Fox Lake Contracting With Waupun Animal Shelter
2/6/14 – Fox Lake is now contracting their animal control services with the Waupun Area Animal Shelter. The city had previously contracted with the Dodge County Humane Society in Juneau, which offered their services for $2400 for the year for the first ten dogs. The City Council last night approved a contract with Waupun for a flat rate of $125 per dog. Mayor Tom Bednarek says the city usually has less than ten stray dogs per year. Bednarek says the lower costs, coupled with the fact Waupun is a closer distance to Fox Lake than Juneau, made for a clear choice. Bednarek says the city will keep stray dogs as long as possible before turning them over to the shelter. The owners of the dogs that wind up at the shelter will have to pay a $25 reclamation fee. Any unlicensed animals would have to be licensed within ten days. Waupun has a no-kill shelter but any animal that is unclaimed for 10 days becomes eligible for adoption.
Golf Carts Now Allowed On Select Fox Lake Streets
2/6/14 – The Fox Lake City Council approved an ordinance last night that allows golf carts to be driven on certain city streets. Police Chief Jim Rohr says the ordinance allows for golf carts on streets with a posted speed limit of 25 miles-per-hour or less. Rohr says there are no streets in Fox Lake with a 30 mile speed limit, but the streets that are 35 miles-an-hour or more divide the city into two separate sections where golf carts can be used. The golf cart ordinance also sets the minimum age for operation at 16, with a valid drivers license and insurance; establishes an annual fee for registration; restricts use to a half hour after sunrise and a half hour before sunset between April and November. When it comes to alcohol use, the same rules that apply to motor vehicles apply to golf carts.
Walker Would Consider ‘Tweaks” To Tax Cut Plan
2/6/14 – Governor Scott Walker says he’ll consider what he calls “tweaks” to his proposed half-billion dollar tax cut package. The Republican governor told reporters in Madison yesterday (Wed) he would consider changes in what he asked the Legislature to approve two weeks ago. However, he’s not saying what the changes might be. The governor said he has not negotiated with legislative leaders on a new set of numbers. Walker has proposed large property-and-income tax cuts that would save the average Wisconsin homeowner 177-dollars. The Assembly is scheduled to vote on the package next Tuesday. Republican Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald of Juneau says his party’s members are still talking about what they would-and-would-not support. Some G-O-P senators say they’d rather assure that an 825-million-dollar structural deficit in the next budget be eliminated before any of the recent billion-dollar surplus is refunded. Walker said he believes the Assembly is ready to vote on the same package he introduced. He expects the Senate to support his principles as well — but it will take a little longer to get there.
Walker Slams Burke on Jobs
2/6/14 – Governor Scott Walker says his Democratic opponent Mary Burke supports a minimum wage increase because she does not have a plan for creating new jobs. The Republican Walker spoke to reporters in Madison yesterday (Wed), where he continued to attack a plan by legislative Democrats to raise the state’s current minimum wage of 7.25-an-hour in stages. It would rise to 10.10 in two years. Burke had earlier supported a more modest increase — but the former Waterloo-based Trek Bicycle exec said last weekend she’d align herself with other Democrats on the issue. Burke also said she would unveil a comprehensive jobs plan in the coming weeks. A recent Marquette poll gave Walker a six-point lead over Burke, but 62-percent in the poll said there should be at least some jump in the minimum wage. Walker says the best way to raise wages is to help employers create more jobs — and he says his administration has carried out a plan for doing that. Barring an explosion of new plants, Walker will not keep his 2010 campaign promise to create a quarter-million private sector jobs by the end of his current term. About a fifth of voters in the Marquette survey said they’d vote for Walker even if he doesn’t reach his goal. He plans to unveil a jobs plan for a second term this spring.
West Bend Man Charged In Nationwide Contest Scam
2/6/14 – A West Bend man will pay 10-thousand dollars to settle allegations that he defrauded Americans in a contest scam. The Federal Trade Commission said it originally ordered Jason Cruz to pay back the entire 185-thousand dollars that he bilked. But the F-T-C said he didn’t have the money, so Cruz will pay the government back in other ways — including his cooperation in the agency’s future consumer investigations. The government said Cruz sent at least 14-million deceptive text messages to consumers around the country. He said they won I-Pads and thousand-dollar gift cards to Walmart and Best Buy — but to win the prizes, the consumers had to go on a fraudulent Web site where they had to buy quote, “questionable products and services” with monthly charges. A number of people took the bait — even though authorities have constantly tried to remind us that we cannot win contests we don’t enter, and a legitimate contest will never charge you a cent to collect a prize.
