Born On Heroin Bills To Be Considered By Assembly
1/13/14 – Four bills aimed at stopping the rise in heroin use and overdose deaths will be up for consideration in the state Assembly Tuesday. We discussed the topic recently on WBEV’s Community Comment with Representative Mark Born. The Republican from Beaver Dam says legislators do need to find a way to make people feel safe when calling for help because people are dying and it is a dangerous drug. However, he says that lawmakers need to be careful with the number of exemptions granted. The Assembly’s criminal justice panel unanimously endorsed bills late last week to let trained emergency responders give the antidote drug Narcan to those who O-D, which Born supports provided it is not a mandate. At the public hearing by the justice panel, a substance abuse coordinator said fellow users throw overdose victims in a shower instead of helping, so they don’t expose themselves to prosecution. Born says he is hesitant to support a “Good Samaritan” bill that grants immunity to those reporting overdoses to 9-1-1. The third bill would expand collection drives for prescription drugs. The Assembly health committee endorsed a fourth measure, requiring I-D’s to obtain prescription drugs. Assembly Republican John Nygren of Marinette proposed all four measures, after his daughter Cassie almost died from a heroin overdose in 2009.
Two Killed In Weekend Snowmobile Crashes
1/13/14 – At least two people were killed in Wisconsin snowmobile crashes this weekend. A 70-year-old woman died Saturday afternoon in Price County in the northwest part of the state. Sheriff’s officials said her snowmobile left a public trail near Phillips and struck a wire, and then a tree. She died at the scene. In Racine County, 52-year-old Thomas Dretzka of Caledonia was killed Saturday morning when his machine crashed in his home community. The D-N-R continues to investigate the crash. Officials said speed and alcohol were the main factors. At least seven people have been killed in Wisconsin snowmobile mishaps this winter. The D-N-R’s Web site listed five deaths before the weekend; that includes one in each in Dodge and Columbia counties.
Registered Sex Offender Moves Into Beaver Dam Today
1/13/14 – A registered sex offender will be moving into a Beaver Dam residence today after serving eight years in prison. Jason Becker was sentenced in 2006 on charges of child sexual assault. His victims were minor females. The 33-year-old will be living at 109-and-a-half Elm Street under 24-hour electronic monitoring supervised by the Department of Corrections. Becker is prohibited from having contact with his victims, cannot be anywhere children congregate and cannot live in the same residence as children. Authorities stress that Becker served his sentence and any threats, intimidation or harassment of registered sex offenders in not tolerated.
SuperLube Getaway Driver Enters Into Plea
1/13/14 – The driver of the getaway car in a Beaver Dam burglary entered into a plea agreement with prosecutors on Friday. Andrew Poad pled to a felony count of being a Party to a Crime of felony Burglary and a misdemeanor dismissed but read into the record. In July, authorities found a window behind the Super Lube and Car Wash on North Spring Street shattered and a wall safe was tampered with. Cash was missing from the safe and keys were stolen to access coin operating vending machines. Police officers later spotted Poad’s parked car with several sets of keys in the backseat. The 28-year-old was seen in video surveillance inspecting the broken window from outside the building. Poad faces up to 12-and-a-half years in prison when he is sentenced in March.
Tighter Firewood Restrictions Under Consideration
1/13/14 – Wisconsin officials will consider tighter restrictions on moving firewood, in an effort to slow the spread of the tree-killing emerald ash borer. The Natural Resources Board will consider new rules on January 22nd to allow those in state recreation areas to use firewood from just 10 miles away. Firewood is a main carrier of the emerald ash borer, which has been spreading more rapidly throughout Wisconsin. In 2006, the D-N-R prohibited campers from using out-of-state firewood in state parks and forests. A year later, the state barred any firewood within 50 miles of a state property. That was reduced to 25 miles in 2010. Now, a 10-mile limit will be considered — and out-of-state firewood would also be allowed if it comes from within 10 miles. D-N-R staff members say the tighter perimeters have been known to slow the spread of the ash borer, which first appeared in the Badger State five-and-a-half years ago. It was detected for this first time in Dodge County last year.
Sportsmen’s Group Seek IRS Penalty Exemption
1/13/14 – The sportsmen’s group that had a controversial state grant rescinded last year is now asking the I-R-S not to assess penalties for the tax trouble the group got into. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel said the written request was part of a host of tax-related documents the United Sportsmen recently provided to the newspaper. They showed that the group’s only income for 2011 was a grant from the political group “Citizens for a Strong America.” In 2012, the United Sportsmen had a 29-thousand dollar deficit just a few months before seeking and getting a half-million dollar state grant. Majority Republicans included a the money in last year’s state budget to promote hunting and fishing, even though the United Sportsmen had no direct experience in that area. Governor Scott Walker later rescinded the grant after questions were raised about the group’s tax-exempt status. The Journal Sentinel said the group misrepresented its status and did not make required tax filings. Last month, the group told I-R-S it should not get tax penalties. It said its mistakes were the result of an administrative oversight and not deliberate late filings.
2013 Regional Vehicle Sales Outpace 2012
1/13/14 – Vehicle sales in the region last year outpaced sales in 2012 by a healthy margin. According to the Waterloo-based industry tracking firm Reg-Trak, there were just over 3600 cars and light trucks sold in Dodge County last year, 600 more than the previous year for an increase of nearly 20-percent. Columbia County car sales were up almost 15-percent over the two-year period with 2600 cars sold last year compared to 2300 in 2012. Jefferson County vehicle sales topped 2300 last year, up 10-percent.
Title Loan Lawsuit Checks In The Mail
1/13/14 – About 23-thousand customers of the Wisconsin Auto Title Loans’ company are expected to get checks next month in the settlement of a state lawsuit. The state Justice Department and Milwaukee’s Legal Aid Society accused the company of adding extra costs to title loans, by enrolling borrowers into a motor club. The lawsuit said Wisconsin Auto Title Loans never told certain customers about the enrollment, or else they said it was mandatory. Under a settlement announced in September, the firm put two-and-three-quarter million dollars into a restitution fund for customers who took out loans from 1999-through-2010, and paid back the amounts of their loans or more. To get settlement checks, customers had to confirm their addresses by last November 15th. Auto Title Loans is based in Green Bay and has 22 locations throughout the state.
BDCH Foundation Grants Deadline Wednesday
1/13/14 – The Beaver Dam Community Hospitals Foundation is accepting applications for grant funding requests through this Wednesday. Grant requests must be consistent with the mission of the Beaver Dam Community Hospitals Foundation and are intended to support community projects and programs that promote the health and wellness within the geographic area served by the hospital. Since January of 2006, the foundation has awarded $408,800 in restricted and unrestricted funds. The deadline to submit applications is January 15. Organizations interested in applying for a grant for local health care or community health programs, please contact Dawn O’Polka at (920) 887-4077, or at dopolka@bdch.org, for an application or additional information. More information is available at www.bdch.com.
