Top Stories February 29th

Kuehl to be Inducted into BDUSD Wall of Fame

2/29/12 - The Beaver Dam School District has announced this year’s Outstanding Alumni. Ray Kuehl is a 1952 graduate who has been a prominent figure in the dairy industry for 60 years. After attending UW-Madison, he started his own dairy cattle consulting business, eventually becoming a partner of American Genetics, where he served as a farm manager and marketed cow embryos around the world. Later in life, his career path led him to real estate and he even started his own auctioneer business. But Kuehl is perhaps best known in the farming community for his instrumental role in the creation of the World Dairy Expo, which is held annually in Madison. When it was announced that the U.S. National Dairy Cattle Show would be discontinued, Kuehl and a few other cattle breeders developed a plan to hold the show in Wisconsin. The Expo is now the largest dairy industry exposition in the nation. He was appointed by Governor Thompson to the World Dairy Center Authority, which found the sites for the new State Department of Agriculture and the World Dairy Center buildings in Madison. Kuehl brought state-wide attention on Dodge County’s dairy industry when he chaired the “Alice in Dairyland” competition, which was held in Beaver Dam in 1964. In submitting his application, Kuehl’ supporters said he is “very dedicated to the youth in the dairy cattle industry and has been instrumental in raising money to promote Agriculture to schools.” He frequently returns to Beaver Dam High School to encourage, inspire, and challenge young FFA members to set their goals high and respect others. Kuehl will be honored during this year’s 16th Annual Wall of Fame Banquet on Sunday, April 1.

New Public Pool in Waupun Discussed

2/29/12 - The Waupun Committee of the Whole last night authorized the City Administrator to draft wording for a referendum on a possible new public pool. Waupun residents used to have two swimming options but the Fond du Lac County Park Pool fell into a leaky state-of-disrepair and closed some five years ago. The aging McCune Beach facility is outdated and possible enhancements are being studied. Members of the Waupun Area Recreation Project are recommending an aquatic center in Fond du Lac County Park designed by Neuman Pools. Fond du Lac County has offered to support a Waupun pool wherever it’s located to the tune of $1 million dollars but the offer will not be good forever. A fundraising committee is also being formed. There was general agreement amongst city officials that any referendum should be advisory, as opposed to a binding referendum that may later tie the hands of city leaders. It was also generally agreed that the referendum, or referenda, give the public options for not only how the project should be funded but also where it should be located. However, in casting the only “no” vote last night, Alderman Dan Ganz says the timing is just not right and other city improvement projects should be taking precedence. Mayor Jodi Steger says now is the time for the taxpayers to provide input on the future of this project. City officials need to have the wording finalized and approved by June 6 for the question or questions to appear on the November 6 ballot.

Zoning Change for Museums in Waupun

2/29/12 - A change in the Waupun city ordinance governing zoning that would allow for museums to be operated in residential neighborhoods was approved in committee last night. The change was requested by the Waupun Historical Society which is planning to expand into the former Central Wisconsin Christian Elementary building. CWC donated the structure to the society late last year and agreed to sell them the land for $20,000. Closing was this past weekend. Museum officials originally requested the ordinance be changed to allow for not only a museum in a residential neighborhood but also everything that might be in the museum like a gift shop, art gallery and conference rooms. City officials expressed concern that the wording could allow any business to open in a residential neighborhood so “museum” is now the only exception in the proposed ordinance change. Waupun City Attorney Dan Vande Zande says because gift shops and art exhibits are traditionally associated with museums anyway, it is not necessary to name them specifically. In addition, if the museum wants to host an exhibit outside, it would have to apply for a conditional use permit. First and final reading on the zoning ordinance change will be held at Waupun’s next regular council meeting.

Horicon Council Approves Police Contract

2/29/12 - A three-year contract with the police union was approved by the Horicon City Council last night. By a unanimous vote, the council signed off on a deal that will see officers and support staff be under many of the same guidelines as other city employees. That includes paying more than 12% for health insurance and 5.9% into their retirement fund. The contract agreement comes after several years of sometimes tense negotiations. The city even flirted with closing the department earlier this month and contracting out coverage to the Dodge County Sheriff’s Department. Chief Joe Adamson says he’s ok with the city researching that possibility. He believes every community needs to have the conversation as to what’s best for them.

