A Fond du lac man accused of sexually assaulting his adopted special needs daughters over a period of more than a decade is on trial this week. Sixty seven year old Kenneth Kirchner is charged with three counts of child sex assault and one count of child abuse. According to a criminal complaint Kirchner adopted the three sisters after they were removed from their original home after being sexually assaulted […]
The Fond du Lac city council has elected LeeAnn Lorrigan as its new president. Lorrigan was elected president and councilmember Gary Miller was elected vice president at Tuesday night’s organizational meeting. Lorrigan says she’s pleased at her new role and looking forward to tackling several important issues this year. She replaces Sam Meyer who did not seek re-election this year. Councilmembers elected to office earlier this month were sworn into […]
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The state Senate has approved a Republican bill that would eliminate Wisconsin's decades-old 48-hour waiting period for handgun purchases. The Senate passed the bill on a voice vote Tuesday. The proposal now goes to the state Assembly. Republican Gov. Scott Walker, a likely 2016 presidential candidate, supports the bill. The waiting period was enacted in the mid-1970s. The bill's chief sponsor, Sen. Van Wanggaard, a Racine […]
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The state Senate has signed off on raises for two public worker unions. Gov. Scott Walker's administration negotiated new contracts with the Wisconsin State Attorneys Association and the Building Trades Negotiating Committee that would give those unions' members a 1 percent pay raise. The deals are for the current fiscal year only. The 1 percent raises are equal to raises other state employees have received. No […]
MADISON, Wis. (AP) A new study shows poverty rose slightly in Wisconsin from 2012 to 2013, despite some job gains. The report released Tuesday by University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers says the Wisconsin Poverty Measure rose to 10.9 percent in 2013, up from 10.2 percent in 2012. That measure was roughly 2.5 percentage points lower than the official Wisconsin poverty rate from the federal government. The Wisconsin Poverty Measure takes […]
MADISON, Wis. (AP) The co-chairman of the Legislature's budget committee says he wants to ensure that "decaying, disgusting deer along the side of the road" continue to get removed. Gov. Scott Walker's budget would eliminate $700,000 in funding to the state Department of Natural Resources to pay for removal of deer hit by cars. The Joint Finance Committee was scheduled to meet Wednesday to vote on the idea. Committee […]
MADISON, Wis. (AP) The co-chair of the Legislature's budget-writing Joint Finance Committee says he is open to raising hunting and fishing permit fees for people outside of Wisconsin. Rep. John Nygren said Tuesday that option will be considered by the committee on Wednesday as it votes on parts of the Department of Natural Resources budget. Gov. Scott Walker did not call for any increase in hunting or fishing fees […]
A Waupun man is in custody after punching his sister in law in the face following an argument outside a Waupun tavern. Waupun police were called to the scene in 400 block of East Main Street early Sunday morning. Waupun police chief Dale Heeringa says after being struck the woman fell on the sidewalk. Heeringa says fortunately the woman wasn't seriously injured, but he says it could have been a […]
The Wisconsin State veterinarian has announced a ban on poultry movement in an effort to control the spread of the avian influenza virus. The ban prohibits poultry movement to shows, exhibitions and swap meets in Jefferson, Juneau or Barron counties. Raechelle Cline with the Ag Department’s division of animal health says the ban prohibits poultry movement to the counties where H5N2 has already been found. Wisconsin has three confirmed cases […]