Public Enemies Hits the Big Screen
7/2/09 - The movie “Public Enemies” played to sold-out crowds in Beaver Dam last night but it is getting mixed reviews from critics across the country. According to rottentomatoes.com, two-thirds of the country’s top film critics are recommending the movie, while the other third say the picture falls short. Roger Ebert with the Chicago Sun-Times said it was a “good film but not a great film” and gave it three-and-a-half stars, the same as Rolling Stone magazine which called it “movie dynamite.” But Time Magazine says the movie “lacks overall focus” while the New York Post says Johnny Depp was fatally miscast and his performance was “smaller-than-life.”
Those leaving the 6:45pm showing in Beaver Dam last night, had just about the same mixed reviews. One local theater-goer from Beaver Dam called it “excellent with a really interesting ending and a refreshing cast of characters.” Another Beaver Dam resident said it was “less than spectacular, other than the fact that it was filmed in Beaver Dam.”
The Hotel Rogers can be clearly seen in the movie. There was no question that Beaver Dam audiences would recognize the scenes filmed in neighboring Columbus, where crews spent several long days and nights shooting. But there was concern that the scene shot at the Rogers Hotel in Beaver Dam over course a few hours last May wouldn’t make the final cut. Those who saw the film say Beaver Dam is clearly in the movie as the “Congress Hotel” in Arizona. Check here for a video detailing the movie shoot in Beaver Dam last spring.
Population Estimates for 2008 Released
7/2/09 - The city of Beaver Dam has essentially maintained the same population it had at the beginning of the decade. That’s according to the estimates released yesterday by the U.S. Census Bureau. Their estimate has the city’s population at 15,133, which is a decline of less than one percent from 2000. Fox Lake stayed about the same as well coming in at 1,454. The biggest increase in our area was seen in Columbus where they saw an up tick of about 13% to right around 5,100. The estimate has Juneau and Mayville up 5% with Watertown up 6.2%. Meanwhile, in Waupun a decrease of 2.3% has their population at 10,469 including prisoners, while Horicon saw an 8% decline to 3,495. Another decrease in our area came in the village of Randolph where a 5% decline was seen. Overall, Dodge County’s population is estimated to have increased 2.3% to just a shade under 88,000. The numbers are estimates as of July 1st of last year.
Company Closing Two Plants in Jefferson County
7/2/09 - Briggs-and-Stratton will close two plants in Jefferson County in the next few months. The Milwaukee area company blames a poor market caused by the recession, and the need to consolidate its production as a reason for closing its plants in Watertown and Jefferson. About 530 people work at the two plants, which make portable generators and pressure washers. About 100 salaried workers will have the chance to move to other Briggs’ locations, including the one in Wauwatosa.
Fox Lake Look to Fitzgerald for Help in Paying for Upgrades
7/2/09 - Leaders from Fox Lake recently visited Senator Scott Fitzgerald in Madison in an effort to get assistance in paying for a mandatory retention pond and wastewater plant upgrades. Council President Tom Bednarek says they were informed by the DNR about 10-days ago that on top of the wastewater plant upgrades mandated in a 2007 court case a retention pond would also be necessary to help with runoff. Bednarek, along with the Mayor, City Administrator, and their Engineering firm went to Madison and asked Fitzgerald for help in getting grant or stimulus money to pay for the upgrades. Bednarek says if they can’t get the assistance they need taxpayers would most likely see increases to their water and sewer bills. The total cost of both projects would be roughly $1.6-million.
Foreclosures Up in June
7/2/09 - Home foreclosures in Wisconsin jumped another 12-percent in June. The Madison research firm of Foreclosure Alarm said there were 24-hundred-60 court filings in June against homeowners who got behind on their mortgages. That’s up from 22-hundred filings in May. The company’s founder, Philip Crawford, said the trends have been relatively consistent statewide. He says the drop in housing values has caused more people to walk away, once they find they have negative equity. Job losses are another factor, as the state’s unemployment rate is almost twice what it was just a few years ago.
New Event Kicks of Columbus Fourth of July Celebration
7/2/09 - A Trash Barrel painting competition was the kick off event for the Columbus July Fourth celebration last night. Over 30 contestants received plastic barrels and were asked to paint them with themes of patriotism, historic Columbus or “Going Green.” A new Columbus resident, Everett Kitt, was the $100 dollar first prize winner; The Nicole Stormer family of Fall River took home the $75 dollar second prize; and Terri Bashynski of the Columbus Arts Association took home the $50 dollar third prize. The top three Barrels will ride in the Parade on Saturday and all the barrels will be spread around town and throughout Fireman’s Park to collect admiration…and trash.
Man Must Give Back Deer Head
7/2/09 - A state appeals court told a Racine man today to give the D-N-R the head of a deer he took from a roadside a year-and-a-half ago. Court records say 69-year-old John Longo took the dead deer without a permit in February of 2008. He ate the venison, and had the head mounted. Racine County Circuit Judge Allan Torhorst later fined Longo one-dollar, and told him to give the head-mount to the D-N-R when they asked for it. And if they didn’t ask by last Halloween, the judge said the agency must grant the permit. But prosecutors said the deadline was not proper, and they appealed it. Today, the Second District Appellate Court in Waukesha ordered Longo give up the deer-head now.
