News – October 22, 2021


(Milwaukee) Milwaukee police confirmed Thursday that three-year-old Major Harris is dead. Police made several arrests in connection to the murder of Major’s mother, Mallery Muenzenberger (moisen-berger) of Onalaska. She was found shot to death in a Milwaukee backyard just over a week ago, setting off the search for Major. Jaheem Clark, a suspect in the murder and Major’s disappearance, died of apparent suicide as police closed in on him last weekend. – WRN

(Horicon) A Horicon man who set fire to a building he was renting out was sentenced to 240 days in jail and was placed on five years’ probation yesterday. Michael Hansen owned the West Lake Street property in Horicon that was damaged by fire in July of 2016. The 71-year-old at first denied entering the home that day, but later changed his story and admitted to checking the home’s utility room. The investigation revealed that the fire originated in the utility room and that its cause was classified as incendiary.

(Portage) A machinery malfunction is being blamed for a fire in Portage early Friday morning.  The Portage fire department was dispatched to Penda at 2344 West Wisconsin Street at 2:02am for reports of a fire in a molding machine.  Upon arrival, responders found smoke coming from the building.  Reports show that employees attempted to extinguish the fire, helping to minimize damage.  Fire crews were able to fully extinguish the fire before it could extend to surrounding structure.  There were no injuries reported.

(Juneau) The Dodge County Board voted in favor this week to back ThriveED’s application for a grant to help spur housing development. The non-profit, which supports local businesses throughout the region, had asked for county support in their application to the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation’s Rural Initiatives Program. The grant would help cover the $150-thousand-dollar project which would bring in consultants to Dodge and Jefferson Counties to do, among other things, feasibility studies to determine if a location can support housing and help municipalities review housing development proposals. The county is on the hook for $17,500, to be paid out of the 2022 budget, if the WEDC approves the funding.

(Fond du Lac) The Fond du Lac County reviewed their 2022 budget document this week. The proposed tax levy would be $1.8-million more than last year at $49.4-million-dollars. The preliminary tax rate of $5.72 is lower than this past year’s rate of $5.81 or a decrease of 9-cents. The 2022 Fond du Lac County Budget has been turned over to the Board’s Finance Committee, which begins work on it next week. The County Board will approve the budget and tax levy next month.

(Columbia County) The Department of Natural Resources is taking comments on a proposed permit for a storage yard project in Columbia County that may result in the incidental taking of a rare lizard. Tjugum Investments LLC is proposing to construct a 2,688 square foot shop and material storage yard for a landscaping contractor, resulting in a total project area of 1.84 acres. They add that the proposed project may result in the incidental taking of some lizards. Incidental take refers to the unintentional loss of individual endangered or threatened animals or plants that does not put the species’ overall population at risk. Comments on the project can be sent to DNR Conservation Biologist Rori Paloski by October 26th. More information can be found on DailyDodge.com.

(Madison) Mayors from four Wisconsin cities held a news conference over Zoom on Thursday calling on Congress to support a multi-trillion dollar infrastructure bill that’s been stalled for weeks. Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway says money that’s in that bill could have been used sooner rather than later in Wisconsin cities and towns. A self-imposed deadline of October 31st is looming on the measure, though it’s unclear if there will be any action by then. – WRN