MADISON – The Board of Commissioners of Public Lands (BCPL) approved nearly $400,000 in State Trust Fund Loans to support five municipal projects in Wisconsin. Loans approved include:

• Christmas Mountain Sanitary District, Sauk County / Replace septic tank/lift station / $150,000
• City of Lodi, Columbia County / Purchase street sweeper / $85,000
• Town of River Falls, Pierce County / Refinance BCPL loan #2013167 / $69,631.10
• Town of Siren, Burnett County / Purchase land / $22,819.20
• White River Flowage Lake Management District, Waushara County / Purchase weed harvester and trailer / $65,034.50

The Board also approved the sale of eight parcels of state School Trust Lands totaling approximately 300 acres in Eau Claire, Lincoln, Oneida, Price and Vilas counties.  The sale of these parcels will be offered to the public via sealed bids in the near future.  Proceeds from these sales will be used to purchase better income producing timberland, improve land management efficiency, and enhance public access to School Trust Lands.  All sales have been evaluated using Board approved sales criteria.

With income generated by State Trust Fund Loans, and not a single taxpayer dollar, the BCPL provides all of the state’s financial aid to public elementary, middle and high school libraries; $30.1 million in 2013, alone.  A complete list of the 2013 library aid distribution by school district will be found here: (http://bcpl.wisconsin.gov/docview.asp?docid=24671&locid=145). State Trust Fund Loan monies come from the principal of the state’s Common School Fund enhanced by revenues generated by fees, fines, forfeitures, unclaimed property and timber sales. Established by the State Constitution, the BCPL consists of the Secretary of State Doug La Follette, Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen, and State Treasurer Kurt Schuller.

Contributed by Tia Nelson

The Juneau County Emergency Management Department and Emergency Communications Network, L.L.C of Ormond Beach, Florida have entered into an agreement for “CodeRED” and “CodeRED Weather Warnings” services. “CodeRED” is designed to record, send and track personalized messages to thousands of citizens in minutes. Director Gervase Thompson said these services would be provided to Juneau County citizens to receive notifications of emergency information, such as severe weather warnings initiated by the county’s 911 dispatch center. He said it would also let the department know who and who didn’t receive the messages. The cost for such services is already available from the funds in the department’s 2014 budget. This agreement is only a one year deal, and Thompson said that they would monitor the program and see if it is worth renewing the contract next year. The Juneau County Board of Supervisors approved of the agreement at its monthly meeting on Tuesday and made it an official act of Juneau County.

Contributed

A two-vehicle collision occurred Wednesday morning on US Highway 14, in the Town of Coon, which is between Westby and Coon Valley. Vernon County Sheriff John Spears said 23-year-old Karisa Timmerman of La Crosse, was operating a car eastbound, near Vang Road, and lost control on the slush covered road. Timmerman’s vehicle crossed the center of the highway and struck a westbound pickup truck driven by 48-year-old  Randall Brueggeman of Cashton. The Timmerman vehicle spun around and came to rest in the eastbound lane and caught fire, but was quickly extinguished. The Brueggeman vehicle travelled off the right side of the westbound lane and came to rest in a snowbank. Timmerman and Brueggeman sustained minor injuries in the accident. The accident remains under investigation by the Vernon County Sheriff’s Office.

Contributed

The Wonewoc-Center School Board took action on several items at its board meeting on Monday night. They approved the CESA#4 contract, which included a $2,000 addition for the Educator Effectiveness program. District Administrator Steve Lozeau said that program is a staff evaluation and it is a Department of Public Instruction mandate. They also approved a modified Admission of International Exchange Program Students policy, which will allow up to 4 students and allow the school board to make exceptions when needed. They also approved the retirement request by Al Goodenough, who is a junior high school special education teacher for the district. The board stated their gratitude and thanks for his service to the district.

