 12:35pm.
12,500 Jobs Lost In July
8/19/11 - Wisconsin lost 12-thousand-500 private sector jobs last month – and that more than wiped out the state’s huge gains from June. The state’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate went up by two-tenths-of-a-point in July to seven-point-eight percent. State Workforce Development Secretary Scott Baumbach said Wisconsin was not immune to the current national economic slowdown. He said the federal debt ceiling debate, the fluctuations in the stock market, and the European debt crisis all caused a great deal of uncertainty. But Baumbach said Wisconsin’s manufacturing economy was still on an upswing, as it gained a seasonally-adjusted 15-thousand jobs so far this year. He said it was more than half the net private job gains of 29-thousand-400 in the last seven months. Various governments added an adjusted 43-hundred jobs in Wisconsin in July.
DNR Now Enterprise Agency
8/19/11 - The Department of Natural Resources has become the first “enterprise agency” in the state government. Governor Scott Walker made the announcement Thursday. Enterprise agencies will operate more independently than other departments, with less oversight from administration officials. The D-N-R and the administration department signed a “memorandum of understanding” which stays in effect from now until the middle of 2013. It gives the D-N-R more power to manage its facilities and vehicle fleet – and it lets the agency improve its service to people and businesses. The D-N-R said it would reduce the amount of time needed to get state permits by five-percent, while still keeping the same air-and-water quality guarantees. It also promised better communication with the people it regulates – a 40-percent increase in direct customer service – and a new chain-of-commerce designed to make more consistent decisions throughout the state. The Wisconsin Builders’ Association said it endorsed the changes. Assembly Democrat Brett Hulsey of Madison, who used to be with the Sierra Club, sharply criticized the move. As he put it, “Every time someone wants to gut an agency, they come up with a new name.”
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