News – April 28, 2016

Town Of Fox Lake May Lose Authority To Govern

 

4/28/16 – The Fox Lake Town Board may no longer have the authority to govern and enforce zoning. The five-member town board held its annual meeting Saturday and the process of the annual meeting allows for any township resident to make a motion on municipal matters and cast a vote. A motion by former township supervisor and current county board Supervisor Ed Benter sought to rescind the townships so-called “village powers.” The motion was approved by a two-thirds majority of the three dozen residents, and elected officials, in attendance.  Town Board Chairman Carlton Schley says that the board first adopted village status in 1973, when his father was town board chairman. Without village powers, Schley says the township loses its ability adopt and enforce zoning and land use ordinances, effectively dissolving the town’s Plan Commission. That means the township would not be able to enforce a recently-adopted beautification ordinance that cracks down on property owners with eyesores and other junk visible to the public.  The city of Fox Lake would also be able to annex taxable property from the township. The town appointed a zoning administrator in the fall, the first since village powers were granted. Without village powers, the position – which pays $100-per hour – would no longer be needed. That was among the reasons cited by Ed Benter in making the motion to rescind village powers.  Chairman Schley says it is unclear if the recent vote is binding or advisory. The township attorney is researching the matter and will have an opinion at the board’s June meeting. While the Town of Fox Lake has had village powers for over 40 years, Benter says the township did not have zoning authority until it was adopted in a separate resolution in 2007. If Saturday’s vote did rescind village powers, a separate vote would be needed to give the townships zoning authority to the county.

 

Horicon Bank Executive VP: Accounts Are Safe

 

4/28/16 – A local bank is ensuring customers that their accounts are safe.  Horicon Bank members have expressed concerns over account safety after it was recently announced three people were federally indicted for allegedly conspiring to commit bank fraud.  Executive Vice President Jay Vanden Boogart says the bank dealt with the incidents when they occurred in 2008 and 2009.  Vanden Boogart says all deposits at Horicon Bank are insured to their limits by the FDIC.  He also says Horicon Bank is well-capitalized, meaning it is financially strong and in a good equitable position.  53-year-old Paul Piikkila, a loan officer at Horicon Bank’s Appleton branch, allegedly approved a series of loans totaling over $1,000,000 for a business owned by 62-year-old Ronald Van Den Heuvel and 52-year-old Kelly Van Den Heuvel, both of DePere.  Since the bank advised Piikkila not to loan them any money, many of the loans were reportedly made to borrowers who did not receive money and were not expected to pay it back.  The loans allegedly were not used for the business purposes listed on the applications, and inadequate collateral was provided.  If convicted, Ronald Van Den Heuvel faces up to 365 years in prison and fines totaling over $12,000,000.  Kelly Van Den Heuvel could face up to 65 years in prison and over $2,000,000 in fines.  Piikkila could serve up to five years in prison and face a $250,000 fine.

 

Madison Man Charged In Randolph Home Break-Ins

 

4/28/16 – A Madison man is accused of playing a role in a pair of Randolph home break-ins from 2013.  Dywone Clay is facing one felony Burglary count.  Cash and a digital camera were taken from the first house, and a second break-in was attempted two weeks later.  The 26-year-old allegedly committed the crimes with two other men.  Cody Anderson of Beaver Dam was found guilty for his role in the burglaries in March and was sentenced to five months in jail.  Dylan Turner of Beaver Dam will be back in court June 1.  Clay’s initial appearance is set for May 16.

 

WCI Inmate Pleads Not Guilty To Attacking Corrections Officer

 

4/28/16 – An inmate at the Waupun Correctional Institution accused of attacking a corrections officer pled not guilty at arraignment yesterday.  David Czapiewski is charged with Felony Battery by Prisoner as a Repeat Offender.  The 36-year-old allegedly kicked the officer multiple times in February 2015 as staff was trying to restrain him in his cell.  The officer was injured as a result.  Czapiewski reportedly admitted to the crime, saying something to the effect of “I kicked him to get the demons out.”  If he is convicted, Czapiewski faces up to ten additional years in prison.  He will be back in court June 21.

 

Beaver Dam Woman Pleads Not Guilty To Series Of Thefts

 

4/28/16 – A Beaver Dam woman accused of stealing from multiple stores pled not guilty at arraignment yesterday.  Kimberly Gaziano is facing two felony counts of Retail Theft.  The 34-year-old allegedly admitted to taking items from multiple stores in December.  If she is convicted, Gaziano faces over 7 years in prison.  She will be back in court June 2.

 

SWAT Team Seizes Guns, Drugs From Town of Lowell Felon

 

4/28/16 – A number of items were seized from the home of a convicted felon in Lowell yesterday morning.  That’s according to the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office whose SWAT team executed a search warrant at N3315 County Highway J.  Roughly 35 guns, thousands of rounds of ammunition, and suspected drugs were reportedly taken from the house. 56-year-old Kirk Lupton was taken into custody and booked in the Dodge County Jail.  A possession of a firearm by a felon charge has been referred to the district attorney’s office.  As part of the sting, 34-year-old Richard Nutter was also taken into custody on a probation violation.  The Milwaukee County Bomb Squad was called in to check an ordnance device that was reportedly found in the home.  Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt says it was inactive and notes the community is safe.  The search warrant was part of a lengthy investigation into the purchase and possession of firearms by a person who is legally prohibited from owning those items.  Schmidt says his office will continue to investigate the matter.

 

Detour On Beaver Dam’s Park Ave For Water Main Leak Repair

 

4/28/16 – Drivers in Beaver Dam will see a detour on one of the city’s busiest streets today.  Crews will repair a water main leak on Park Avenue.  Westbound traffic is advised to go from Park Avenue to Franklin Street to Prospect Avenue to North University Avenue, and back to Park Avenue.  Eastbound traffic should not be affected.  Work should start around 7 am and is expected to wrap up by late-afternoon.  Similar work was done yesterday at the intersection of Park Avenue and North Vita Avenue.

 

Prosser Receiving Praise Upon Retirement

 

4/28/16 – After a sometimes turbulent 18 years on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, David Prosser received praise from both of the court’s main factions as he announced his retirement. The 73-year-old Prosser, a former Republican state Assembly speaker, said yesterday he would step down July 31st midway through his current ten year term as he ends four decades of public service. The conservative Prosser had clashes with the court’s liberal wing, both in his writings and in a physical spat with Justice Ann Walsh Bradley in 2011 over the ruling that upheld the G-O-P’s public union bargaining limits — the law which played a key role in a close 2011 election in which Prosser just barely won a statewide recount. Still, liberal Justice Shirley Abrahamson wishes Prosser well, saying he has long been involved in Wisconsin’s most important issues — and conservative Chief Justice Pat Roggensack says his presence will be “greatly missed.” Republican Governor Scott Walker will appoint a replacement.

 

Bank Headquarters To Stay In Wisconsin

 

4/28/16 – Wisconsin’s largest home-based bank plans to keep its headquarters in Green Bay. Rumors are flying after Associated Bank purchased the 28 story Milwaukee Center for more than $60,000,000. C-E-O Philip Flynn told an annual stockholders meeting that Associated Bank has more than 320 employees in its current Milwaukee offices, and the facilities are four times as small as what’s available in the bank’s newest building. Flynn says the downtown structure has a positive cash flow, since 85% of it is occupied right now. Flynn says the purchase allows the bank to control “its own real estate destiny” in the state’s largest market, but that does not mean it will move its headquarters 120 miles south of where they are now. Associated Bank has 200 branches in three states including locations in Columbus, Hartford and Beaver Dam.