News – December 9, 2022

(Beaver Dam) Food trucks planning on parking in Beaver Dam now have to obtain a permit. The common council this week adopted changes to their direct sellers ordinance to include mobile food kitchens. Food truck operators now need to obtain a $15 permit from the city which is good for one year. The ordinance allows for a city inspection of the food truck, prohibits operating hours between 8pm and 9am and restricts operations on city property without prior approval.

(Waupun) A jury trial has been scheduled for a former Waupun Correctional inmate in the Christmas Eve attempted murder of a correctional officer. Gregg Philips is already serving life in prison sentence for a 2004 double homicide. The 43-year-old allegedly used a shank to stab the prison guard 13 times and bit the wrist of a second corrections officer. During the attack, Phillips was reportedly overheard saying (quote) “A blue shirt needed to die.” The jury trial is slated to begin July 24, 2023.

(Juneau) The Dodge County Sheriff’s Office December Law of the Month reminds motorists to give snow plows enough room to do their work this winter. According to state statutes, the operator of any vehicle that is not a snowplow may not follow a snowplow closer than two hundred feet upon any highway having a posted speed limit of more than 35 miles per hour or seventy-five feet upon any highway having a posted speed limit of 35 miles per hour or less.

(Beaver Dam) The Beaver Dam Area Orchestra will be having their annual Christmas concert Saturday December 10th. There will be two separate performances at 5pm and 7pm at the Beaver Dam High School auditorium. Music director Erin Ebersol says the first performance is family oriented and will feature the One Voice Children’s Choir and both performances will feature a handbell solo. The concert is free to attend.

(Columbus) The Canadian Pacific Holiday Train will be bringing Wisconsinites joy and awareness to local food banks again after a two-year hiatus. Stops include Watertown, Portage, and Columbus. Ludington Street will be closed to all traffic from 7pm-11pm and there will be limited parking. The festive freight is pulling into the Columbus Amtrack Depot at 9:15pm.

(Wisconsin) Forty-seven House Republicans broke ranks with leadership, to send the Respect for Marriage Act to President Biden’s desk. Wisconsin’s Mike Gallagher and Bryan Steil were among Republicans voting yes on Thursday as the House gave final approval to the bill giving federal protections to same sex and interracial marriages, while Glenn Grothman, Tom Tiffany and Scott Fitzgerald voted no. Wisconsin Democrat Tammy Baldwin was a principal sponsor of the bill in the U.S. Senate, where Republican Ron Johnson also voted no-WRN.