Horicon Man Enters Plea In Assault
2/6/14 – A Horicon man entered a “no contest” plea Wednesday to charges of having inappropriate contact with a preteen girl. 27-year-old Carlos Martinez Navarro was originally charged with felony First Degree Child Sexual Assault but pled to reduced charges of felony Child Abuse, Recklessly Causing Harm. Authorities were called to the hospital last year after a woman found pictures of the young girl on Navarro’s cell phone. The girl met with a social worker and outlined the assaults that had occurred over a several month period at residence in Horicon. Navarro was sentenced to 289 days in the Dodge County Jail with credit for 217 days of time served.
Beaver Dam Teen Arraigned On Burglary Charge
2/6/14 – One of the teenagers charged with breaking into several homes in Beaver Dam was in Dodge County court for an arraignment hearing Wednesday. 18-year-old William Simmons stood mute Wednesday and the court entered a “not guilty” plea to a count of felony Burglary on his behalf. Authorities responded to a home on Lakeshore Drive in November following a report of individuals trying to enter the residence without consent. Throughout the morning, several other calls were received about attempted entry to various homes in the same area. Simmons apprehended a short time later following a traffic stop of a suspicious vehicle on South Center Street. Stolen items were allegedly recovered from his vehicle. The next day, as part of the follow-up investigation, 18-year-old Cody Anderson was arrested along with a 16-year-old juvenile. Anderson entered a “not guilty” plea at arraignment last month.
Two Injured In Train Versus Vehicle Accident
2/6/14 – Two minor injuries were reported after a vehicle struck a Wisconsin Southern Railroad train yesterday. According to the Dodge County Sheriff’s Department, the accident happened around 4pm at the tracks on Oakwood Road just off Highway 151 in the Town of Chester. The two people injured were transported to Waupun Hospital. Town officials responded to the scene to replace downed street signs.
State Trust Fund Loans Announced
2/6/14 – The state’s Board of Commissioners of Public Lands this week approved two State Trust Fund Loans totaling $57,000 to the village of Rosendale in Fond du Lac County to purchase a squad car and finance street construction. It was part of more than $1.45 million in loans the board approved. Among the other loans the board approved was $120,000 to allow Washington County’s Town of Trenton to purchase a snow plow.
Fond du Lac Fire Department Details Narcan Usage
2/6/14 – There were some surprising statistics released by the Fond du Lac Fire Department this week. A record 79 times paramedics administered Narcan last year, 37 times for drug overdoses. Thirteen times it ended up saving someone’s life. Assistant Chief Todd Janquart says while they like to see people’s life saved by their personnel in the medication of Narcan, it also humbles them that there is a problem in the community. Janquart says four people died of overdoses last year in Fond du Lac and three of them died of heroin overdoses.
Healthcare Reform Enrollment Fair Today
2/6/14 – Dodge County residents who are still planning to sign-up for insurance through the federal exchanges can get some help Thursday. A Healthcare Reform Enrollment Fair is being held at Moraine Park Technical College’s Beaver Dam campus from noon to 7pm. Officials say there will be certified agents available in-person to help with application filings and answer questions. Throughout the day, there will also be information sessions about the Affordable Care Act and Marketplace to learn more about this new law. Those applying will need to be prepared with basic information about yourself and your family and current insurance options. Identification is also needed. The fair at Moraine Park is hosted by the Dodge County Regional Enrollment Network, which consists of local organizations including the Dodge County Human Services and Health Department and the Beaver Dam Community Hospital, among others.
Dodge County Healthcare Reform Enrollment Fair will take place Thursday, February 6, at Moraine Park Technical College, 700 Gould Street in Beaver Dam, in Rooms K207 and K208 from 12pm-7pm. For more information, please call 608-288-2545 or email MarketplaceQuestions@gmail.com.
Owl Prowl Saturday At Horicon Marsh
2/6/14 – Those who like searching for snowy owls in the Horicon Marsh will have a chance to do it with like-minded souls this weekend. The D-N-R and the Marsh Bird Club are holding an “owl prowl” event on Saturday. Searching will take place during the day. The group will then hear a presentation about snowy owls — and then they’ll go back outside on Saturday night to call the birds. Snowy owls have wing-spans close to five-feet. They’re among the largest owls in North America, and many hang around Arctic climates year-round.
Columbus Sleigh Rally on Saturday
2/6/14 – The 4th annual Columbus Sleigh Rally is scheduled for Fireman’s Park this Saturday. Sleigh Rally events start at 8am and run throughout the day in the Park, Pavilion, and the Golf Course. Country Club sleigh rides, a model horse show and sleigh competition through a course lined with Christmas trees have been planned. One unique event is the annual “skijoring” contest where police department radar guns measure the fastest times of horse-drawn ski racers. Rally events have been planned by the Wisconsin Equine Foundation, the State Horse Council, the Two-Bit Ranch of Columbus and the City’s Department of Public Works.