Dodge County Sitting On Large Road Salt Supply
1/22/16 – Salt supplies are high in Dodge County this winter. Highway Commissioner Brian Field says crews have gone out less than ten times due to the lack of snowfall. He says that is far less than most previous years at this time. The county came into the season with roughly 20,000 tons of salt, half of which belongs to the state for use on its highways. Only 2,000 tons of the over 17,000 contracted for has been received this winter. Dodge County has used less than 4,000 tons this season. With all of the county’s highway sheds full coming into this winter, Field says the county is considering temporary buildings or large tarps as storage options if there is more salt in the spring than the sheds can accommodate. Unless things change drastically, Field expects the largest leftover salt supply in his 30 years in the industry.
Unemployment Uptick In Wisconsin
1/22/16 – Unemployment is up a little in Wisconsin, but it remains well below the national norm. State officials report a seasonally-adjusted jobless rate of four-point-three percent for December — up one-tenth from November, but smaller than the U-S rate of five-percent for last month. A preliminary total of seven-thousand jobs were added in Wisconsin, but that’s based on a small survey of less than four-percent of state employers. Sixty-eight percent of eligible residents are in the state’s official workforce, almost five-and-a-half percent higher than the national participation rate. Ten-thousand more people joined the state workforce in December — and a record two-million-972 thousand Wisconsinites had jobs, a figure touted by Governor Scott Walker amid Democratic criticisms of slow job growth and large numbers of layoff notices.
Columbus School Board May Soon Meet In Council Chambers
1/22/16 – Columbus City Hall council chambers may soon be the home for school board meetings. The council is amending the Intergovernmental Agreement between the city and the school district to allow the school board to hold their bi-monthly meetings in the council chambers. When city hall was remodeled six years ago, the chambers were outfitted with digital multi-camera video recording facilities. Meanwhile, the school board continues to use their high school library for the digital recording of their meetings. Under the amended agreement, school board meetings will be recorded with the council chambers’ system. The city would train school district technicians to operate the video system. Council meetings are held on the first and third Tuesdays of each month and school board meetings are held on the second and fourth Mondays.
Columbus Looking To Upgrade Equipment At Parks
1/22/16 – The Columbus Recreation Committee is moving ahead with a plan to upgrade playground equipment at Meister and Washington parks. Recreation Director Amy Jo Meyers says that there is a list of park play structures that do not meet current safety regulations. The committee is working with build-it-yourself playground equipment vendor “Kaboom!” in exploring how $15-thousand dollars in grant money could be used in the community construction project. A community forum to discuss what new playground equipment is needed is being planned. The date and time of the community forum will be announced as soon as plans are finalized.
Making A Murderer Subject Transferred To Columbia County
1/22/16 – One of the men featured in the Netflix documentary “Making a Murderer” has been moved to another prison. Brendan Dassey was moved to the Columbia Correctional Institution in Portage Wednesday from the Green Bay Correctional Institution. A spokesperson for the Wisconsin Department of Corrections says inmate transfers are common, but no reason was given for Dassey’s transfer. At last word, Avery was being housed at Waupun Correctional.
Horicon Man Enters Plea In Washington County Assault
1/22/16 – The 61-year-old Horicon man facing sexual assault charges in Dodge and Washington counties has reached a plea agreement in his Washington County case. Gary L. Koppen Sr. pled guilty this week to five misdemeanor charges. He was sentenced to 18 months in jail and three years of probation. Other charges were read into the record and dismissed. Koppen will get credit for the 324 days he’s already served in jail. Meanwhile he’s being held in the Dodge County Jail on a $50-thousand dollar cash bond where he has a jury trial scheduled in March.
Dodge County Jury Finds Probable Cause For OWI Injury
1/22/16 – A Dodge County judge found probable cause for a Pardeeville man accused of injuring a motorcyclist while he had marijuana is his system to proceed to trial. Joshua J. Luther is facing one felony count of Injury By Vehicle – Controlled Substance. The incident occurred in May on Highway 151 when the 25-year-old allegedly pulled out in front of the motorcycle near County Highway DE. The 44-year-old motorcycle operator was transported by Med Flight and later had his leg amputated. Luther reportedly admitted to smoking marijuana the night prior. If convicted, the charge carries a maximum sentence of 12-and-a-half years in prison. He will be arraigned on February 3.
Burnett Man Accused Of Stealing Waives Preliminary Hearing
1/22/16 – A Burnett man accused of stealing from a Beaver Dam apartment waived his preliminary hearing yesterday. Keaton Koch will proceed to trial on a charge of felony Burglary. According to the criminal complaint, the 29-year-old broke into an apartment and stole clothes, shoes, an mp3 player, and a video game system. Koch allegedly made calls on the house’s home phone, asking various friends to pick him up down the block. Earlier that day, Koch reportedly fled on foot from an officer who was trying to stop him for an outstanding warrant. If he is convicted, Koch faces over 12 years in jail. His will be arraigned on February 11.
Multiple Thefts Reported At Lake Crest Apartments
1/22/16 – Authorities in Beaver Dam are investigating multiple thefts from storage units at a local apartment complex. Four residents of the Lake Crest Apartments on Lake Crest Drive reported several missing items to police early Wednesday morning. Anyone with information should contact Beaver Dam Police.
OWI Arrest Follows Fire Hydrant Collision
1/22/16 – A Beaver Dam man was arrested for Operating While Intoxicated after running into a fire hydrant early yesterday morning. According to police records, the 20-year-old struck a hydrant on Seippel Boulevard around 4am. In addition to first offense OWI, he was also cited for hit and run and inattentive driving.
Born Announces In-District Office Hours
1/22/16 – State Representative Mark Born will meet with constituents throughout his district over the next month. The Beaver Dam Republican has announced a series of office hours that begin Friday, January 29 in Theresa and Lomira and continue until a Sunday, March 6 session in Juneau. For roughly half of the dates, Born will be joined by Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner. The office hours are meant to provide constituents an opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback on issues in the legislature.
Friday, January 29th
9:30 AM – Williamstown, Williamstown Town Hall
10:15 AM – Theresa, Theresa Village Hall
11:00 AM – Lomira, Lomira Village Hall
Monday, February 1st
9:00 AM – Beaver Dam, Beaver Dam City Hall (City Council Chambers)
10:30 AM – Horicon, Horicon City Hall
11:15 AM – Mayville, Mayville City Hall
1:00 PM – Brownsville, Brownsville Village Hall
Friday, February 5th
10:00 AM – Rubicon, Rubicon Town Hall 10:45 AM – Neosho, Neosho Village Hall
11:30 AM – Ashippun, Ashippun Town Hall (With Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner)
Monday, February 22nd
9:45 AM – Lowell, Lowell Town Hall
10:30 AM – Clyman, Clyman Village Hall (With Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner)
11:15 AM – Hustisford, Hustisford Village Hall (With Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner)
12:45 PM – Iron Ridge, Iron Ridge Community Center (With Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner)
Saturday, February 27th
1:00 PM – Hartford, Hartford City Hall (With Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner)
Sunday, March 6th
1:00 PM – Juneau, Juneau Community Center (With Congressman Jim Sens
