A 23-YEAR-OLD PEDESTRIAN WAS CRITICALLY INJURED AFTER BEING STRUCK BY A CAR SATURDAY NIGHT ON HIGHWAY 13 IN THE TOWN OF DELL PRAIRIE.  BRANDI NORTON OF ADAMS APPARENTLY RAN OUT OF GAS AND WAS WALKING ALONG THE HIGHWAY NEAR GILLETTE DRIVE, JUST NORTH OF WISCONSIN DELLS WHEN SHE WAS HIT BY 36-YEAR-OLD SHIWU CHEN OF ADAMS.  NORTON HAD TO BE FLOWN TO A MADISON HOSPITAL.  THE ADAMS COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT IS INVESTIGATING.

IN AN EFFORT TO HANDLE A 1,000-YEAR-FLOOD IN MONTELLO, NEW DAM GATES MANDATED BY THE WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES SHOULD SOON BE FULLY FUNCTIONAL.  THE MAXIMUM WATER FLOW AT THE MONTELLO DAM WAS INCREASED ABOUT THREE TIMES TO 5,000 CUBIC FEET PER SECOND AND THE NEW GATES ARE EXPECTED TO BE MORE EFFICIENT AND SAFER.  THEY WERE SHIPPED TO MONTELLO AND ASSEMBLED IN LATE NOVEMBER, BUT AN ERROR IN THE DESIGN BY THE MANUFACTURER HAS DELAYED THE PROJECT.  THE ERROR IS BEING CORRECTED AND THE NEW GATES SHOULD BE OPERATIONAL SOON.

A FORMER REEDSBURG ALDERMAN WAS CITED FOR FILING A FALSE COMPLAINT OF POLICE MISCONDUCT FRIDAY MORNING.  51-YEAR-OLD ROBERT PARKHURST OF REEDSBURG WAS CITED BY REEDSBURG POLICE AFTER HE FILED THE COMPLAINT AGAINST A POLICE OFFICER REGARDING THE HANDLING OF A CASE IN EARLY JANUARY.  THE INCIDENT INVOLVED PARKHURST’S CONSENT TO DESTROY PAPERWORK INVOLVING AN ONGOING FAMILY COURT MATTER.  THE CHARGE HAS BEEN FILED WITH THE SAUK COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE.

IT'S LOBBY DAY AT THE CAPITOL THIS WEEK FOR FARMERS ACROSS THE STATE. PAUL ZIMMERMAN WITH THE WISCONSIN FARM BUREAU SAYS MEMBERS OF THE AG INDUSTRY WILL MEET WITH THEIR LAWMAKERS TO STRESS THE IMPORTANCE OF AGRICULTURE.  THE GROUPS WILL DISCUSS FOOD SECURITY, TRADE, THE US FARM BILL, WETLANDS, AIR EMISSIONS, AND LIVESTOCK SITING.  AG DAY AT THE CAPITOL IS WEDNESDAY AT MONONA TERRACE IN MADISON.

MUCH LARGER TRUCKS COULD BE DRIVING ON WISCONSIN HIGHWAYS IF CONGRESS DECIDES THE EFFICIENCIES OF BIGGER LOADS ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE CONCERNS OF ROAD DAMAGE AND DRIVER SAFETY. THE MAXIMUM WEIGHT FOR INTERSTATE TRUCKS COULD BE INCREASED BY EIGHT AND A HALF TONS TO 97 THOUSAND POUNDS. THE CURRENT WEIGHT LIMIT IN WISCONSIN AND MOST STATES IS 80 THOUSAND POUNDS -- UNLESS THE TRUCK HAS A PERMIT TO EXCEED THAT LIMIT. COMPANIES WHICH SHIP HOUSEHOLD GOODS IN TRACTOR TRAILERS SAY THE BIGGER LOADS WOULD CUT DOWN ON TRAFFIC, DECREASE FUEL USAGE AND BASICALLY KEEP PRICES LOWER. OPPONENTS SAY THE HEAVIER TRUCKS WOULD CAUSE MORE ROAD AND BRIDGE DAMAGE. THE HEAVIER TRUCKS WOULD ALSO TAKE MORE DISTANCE TO STOP AND DEATHS FROM ACCIDENTS INVOLVING LARGE TRUCKS ARE ALREADY UP BY NINE PERCENT.