A Minneapolis man has been charged with possession of THC and OWI-1st offense with a minor in the vehicle. Last Thursday in the Town of Orange, a state trooper pulled over 23-year-old Johnathan Ondieki for speeding on interstate 90. According to the criminal complaint, as the trooper talked to Ondieki, she could smell the odor of burnt marijuana. She asked Ondieki if he had smoked any recently, and he admitted that he had, but it had been a few hours before. Ondieki told the officer that there was a small bag of marijuana in the center console. The trooper had Ondieki perform field sobriety tests, which he could not successfully complete. Ondieki was arrested and the trooper searched the vehicle and found two bags of leafy green substance in the trunk, which were later identified as THC. Ondieki was transported to the Juneau County Jail. At a hearing, bond was set a $1000 signature bond and Ondieki is to not to drive without a valid drivers license, not to use, possess, or consume any controlled substances without a valid prescription, and to not have any drug paraphernalia. A pre-trial conference has been set for late June and a plea hearing has been scheduled for early July.

There is now an official intergovernmental agreement between Sauk, Juneau, and Adams Counties creating the South Central Environmental Health Consortium. Juneau County Health Officer Barbara Theis said that the three counties have been working together since the 90s, and this agreement just formalizes that relationship. She said it was a way to provide a level of service that no one person could do alone. Theis said it was very efficient and effective way to do their business. According to the agreement, Sauk County would be the lead county to serve as administrative and fiscal service provider in cooperation with the other counties. When the agreement was presented at the Juneau County Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, the board approved the agreement.

A Pardeeville man has been arrested on a failure to appear warrant.  38-year-old Jeremy Sherman failed to show up to a plea hearing in February for an operating after revocation, OWI related charge.  A Mauston police officer had pulled  Sherman over in August for expired plates. After checking Sherman’s license, it was found to be revoked. At a bail hearing yesterday, bond was set at a $500 signature bond and Sherman is not to drive without a valid license. A plea hearing has been scheduled for May 14th at 12:45pm.

Governor Scott Walker signed Act 141 increasing funding for the State Highway Rehabilitation Fund by $43 million on Wednesday. These funds will be used to advance 11 projects in fiscal year 2014, including a project in Sauk County. The funds will be used towards the replacement of a bridge deck on State Highway 60 at the Wisconsin River Bridge. The road will be closed for a majority of the summer during repairs. According to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, the project plan includes replacing the deck and the approaches to the bridge, and repainting the steel girders.

The Juneau County Board of Health Chair has been recognized for his contributions to public health. John Wenum was presented with the Partner’s in Public Health Award by David Pluymers, who is the Wisconsin Division of Public Health Southern Regional Office Director, at the March 18th Juneau County Board of Supervisors meeting. Pluymers said that the local government health departments have a substantial impact on the population that they serve and they are extremely important. He went on to say that since May of 2010, Wenum has served as the Chair of the Board of Health and has provided leadership in policy development, resource stewardship, partner engagement, continuous improvement, and oversight. Plyumers told the County board that these accomplishments will have an impact on each and every citizen within Juneau County and that the State of Wisconsin is proud of the Board of Health’s work and the leadership Wenum provides.

Several donations were accepted by the Mauston School Board to give to the Mauston School District for different reasons. At the school board meeting on Monday night, the board accepted donations from John and Helen York, Mauston BTU Management, and the JJ Watt Foundation.  John and Helen York donated golf balls valued at approximately $2000 to the Mauston High School Golf Team. The second donation from BTU Management is to be used as a $1000 scholarship to be awarded to a Mauston High School Senior. The third donation was a donation of athletic equipment from the JJ Watt Foundation, valued at a total of $5,874 to benefit the Olson Middle School sports programs. The Mission Statement for the JJ Watt Foundation is ‘To provide after-school opportunities for children in the community to become involved in athletics, so that they may learn the basic character traits of accountability, teamwork, leadership, work ethic and perseverance while in a safe and supervised environment with their peers.’ The school board said that the total amount of donations that was acknowledge this month was $8,874.00

Three Juneau County Board supervisors have been recognized for their contributions to Juneau County: Jack Wollmer, Thomas Brounacker, and Margaret Marchetti. Wollmer was elected in 2012 and will continue to serve until April 15, 2014. During his term, he served on the Local Emergency Planning, and Building Committee. Brounacker has been a board supervisor for 16 years and served on many committees for the county: ADRC Board, Affirmative Action, Aging and Nutrition, Bond and Insurance, Building, Community Development Building Grant, Health, Juneau County Housing, and W2 Community Steering Committee for Juneau County. Marchetti also has served a great deal of time on the board, having been on the board for 22 years and had served on a number of committees: Personal, Aging and Nutrition, Land-Forestry-Parks and Zoning, Board of Health, Community Action, Audit and Claims, Reorganization, Union Negotiating, Long Term Support, Wisconsin Counties Loss Control and Prevention Insurance Committees. Both Brounacker and Marchetti were given a citation by the state for their services to the county, which was presented to them by by the state Representative Ed Brooks. The three board members turned in their notification of non-candidacy back in November. The board told each member that it was appreciative for their time and effort, and expressed  gratitude for their services and wished them the best in their future.