Developer Enters “No Contest” Plea to Theft By Contractor Charges
7/2/09 - The developer of the Eagle View subdivision in Beaver Dam entered a “no contest” plea yesterday to felony charges of Theft by Contractor. Karen M. Behnke-Knoblauch failed to pay a contractor $189,000 for work that was completed in 2007. The 53-year-old Pewaukee woman used a business loan from Equitable Bank for personal expenses. Nearly $100,000 was converted to cash while the remaining money was spent at two Milwaukee-area department stores. Behnke-Knoblauch faces up to 10-years in prison at sentencing, which is scheduled for August 5. The Eagle View subdivision is on the south side of Beaver Dam. There has been no home construction as of yet.
Koehn Welcomed Back to Columbus
7/2/09 - The public is invited to a welcoming reception for the new Columbus Fire Chief. Randy Koehn, the former deputy fire chief with the Beaver Dam Fire Department, was selected as the new chief last month. The public reception will be held at the Columbus Fire Department this evening from 6pm to 8pm.
Downtown Demolitions Efforts Reach Ground Level
7/1/09 - The buildings may have been removed from downtown Beaver Dam, but a lot of work remains. Mayor Tom Kennedy says at this point everything is moving right along as expected. The focus right now is on the Celestial site where the concrete, basement floor is being removed, along with the pylons, or “piers,” that held the structure over the river. The Celestial building shared some of its piers with the neighboring Fountain Inn Tavern, the one building constructed over the Beaver Dam River that is not being razed at this time. Kennedy says after inspecting the footings of the piers they had deteriorated as expected. Concrete was used to fill some voids under the footings to stabilize the remaining piers. As a final safety precaution, Kennedy says the city is having an engineer review the structural system remaining in the water to verify that it is sound. Fountain Inn owner Jay Hoeft tells us his century-old building is holding up just fine through process and says it’s as sturdy as the day it was built. He says he tells his customers that if they can find a crack anywhere inside the bar, he’ll give them a free drink.
Suspected Pipe-Bomber Gets Probation Revoked Again
7/1/09 - Suspected pipe-bomber Stephen Peterson has been sentenced to another seven months in jail for once again violating the terms of his probation. The 19-year-old had his second revocation hearing in one week yesterday in Dodge County court. He was sentenced to probation in December on charges of Criminal Damage To Property for driving over $700 worth of potted flowers at a garden center in Beaver Dam last June. In the weeks before that Peterson was also ticketed for running down mailboxes, garbage cans and even a white picket fence. Last week, he had his probation revoked for the picket fence damage and was sentenced to nine months in prison. His most recent sentence will run consecutive to that sentence. Peterson also faces a variety of felony charges of firing a rifle into two Dodge County residences and blowing-up an outhouse and a mailbox with pipe-bombs. He’s looking at the possibility of a maximum combined total of 127 years in prison if convicted on the felony charges.
Columbus 4th of July Celebration Begins Today
7/1/09 - The Columbus Fourth of July Celebration kicks off today. The carnival opens this evening at 5pm with a pay-one-price special, which continues tomorrow, Friday and again Sunday. The parade begins at noon on Saturday. The Parade Marshall is John Caldwell of Caldwell Lumber and theme is “Building a Better Community.” As far as live music, Phase 2 is on the main stage tomorrow, Lube headlines Friday. Band X will perform before the fireworks on Saturday and Boogie Men will play afterward. Jesse Walker closes the festival on Sunday afternoon with his old time country music show. The event also features baseball, food, a craft fair and a variety of children’s activities.
Columbus Man Wins Car
7/1/09 - A Columbus man won a brand-new hybrid vehicle as part of the Beaver Dam Chamber of Commerce Summer Raffle. Chamber Executive Director Phil Fritsche says John Benisch took away the grand prize: a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid. Fritsche says Benisch has also indicated that he will be driving the fuel-efficient vehicle home, making him the first grand prize winner not to take the cash option and sell the vehicle back to the dealership. Second and third place winners took home $100 gift certificates from the Organic Food Center and Shell Gas.
Pictured, L-R Summer Raffle Committee Chair Brenda Kuhl, Lydia Fritsche, Conley Publishing & Beaver Dam Chamber of Commerce Director Philip Fritsche, drawing the winners in the Chamber’s 2009 Summer Raffle at the Beaver Dam Country Club.
DOT To Hold Meeting on 151 Conversion to Freeway
7/1/09 - Officials with the state Department of Transportation are holding a second public information meeting later this month to discuss plans to convert Highway 151 between Columbus and Waupun from an expressway to a freeway. An expressway allows drivers to access it from side roads or driveways while a freeway can only be accessed by ramps and interchanges. During this second meeting, the DOT will display preliminary roadway concepts for the conversion to a freeway. The project is in the first of three phases and there is no immediate construction planned. The public meeting will be held July 15 at the Beaver Dam American Legion from 5pm to 7pm with a presentation at 5:30pm.