Former Employer Testifies In Brantner Murder Trial
6/18/16 – Jurors were sent home early Friday in the Fond du Lac County murder trial of a 62-year-old Kenosha man. Prosecutors were expected to call County Medical Examiner Dr. Douglas Kelley in the trial of Dennis Brantner, but after some consultation decided not to. Jurors had already heard from former County Coroner Sue Casper who had been present at the autopsy of 18-year-old Berit Beck back in August of 1990. Three more people were called who worked with or who Branter worked for in the 1970s and 1980s. Among them was Thomas Reabe who owned a crop dusting service in Waupun when Brantner worked there in the late 1970s. Branter occasionally had to drive a truck to pick up parts or deliver fuel. Reabe says they furnished him with maps, but Brantner was pretty resourceful at finding his way around. Branter claims he had not been to the area where Beck’s body was found. Prosecutors are calling witness to establish Branter was familiar with that area. Beck’s body was found in a ditch on Brown Road outside Waupun.
Wisconsin Among States Targeted In Federal Immigration Crackdown
6/18/16 – Federal immigration officers have arrested 39 Wisconsinites in a one month, six state Midwest sweep that targeted criminal aliens and other immigration violators. All but two are from Mexico, and the others from Cuba and El Salvador. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency says a 37-year-old Mexican national was sent back to his home country May 27th after convictions for sexual assault, domestic abuse, and theft — and deportation proceedings are pending against a 32-year-old Mexican national who allegedly caused injuries in a hit and run crash and was arrested in Beloit. Twelve of the suspects were arrested in Green Bay, five in Milwaukee, and five in Sturgeon Bay. The other arrests were in Janesville, Jefferson, Kenosha, Racine, Madison, Sheboygan, Unity, Waunakee, De Pere, Fond du Lac, Manitowoc, New Franken, Seymour, and Pulaski.
Beaver Dam Fire Department Extinguishes Fire Behind Shopko
6/18/16 – The Beaver Dam Fire Department responded to a fire behind the Shopko department store yesterday evening. The call was reported to dispatchers at 5:50pm. Fire Captain Paul Hartl says a customer at the nearby laundromat saw the flames and attempted to put them out with an extinguisher before calling 9-1-1. Fourteen plastic shopping carts were melted down to their metal frame and another five were damaged. Hartl says there was no obvious cause so the police department is investigating. And, in addition to the busy baseball fields nearby at Vo-Tech Park, the thick black smoke was visible on the horizon from the Beaver Dam High School track where the American Cancer Society annual Relay for Life was being held. The opening ceremonies were just getting underway at the time. The relay continued through the overnight hours wrapping up with an 8am closing ceremony. We should find out before the weekends over if the event reached it $115-thosuand dollar fundraising goal.
Dodge County Sheriff Explains Early Retirement Of K9 Paige
6/18/16 – The Dodge County Sheriff’s Office this week added a new K-9 to its roster. Kid is replacing Paige who retired earlier this month after five years of serving as a detection dog. Sheriff Dale Schmidt says Paige’s focus and productivity were dropping off in recent months due to her initial training and love for hunting. Schmidt says his office decided to put her into retirement before it became more of a problem. The sheriff says Paige had a good track record detecting drugs. Her accomplishments included a 40 pound marijuana bust in December 2011 and a traffic stop where marijuana butter and ecstasy was recovered in Lomira last summer. Paige’s first handler was Deputy Chad Enright. When Enright was promoted to lieutenant last spring, Paige was paired with Sergeant Joe Nicholas, who is now Kid’s handler.
Johnson, Baldwin Split On ‘No Fly’ Gun Debate
6/18/16 – U-S Senator Ron Johnson says he’s all for stopping terrorists from owning guns, but not by banning them for everybody on the government’s “no fly list.” The Wisconsin Republican, who chairs the Senate’s Homeland Security Committee, says he’s concerned about using what he calls “very large classified government lists with undefined criteria as the basis for removing an American’s constitutional rights.” The Senate is scheduled to start voting on that and other gun control measures Monday, as part of an agreement that ended a 15-hour filibuster by Wisconsin’s Tammy Baldwin and other Senate Democrats. Baldwin calls the gun ban for those who can’t fly a “common sense action to protect American lives.” Johnson says he hopes the two parties can work out a compromise.
