Month: May 2015

A not guilty plea for a Theresa man accused of stealing nearly $24,000 from a gas station where he worked. Forty seven year old Randal Mittelstadt, entered the plea Tuesday in Dodge County Circuit Court. He's charged with one count of theft in a business setting. According to the criminal complaint, Mittelstadt took money from the cash register over the period of about a year to support a gambling addiction. If […]

The American Heart Associationof Wisconsin is weighing in on a proposal to eliminate “complete streets” policy in the state budget.  Association government relations director Chris Klein says if the policy is eliminated communities would no longer need to consider building crosswalks or sidewalks when new streets are built.  So why is the Heart Association concerned about that?   "That's a great question and our answer to that is really easy. […]

ORTAGE, Wis. (AP) — Gov. Scott Walker says he would be "pleased" if a repeal of Wisconsin's prevailing wage law were a part of the state budget, but he'd also be satisfied with significant changes to the requirement setting construction wages for public works jobs.  Walker reiterated his support Thursday for a full repeal, saying he believes that makes sense and is what he prefers.  But Republican leaders in both […]

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A new report says Gov. Scott Walker's budget plan to eliminate about 30 Department of Natural Resources scientists and educators could cost the agency dozens more positions.  A memo from the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau produced on Tuesday notes that if the DNR creates layoff groups consisting of scientists and educators, state law would require the agency to eliminate all limited-term and positions in those classifications […]

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin may be the first state in the country to certify teachers who don't have bachelor's degrees under a provision put in the state budget last week.  An analysis of the proposal by an attorney for the Legislature released Thursday shows that preliminary research found no other state allows teachers without a degree in the classroom, except for career and technical education.  The proposal added to […]

OSHKOSH, Wis. (AP) — An Oshkosh zoo had to euthanize a wolf after the animal bit a child.  Ray Maurer, the city's parks director,  says the wolf "nipped" a child last Friday when the child entered a non-public area of the Menominee Park Zoo and put fingers through a fence.  He declined to disclose the child's age or gender, citing federal privacy laws. The child was transported to a local […]

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Assembly Labor Committee has approved a measure that would eliminate Wisconsin's prevailing wage law.  The committee voted Wednesday 5-4 with Republicans in favor advancing the bill. Representative John Spiros, a Marshfield Republican, joined Democrats in voting against the measure.  Gov. Scott Walker on Wednesday said he would sign a repeal of the law.  The proposal would do away with a law that requires construction workers […]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — A farmer in Beaver Dam is being accused of defrauding a crop insurance company. The U.S. Justice Department said Wednesday that a federal grand jury indicted 37-year-old Jeffrey Lewke on nine counts of crop insurance fraud.  The indictment accuses Lewke of defrauding a company insured by the Federal Crop Insurance Corp., which provides insurance to farmers for unavoidable crop losses. According to the indictment, the fraud went […]

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin lawmakers have tweaked Gov. Scott Walker's plan to expand the state's Family Care program and wrap the IRIS program into it.  The governor's budget calls for seeking a federal waiver to allow expanding Family Care, helps people stay out of nursing homes, statewide by Jan. 1, 2017. The budget also calls for eliminating IRIS, a related long-term care program that provides self-directed assistance with bathing, […]