News – November 28, 2016

First Responders Recognized For Life-Saving Efforts

 

11/28/16 – Four first responders were recently recognized for saving the life of a man who had a heart-attack at a local theatre. On September 9 around 8:30pm, Beaver Dam Fire and EMS was called to the Beaver Dam Area Community Theatre for a man who had collapsed on the third floor of the auditorium. Fire Chief Alan Mannel says crews arrived to find that a member of the audience, who also happened to serve with the Reeseville Fire Department, stepped into action and began CPR. The patient was in a difficult position, wedged between two rows of seats. Advanced life-support measures were started and after a few minutes a pulse was restored and the patient began to breath on his own. He was secured on a backboard and removed from the theatre. While in route to the hospital, the patient again went into full cardiac arrest, additional cardiac life-support was begun and a pulse was restored before he was turned over to staff at the Beaver Dam Community Hospital. Two weeks later, the patient was discharged from the hospital. Mannel says the incident is a great example of a team effort that resulted in the saving of a human life. Jim Bublitz of Reeseville was given a citizen’s certificate of appreciation while the Beaver Dam paramedics recognized with a ribbon were Jim Yaroch, Jake Zemlicka-Retzlaff and Captain Paul Hartl.

 

Beaver Dam Borrowing Plan Working Its Way Through Committee

 

11/28/16 – City officials in Beaver Dam plan to once again borrow $1.6-million dollars next year for equipment purchases, infrastructure improvements and street repairs. All three areas will get a portion of the funds under the proposed Capital Improvements Plan, or CIP, which generally maps out spending over five years while locking-in specific needs for the upcoming year. The council has been operating under the self-imposed $1.6-million dollar borrowing cap for the better part of a decade as part of an effort to get debt payments under control.

 

In the CIP for 2017, road projects will get the biggest piece of the pie at $627-thousand dollars. One roadway will see complete concrete reconstruction next year: West Mackie Street from North Center to North Spring, that’s the street behind the middle school, at a cost of $230-thousand dollars. In 2018, North Spring Street from Maple Avenue to Mackie Street will see complete concrete reconstruction totaling nearly $400-thousand dollars with borrowing for engineering costs slated for next year.  North Spring Street was originally constructed with brick pavers in 1927 which are still in place on that stretch. Beaver Dam will again see patches of concrete pavement repair and replacement next year with $170-thousand dollars allocated to rehabbing North Spring Street from Stoddart Street to Wayland Avenue, South University Avenue from Park Avenue to East South Street and Roedl Court from Stone Street to Brook Street. Another $55-thousand dollars is being directed to sealcoating various streets. North Lincoln Avenue from Park Avenue to East Third Street was originally going to see complete reconstruction but that has been downgraded to a $40-thousand-dollar mill and overlay project to save money. Gould Street, from North University to Wayland Street, was downgraded from repaving to sealcoating next year. A planned 2017 mill and overlay of Beaver Street from Front to Maple has been pushed into 2018 along with a pulverizing and repaving of Prospect Avenue from Eilbes Avenue to Farwell Road. Finally, the library parking lot will be repaved in 2017 at a cost of $65-thousand dollars.

 

As far as infrastructure improvements next year, the windows will be replaced at the Municipal Building at a cost of $211-thousand dollars and an elevated walkway is planned to Edgewater Park at a cost of $149-thousand dollars. Equipment purchases next year include around $400-thousand dollars for water and ice rescue equipment and breathing apparatus for the fire department. And the Department of Public Works is slated to get a $200-thousand-dollar front end loader. Looking ahead, the city may be borrowing $1-million dollars in both 2018 and 2019 for a new splash pad to replace the aging pool at Swan Park. The CIP is working its way through committee and a final vote is anticipated early next year.

 

Motorist Killed In Columbia County U-Turn Accident

 

11/28/16 – One person was killed in a two vehicle accident yesterday in Columbia County. Sheriff Dennis Richards says a car was eastbound on Highway 33, just east of Interstate 90-94, when the driver attempted a U-turn and was struck by westbound Jeep. The posted speed limit was 55-miles-per-hour. The 41-year-old Winona, Minnesota man driving the car was transported to Divine Savoir Hospital in Portage where he was pronounced dead. The 27-year-old Eagan, Minnesota man driving the Jeep, and a passenger, were transported to Portage with non-life-threatening injuries. Richards says drugs may have played a role in the accident which remains under investigation.

