News – April 9, 2016
April 9, 2016 / Daily Dodge / News
Madison Man Convicted In Fox Lake Motorist Shooting
4/9/16 – A Madison man who fired a gun at a fellow motorist near Fox Lake will spend 15 months in jail. In January, a jury convicted Anthony McCaskill on four counts, including felony Discharging a Firearm Toward a Person and Endangering Safety with the Reckless Use of a Firearm. The incident started inside the Fox Lake Kwik Trip last September when McCaskill's girlfriend accused a man of touching her inappropriately. The 22-year-old waited down a side street with his vehicle lights turned off, followed the car after it left the convenience store, and fired three shots. At yesterday's hearing, District Attorney Kurt Klomberg recommended a seven year prison sentence, stating (quote) "our community is filled with responsible, law-abiding gun owners. I believe in the right to bear arms and the right to defend ourselves and our families. McCaskill's decision to open fire on the other vehicle was not justified." McCaskill was also placed on probation for five years on probation; a seven year prison sentence was imposed and stayed.
'Nobody's Hero' Book Signing Sunday In Beaver Dam
4/9/16 – Residents can meet the local veteran who inspired a recently published book this weekend. Marine Corps Veteran Dell Schultz will be at Beaver Dam's Chapel of the Archangels from 2pm to 4pm Sunday along with the author of 'Nobody's Hero,' Karla Jensen. Badger Honor Flight Organizer Jim Bublitz says the book tells the story of a man, Schultz, who put his heart and soul into the Marines. Once his service time was over, Bublitz says Schultz, likely many other veterans, seemed lost. In addition to picking up a copy of the book, people can learn more about the Honor Flight at the event. Bublitz says the organization will run an informational program throughout the two hours in addition to handing out veteran applications and drawing attention to Schutz's accomplishments. The next flight from the Dane County Regional Airport is April 30. Bublitz says roughly eight Dodge County veterans will make the trip.
Dodge County Sheriff's Law Of The Month: 'Buckle Up'
4/9/16 – With a lot of families going on road trips this spring and summer, drivers and passengers are reminded to wear their seat belts. It's the Dodge County Sheriff's Office 'Law of the Month' for April. Wisconsin required drivers to use seat belts in 1987 and passed a law in 2009 that allows officers to pull someone over for not obeying. Prior to seven years ago, officers needed another reason to stop a driver before they could enforce the seat belt law. Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt says in many of the fatal accidents his department has responded to in the last year, the driver was not wearing a seat belt. He says seat belts would have likely turned those fatal crashes into injury crashes. Schmidt says recent surveys have shown seat belt use in Wisconsin is at 83%.
Randolph Wastewater Plant Upgrades Moving Forward
4/9/16 – The Randolph Wastewater Treatment Plant will see some upgrades in the next year. Miron Construction Company and MSA Professional Services will work together on electrical, mechanical, and HVAC upgrades at the plant along with oxidation ditch improvements and structural modifications. The project should be done by July 2017.
Fall River Has Second Best Water In The State
4/9/16 – The village of Fall River has won the Wisconsin Rural Water Association's annual "Water Taste Contest" for a second time. Public Works Director Craig Schultz recently received the award at the association's conference in Green Bay. That makes the village eligible to compete at the National Rural Water Association's Water Rally in Washington DC. The village Public Works Department works to maintain a clean, fresh supply of tap water for residents. The first time the village won the best taste contest was in 2008.
UW Regents Approve New Tenure Protection Policy
4/9/16 – U-W Madison officials will have to consider other budget-cutting options before they lay off faculty members. That's part of a new tenure protection policy for professors at the state's largest campus, approved Friday by the university's Board of Regents at a meeting in Green Bay. The Madison guidelines also include up to one year of severance pay for faculty who are terminated or laid off. The protections are meant to soften the blow on the tenure limits the Regents approved last month for U-W schools statewide at the urging of the Republican governor and Legislature. The state policy requires performance evaluations for faculty, and layoffs for those whose programs are eliminated due to budget cuts.
Tuition Going Up At Some UW Campuses
4/9/16 – University of Wisconsin System leaders give final approval for a plan to raise tuition at five schools. U-W-La Crosse, U-W-Milwaukee, U-W-Platteville, UW-Stout and U-W-Whitewater have asked the Board of Regents for permission to raise their nonresident or graduate tuition rates or both for the upcoming year. Republican lawmakers have frozen in-state undergraduate tuition through the end of next year but have allowed the regents to adjust out-of-state and graduate rates. The schools' proposal calls for raising nonresident undergraduate tuition by three-point-seven percent at U-W-La Crosse, one percent at U-W-Milwaukee and three-point-four percent at U-W-Whitewater. All five schools want to increase graduate tuition.
BDAAA Exhibit Opening: 'Poetry of Nature'
4/10/16 – The Beaver Dam Area Arts Association's newest exhibit opens today. Poetry of Nature focuses on the natural world in a wide variety by over 30 local and regional artists. Poetry of Nature runs through May 22 at the Beaver Dam Area Arts Association which is located in the Seippel Homestead and Center for the Arts at 1605 North Spring Street. More information is available at www.bdaaa.org.
Wisconsin Tech Council Entrepreneurs Narrowed Down
4/9/16 – Twenty-seven Wisconsin entrepreneurs are still in the running to win the annual Governor's Business Plan Contest. The state's Technology Council, the chief sponsor of the contest, announced the finalists Friday. They were chosen from more than 200 total entries. Their fields include manufacturing, agriculture, computer software, and medical devices. The remaining contestants will now draft business plans to be judged by more than 100 business experts. Twelve winners will be announced late next month, and a grand prize winner will be chosen after they make presentations at the state Entrepreneurs Conference on June 7th in Madison.
BD DPW Garage Now Open On Saturdays
4/9/16 – The Beaver Dam Public Works Garage will be open on Saturdays beginning today. Yard waste can now be dropped off at the garage at 640 South Center Street from 10am to 2pm Saturdays. No waste of any kind will be accepted from contractors or from people who are not Beaver Dam residents. Saturday hours will be suspended again in late fall. Weekday hours of operation have not changed and the public works garage remains open 7am to 3:30pm. The drop-off site also accepts grass clippings, leaves, garden vines, flowers, straw, hay, pine needles, brush and tree limbs seven-inches or less in thickness and hedge or shrubbery cuttings. No fruits, vegetables, garbage or building materials are accepted. The DPW garage does accept used engine oil and certain types of rough metals, again from city residents only.