Woman Struck, Killed By Train In Columbia County
10/19/16 -A woman’s death after being struck by a train Tuesday night is being called a self-inflicted act. That’s according to the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office who says the woman stood on the tracks as a Canadian Pacific Train was coming, after parking her car just shy of the tracks west of Hill Road in the Town of Wyocena. The tracks were shut down for roughly two hours as authorities investigated. Information about the victim has not been released.
Possible Suspects In Waupun Burglaries
10/19/16 – Multiple items were located after a series of thefts in Waupun yesterday morning. The Waupun Police Department says items were stolen from four different houses, including a vehicle and two guns. The thefts are believed to be related. Yesterday afternoon, the Beaver Dam Police Department received two anonymous calls about a stolen vehicle within city limits. Two teenagers, ages 16 and 17, were taken into custody. The 16-year-old was held in juvenile detention while the 17-year-old was released. Police say the car and guns will be returned to their owners, and the investigation continues.
Dodge County Board Approves $2.7M Facility Project
10/19/16 – Dodge County will spend $2,700,000 to replace the pipes in its detention facility. The county board last night accepted the lone bid received, which came from Maas Brothers Construction in Watertown. County Administrator Jim Mielke says the project calls for removing all of the building’s cast iron sanitary and vent pipes and replacing them with PVC piping that can partially be insulated with fireproof material. Mielke says the project also includes work in the building’s kitchen such as installing a new floor covering, new ceiling tile, new wall paneling, and repainting the walls. Facilities Director Russ Freber says the county learned the building’s vent and sanitary line had deteriorated when they investigated a problem with one of the building’s shower drains in January. While Freber calls the work preventative and says there is no health risk to anyone in the building, he says failing to replace the pipes could lead to sewage backups. Work is expected to begin in January and wrap up next fall.
Town Of Fox Lake Zoning Authority Transferred
10/19/16 – Zoning authority for the Town of Fox Lake has officially changed hands. The Dodge County Board voted last night to take control of that power from the township. Twice in recent months, the town board voted to transfer authority to the county. Opponents of township zoning said a zoning administrator would have been too costly while supporters said the zoning process would work better with local control.
Dodge County Board Has New Member
10/19/16 – There’s a new face on the Dodge County Board. David Guckenberger of Ashippun was appointed last night to fill the vacant District Eleven seat, which represents the township. The vacancy was created when Wayne Uttke resigned last month. Guckenberger previously served on the Ashippun Town Board and Oconomowoc School Board.
New Vehicles Approved For DCSO
10/19/16 – The Dodge County Sheriff’s Office is getting some new vehicles. The county board last night approved the purchase of seven squad cars and one cargo van at a total cost of $228-thousand dollars. While the vehicle replacements were originally slated for 2017, Sheriff Dale Schmidt says buying them now saves the county roughly $6,000 since the vendor is offering a lower rate through November 1. Schmidt says excess revenues from housing federal detainees in the county jail are covering the cost.
Senate Candidates Square Off In Final Debate
10/19/16 – The two Wisconsin U-S Senate candidates clash on a wide range of issues and personal philosophies in their second and final debate in Milwaukee. G-O-P incumbent Ron Johnson and former Senate Democrat Russ Feingold showed a clear divide Tuesday night on the economy, the White House candidates, immigration, health care, the cost of college, the delay in confirming a new Supreme Court justice, and more. Feingold said he would “stand with the people” while accusing Johnson of standing with corporations and billionaires. Johnson says it’s false that he’s in the “pocket of big business,” emphasizing his work in building his plastics manufacturing firm in Oshkosh. A number of times during the 90-minute debate, Feingold claimed that Johnson had no stands on issues — while Johnson claimed that Feingold would always “grow government.”