WBEV-WXRO Children’s Radiothon: The Eagle Riders
6/18/16 – Two local motorcycle chapters are holding an event next week to raise funds for the WBEV/WXRO Children’s Radiothon. The Eagle Riders and Stilettos on Steel have a bike ride scheduled to leave Mischler’s Harley Davidson in Beaver Dam at 6pm next Thursday. Riders are encouraged to meet there an hour ahead of time. According to Junior Butske of the Eagle Riders, it is about a two-hour trip with one stop at the Iron Ridge Inn, where there will be fundraising in addition to food and drink specials. The ride returns to Beaver Dam by 8pm to take part in the Radiothon Bash at Tower Lanes. Butske says the bikers have the event each year because they feel it is important to give back to the local community. You can sign up for the ride or learn more information by calling Tammy Borde of Stilettos on Steel at 920-210-6978. This year’s Radiothon is next Thursday and Friday and will raise money for nine local organizations that help children.
Columbus Assisted Living Facility Addition Has Dual Benefits
6/18/16 – A planned addition to At Home Again Assisted Living in Columbus has some unforeseen benefits for area golfers. When J. A. Development, the developers of At Home Again Columbus, began planning, a check with survey engineers and discussions with Columbus Country Club management led to land drainage improvement suggestions. The developer, city and country club management agreed to place a storm water collection pond on the edge of the golf course, just south of the addition. The proposed addition and pond is scheduled to be completed in early October. The At Home Again ten-unit building will be a secure memory care facility. The addition is designed for the growing number of residents who suffer from Alzheimer’s and dementia. A small bus shed is also part of the plans. Preliminary approval was granted by the city at its most recent council meeting.
Dodge County Extension Planning ‘Ag Escape Day’
6/18/16 – A day-long event next month will give students a chance to learn more about a variety of local businesses. The Dodge County UW-Extension is holding its ‘Ag Day Escape’ on Tuesday, July 19. During a recent appearance on WBEV’s Community Comment, Youth Dairy and Livestock Summer Agent Dustin Winkleman says the event is meant to highlight the various careers in farming and other agricultural fields available in south-central Wisconsin. The tour runs from 7:30 am to 5 pm and will stop at seven businesses in Dodge and Jefferson counties. It is open to 4-H and FFA members and is limited to 45 students. Cost is $5, and registration forms are on the Dodge County UW-Extension website.
DNR Gray Wolf Numbers Increase
6/18/16 – Wisconsin ended the winter with 16 percent more gray wolves than the same time last year. The D-N-R reports a record high 866 to 897 wolves in more than 220 packs. That’s up from last year’s count of 746 to 771 animals. Wisconsin has not been able to manage its own wolf herd since late 2014. That’s when a federal judge ruled in favor of animal rights groups who wanted the wolves returned to federal endangered species’ protections, mainly to stop the wolf hunts in Wisconsin and other states. Farmers have not been able to kill wolves that hurt or maim their livestock or destroy crops. Observers say the problem has become worse since the last court decision.
Stoughton Fair Eliminates Pig Wrastlin
6/18/16 – An annual fair in Stoughton will no longer feature pig wrestling, after pressure from city officials and an animal rights group. The Alliance for Animals and the Environment, based in nearby Madison, rounded up ten thousand online signatures opposing the event. And according to the fair’s attorney, the City Council threatened to ban pig wrestling unless the Fair Board stopped it voluntarily — which it did on Wednesday. The fair accepted a six-thousand dollar donation from the City of Stoughton in exchange for ending its pig wrestling. But the fair says it will lose much more than that in revenues, and no animals or people were ever injured during the events.
