News 06.15.16
15 June 2016 News
The father of a woman murdered 26 years ago took the stand Tuesday morning in the trial for his daughter’s accused killer. David Beck, father of Berit Beck, was the first witness called to testify in the Dennis Brantner murder trial following Tuesday morning’s opening statements. Beck testified about the last conversation he had with Berit. David Beck said his daughter told him “Don’t worry dad,” before she left on a trip to Appleton–a destination she would not reach. Brantner, 62, is charged with 1st Degree Murder in the 1990 slaying of Berit Beck, a case that went cold for two decades before investigators got a break in 2014. Beck was 18-years-old when she disappeared on a trip from Sturtevant to Appleton. She was driving to the Fox Valley to attend a seminar for her job. Brantner was arrested in March 2015.
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Names have been released in connection with a fatal traffic crash in Waushara County. Sheriff Jeffrey Nett says 18-year-old Rocky Dobs of Redgranite was pronounced dead at the scene on 26th Road, southeast of County Road W, in the Town of Saxeville. Investigation shows a vehicle, driven by 32-year-old Adam Wolken of Redgranite, left the roadway and struck several trees. Wolken was flown to Theda Clark Medical Center in Neenah. The extent of his injuries are unknown. Both Wolken and Dobs were not wearing a seat belt. The accident happened Sunday morning just past 7:00am. It remains under investigation.
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A motorcyclist involved in a crash over the weekend has died from his injuries. Police says 28-year-old Stefan Fiedler of Fond du Lac was pronounced dead at Theda Clark Regional Medical Center in Neenah. Fiedler was involved in a crash early Sunday morning in the area of Forest Avenue and S. Berger Parkway in Fond du Lac. Police say Fiedler was south on S. Berger Parkway when he left the road and struck some trees. Speed and alcohol appear to be factors in the crash.
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Appleton police say two men wanted in a confrontation that led to a fatal shooting may have crossed the border to Mexico. A criminal complaint filed Monday charges Jorge Luis Zendejas-Cano with first-degree intentional homicide in the death of Jose Gil-Leon. Police say he was fatally shot early Saturday after getting in a fight with the defendant’s brother, Miguel Zendejas-Cano. Miguel Zendejas-Cano is charged with battery and other several counts after police say he punched and shoved the victim’s daughter who was trying to break up a fight. Investigators say the 42-year-old Gil-Leon fought with one of the two defendants after he made a derogatory comment about his daughter during a gathering at his house and the other brother shot him.
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A new report finds that rainy, warm weather has helped corn and soybean crops across Wisconsin but has hampered some farmers’ ability to harvest hay. Data from the National Agricultural Statistics Service shows that corn has emerged in 96 percent of the state’s reporting sites. That puts the crop even with last year’s near-record pace and two weeks ahead of the five-year average. The report says 88 percent of soybeans have emerged across the state’s fields, putting the crop one day ahead of last year’s pace and 10 days ahead of the five-year average. The moisture levels in state soils are credited with helping fuel the growth spurt. But a La Crosse County farmer says in the report that many fields of cut hay haven’t been baled or chopped.
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An Assembly task force is recommending a series of steps to improve Alzheimer’s and dementia care in Wisconsin. The six new recommendations in the report released Tuesday include increasing funding for dementia research, addressing a shortage of health care providers, improving response to dementia-related crisis situations and promoting education about dementia in schools. Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos created the task force in August 2015. The Legislature passed three bills this year stemming from its initial recommendations. Seven others didn’t make it through the Senate but might be reintroduced next session. The bills that did pass call for a county-based dementia crisis unit pilot program; allocate an additional $1 million for the state’s Alzheimer’s family and caregiver support program; and create state grants for dementia training for mobile crisis teams.
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