 

Dodge County Shop With A Cop Program Deadline Approaching

 

11/28/16 – A program that unites kids and law enforcement officers is returning for another year.  Dodge County’s ‘Shop with a Cop’ will be held on Saturday, December 10.  Through the program, around 100 kids are paired with a police officer, sheriff’s deputy, corrections officer or judge to go shopping.  Each kid is given roughly $75 to buy Christmas presents for their family members.  Waupun Police Detective Brian O’Donovan, who helps coordinate the program in Dodge County, says the children selected are typically kids who are ‘on the fence’ and could benefit from spending positive time with a member of the law enforcement community.  The child-officer pairings are sent out in two shifts to local stores and then eat brunch together while the gifts are wrapped.  The deadline for both people to nominate a child and officers to sign-up for the program is this Wednesday, November 30. Signups can be done by contacting Sergeant Brittany Borchardt with the Juneau Police Department.  Shop with a Cop is also being held in Columbia County, where the deadline to apply is this Thursday, December 1.  Anyone interested should contact the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office.

 

Local Vehicle Sales Lagging Behind Last Year

 

11/28/16 – Local vehicle sales were down last month and through the first ten months of the year.  According to the Waterloo-based industry tracking firm Reg-Trak, Dodge County had 247 vehicle sales last month.  That is 7.5-percent less than the 267 sold in October 2015.  Year-to-date sales through October were down 4.8-percent from 3,003 to 2,860.  Columbia County’s 208 sales last month were one fewer than October 2015’s total while year-to-date sales are down 10.4-percent to 2,052.  In Jefferson County, the 210 vehicles sold in October were six fewer than the same month last year while year-to-date sales dropped by 4-percent to 2,250.  The nine-county south central Wisconsin region had 3,753 vehicle sales last month, up six-tenths of a percent from October 2015.  However, year-to-date sales were down nearly 2.5-percent to 37,674.

 

DC Highway Safety: Turn On Headlights In Adverse Weather

 

11/28/16 – The Dodge County Highway Safety Commission is reminding motorists to turn their headlights on in rain, snow or fog. Coordinator Joel Kiesow says a new law went in effect in March that requires drivers to activate their headlights when adverse weather conditions limit visibility. Limited visibility means you cannot see something 500-feet away, which is a little less than two high school football fields. Kiesow says drivers cannot rely on automatic headlights during daylight hours and should manually turn on their headlamps. Wisconsin is one of the final states to enact a headlights law that is specific to adverse weather or reduced visibility. According to the Triple-A, Hawaii and Kentucky are the only other states without specific headlight laws.

 

Milwaukee County Sheriff To Meet With Donald Trump

 

11/28/16 – A Monday meeting is scheduled between Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke Junior and president-elect Donald Trump.  A Trump aide confirmed the Monday meeting.  Clarke has been mentioned as a possible appointee to lead the Department of Homeland Security, even though he is a Democrat.  A spokeswoman for Clarke wouldn’t confirm the appointment.  Clarke has called for American citizens suspected of being terrorists to be treated as enemy combatants, who could be questioned without an attorney, arrested and held indefinitely.  He says America is at war and the cases should be handled by military tribunals.

 

Baldwin Says She Will Support Wolf Delisting

 

11/28/16 – U-S Senate Democrat Tammy Baldwin says she has no problem supporting the removal of grey wolves from the federal endangered species list. Republican state lawmakers Tom Tiffany and Adam Jarchow are urging Congress to let the state regain the management of its 900 wolves — and they say Baldwin’s support could put other Democrats on board and give the measure a better chance of passing. Baldwin says wolves are straying closer to livestock herds, killing both farm animals and family pets. Because of that, she says parents are not letting their kids play where they normally do. Baldwin says it should be up to the state to decide its own management plan that keeps everyone’s interests in mind — including Indian tribes where wolves are of “unique significance.”