Snow Storm Drills Northern Wisconsin

2/29/12 - North central Wisconsin has been hit the hardest so far by a snowstorm that moved in last night. Tomahawk had an unofficial 12 inches by three this morning. Wittenberg in Shawano County had six-and-a-half inches. Wausau had ice-pellets mixed in with about three-and-a-third inches of snow. And folks in Stevens Point had their snow change to rain during the night. Eau Claire had just over three-inches by midnight, and that was enough to set a new record for the date with 89-hundredths-of-an-inch of liquid precipitation. That beat the old mark of 69-hundredths in 1948. West central Wisconsin had freezing rain and glaze last evening. The Fox Valley and parts of the northeast had a couple inches of snow, with more on the way. The National Weather Service says a winter storm warning continues until six tonight for the north and parts of central Wisconsin. Up to 15-inches was in the forecast for the far north. Advisories for lesser precipitation are in effect until noon in east central areas, and until six p-m for parts of central Wisconsin. Southern areas had thunderstorms in the forecast overnight. Rain is expected to change to light snow later today and this evening.

Windorff Gets Jail Time

2/29/12 - A Beaver Dam man will spend 30 days in jail for injuring himself and a passenger in a drunken boating accident. 47-year-old James Windorff plead to one misdemeanor count of Operating A Boat While Intoxicated, Causing Injury and he had another misdemeanor dismissed but read into the record. Authorities responded to an area north of McKinley Beach Road in the Town of Beaver Dam last September. According to the criminal complaint, a boat with four passengers was operating at a high rate of speed in the dense fog when it crashed into the shoreline near the Wisconsin & Southern railroad trestle. Windorff and a 38-year-old Beaver Dam woman were ejected and sustained severe but non-life-threatening injuries. An open bottle of beer was found near the driver seat and Windorff had a blood alcohol level nearly twice the legal limit for driving at point-one-five-four (0.154). In addition to a month in jail with Huber privileges, was also placed on probation for one year.

Sweetman Sentenced

2/29/12 - A Beaver Dam woman who stole money from a local restaurant has entered into a plea agreement with prosecutors. Casey Sweetman was charged with Computer Crimes – Modifying Data but pled to amended charged of misdemeanor Theft. The 24-year-old embezzled $3500 from the Benvenuto’s Restaurant in Beaver Dam in a scheme involving gift cards. According to the criminal complaint, Sweetman would pocket money from bills paid in cash and then search the computer database for random customers with gift cards and zero-out their account to make-up the difference. An audit was performed after several customers complained about having zero balances on what should have been valid gift cards. She was sentenced to 50 days in jail but will have half of the sentence stayed if she complied with conditions of supervision. Sweetman was also placed on probation for one year.

Identity Thieves Steal Tax Returns

2/29/12 - At least six people in Madison filed their federal income tax returns, only to learn that identity thieves used their names and Social Security numbers to claim refunds for themselves. Madison Police say it’s part of a national trend – and it will only get worse as the April tax filing deadline gets closer. In one case, the I-R-S told a Madison man that a five-thousand-dollar refund he was expecting went to a person in Milwaukee who used the same name and Social Security number. Another Madison man had his tax return rejected because somebody else filed in his name. And a woman learned that somebody in Texas had used her information. Police say the actual taxpayers might not learn for weeks that their returns were kicked back because identity thieves beat them to the punch.

Governors Conference on Tourism this Weekend

2/29/12 - Almost a-thousand Wisconsin tourist operators and officials are gearing up for the annual Governor’s Conference on Tourism which starts on Sunday in Green Bay. They’ll discuss a variety of things like economic forecasts, customer service, and using social media to bring in visitors. Miss America, Laura Kaeppeler (kepp-ler), will speak at the conference along with Packers’ kicker Mason Crosby and Governor Scott Walker. It’s also when we normally learn how much business Wisconsin visitors generated during the previous year. The tourism conference runs from Sunday through next Tuesday at Green Bay’s K-I Convention Center.

Mega Millions Over $100M

2/29/12 - The Mega Millions’ jackpot is above 100-million dollars for the first time this year. It’s at 108-million for Friday night, after nobody won the top prize last evening. There was no immediate word on the number of smaller prizes won. The current jackpot has been building since January 27th, and it has rolled over 10 times. The cash option for Friday night is just under 80-million dollars. In Powerball, tonight’s jackpot is at the new minimum of 40-million, after a player in New York State won a 70-million-dollar prize last weekend.