Top Stories May 14th

Two Dodge County Men Injured in Accident

5/14/12 - A pair of Dodge County men were seriously injured in a rollover crash Saturday night about three miles outside of West Bend.  It happened on Highway 33 shortly before 9:30pm.  The 23-year-old driver from Mayville was taken by helicopter to Froedert Hospital.  The 21-year-old passenger from Horicon was also taken to the hospital.  Authorities say the pair was driving west on Highway 33 when their vehicle left the roadway, hitting a culvert before rolling over.  Neither man was wearing a seatbelt.  Alcohol is believed to have been a factor in the crash. 

Man Injured in Motorcycle Accident

5/14/12 - A motorcycle accident sent a 53-year-old man to the hospital yesterday morning.  Authorities say the man was riding the bike on Water Street Road in the town of Lomira when he left the road and struck a pole.  He was taken to St. Agnes Hospital.

Republicans Hoping to Get the Vote Out

5/14/12 - Wisconsin Republicans went home from their state convention yesterday with a resolve to get as many of their voters as possible to the recall elections on June fifth. House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan told the Green Bay convention on Saturday night quote, “apathy will lose” those contests against Governor Scott Walker and five other officials. The Janesville House leader said the elections will hinge solely on turnout and quote, “If we can get out the vote, we can take our state back on June fifth and build momentum for November.” Ryan also said a Walker victory would set an important tone for the presidential contest this fall. He said it would send a message to the rest of the country that quote, “fiscal responsibility is the right decision.” Earlier on Saturday, delegates failed to round up the 60-percent needed to endorse one of the four Republican U-S Senate candidates for this fall. Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald came the closest. The G-O-P convention ended yesterday with a Mother’s Day prayer breakfast.

BDUSD Commissions Play About Teen Suicide

5/14/12 - The Beaver Dam School District has commissioned a writer with local roots to write and direct a play that deals with the sensitive topic of teen suicide. Retired Beaver Dam educator Diane Lutz was asked by the school district to write a play that would reflect the everyday challenges and turmoil teens experience that lead them to consider taking their own life. The funding come from the Drug Free Community Coalition and the multi-million dollar Safe School, Healthy Students grant intended – in part – to identify and address unhealthy behaviors in the student population.  Lutz says she recruited students last fall from the high school and Don Smith Learning Academy to flesh out the characters and provide the lines of dialogue.  Over the winter, Lutz returned to Arizona to weave the student input into a play with three story lines that she says reflects three real world situations which could lead to suicide. In the spring, she assembled a new group of students to rehearse the play she titled, “Out on a Ledge.”  Lutz says the intention of the play is three-fold: to identify the cause, illustrate the devastation of those left behind and discuss ways to stop suicide. “Out On A Ledge” will be performed for students throughout Dodge County. The public is invited to a free performance on Sunday, May 20 at 2pm. The 45-minute show will be on the stage of the Beaver Dam Area Community Theater. A group of experts will be on hand after the show to answer and questions the audience may have about teen suicide.

King to Hold Meetings on Workplace Changes in Correctional Facilities

5/14/12 - State Senator Jessica King is holding legislative listening sessions in the area over the next two days to discuss the impact of workplace changes in the state correctional institutions.  In late March, correctional workers in Waupun held a protest outside the prison in an effort to get the word out about what they call major safety concerns above and behind the inherent nature of a prison.  They blame the recent issues on understaffing related to budget cuts.  The Department of Corrections issued a statement at the time of the protest saying that institutions across the state remain safe. The first meeting will take place in Fond du Lac tonight with a second meeting being held at the Waupun Public Library tomorrow night at 5pm.

Jury Selection Begins in Green Bay Diocese Civil Trial

5/14/12 - Jury selection is scheduled to begin this morning in Appleton in a civil fraud trial against the Catholic Diocese of Green Bay. Todd and Troy Merryfield said they were molested as young boys in 1978 by former priest John Patrick Feeney when he was at Saint Nicholas Catholic Church in Freedom. But before then, the brothers said the diocese had moved Feeney from parish-to-parish without warning parishioners about previous sexual abuse he had committed. The Merryfields filed their civil case just over four years ago, well after Feeney was criminally convicted in the assaults. The church denies the fraud allegations, and has twice failed to get the civil suit dropped -- most recently last month. Also, efforts to reach an out-of-court settlement had failed. Peter Isley of the Survivors’ Network of those Abused by Priests said Feeney quote, “left a river of sorrow behind him.” Isley said the trial would hold meaning for the pastor’s victims who never came forward. Feeney, who’s now in his mid-80’s, was sent to prison in 2004. He was released last fall, and is now living in Missouri. His criminal case proceeded only because Feeney had moved to California, which ended his statute-of-limitations in Wisconsin. Todd Merryfield now lives in Port Washington, and his brother lives in Suffolk Virginia. Their trial is expected last about two weeks. Retired Cardinal Adam Maida is listed at a witness, along with bishops David Ricken and Robert Morneau.

WI Public School Accountability Plan Doesn’t Hold Up

5/14/12 - Wisconsin’s latest plan to hold public schools accountable does not have enough detail – and its goals are not ambitious enough to make students improve. That’s what the U-S Education Department told state officials in a recent letter. The state is trying to gain more flexibility under the federal No Child Left Behind Act. And while the federal government has not rejected the request, the Wisconsin State Journal says the Department of Public Instruction needs to make it stronger. D-P-I spokesman Patrick Gasper said his agency has been working with the federal government on the information it’s seeking – and the state expects to submit a revised application by the end of May. President Obama has given states the chance to avoid certain requirements under the Bush-era federal education law. But they have to draft accountability students which meet federal standards. Eleven states have received waivers, and Wisconsin is among 26 states which have applications pending. Among other things, the state’s plan would rate schools on a zero-to-100 scale based on student performance, improvement on state tests, their college-and-career prep programs, and efforts to close racial achievement gaps. Federal education officials praised Wisconsin’s commitment to new standards – but they said the state didn’t give details on how they would implement the new systems. State Senate Education Committee chairman Luther Olson of Ripon says Washington is echoing concerns raised previously. He said people thought Wisconsin could get away with making a cursory waiver application, but the federal government won’t let it happen.

Kennedy to Hold Listening Sessions

5/14/12 - Beaver Dam Mayor Tom Kennedy has listening sessions scheduled tomorrow (Tues). Kennedy opens his door for city residents to meet with him, one-on-one, without appointment on the first and third Tuesday of every month. Kennedy says it is important that constituents have the opportunity to speak with him the day after each regular meeting of the common council, which are typically held on the first and third Monday of the month. There is no council meeting tonight because it is second Monday, but the Operations Committee is meeting. The listening sessions are held in Room 158 on the first floor of City Hall from 10am until noon and again from 5pm to 6pm tomorrow.  Kennedy also makes himself available for private meetings by appointment by contacting the mayor office.