WISCONSIN OFFICIALS SAY THEY'VE INCREASED THEIR EFFORTS TO LOOK FOR FRAUD IN THE STATE'S FOOD STAMP PROGRAM. THE LEGISLATIVE AUDIT BUREAU SAID ABOUT 33-MILLION-DOLLARS IN FOOD-SHARE BENEFITS WERE SPENT BY WISCONSINITES AT LOCATIONS OUTSIDE THE STATE LAST YEAR. AND AROUND 324-THOUSAND DOLLARS OF THE SPENDING WAS SUSPICIOUS. HEALTH SERVICES SPOKESWOMAN STEPHANIE SMILEY SAYS THE WALKER ADMINISTRATION HAS PUT MORE RESOURCES INTO KEEPING TRACK OF FOOD-SHARE FRAUD -- AND THEY'RE REVIEWING EVERY CASE AND TAKING APPROPRIATE ACTIONS. AUDITORS SAID MOST OF THE OUT-OF-STATE SPENDING WAS DONE BY RESIDENTS LIVING NEAR THE STATE'S BORDERS, OR TAKING TRIPS SOMEWHERE. BUT AUDITORS FOUND 731 PEOPLE IN THE STATE'S PROGRAM WHO DON'T LIVE IN WISCONSIN. AND THERE WERE 334 CASES LAST YEAR IN WHICH A FOOD-SHARE ACCOUNT NUMBER WAS USED IN WISCONSIN THE SAME DAY IT WAS USED IN ANOTHER STATE. PURCHASES WERE MADE IN EVERY STATE AND GUAM. JON PEACOCK OF THE WISCONSIN COUNCIL ON CHILDREN-AND-FAMILIES SAYS HE WAS GLAD THE FRAUD INVOLVED LESS THAN ONE-TENTH OF ONE-PERCENT OF FOOD-SHARE CLIENTS. HE SAID THE STATE SHOULD BE ABLE TO ROOT OUT THE FRAUD WITHOUT SCALING BACK BENEFITS FOR LAW-ABIDING RESIDENTS.

02.03.12
THE PORTAGE AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE PRESENTS THE GREATER COMMUNITY EXPO SATURDAY AT PORTAGE HIGH SCHOOL.  FROM THE PORTAGE AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BRAD CONRAD SAYS THE EVENT RUNS FROM 9 A.M. TO 1 P.M.  CONRAD HAS ARRANGED A SPECIAL GUEST WHO WILL BE PART OF THE EXPO…BILL SCHROEDER, WHO WAS PART OF THE GREEN BAY PACKERS SUPER BOWL TEAMS IN THE 90S WILL BE ON HAND BEGINNING AT 10 A.M. TO TALK ABOUT HIS CHARITABLE FOUNDATION AND THEN MEET FANS AND SIGN SOME AUTOGRAPHS AFTERWARDS. AGAIN THE GREATER COMMUNITY EXPO IS SATURDAY IN THE COMMONS AREA AT PORTAGE HIGH SCHOOL.

IN THE WAKE OF THE INVESTIGATION INTO BUSINESS PRACTICES OF THE COLUMBIA COUNTY HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT AND SUBSIQUENT EXIT OF FOUR DEPARTMENT EMPLOYEES, IT MAY TAKE SEVERAL MONTHS TO HIRE A PERMANENT COMMISSIONER TO LEAD THE DEPARTMENT.  IN THE MEANTIME, AN INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR WILL LIKELY BE HIRED TO SERVE AS AN INTERIM HIGHWAY COMMISSIONER AFTER ACTION AT THURSDAY’S MEETING OF THE COLUMBIA COUNTY BOARD'S HIGHWAY COMMITTEE.  THE COUNTY IS LOOKING AT SEVERAL OPTIONS INCLUDING POSSIBLY HIRING A RETIRED COMMISSIONER FROM ANOTHER COUNTY TO FILL THE INTERIM ROLE.

AN INFORMATIONAL SESSION IS BEING PLANNED TWO WEEKS FROM SATURDAY MORNING FOR THE PUBLIC TO WEIGH IN ON A PLAN TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF PARK LAKE IN PARDEEVILLE.  THE PLAN INCLUDES DRAWING DOWN THE LAKE'S LEVEL FOR MORE THAN A YEAR.  THE PUBLIC MEETING WILL START AT 9:30 ON SATURDAY MORNING, FEBRUARY 18 AT PARDEEVILLE VILLAGE HALL.

