Downtown Façade Grant Guidelines Clarified
9/4/15 – The Beaver Dam Landmark Commission this week received clarification on how to administer the downtown façade grant program. The commission also reviewed proposed changes to the program, which provides up to one-third of the cost for a downtown business to make exterior building improvements. The grant itself is funded by a TIF District that is designed to generate no more than $75-thousand dollars for the program. The proposed changes were sparked, in part, by a recent $50-thousand dollar request by the group Downtown Beaver Dam Inc. to help fund a series of murals. The Landmark Commission this week reviewed changes for grant eligibility that will come before the council at this month’s meeting. The proposed changes specifically include the definition of “murals” and other “artistic features” as something eligible for funding. Also, artistic features would be capped at one-third of the project cost with a maximum award of $3300 for a single project or $30-thousand dollars for a cumulative project. This biggest point of discussion has been the definition of “façade.” The city’s Community Development Committee created the grant program and CDC Robert Ballweg explained to the Landmark Commission this week that the resolution defines façade as (quote) “the front or side of any building facing a public right-of-way.” Ballweg says the idea is that if city dollars are used to help fund a project then the improvements should be visible to the public. Landmark Commission Chair Michael Firchow says the proposed changes, and direction provided by the CDC, will help the commission in administering the program going forward. The grant request by Downtown Beaver Dam Inc. to fund the murals was tabled by the Landmark Commission in January but is expected to be revisited after the council vote on changes in the program at their September 20 meeting.
Former Beaver Dam Man Arraigned On Theft Charges
9/4/15 – A former Beaver Dam man charged in a series of business and residential break-ins that occurred throughout Dodge County entered a “not guilty” plea at arraignment yesterday. Andy Huth of Neilsville is facing eight felony counts including Theft, Burglary, and Possession of a Firearm by a Felon along with two misdemeanors. The 34-year-old allegedly stole a number of items including: a tractor, an ATV, cash, guns, and a safe. The burglaries occurred in Beaver Dam and Westford along with the Mayville Gun Club in the Town of Leroy. Authorities reportedly found many of the missing items in four different searches of his and his family’s properties, and Huth allegedly admitted to committing many of the crimes. If he is convicted on all charges, Huth faces up to 64 years in prison. He has further court activity scheduled in November.
West Bend Teen Accused Of Receiving, Using Illegal Substance
9/4/15 – A 20-year-old West Bend man has been accused of receiving shipments of an illegal drug and using it. Caleb Spoerl is facing one Felony count of Possession with Intent to Deliver Methcathinone, which is an amphetamine-like substance referred to as ‘cat.’ A postal inspector received an intercepted package that was sent from China to a Horicon address but intended for Spoerl. It contained roughly 50 grams of the drug. A search warrant was executed at the 20-year-old’s house, and Spoerl allegedly admitted to using and selling the drugs he received in multiple shipments. If he is found guilty, Spoerl faces up to 40 years in prison and could have his license revoked for up to five years.
Brownsville Man Accused Of Attacking Woman Waives Preliminary Hearing
9/4/15 – A Brownsville man accused of attacking the woman he used to live with waived his preliminary hearing in Dodge County courtroom yesterday. Jason Schlosser is charged with Felony Intimidation of a Victim as well as nine Misdemeanor counts including Battery, Criminal Damage to Property, and Disorderly Conduct. Domestic abuse has been added on to four of the charges. According to the criminal complaint, dispatch received several 911 calls saying Schlosser and the woman were fighting in a vehicle in front of the Flower Shop in the Village of Kekoskee. After she got him to leave her vehicle, Schlosser allegedly dove into the window while she was attempting to drive off, took the keys from the ignition, and hit her with them. If the 29-year-old is convicted on all charges, he faces over 16 years in prison. No further court activity has been scheduled.
People ‘Liking’ Beaver Dam PDs Facebook Page
9/4/15 – Plenty of people seem to “like” the Beaver Dam Police Department’s Facebook page. The city’s Police and Fire Commission this week received an update on the department’s new excursion into social media. Officer Daniel Kuhnz says the first day online saw over 300-people “like” the departments page; there are now over 800 likes. The first post featured the officers who conducted a traffic stop that led to an arrest and the confiscation of drug paraphernalia. Kuhnz says that post had 27-thousand views. Commissioners questioned the status of the webpage as a public record and asked what legal guidelines are being followed for posting. Kuhnz says all information on the page would be available to the public. He says the department worked with the city attorney and state Justice Department to develop guidelines for posting. The guidelines include not using pictures of suspects or their vehicles and not releasing specific details about an arrest. Kuhnz says the page is meant to be a tool to communicate with the public. He says it is amazing to see who is viewing posts and notes that people want to know more about what’s behind the police sirens.
