News 01.10.17
10 January 2017 News
A Waupun woman is going to prison for sexually assaulting a 3 year old boy. On Friday, 26 year old Cassandra Scheuers pleaded no contest to a charge of 1st degree sexual assault of a child. Dodge County Circuit Court Judge Martin DeVries sentenced Scheuers to five years of initial confinement and five years of extended supervision. Scheuers and her ex-husband, 28 year old Robert Moungey of Waupun, were both accused of sexually assaulting the 3 year old. The assaults occurred in 2015. Moungey was sentenced in October to 31 years of initial confinement and 21 years of extended supervision for the assault as well as possessing child pornography. Police learned of the sexual assault and the child pornography from Scheuers.
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Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s deputies made over a thousand traffic stops and 16 OWI arrests during the recent Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign. Sheriff’s captain Ryan Waldschmidt says 577 traffic citations were issued and 618 warnings. He says the intensified enforcement is intended to deter people from driving if they are impaired. The stepped up campaign ran from just before Christmas through the New Year’s holiday.
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According to online court records, a man accused of threatening to “shoot up” the Fox River Mall makes an initial appearance in Outagamie County court. 28-year old Christopher C. Hawkins is charged with Making Terrorist Threats in connection to a Dec. 27 incident that caused a panic at the mall in Grand Chute. Bond is set at $25,000. A preliminary hearing–in which a judge decides if there’s enough evidence for the case to move forward–is scheduled for Jan. 17. A criminal complaint shows Hawkins had been in a fight with his girlfriend the day of the mall incident. The girlfriend told police that Hawkins made threats to “shoot up” the mall and an Appleton hotel. Police responded to the mall, but were unable to locate Hawkins or any active threat. Hawkins was arrested the next day in Minnesota, where he was held until extradition to Wisconsin. Outagamie County District Attorney Carrie Schneider says a “Terrorist Threat” charge doesn’t just apply to someone who’s threatening the country or the government.
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As a marijuana extract used to treat seizures is more widely embraced, the conversation in Wisconsin is shifting to whether the time is right to approve medical marijuana. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos told reporters last week he would consider it, even as Republican Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald and Gov. Scott Walker say no way. Republican Sen. Van Wanggaard plans to sponsor a bill that would make it legal to possess cannibidiol oil, the marijuana extract. He says he’d consider legalizing medical marijuana with the right limitations, but not anytime soon. Advocates hope the fact that some Republicans are easing their stance on medical marijuana is a positive sign, especially as it’s viewed as a less harmful alternative to prescribing addictive opiates as painkillers.
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Wisconsin farmland’s value remained steady in 2016, unlike the rest of the Midwest. Nearly every state in the region saw decreases to farmland values last year because of low commodity prices. Iowa’s land values fell for the third year in a row, an issue the state hasn’t encountered since the 1980s. But Dennis Badtke, chief appraiser from Badgerland Financial, says Wisconsin land prices are surprisingly strong because people still have enough money and borrowing capacity. Farm appraiser Arlin Brannstrom says Wisconsin’s diverse agriculture industry makes it more resilient to the impact of low prices. He says the state could see land decrease in value this year as rental rates decline and higher interest rates make loans less attractive.
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Gov. Scott Walker delivers his seventh State of the State speech today and he’s not expected to reveal much of his plans for the coming year. Walker typically doesn’t unveil many new policies or proposals in the annual address delivered at a joint meeting of the state Senate and Assembly. Those will mostly come next month when he releases the two-year state budget. Instead, Walker is expected to focus the State of the State speech on broad themes like his push to get more people in the workforce. He’s hit on that in recent speeches to large and influential business leaders in the state.
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