(Beaver Dam) Beaver Dam Mayor Becky Glewen says recent personnel changes at City Hall are budget neutral. Longtime Director of Administration John Somers is retiring and is being replaced by Jeff Wiswell, who is now the city Finance Director and City Clerk, inheriting all of Somers responsibilities except personnel matters. The Common Council also recently approved the creation of a part-time Community Development Manager, which will be tasked with enhancing downtown offerings while also promoting retail opportunities citywide. With Somers retirement, and the reduction of the Deputy City Clerk from full-time to part-time – also through attrition – Glewen says the two personnel changes stayed within budget. Glewen told us on WBEV’s Community Comment Friday that while the city is losing the institutional knowledge of a longtime department head, Beaver Dam is gaining talented personnel with a great resume bringing a new perspective to municipal management.
(Montello) A Marquette County woman is arrested in connection to a deadly house fire earlier this month. The fire on the 20th in Montello caused the death of 43-year-old Daniel Gilmartin. More details on the 42-year-old Montello suspect will be released once she is officially charged in court.
(Beaver Dam) State Representative Mark Born was reluctant but has come to agree that the installation of a roundabout on Highway 33 is the safest option. Born says something needed to be done to fix the dangerous intersection with County Road P and put an end to a high number of fatal crashes. The state applied to the Federal Highway Safety Improvement Program and was granted the $1.5-million-dollar cost for the project. Born says the data supports the fed’s position that a roundabout would be safer than a four-way stop, which had been a temporary solution. During construction, drivers are being detoured to highways 67, 28 and 41. Work is slated for completion by July 3 and law enforcement is monitoring the area.
(Madison) There is a chance for a compromise when it comes to potential Medicaid expansion in Wisconsin. Some Republicans are open to the idea to working with Governor Evers to accept federal funding while trying to prevent people on private insurance to move onto Medicaid. Governor Evers says he wants a full expansion, while Republican Legislative leaders say they are against this.
(Beaver Dam) The Beaver Dam Chamber of Commerce’s Young Professionals Week wrapped up with a tree planting at Rotary Riverwalk Park on Saturday. Young Professionals Week is a growing, national week of activities for millennials that started in Wisconsin six years ago. The Beaver Dam Chamber recently launched Catalyst, a new group aimed at engaging young adults in the Dodge County area. Catalyst Chairperson Alison Wolf says Young Professionals Week was a success that included a coffee roasting tour, a wine-tasting and a glimpse at the first exhibit at the new Dodge County Center for the Arts. She says it is their goal to show millennials that Dodge County is a great place to live with a lot to offer. Wolf encourages millennials wishing to get involved with Catalyst to attend their monthly meetings at Higher Grounds Coffee in Beaver Dam.
(Wisconsin) Flags are at half-staff today across Wisconsin to remember former State Assemblyman Ed Brooks. He passed away last week at the age of 76 while battling cancer. Brooks represented the state’s 50th district in southwest Wisconsin from 2009 to 2019, as well as six years with the Army Reserve.