THE PORTAGE CENTER FOR THE ARTS IS ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR A $500 VISUAL ARTS SCHOLARSHIP AND THE DEADLINE TO APPLY IS THIS MONDAY.  EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR THE PORTAGE CENTER FOR THE ARTS ANN CONWAY SAYS IT WILL BE AWARDED TO A GRADUATING SENIOR AT PORTAGE HIGH SCHOOL WHO IS TAKING ART CLASSES AT EITHER A TWO- OR FOUR-YEAR COLLEGE OR TECHNICAL SCHOOL.  FOR MORE INFORMATION, LOOK IN THE LOCAL SCHOLARSHIP BOOKLET ON THE PORTAGE HIGH SCHOOL WEBSITE.  ONCE AGAIN, SCHOLARSHIP DEADLINE IS MONDAY AFTERNOON.

TWO STATE LAWMAKERS WANT TO ENCOURAGE OUTDOOR ENTHUSIASTS TO DONATE MONEY TO IMPROVE WILDLIFE HABITAT. ONE OF THE BILL’S SPONSORS IS SENATE REPUBLICAN DALE SCHULTZ OF RICHLAND CENTER. IT WOULD LET ANYONE WHO BUYS A SPORTING LICENSE OR AN OUTDOOR RECREATION VEHICLE CONTRIBUTE TWO-DOLLARS TO THE D-N-R. AND THE MONEY WOULD GO TO THE NATURAL RESOURCES FOUNDATION TO CREATE AN ENDOWMENT FUND FOR SUPPORTING WILDLIFE HABITAT ON STATE LANDS. GOVERNOR SCOTT WALKER SAYS HE ALSO SUPPORTS THE MEASURE.

FORTY-TWO PEOPLE WERE KILLED IN WISCONSIN TRAFFIC CRASHES LAST MONTH. THAT'S THREE MORE THAN JANUARY 2011, AND THREE MORE THAN THE AVERAGE FOR THE PAST FIVE YEARS. THE STATE D-O-T SAID 33 DRIVERS WERE KILLED LAST MONTH, ALONG WITH SEVEN PASSENGERS AND TWO PEDESTRIANS. WISCONSIN HAS JUST FINISHED ITS SAFEST FOUR-YEAR PERIOD FOR TRAFFIC DEATHS SINCE THE 1920'S, AND STATE PATROL MAJOR SANDRA HUXTABLE SAYS OFFICIALS ARE TRYING TO GET THAT TO CONTINUE. LAST YEAR, WISCONSIN HAD FEWER THAN 600 TRAFFIC DEATHS FOR THE FOURTH YEAR IN A ROW. THE LAST TIME THAT HAPPENED WAS 1923-TO-'27.

FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 11 YEARS, A GROUP OF WISCONSIN BABY WHOOPING CRANES WILL NOT MAKE IT TO FLORIDA FOR AN ANNUAL MIGRATION EFFORT. NINE BABY CRANES WERE GROUNDED IN ALABAMA IN MID-DECEMBER. AND LIZ CONDIE OF OPERATION MIGRATION SAYS THE BIRDS HAVE REJECTED SEVERAL EFFORTS BY AN ULTRA-LIGHT PILOT TO GET THEM TO FLORIDA. THE MOST RECENT EFFORT WAS LAST SUNDAY. THE CRANES WERE GROUNDED AFTER SOMEBODY COMPLAINED THAT A PILOT WHO WAS GUIDING THE BIRDS VIOLATED FEDERAL RULES AGAINST ULTRA-LIGHT PILOTS BEING PAID TO MAKE TRIPS. THE PILOT WORKS FOR THE GROUP IN CHARGE OF AN EFFORT TO RE-INTRODUCE ENDANGERED WHOOPING CRANES IN THE EASTERN U-S. A COUPLE WEEKS AGO, THE F-A-A GRANTED A TEMPORARY WAIVER FROM ITS RULES SO THE BIRDS COULD MAKE THE TRIP TO FLORIDA THIS WINTER. BUT BECAUSE THEY WON’T GO, CONDIE SAYS THEY’LL BE PUT IN CRATES, AND TAKEN TO THE NEARBY WHEELER NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE IN ALABAMA FOR THE REST OF THE WINTER.