(Juneau) The Dodge County Human Services and Health Department is down half of their normal nursing staff after several recent resignations. Human Services Director Becky Bell told the county board’s Executive Committee yesterday that two nurses have left, that is on top of Public Health Officer Abby Sauer leaving last month. She proposed offering a $6,000 sign-on bonus and a $1,000 retention bonus for the nurses who remain. Bell notes that they are having difficulties getting qualified candidates to apply. The bonuses will be discussed further at the Human Resources Committee meeting on Monday.
(Juneau) Dodge County is on track to fill a key departmental opening. Director of Human Resources Sarah Hinze stepped down from the position last month to take a job with another public employer. County leaders told the Executive Committee Monday that a resolution to fill the post will be presented to the Human Resources Committee next Monday. The goal is to have the individual who is hired start by late March or early April.
(Beaver Dam) The cost to repair the sagging lagoon walls at Beaver Dam’s Swan Park is higher than anticipated. Initial estimates for the project were pegged at around a half-million dollars. The bid from Janke General Contractors of Athens totals $968-thousand dollars. The city council will decide in two weeks if the shortfall will be covered by monies left over from another project at Swan Park: the installation of a splash pad.
(Beaver Dam) This will be the final year for the wading pool at Beaver Dam’s Swan Park. The common council Monday night approved the hiring of MSA Professional Services of Beaver Dam to draw up designs for a new splash pad to replace the pool at a cost of $170-thousand dollars. The pool at Swan Park has exceeded its useful life.
(Beaver Dam) A Beaver Dam Police Department K-9 helped track and locate a suspect who fled authorities this past weekend. A Dodge County sheriff’s deputy attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a vehicle on Highway G in the Town of Westford just before 2am Sunday. The driver fled on foot in an unknown direction. K-9 Yeti was brought in to help find the suspect and quickly located fresh footprints in the snow. After nearly an hour of tracking, Yeti found the driver on the ice of Beaver Dam Lake where they were taken into custody without incident.
(Lomira) A Minnesota woman facing a felony count of Seventh Offense Operating While under the Influence in Dodge County made her initial appearance in court yesterday Monday. Ebony Lane allegedly used somebody else’s ID, who had no prior OWI convictions, while arrested for driving under the influence in 2016. Local authorities later learned that Lane found the ID in Minnesota after a person said they misplaced it while visiting. According to the criminal complaint, Lane had six prior OWI convictions. If convicted, the 39-year-old faces up to 20 years in prison. A signature bond was set at $1,000 and a preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 17th.