There has been a two vehicle accident which resulted in injuries to two parties in the Township of Tomah.  Monroe County Sheriff’s Office released a statement, saying the accident happened on Saturday on State Hwy 131 at Highland Avenue.  55-year-old Jon Wagner of Tomah was travelling westbound on Highland Ave and 28-year-old Bret Martyniuk of Tomah was travelling southbound on the highway. Wagner failed to yield the right of way to Martyniuk’s vehicle when he crossed State Hwy 131.  Both vehicles collided in the intersection.  Wagner’s vehicle came to rest on State Hwy 131 and Martyniuk’s vehicle came to rest in the southwest ditch resting on its passenger’s side.  Police say Wagner was not wearing his seatbelt at the time of the crash and received a serious injury as a result of the crash and was taken to the Tomah Memorial Hospital.  Martyniuk received non-life threatening injuries as a result of the crash, but he refused medical treatment at the scene.   The crash remains under investigation by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office and the Wisconsin State Patrol.

The National Weather Service (NWS) will be holding a SKYWARN Severe Weather Spotter Training class in Mauston, WI on Monday, April 7th. The training will be held at the Mauston Public Works building, 1260 North Road, starting at 6:30 p.m. The class will last around 2 hours and includes a multimedia presentation. Training is intended for storm spotters or potential storm spotters, but is open to the public and free of charge. A review of tornadoes from 2011 and 2013 will be included. The NWS relies heavily on actual storm reports from “spotters”, which can include sheriff’s departments, local emergency management officials, police and fire departments, amateur radio operators, or anyone else that has attended one of these classes. These reports can prompt warnings that save lives, which has been proven many times through the years when severe weather strikes. Todd Shea, Warning Coordination Meteorologist with the weather service in La Crosse, Wisconsin organizes the training each year and encourages large groups and active volunteers. “Accurate and timely reports of severe weather, by trained individuals, not only helps our office, but can save lives in the local community. We always need more eyes to the sky.” Juneau County, as well as other areas of central Wisconsin, always needs more “ground-truth” weather reports to pass along to the National Weather Service. Again, training is Monday, April 7th in Mauston, WI starting at 6:30 p.m. Pre-registration is not needed. For further questions, you can contact Juneau County Emergency Management or view the training schedule at: www.weather.gov/lacrosse/?n=skywarn_schedule

Contributed by Todd Shea, Warning Coordination Meteorologist

SHERIFF JOHN SPEARS REPORTS THE FOLLOWING ONGOING ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR AND NARRATIVE EXCERPTS FROM THE WEEK ENDING March 24, 2014

3/18  Lyall Langer, Hillsboro, reported heifers loose on his yard in the Town of Greenwood.

3/19 Mary Lennon, Viola, stated she swerved to miss a deer on Highway V, Town of Greenwood.  Lennon’s vehicle went out of control, striking a traffic sign and a utility support pole which caused a downed wire.  It was determined the wire was not live.  Lennon was not injured.

3/20  Joseph Vesbach, Viroqua, called to report damage to one of his grain bin augers in the Town of Franklin.

3/20  Dwain Munyon, Viroqua, struck an oncoming semi while turning from the stop sign at Prairie Street and 4^th Street in the Village of Readstown.  Munyon struck the semi in the passenger side causing minor damage.  Munyon was not injured but his vehicle suffered severe damage.

3/21  Linda Wagner, Viola, reported black and white cows on her Town of Liberty lawn.

3/22 Mike Jacobs, Viroqua, called to report damage to his fence at his Vikemyr Lane property, Town of Jefferson.

