(Juneau) The Dodge County Sheriff’s Office has a new K-9 and there is a special meaning behind the pup’s name. K-9 Cade and his handler, Deputy Matthew Mayer, begin a five-week training course in Iron Ridge Monday. Cade is named after a 14-year-old boy who lost his life in a car accident in 2017. Sheriff Dale Schmidt said the boy became a true hero, donating his organs which saved the lives of four others. Cade’s family started Play 4 Cade, an organ donor awareness organization, and donated $15-thousand-dollars to the sheriff’s office K-9 program.
(Juneau) As the sheriff’s office welcomes a new K-9 to their ranks, another K-9 has completed his last shift. K-9 Tek officially retired on Friday. Tek’s handler, Lieutenant Taylor Nehls, will take the K-9 home to his homestead. During his career, Tek made 98 arrests with 314 total deployments ranging from narcotic sniffs to other patrol-related duties. The sheriff’s office will be losing another K-9 as Kid is set to retire at the end of June.
(Horicon) The Horicon School District will be asking residents if they can exceed the revenue spending cap to make school improvements on the upcoming April ballot. School Superintendent Rich Appel says the reason for this is because of the limited amount of spending per student. Special education costs will also be impacted. Director of Student Learning and Special Education Katie Schwartz says that 27-to-28-percent of those costs are covered by state funding. If the referendum passes it would allow more staff to be hired.
(Beaver Dam) The Beaver Dam Area Community Foundation is now accepting grant applications from Dodge County-based nonprofits. Eligible non-profit organizations are invited to submit grant applications for up to $2,500. Projects should be practical, set into action within a near timeframe, and have prospects for long-term sustainability. The applications deadline is April 14th and grant award decisions will be announced in June. A link to the applications can be found at DailyDodge.com.
(Dodge County) A local couple was elected to the state’s marriage hall of fame. The Wisconsin Family Council began what they called “this unique Hall of Fame” to honor both the institution of marriage and individual marriages that have gone the distance. A total of 28 couples have been inducted as part of the 2023 hall of fame class including one from Watertown. Joe and Jerelyn Hawn have been married for 65 years.
(Madison) Republicans on the legislature’s finance committee say raising the minimum age to buy tobacco and nicotine products does not belong in the state budget. Governor Tony Evers included the language in his two-year budget plan. Bills raising the purchase age passed the state Assembly with bipartisan support in 2020 and again last year but failed to advance in the Assembly. The state’s minimum age of 18 to buy nicotine, tobacco, or vape products conflicts with the federal Tobacco 21 requirement. Until the state implements the new standard to align with federal law, local police cannot enforce it. – WRN
