(Juneau) Dodge County is currently exploring the option to establish several shared positions with Jefferson County. Jefferson County does not have a purchasing agent and the position in Dodge County has been vacant since November. Jefferson County does have a vacant but approved opening for a risk manager/safety coordinator while those duties fall under the purview of Dodge County Administrator Jim Mielke. While discussions on the matter are still in the early stages, Mielke says more information should come to light in the coming months. He says an intergovernmental agreement would be required to implement a shared position which would specify job tasks and need approval by both counties.
(Beaver Dam) Beaver Dam Police Sergeant Jeremiah Johnson says there are three types of jurisdictional pursuit laws. He says if an officer sees a violation within their jurisdiction and they pursue the suspect outside their area of authority it is called a fresh pursuit. Johnson says a close pursuit involves law enforcement leaving the entire state of Wisconsin. Lastly, hot pursuit covers situations when an officer can enter a home without a warrant which Johnson says is an exigent circumstance. He says if police spot a jail-able offense, such as disorderly conduct, and the suspect flees inside their house authorities can enter to arrest them.
(Poynette) Authorities in Columbia County have identified 66-year-old Stephen Riggins as the driver killed in last Friday’s two-vehicle crash in Dekorra. The collision occurred at 9:20pm at the intersection of County Highway CS and County V. An Alliant Energy truck failed to stop at a stop sign and collided with a car driven by Riggins in the intersection. The incident remains under investigation.
(Madison) Tax season is about to start and the IRS is reaching out to people to make sure they’re using the Free File program. IRS Free File Director Diane Fox says on average, you probably qualify to file your taxes online for free. She says anyone who made 69-thousand dollars or less last year can use the program. Around 52-thousand Wisconsinites used Free File last year. You can find a list of partnered programs and their free filing software online at I R S dot Gov slash Free File
(Madison) 2020 is here and the state consumer protection division wants you to make being scam smart part of your resolutions. Director Lara Sutherlin says that while the exact ways that scams play out have changed, the goals of a crook have not. She says you should be wary of people claiming to be a utility and demanding immediate payment, out of the blue emails or calls that you’ve won a prize, or strong arm tactics like claiming you’re wanted for a warrant and need to pay over the phone.
(Madison) The state DNR says it will not cite a landowner who shot dead an elk earlier this month in northern Wisconsin. The elk, part of a herd transfer from Kentucky back in April, died from rumen acidosis, a condition when an elk’s diet is changed too rapidly. The landowner, who shot the elk after seeing it eating corn, pledges to donate to the state’s elk program.
(Fond du Lac) The top Fairest of the Fair in Wisconsin for 2020 represents Fond du Lac County. Wisconsin State Fair Park officials selected Cayley Vande Berg of Eldorado from 36 contestants. Her Fairest of the Fairs title means she will be an ambassador for the next Wisconsin State Fair, and traveling across the state to promote fairs and agriculture industries this summer.