August Traffic Fatality Statistics Released
9/4/15 – For the last five years, August has been the deadliest month on Wisconsin roads, and this year is no exception. Sixty-one people were killed in traffic crashes last month, according to preliminary figures from the state D-O-T. But this August was safer than last, with seven fewer deaths. The total was also 93 less than August of 1969, the state’s all-time deadliest month with 154 traffic deaths. Wisconsin has had 39 more deaths in the first eight months of this year than in 2014. Three-hundred-56 people were killed from January-through-August. That’s still two fewer than the average for the past five years. Dodge County has seen four deaths this year. Columbus and Jefferson counties have also had four fatalities. Green Lake County has seen two while Washington County has recorded five and Fond du Lac County six.
Downtown Traffic Signals Not Yet Synched
9/4/15 – The reconstruction of Highway 33 / Front Street in Beaver Dam will result in a shorter wait time for motorists stopped at traffic signals at downtown intersections. However, DPW Director Jeremy Klug says the stop lights have not been synchronized yet. Klug says he has fielded several questions from residents asking why the signals at Front and Center are not synched to each other now that the intersection is open. Klug says that synchronization cannot be completed until the municipal construction project on North Spring Street is done and the traffic signal at Spring and Maple is functional. Once complete, Klug says the traffic signal loops will all be tied together for smooth traffic flow. For the next couple weeks, traffic may have to wait at a red light with no cross traffic for a short time and there may be some minor backups during very busy times of the day. The traffic signals at the four downtown corners are now wired together with fiber optics. Under the pavement, there are magnetic loops that detect cars, trucks and motorcycles. If there is no cross-traffic the red lights will quickly turn green. The actuator loops under the pavement that triggers the light cycle replaces a 40-year-old system that ran on a timer at each individual intersection. The lights on Highway 33 / Front Street will remain green during times of slow traffic patterns until there is cross traffic that prompts the change. The four intersections that will eventually be coordinated are Maple and Center, Front and Center, Front and Spring and Maple and Spring.
High Speed Chases On The Rise
9/4/15 – Wisconsin police officers have engaged in 33-percent more high-speed chases than a year ago. Gannett Wisconsin Media cites D-O-T reports of 567 chases in the first six months of this year, the highest since 2007. Nobody died in those chases, but Gannett says the numbers of injuries from those chases were at a five-year high. Nobody knows why the increase seems to be occurring — especially because a number of agencies do not chase suspects, especially for minor infractions. Milwaukee adopted that policy after four bystanders died in police chases in 2010. However, the city’s neighbors in southeast Wisconsin saw their high-speed chases double this year, to about 130 from January-through-June. However, Gannett says the data might be skewed, because not all chases are reported to the D-O-T as required by law.
Walker Denies Campaign Connection With WEDC Appointment
9/4/15 – Governor Scott Walker’s office denies that campaign ties had anything to do with the naming of a bank executive as the new head of the state’s embattled jobs agency. Mark Hogan replaces the retiring Reed Hall as executive director of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation. Media reports say Hogan gave 24-thousand dollars to the Republican Walker’s campaign since 2005, plus 10-thousand to the Super-PAC that supports Walker’s White House bid. Hogan, who moved up the ranks at M-and-I and BMO Harris Bank for 40 years, was praised by a Walker spokeswoman as a “proven and respected business executive” whose experience will be “invaluable” at the W-E-D-C. Assembly Democratic leader Peter Barca, who sits on the agency’s board, says it’s “curious” that Walker chose a major donor. But he’s hopeful that Hogan will work to clean up the structure of the W-E-D-C, which has been plagued with accountability issues over its business loans and tax breaks for creating jobs.
Abrahamson Asks Federal Appeals Court For Her Job Back
9/4/15 – State Supreme Court Justice Shirley Abrahamson is asking a federal appeals court to give back her post as the court’s chief justice. She was removed from that role in April, after voters approved a constitutional amendment to let the court name its own chief instead of giving it to the one with most seniority. Abrahamson, one of two liberals on the seven-member Supreme Court, contends that the chief’s post is hers until her current term on the court ends in 2019. Federal Judge James Peterson of Madison rejected that stance in July. That was after the court’s conservative majority elected one of its own, Pat Roggensack, as the new chief. Abrahamson held that post since 1996.
Pork Sausage Recall
9/4/15 – A Wisconsin company is recalling roughly 89-thousand pounds of pork sausage patties, after officials say consumers complained of finding small pieces of metal. The U-S Department of Agriculture said in a news release Wednesday that the products from Kenosha Beef International being recalled “may be contaminated with extraneous materials.” The products are frozen patties labeled “Johnsonville Grillers Cheddar Cheese & Bacon Flavor,” and have a “best flavor by” date of December 29th. The department says neither its Food Safety and Inspection Service nor the company have received reports of oral injuries, adverse reactions or illness. The source of the issue isn’t known. The Department of Agriculture says consumers should throw away the patties or return them.
