Rick and Bill Walk The Line
4/14/15 – WXRO Morning Show hosts Rick Armon and Bill Johnson assisted the Beaver Dam Police Department Monday night by consuming a large amount of alcohol. The two polished off a one liter bottle of Jameson whiskey so officers could teach cadets with the Citizens Police Academy how they conduct a traffic stop for a suspected drunk driver. The two were asked to walk for nine steps in a straight line, count from 11-to-21, say the alphabet from D through X and perform the horizontal gaze nystagmus test, which measures intoxication based on eye movements. Police Sergeant Jake Vosters says based on the field sobriety tests conducted for the benefit of the citizen cadets, both Rick and Bill would have been arrested for Operating While Intoxicated had they been driving a motor vehicle. A preliminary breath test showed Rick to be slightly above the legal limit for driving at point-zero-eight-six (.086) while Bill registered at nearly twice the legal limit of point-one-three-nine (.139). The two had just finished the bottle and Vosters says the alcohol reading would have increased even higher before it started to decline because of the way alcohol metabolizes. Rick was given a ride home while Bill opted to walk.
BDUSD Working To Balance 2016-17 Budget
4/14/15 – The Beaver Dam School District is addressing a projected deficit of $1.4 million dollars for next year. Superintendent Steve Vessey told the school board last night that a number of factors are contributing to the shortfall. Among them, a half-million dollar reduction in per-pupil state aid in the governor’s proposed two-year budget and an across-the-board increase in operating costs to pay for everything from computers to paper. Vessey says the budget would be balanced primarily through attrition and other costs savings. Reductions in staff by four-and-a-half full-time equivalent positions is expected to save $675-thousand while the changes in benefits could save another $685-thousand. Benefit changes being considered include increased deductibles, a premium share and a possible carrier change. In addition, another $200-thousand will be reduced from operational budgets districtwide.
Columbus School Board Hires New Elementary Principal
4/14/15 – The Columbus School Board last night unanimously approved the contract for a new Principal to head up their Elementary and Discovery Charter Schools. After screening over fifty candidates the administration decided to hire from within. Beth Hellpap — an eleven-year teacher in Columbus — will be taking over for long-time Principal Sue Sewell. Hellpap says she looks forward to facing the challenges of the new dual post and that she has enjoyed teaching the elementary students. She will begin her term in office in July.
Mayor Casts Deciding Vote In Mayville Cell Tower Sale
4/14/15 – Without having a contract in hand, the Mayville Common Council passed a resolution to sell the leasing rights of its Slag Road cell tower. The topic has been contentious amongst the council members in recent months and last night’s vote was no different. Mayor Bob Redeker had to cast the deciding vote following the council’s three-three split. Alderman Rob Boelk Jr. has been the most vocal opponent to the idea since its inception and was not pleased with how things unfolded. He was frustrated that nobody was able to see a physical contract prior to the vote and was displeased that Redeker was able to cast the deciding vote on a project that he brought forth himself. Mayville had received a total of six offers from four companies, of which they selected the highest bid from Boost Financial Telecom. The agreement will bring the city $180,000 plus 50% of any money that is brought in by the end of the agreement. Boost Financial can either sell leasing rights to additional companies or wait until the current agreement with U.S. Cellular ends in 2026 and look to renegotiate. According to Redeker, this was the right move for the city for multiple reasons. He cited the rapid change of technology and the possibility that U.S. Cellular could cancel their current agreement at any time for an $800 fee to seek a cheaper alternative. The south side tower was built last year and currently houses Verizon while still having the capacity to take about six more companies. Mayville is hoping that the funds from Boost Financial will help the city end its nine-year financial plan on time and play a positive role in the 2016 budgeting process.
Mayville Gives Raises To Top Law Enforcement Officers
4/14/15 – The Mayville Common Council approved a pay increase for a couple of its top police officers. Chief Chris MacNeill and Captain Ryan Vossekuil will each receive a 4.3% raise effective the next full pay period. This decision was made in response to state statute that requires all law enforcement officers to make similar contributions to their retirement funds. A motion to table the matter until budget time failed as the concern was raised that MacNeill and Vossekuil would be losing money for the remainder of the year if not given the raise. The motion to approve the pay increase passed 5-1.
Mayville EMS To Receive New Power Load Cot
4/14/15 – The Mayville Common Council approved the purchase of a new power load cot to be used by its EMS. The cot will cost nearly $50-thousand dollars. The remaining funds from the Ambulance 2015 Capital Improvement Budget will begin to cover the cost. Roughly an additional $20-thousand dollars will be taken from a Bachhuber Donation Fund, and the remaining money will come from an EMS Trust Fund.
Bird Flu Detected In Jefferson County
4/14/15 – Wisconsin has confirmed its first case of the bird flu. The U-S-D-A said yesterday it identified the pathogenic H-5-N-2 strain in Jefferson County, in a commercial flock of around 200,000 chickens. The agency said the premises have been quarantined, and the birds on the site will be killed so the disease doesn’t spread. The U-S-D-A says there’s no risk to public health at the moment, and no danger to the food we buy-and-eat. There have been no human cases of the bird flu confirmed in the U-S — although the disease has killed one-point-two million turkeys around the Midwest. The Jefferson County discovery marks the first time that a commercial Midwest chicken farm has been hit.
Assembly To Consider Regulation of Ride-Sharing Services
4/14/15 – The Wisconsin Assembly is scheduled to vote today on new statewide regulations for online ride-sharing services like Uber. It’s one of about two dozen measures up for approval in a session this afternoon. Ride-sharing services involve private drivers who pick up passengers who call them on smartphone apps. Under the bill, companies would have to buy state licenses, arrange for criminal background checks on drivers, and have at least a million-dollars in liability insurance. They must also avoid discrimination against passengers for any reason. Uber supports the bill, saying it would be easier to follow statewide standards than a hodge-podge of local ordinances. Their competition, mainly taxi services, say the government is essentially cutting into their businesses. If the bill is approved today, it would go to the Senate.
Lying About Military Service Bill Up For A Vote
4/14/15 – It would be a crime to lie about serving in the military, under a Republican bill that’s up for approval in the Assembly today. The bill would make it a misdemeanor to falsely claim military service to somebody — or claim to receive a military award that was never earned. If the claims are made to commit a crime — or to help somebody else commit a crime — it would be a felony with up to 10-thousand dollars in fines and-or six years in prison.
