News – February 26, 2020

(Juneau) The Dodge County Board has postponed their vote to form a Beaver Dam Lake District. Last night, the board voted to move the matter to their meeting in March. The reason for the delay was to allow board members the opportunity to further research an amendment made by Supervisor Jeff Schmitt. His measure would amend the boundary of the district proposed by the Beaver Dam Lake Improvement Association, removing 560 parcels out of 1,104. Schmitt says his motion takes out property owners who do not want to be part of the lake district. Officials with the Beaver Dam Lake Improvement Association say the district would, among other things, greatly improve the lake’s chances of receiving DNR grant funding.

(Horicon) The Horicon City Council last (Tuesday) night approved a contract for Emergency Medical Services with the village of Kekoskee. Kekoskee approached Horicon for EMS services after negotiations stalled with the city of Mayville in 2018. The contract, which was first put in place in January of last year, will be month-to-month for no more than six months starting April 1. Alderman Don Miller voted no, he feels the $840 monthly charge is too low. Mayor Jim Grigg says that the city wants to review its longstanding EMS contracts with each of the five townships that partner with Horicon before entering into a long-term contract with Kekoskee.

(Horicon) The city of Horicon is going to be netting $111-thousand dollars in savings by refinancing bonds. The city council last (Monday) night approved a plan that will see over $12-thousand dollars in annual principal and interest savings over the next nine years. The bonds initially issued in 2010 for various water utility projects had a principal balance of roughly $1.3-million dollars outstanding. The 2020 Water System Revenue Refunding Bonds approved as part of last night’s action total around $1.17-million dollars. The money saved is expected to help stimulate operating funds in the water utility.

(Waupun) A Trempealeau County man who tried to smuggle illegal contraband into a Waupun correctional facility was sentenced yesterday (Tuesday) to five months behind bars after pleading no contest to one felony count of Delivering Illegal Articles to an Inmate. Kyle Klimek threw chewing tobacco into a ditch near the John Burke Correctional Center last June.

(Mayville) A Hustisford man charged with attempting to flee police custody was sentenced yesterday (Tuesday) to 60 days in jail. Patrick Kocha pled to felony Escape for the November incident. Kocha struck an officer in the face while he was being detained for a traffic violation. The 43-year-old took off on foot but was later arrested when he returned home.

(Waupun) Waupun Police took a 24-year-old sex offender into custody on a probation hold Monday night, but the Montello man will face other charges for allegedly possessing methamphetamine and obstructing officers. He was stopped for speeding on West Main Street and a search turned up a scale and baggie of suspected meth. He also allegedly lied to officers about who he was and had a 17-year-old girl in the vehicle with him, which violates conditions of his registration as a sex offender.  He was taken to the Dodge County Jail and charges were referred to the District Attorney’s Office.

(Town of Jackson) A Washington County man was arrested by Sheriff’s deputies over the weekend for his sixth Operating While Intoxicated offense. The suspect was passed out in his car on the side of the road outside his Town of Jackson residence when deputies checked on him. The 58-year-old said he had just gotten back from a local restaurant where he had purchased ice cream drinks and had fallen asleep in his car.  Officers found two bottles of Vodka on the passenger seat and a breath test put his level of intoxication over four times the legal limit. He was out on bond for his fifth OWI at the time.

(Beaver Dam) The international competition that the Beaver Dam Middle School’s robotics team was scheduled to attend has been canceled over concerns of the coronavirus. The Masterminds is a club with nine students who build and program robots using the LEGO Mindstorm platform in competing against handmade robots from other schools. The Masterminds are one of two teams from Wisconsin, and one of eight from the United States, who were invited to compete in Japan this May. The announcement that the tournament has been canceled was made Monday.