Top Stories December 12

Two Killed in Rural Waupun Accident

12/12/11 - Two people were killed in a weekend crash near Waupun. Fond du Lac County authorities said a car driven by 39-year-old Christopher Leurquin of De Pere lost control on a curve on Highway 26 – and he slammed into an oncoming car driven by 22-year-old Thea Molzych of Streator Illinois. Both drivers were killed in the crash, which happened around 11 Saturday night in the town of Waupun. A passenger in the Molzych car – a 23-year-old man from Oak Park Illinois – was in critical condition at last word at U-W Hospital in Madison. The crash remains under investigation. Alcohol and excessive speed have been ruled out as possible factors.

Woman Killed in Washington Co. Crash

12/12/11 - Washington County Sheriff’s officials say they don’t know why a 60-year-old West Bend woman crossed over the centerline and hit another vehicle on County Highway P in the Town of Polk Saturday afternoon. Michelle Delfosse was seriously injured and ended up at Froedtert Hospital, but the other driver 38-year-old Deborah Lohr of Newburg died from the injuries she suffered in the accident. She was flown to Froedtert where she was pronounced dead. (KFIZ, Fond du Lac)

Man Arrested on 36-Year-Old Warrant

12/12/11 - He was stopped for a loud exhaust and no tail pipe, but a Georgia man wound up spending the night in the Fond du Lac County Jail. It happened Friday night when 70 year old Stephen R. Schmidt was pulled over by a Wisconsin State Trooper on U.S. Highway 41. Schmidt is from Jonesboro, Georgia, but a check of his license plate turned up a 36 year old warrant from Milwaukee County Court. Schmidt was tossed in jail on a charge of failing to pay child support.

Violent Incidents on the Rise at Dodge Correctional

12/12/11 - Workers at the Dodge Correction Center says short staffing, inexperienced guards and low morale are to blame for a recent increase in inmate attacks. Three separate attacks in November sent four staff members to the hospital. A spokesman for the Wisconsin State Employees Union says inmates realize that experienced correctional officers are leaving and less-experienced guards are taking their place. Marty Bell says the Waupun facility becomes a difficult place to work when combined with low morale. The state Department of Corrections says it expects to fill 30 vacancies by the first part of next year.

Nehls Weighed Risk vs Reward in Fox Lake Standoff

12/12/11 - Dodge County Sheriff’s officials stood by for nearly five hours Friday morning believing a 23-year-old Fox Lake man had weapons and might use them following a domestic incident. Sheriff Todd Nehls says eventually they decided to “disengage” because the man didn’t appear to be threatening while talking with negotiators. They decided to arrest him after things cooled down or have the District Attorney’s office issue a summons for domestic violence and disorderly conduct. The woman who reported the domestic incident was able to leave the home before Sheriff’s officials surrounded the residence and evacuate some nearby homes. (KFIZ, Fond du Lac)

Fewer People Leaving the State

12/12/11 - Wisconsin is losing fewer people to warmer climates for now – but that could change when more Baby Boomers hit retirement age. The U-S Census Bureau said about eight-thousand former Wisconsinites moved to Florida last year, down from 93-hundred in 2005. About 55-hundred Badger State residents moved to Arizona, down from 78-hundred five years before. U-W Madison population researcher Dave Long tells the Appleton Post-Crescent that retirement is when a lot of people choose to move – and Wisconsin could see a surge in outward migration in a few years. But in 2010, only 18-thousand of the state’s five-and-a-half million residents moved elsewhere. Long says Wisconsin appears to be doing a better job than most of keeping its residents employed Also, the rough economy might be freezing some people who want to move, but cannot sell their homes. The Census Bureau said just 12-percent of Americans moved last year – the lowest percentage since the statistic was first kept in 1948. Wisconsin has traditionally had one of the highest percentages of people who never moved from the state where they were born. The Census Bureau said 72-percent of Wisconsinites were born here – and demographic experts say it’s due mainly to the high quality of life in the Midwest.

Jauch Could Face Recall

12/12/11 - A state Senator from Poplar could become the first Democrat targeting for recall in the most recent round of recall efforts. Paperwork was filed last Friday to create the exploratory Committee to Recall Bob Jauch. Backers say they will start a recall petition drive if people in the area feel Jauch isn’t being supportive enough of mining legislation aimed at bringing a big mine and hundreds of jobs to Ashland and Iron counties. Also getting involved is a group with Milwaukee connections. Jauch says they are meddling in a district they know nothing about. Jauch says he is puzzled by the recall, since he has said he supports revising mining laws as long as there are adequate environmental protections.

Photographer Facing Charges After Recall Incident

12/12/11 - Dueling photographers end up with one of them facing charges. Fifty-four year old Earl A. Gluth was cited for disorderly conduct last week after police say he took a swing at a woman collecting recall signatures in Madison. While the 41 year old woman was collecting signatures on a sidewalk near a Woodman’s grocery store on Madison’s east side, Gluth started taking pictures of her. Gluth told officers he took a swing at the woman when she tried to photograph him
with her cell phone. The swing by the Stoughton man resulted in her phone and the recall petition clipboard falling to the pavement. Gluth told authorities he put his hands up to protect himself when the woman raised her phone to take the picture. He says he doesn’t have a stance on the recall petitions.

School District Posts “Negative Affects of Underage Drinking” Videos

12/12/11 - The Beaver Dam School District has posted videos on their website about the negative affects of underage alcohol use. The two segments feature John Underwood of the American Athletic Institute in New York. Underwood trains Olympic athletes and major league baseball players about the benefits of healthy living, and recently shared his message “Life of an Athlete, Life of Excellence” with local middle and high school students. In the videos, he talks about how alcohol alters brain chemistry, reduces immunities and negatively affects heart, lung and muscle performance. School officials encourage parents to watch the Underwood videos with their kids and discuss the dangers of underage drinking. The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse estimates that 80% of high school students have tried alcohol. The videos are on the Beaver Dam school districts website; click on the “Hot Topics” tab. Links, contact information and additional resources are on our website.

http://www.beaverdam.k12.wi.us/district/johnunderwood.cfm

www.stopalcoholabuse.com

www.americanathleticinstitute.org

Ameripak Wins Award

12/12/11 - American Packaging Company of Columbus has received Columbia County’s 2011 “Manufacturer of the Year” award. Economic Development Director Steve Sobiek said that Ameripak is completing a $17 million dollar expansion at their West James Street facilities. The 230 employee Columbus company has achieved record sales in the last three consecutive years.

Booze and Belts Underway

12/12/11 - Wisconsin police are cracking down on drunken drivers and people not wearing
seatbelts in a special holiday season campaign running through next Saturday. The Department of Transportation says there were 13 thousand traffic crashes last December – more than any other month – causing more than three dozen deaths and 38 hundred injuries. A State Patrol spokesperson says slick roads, poor visibility and heavy holiday traffic make this time of the year especially dangerous. The enforcement campaign kicked off Friday.

Mega Millions Up to $116M

12/12/11 - The Mega Millions’ jackpot for tomorrow night is 116-million dollars. That’s the highest since March 22nd. Nobody won the top prize on Friday. Nine players won the quarter-million-dollar second prize, but none were from Wisconsin. The numbers of smaller-prize winners were not immediately released. Tomorrow’s cash option for Mega Millions is just over 85-million-dollars for a single winner who wants the whole prize now instead of yearly installments. The Powerball jackpot for Wednesday night is at 78-million-dollars.