Top Stories February 13th

Crash Closes Portion of Highway 151

2/13/12 - A stretch of Highway 151 near Columbus was closed for nearly an hour yesterday morning for a one-vehicle rollover. It happened just before 9am in the northbound lanes. Four people were injured including the driver, who was flighted from the scene with serious injuries. The northbound lanes reopened around 9:45am. Police have not said if alcohol or speed played a factor in the crash.

DOJ Caught Up on Conceal Carry Permits

2/13/12 - Wisconsin Justice Department officials say they are complying with the law and meeting turn-around deadlines on concealed carry applications now. The deluge of applications had overwhelmed the office at first. Processing deadlines were missed most of last month. Now, with more workers brought to the job, and with the flow of applications slowing down a little, Division of Law Enforcement Administrator Brian O’Keefe says all obligations are being met. The new law opened the door for thousands of applications starting last November 1st.

Pineda in Court

2/13/12 - A judge will decide next month if there is enough evidence for a Watertown man to proceed to trial in connection with the armed burglary of Martin Motors. On January 26, Nivir Edgar Marcis Damian Pineda was placed on probation for burglarizing a residence in Jefferson County. Police say a few hours before the sentencing hearing, Pineda broke a window to gain access to the Watertown car dealership. Investigators reviewed surveillance footage from nearby businesses and saw a man matching Pineda’s height and build. Shoe prints at the scene reportedly matched the shoes he was wearing during questioning. Pineda is accused of stealing around $20 in cash, an iPod and a 22-caliber handgun. The handgun was allegedly found in the possession of a Watertown man accused of serving as lookout in the crime. Pineda is being held in the Dodge County Jail on a $10,000 cash bond.

Sanders Gets Jail Time

2/13/12 - A Beaver Dam man will spend a month in jail for sparking a high speed chase the ended with him crashing his vehicle. 23-year-old Anthony Sanders was arrested last June in the town of Herman after authorities say they clocked him driving 30 miles over the speed limit on Highway 67. The subsequent pursuit reached speeds in excess of 90 miles per hour down Highway 67 before Sanders lost control on Madison Road and put the car in a ditch. Sanders pleaded “no contest” to a reduced misdemeanor charge of Failing To Stop and Reckless Driving. In addition to a month behind bars with Huber privileges, Sanders was placed on probation for six months and lost his drivers license for 60 days.

Grigg Hopeful Contract Can Be Reached

2/13/12 - Horicon Mayor Jim Grigg says he’s hopeful a new police contract can be reached during a bargaining session this week. The city held preliminary discussions with the Dodge County Sheriff’s Department last week about possibly taking over coverage of the area and dissolving their police department. Grigg says that plan is currently on hold after city leaders, union officials and some members of the police department met on Thursday in a meeting that Grigg called the most productive session since the two began negotiating the 2011-2012 contract. A bargaining session is set for Wednesday and Grigg says any further movement on the closing of the department would be made after that. The police contract has been an issue before and Grigg says they won’t be going into mediation or arbitration to settle it like they did for the 2009-2010 deal.

Gableman Likely to Stay

2/13/12 - With Republicans calling it a political stunt and few lawmakers stepping forward to co-sponsor it, a resolution to remove Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman looks like it doesn’t have enough support to move on. Democratic State Representative Kelda Helen Roys says she had just four co-sponsors. And, Republican Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald isn’t expected to send it to committee. At least three complaints have been filed against Gableman to the Government Accountability Board so far, tied to free legal services he received from a Wisconsin law firm. Gableman refused to recuse himself from three cases including a party represented by the same firm. Roys says that means Gableman violated the judicial code of conduct.

Argument Over Mittens Turns Positive

2/13/12 - Wisconsin and Michigan turned an argument over mittens into a huge act of kindness. Wisconsin's Tourism Department has just given 31-hundred pairs of mittens and other winter clothes to over 50 charities. They were donated by folks who dropped them off at state travel centers and chambers-of-commerce. A Michigan travel Web site took issue in December when Wisconsin promoted its road condition Web site with a mitten that was shaped like the Badger State. Lower Michigan has promoted for years that it looks exactly like a mitten, and state officials there accused Wisconsin of stealing some of its thunder. After a few days of good-natured cajoling, the two states announced the Great Lakes Mitten Campaign.

Former Director of MADD Unhappy With Lack of Support

2/13/12 - The former state director for Mothers Against Drunk Driving says its sad to see the erosion of support for the MADD program. Curt Kindschuh of Brownsville was the director for the Wisconsin MADD office for several years in the 1990s. He left to start his own company that continues with its own products that promote drunken driving prevention education. He says the Fond du Lac County Chapter shut down and there isn’t a state MADD office anymore. He says part of the problem is the national office isn’t well organized. Kindschuh says there’s still a place for MADD in society. He notes each year 17,000 people in the U.S. are killed by drunken drivers. (KFIZ, Fond du Lac)

Sturgeon Season Over After Two Days

2/13/12 - The sturgeon spearing season on the Upriver Lakes is over after two days. Spearers took 242 fish to trigger the harvest cap closure. Meanwhile it’s been slow going on the Lake Winnebago where 27 fish were taken yesterday for a two-day total of 66 and a system-wide total of 308. DNR Sturgeon Fisheries Supervisor Ron Bruch says its likely the season on the big lake will go all 16 days. The colder weather over the weekend did firm up ice on Lake Winnebago in some areas. The biggest sturgeon taken yesterday was a nearly 130 pounder on the Upriver Lakes by Charles Clark of Almond. (KFIZ, Fond du Lac)

WASD Looking for Help in Finding Superintendent

2/13/12 - The Waupun Area School District is looking for input on the hiring of a new Superintendent. The school board is putting together an advisory panel and members will play a role in interviewing candidates for the job. The committee is expected to be comprised of a number of community groups including service clubs, civic groups and local businesses. Anyone interested in being on the panel needs to submit a letter of interest by mailing them to Ann Ferch at the district office. The contract for current Interim Superintendent Don Childs expires on June 30th.
Address to send letters to: 950 Wilcox St., Waupun, WI, 53963.

Powerball Winner in Rhode Island

2/13/12 - For the first time, the Powerball jackpot is at its new, higher minimum of 40-million-dollars for Wednesday night. That's after a ticket sold in Rhode Island won Saturday night's prize of 336-point-four million. Wisconsin had one of the million-dollar second prizes. A ticket sold at a Pick-'N-Save in Brookfield matched all five numbers but not the Powerball. In Mega Millions, the jackpot is at 51-million dollars for the next drawing tomorrow night.