3/23  Shayla Olson, Genoa, reported her car was egged in the Village of Genoa.

3/23  Thomas Beck, Genoa, reported someone struck a 6 x 6 post on his Highway 56 property in the Town of Genoa.

This past week                         Year to Date

Alarm Responses                                           8                            95

Animal Related issues                                     10                         84

Assisting Municipalities                                   67                         613

Crimes Against People                                    20                         228

Crimes Against Property                                 13                         167

Domestic Crimes                                            2                           24

Fire Responses                                              29                          165

K-9 Calls                                                       1                           14

Medical Responses                                       50                          487

Mental Health Cases                                      7                           53

Missing Person Investigations                         5                           36

Safety Escorts                                                4                           71

School Walk Through                                     22                         114

Search and Rescues                                        0                          1

Security Check                                             165                        1571

Serving Legal Documents                               38                         337

Suspicious Activity Investigations                    19                         159

Threat Investigation                                      1                           10

Traffic Accidents                                            14                         363

Traffic Related Investigations                          96                         969

Vehicle Lockouts                                            6                         107

Weapons Investigation                                   0                          9

Unclassified Calls for Assistance                    31                     465

_____                     _______

TOTAL CALLS FOR SERVICE                     586                      6174

ADMISSIONS INTO COUNTY JAIL              23                          229

IF YOU HAVE INFORMATION ON AN ABOVE CRIME, OR ANY CRIME, CALL CRIME STOPPERS AT 637-8477 OR 1-800-657-6868.

John B. Spears, Sheriff

Sharing Supper patrons will be getting a sneak peek at footage that will feature Juneau County on a Wisconsin Public Television series. Wisconsin Hometown Stories is an original documentary series that brings cities and counties’ history to life. This first glance will be 15 to 20 minutes and it will be shown at 6:30pm after the Sharing Supper in the Mauston High School Auditorium. According to April Martell, there are planned roll outs scheduled for the full production in the first week of April, but this will be the first preview. Citizens are welcomed to come to both the Sharing Supper and the preview, and there is no cost. The episode itself will air at 8pm, Thursday, April 17 on Wisconsin Public Television.

At their annual meeting on Saturday, March 22nd, Vernon Electric Cooperative announced that they will be building the state’s first community solar project. According to the cooperative’s April newsletter, they will partner with Clean Energy Collective, a national community solar developer, and plan to host a 305 kilowatt community solar array adjacent to a 520 kilowatt solar array being built simultaneously by Dairyland Power. Senator Jennifer Shilling, a Democrat from La Crosse, said, “It is very encouraging that the first community solar project in our state is being built in western Wisconsin. Renewable energy projects like wind and solar not only improve the health and sustainability of our communities, but these energy projects have the added benefit of creating local jobs and boosting our regional economy.” Vernon Electric Cooperative anticipates breaking ground this month and the solar farm is expected to be operational by early summer. For more information about the project, visit vernonelectric.org

There has been a report of fraud in the Germantown Township. The victim told a Juneau County deputy that she had received a letter from the IRS, stating that someone had filed a tax return using her information. The victim contacted the IRS and it is looking into her case. It also told her to file a report with the Sheriff’s Office.  According to the IRS, it has seen a significant increase in refund fraud that involves identity thieves who file false claims for refunds by stealing and using someone’s Social Security number.

The Vernon County Sheriff’s Office has reported that there have been two single vehicle rollover accidents in the Town of Viroqua Monday night. In one of the accidents, 19-year-old Michael Krueger of Viroqua was operating a car westbound on Cherry Grove Road northeast of Viroqua.  Krueger lost control while negotiating a curve to the right.  The vehicle left the opposite side of the roadway, overturned, and came to rest on its roof in a snow bank. Krueger and his 16-year-old passenger suffered minor injuries and sought medical treatment at Vernon Memorial Healthcare on their own. In the other accident, a 17-year-old youth of rural Westby was driving eastbound on U.S. Highway 14 when she lost control of her vehicle due to the icy road conditions.  Her vehicle had crossed the median where her vehicle rolled and came to rest in the westbound lane of traffic. She was transported to Vernon Memorial Healthcare for possible injuries sustained from the crash. Both accidents are still under investigation by the Vernon County Sheriff’s Office.