Man Heading To Jail For High-Speed Dodge County Chase
10/19/16 – A Deforest man will spend six months in jail for leading an officer on a high speed chase through multiple Dodge County townships. Christian Barry pled guilty yesterday to one felony count of Attempting to Flee a Traffic Officer. The 25-year-old fled at speeds up to 130 miles per hour when an officer tried stopping him in June on Highway 33 for a busted tail light. The chase led to Highways 151 and County Road S before Barry crashed his vehicle into a pole’s guide wire on County Road T. Barry fled because his license was suspended. Barry had a prison sentence withheld.
Beaver Dam Chamber Accepting Yearly Recognition Nominations
10/19/16 – The Beaver Dam Chamber of Commerce is accepting nominations for their yearly recognition of a local business, citizen and non-profit organization. President Phil Fritsche says the chamber will base their 2017 Business of the Year selection on customer service, employee / management volunteerism, charitable contributions and other investments in the community, along with other industry awards that have been earned. This past year, Park Village Shopping Center was honored. For Citizen of the Year nominations, the chamber will consider volunteerism, civic involvement and charitable contributions. This year’s winner was John Moser. The Non-Profit of the Year is judged based on the organizations general impact on the community, preferably over the course of a long period of time rather than the recent past, and by other awards and recognitions that the organization has received. The Beaver Dam Area Community Theatre was honored this year. The nominees must be located in Beaver Dam or the surrounding township but they do not need to be chamber members. Nomination forms are due by November 4 and are available at the chamber offices or at beaverdamchamber.com.
http://www.beaverdamchamber.com/
Community Asked To Fill Out Downtown Beaver Dam Inc Survey
10/19/16 – The non-profit focused on revitalizing downtown Beaver Dam is asking the community to fill out a survey. Downtown Beaver Dam Inc. is asking the public to help shape the future of the downtown district. The survey is estimated to take take five-to-seven minutes. The public is also invited to participate in the visioning process at an event on the morning of November 18 at the Watermark Community and Senior Center from 9am until noon. Call Mark J. Molldrem at 920-296-5010 to reserve a seat. The survey can be found at: http://www.bddowntown.com/blog/
Walker Says Third Term Would Be Last
10/19/16 – Scott Walker says there’s no way he’ll stay on as Wisconsin’s governor after 2022. He told members of the state’s largest business group in Madison there’s no way he’ll run for a fourth term, and his wife Tonette would “literally kill him” if he did so. The Republican Walker has been elected three times, including his recall election in 2012 — and he’s expected to run for a third four year term in 2018. A departure in 2022 would put Walker two years short of Tommy Thompson’s record gubernatorial tenure of 14 years. The Republican Thompson left midway through his fourth term in 2001 to become President George W. Bush’s national health and human services secretary.
Walker Casino Controversy Resurfaces
10/19/16 – Governor Scott Walker generated lots of controversy almost two years ago, when he rejected a new Menominee tribal casino in Kenosha. Now, two competing tribes accuse the Republican Walker of setting a double standard by staying silent while the Ho-Chunk Nation expands its existing casino with a new hotel at Wittenberg, 30 miles east of Wausau. The administration says the two situations are vastly different — because the Kenosha casino would have been far away from the Menominee reservation, while the Ho Chunk expansion is in line with the state tribal gambling compact it negotiated in 2003. The neighboring Stockbridge Munsee and Menominee tribes disagree, saying it no longer makes the Wittenberg site an “ancillary facility” under its compact — and they say Walker should make all eleven Wisconsin Indian tribes approve the Ho Chunk expansion, just like he demanded for the Kenosha project. Walker’s office says it will continue the requirement, but only for off reservation casinos.
DMV Has Updated ID Info On Website
10/19/16 – The state Division of Motor Vehicles now has information on its website for those who want to get photo I-Ds to vote next month. Federal Judge James Peterson ordered clearer information last week, after reports that some applicants received conflicting information when they tried obtaining the necessary I-Ds for the November 8th elections. Applicants can go to Wisconsin D-M-V-Dot-Gov to see a “palm card” which lists the proof of identity and residency that people need to bring to a D-M-V office. And if they don’t have them, they can fill out two forms and still get I-Ds in time to vote. The D-M-V also has information sheets that tell people what to expect after they apply for I-Ds.
