(Dodge County) The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory until 3pm. Three to six inches of wet slushy snow is expected with lower totals closer to Lake Michigan. Plan on slippery road conditions, so it’s advised you slow down and use caution. Among the counties in the advisory until 3pm are Dodge, Fond du Lac, Jefferson and Washington plus counties to the south and east.
(Beaver Dam) Officials in Beaver Dam will begin the process of finding the city’s next finance director on Monday night. After about six months on the job, Jeff Wiswell submitted his letter of resignation on Tuesday, effective immediately. Mayor Becky Glewen tells us that she is working with the city’s labor attorney in finding a human resources firm, essentially a “headhunter,” in filling the vacancy. That matter will be brought to the council on Monday. Wiswell replaced former Director of Administration John Somers who retired in April after 23 years with the city. Somers was recently hired on as a budget consultant, a role that Glewen will ask city leaders to change on Monday. She says the council will be asked to terminate Somers consulting contract and instead become a “limited term employee” during the interim.
(Beaver Dam) Beaver Dam’s 2020 budget will not be published until after the council debates the document on Monday. There had been talk of publishing the budget before the council could discuss it so that it could be adopted on the third Monday in November, its traditional date. Mayor Glewen now says it should be adopted no later than Thanksgiving.
(Rubicon) A Juneau man accused of not having a valid driver’s license at the time of a fatal crash two years ago entered a not guilty plea at arraignment yesterday. Robert Underwood allegedly told investigators that he was coughing and choking before he abruptly crossed the centerline on State Highway 60. Underwood’s license was reportedly suspended at the time because of a speeding ticket. Underwood contends that he paid the fine but when he went to have his license reinstated he said the line was too long so he left. If convicted, the 48-year-old is facing up to three-and-a-half-years in prison.
(Herman) A Lowell man accused of setting fire to his former home entered a not guilty plea at arraignment yesterday. The property owner allegedly told investigators that if the fire seemed at all suspicious Benjamin Mueller was (quote) “your suspect” and that the 41-year-old was not allowed at the residence. Following an examination of the scene by the state State Fire Marshall, it was determined that the blaze was the caused by (quote) “the application and subsequent ignition, [by] open flame of an ignitable liquid.” If convicted, Mueller faces no more than 40 years in prison.
(Green Lake) The Green Lake County Crime Stoppers program is looking for tips on illegal dumping of electronics in the Towns of Mackford and St. Marie. Two TV sets were dumped next to a stop sign at the intersection of Village Road and County Highway I. Also, four computer monitors and other computer equipment were dumped on Puchyan (puck-YEE-on) Road. Tips can be reported anonymously to the Green Lake County Crime Stoppers. Tips could be eligible for a $1000 cash reward for information leading to the arrest of suspects.
(Madison) Owning a car in Madison just got more expensive. The City Council has okayed a 40-dollar local wheel tax, effective next year. The new tax makes vehicle registration costs in Madison the highest in Wisconsin.
(Dodge County) State Highway 28 between Interstate 41 in Dodge County and Highway 144 in Washington County will now be known as the “Wisconsin 9/11 Memorial Highway.” Along with the renaming, the state Department of Transportation will be putting signs up directing drivers to the accompanying memorial being constructed in Kewaskum as well as identifying both the memorial and highway on any future editions of state highway maps.
(Madison) A sudden cold snap has prompted Governor Tony Evers to declare an energy emergency in Wisconsin. The Emergency Declaration will loosen driving restrictions on truck drivers carrying propane in the state. That propane is needed not only for heating homes, it’s also used by farmers to dry out crops which are being harvested late this season. Evers says the move is needed to ensure “the health, safety, welfare, and economic well-being of Wisconsinites across our state.”
