Sheriff: Deputies Receive Annual Use Of Force Training
8/8/16 – Sheriff Dale Schmidt says he and his officers are experienced in dealing with high stakes situations like the one they encountered Friday night. Police were called to Beaver Dam’s Spring Lake Apartments at 6:46 pm for a check welfare call on a subject who was making suicidal comments and had a gun. After two hours of negotiations, authorities say the man turned his gun toward a sheriff’s deputy and fired. The deputy returned fire and killed the suspect. Schmidt says each member of his department receives at least 24 hours of training each year on matters such as dealing with emotionally disturbed people and use of force situations. The sheriff says they are often successful in settling this sort of incident peacefully but occasionally deadly force is required. The uninjured deputy has been placed on non-disciplinary administrative leave while the incident is being investigated. Names could be made available as early as this afternoon.
Dodge County Residents Reminded Of Primary Voting Rules
8/8/16 – Dodge County voters are reminded of voting requirements ahead of tomorrow’s partisan primary election. Offices that will appear on the ballot include: US Senate and House of Representatives, state Senate and Assembly, and four county positions. Dodge County Clerk Karen Gibson says voters need to select one party and only vote for candidates in that party since it is a primary election. She says that will not hold true in November’s general election. Gibson says the polling machine will reject any ballot with crossover voting. People will have a chance to fix their ballot if that happens. Despite recent legal action, Gibson says voters need to bring a photo ID to the polls to vote tomorrow, such as a driver’s license, state-issued ID card, military ID, veteran’s ID, passport, or certificate of naturalization. If the person is already registered to vote, she says the address does not need to be correct. Gibson says anyone who needs to register to vote should bring a document with their current address such as a driver’s license, state-issued ID card, real estate tax bill or receipt, bank statement, or government issued document. The polls will be open tomorrow from 7 am to 8 pm. A list of polling places is on Dodge County’s website. There are no contested races of Dodge County offices tomorrow. Democrats and Republicans in State Senate District 18 will each have to choose between two candidates.
Democrats To Vote On Milwaukee DA In Primary
8/8/16 – Special interest groups have put up most of the campaign money for a primary Tuesday in Milwaukee County in which a state John Doe prosecutor is up for reelection. District Attorney John Chisholm is running against fellow Democrat Verona Swanigan — and the winner will not face a Republican in November. The Journal Sentinel says both candidates have only spent a fraction of what the conservative Milwaukeeans for Self Governance and the liberal Greater Wisconsin Committee have spent. Eric O’Keefe, who was targeted by Chisholm in a former John Doe campaign spending probe, is part of the self governance group and has put money into the race. The Greater Wisconsin Committee is in a category in which its donors will be disclosed eventually — but not until months after the primary.
BDUSD Superintendent: New Technology Will Enhance Learning
8/8/16 – Beaver Dam Schools Superintendent says a recent technology purchase will help students increase their access to the world. The Beaver Dam School Board approved a $137,000 technology purchase at their July meeting. That cost includes 760 Chromebooks and accompanying management software. The goal of the one-to-one initiative is to give every student a Chromebook for use in school and at home. The devices will be handed out at the middle school this upcoming semester and then at the high school students in 2017. The laptops and tablets from the middle and high school will then be redistributed to the elementary schools. Superintendent Steve Vessey says not only do you increase student access to the world through the internet but it’s also cost efficient, reducing funds spent on paper and saving money on textbooks. In addition, moving to Wi-Fi has reduced hardwiring costs. Vessey says the district could not afford to give every student a $1000 laptop but a Chromebook costs around $170. The Chromebook runs the Google platform instead of Windows and storage is cloud-based so there is no need for a hard drive. Vessey says the Chromebook usage in the classroom will depend on the classroom, the teacher and the needs of the students. The curriculum and skills being taught will not change; he says adding that the Chromebook will be used when it’s beneficial to students and teachers. Vessey says it is about integrating where appropriate because they do not want kids with their head in a computer screen all day. We asked Vessey why there is such a variety of devices instead of one uniform set of hardware at all grade levels. He says tablets such as iPads are idea for Kindergarten through third graders because it does not require keyboard usage; laptops will be used by older students to create and collaborate. Desktop computers will be used when heavy software is run, especially at the high school for science, technical education classes. The cost to parents for the Chromebook is $15, which will cover normal wear and tear and common fixes like a cracked screen. Like a textbook, if a Chromebook is lost or destroyed the student is responsible for the $170 replacement cost. To offset the cost of the Chromebook, the school supply list that students are given at the beginning of the year has been reduced by $15. Each Chromebook will also contain software that filters out questionable websites.
West Bend Man Accused of Mayville Storage Unit Break-Ins
8/8/16 – A 47-year-old West Bend man is being held in the Washington County Jail for allegedly burglarizing several Mayville storage units. The Mayville Police Department says it recovered over $30,000 in stolen property. Mayville-area residents with storage units are advised to check if anything has been stolen and contact Mayville Police if they were a victim.
Minor Damage Reported To Beaver Dam Middle School
8/8/16 – There is minor damage to the Beaver Dam Middle School after it was struck by a car early Sunday morning. Police say 24-year-old Michael Fouts was issued five citations for the incident. At 12:24 am, police received a call that a man drove into the building and took off on foot. Roughly three hours later, a second caller reported Fouts for looking into parked vehicles on Spring Street. Upon contact, police determined Fouts was the subject of the first complaint. No word yet on the damage estimates for the school.
Waupun Streets To Be Detoured For Truck And Show
8/8/16 – A temporary detour will be set up on two of Waupun’s busiest roads later this week. Highway 49 will be closed from Gateway Drive to Fox Lake Road. Highway 26 will only be open to local traffic from East Spring Street to East Jefferson Street. The detours will go in place for the Waupun Truck and Show parades. They will be in effect Friday from 8:45 pm to 11 pm and Saturday from 2:45 pm to 4:45 pm. Drivers heading west on Highway 49 should head south on Shaler Drive, west on Lincoln Street, north on Rens Way, north on Fox Lake Road, west on Brown Street, and north on County Park Road to West Main Street. Southbound traffic on Highway 26 should go north on Frontage Road, east on Highway 26, and south on Highway 151 to get to either Highway 26 or Highway 151 south.
