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• Wisconsin taxpayers pay less; other state briefs
• Roberts -- Dog euthanized; police say man injured it with spoon
• Corrected: Man arrested for animal cruelty

In 2009 Wisconsin residents gave their governments the smallest percentage of their incomes in almost 40 years, according to the state's Taxpayers Alliance.

The alliance said federal, state and local taxes accounted for almost 29% of the state's total personal income last year. That's down by almost 5% from 2008, and it's the lowest tax-to-income ratio since 1970.

The tax alliance said the recession caused total tax collections in the state to drop from almost $70 billion in 2008 to just over $61 billion last year. Meanwhile, personal incomes kept rising by about 2.5%, and they totaled $212 billion in 2009.

But Taxpayers Alliance analyst Kyle Christianson said taxes as a share of income could go up this year as tax increases passed in the current state budget take effect while unemployment pressures continue.

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Soldiers coming home

The largest deployment of Wisconsin National Guard troops since World War II is about to end.

The first of 3,200 soldiers is due back in the state today. About 115 of them will arrive at Volk Field in Juneau County. They'll see their families for a couple hours and then spend a few days at Fort McCoy for debriefing.

Most of today's returnees are with the 103rd Cavalry unit based in Fort Atkinson. All 3,200 members of the 32nd Infantry Brigade are due back by the end of January.

They're ending a year-long tour of duty which included a host of security missions in Iraq. Among other things, they trained Iraqi prison guards, watched detainees, and provided security for US bases.

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Company's embezzlement losses reach $31 million

Milwaukee's Koss Corporation now says it has found losses totaling $31 million that go back to 2005.

Former financial vice president Sue Sachdeva was charged last month with embezzling $4.5 million.

Yesterday Koss said it fired its auditing firm of Grant Thornton as part of an continuing internal investigation. Executives of Koss, which makes stereo headphones, said none of Grant Thornton's audit reports listed adverse opinions, and that includes those over the past two years when Sachdeva allegedly used company funds to buy millions of dollars worth of jewelry and clothing.

Grant Thornton officials said they're not at fault. The firm said it was not hired to evaluate internal controls over Koss's financial reporting process because that job is supposed to be done by Koss's management and board of directors.

Koss officials said the company's financial statements are unreliable as far back as 2005. They're not sure how much of the losses are covered by insurance.

Sachdeva is due back in federal court Jan. 11. Koss announced her firing on Christmas Eve.

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Deputies search for boy in river

A search continues today for a seven-year-old boy who apparently fell into the Fox River in Burlington Monday afternoon.

Racine County sheriff's officials said the boy was sledding with two others, and he apparently fell in the water while one of the boys was using a bathroom.

A woman told a Milwaukee television station she tried to rescue the youngster after her husband saw him fall through the ice. She used tie-down straps to reach the boy, but they weren't long enough.

Sheriff's Sgt. Mark Bauer said it's not clear if the boy fell through the ice, or if he fell through an ice shelf on the shore. His name was not immediately released.

The Fox River was near its flood stage on Sunday. Burlington's acting police chief Mark Anderson said the fast current and cold temperature hampered the search.

Divers combed the water while a rescue helicopter searched from the air.

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Appliance rebate begins

Wisconsin appliance stores may see more customers thanks to a federal rebate program that started Jan. 1.

The state received $5.4 million in stimulus dollars to hand out rebates to those who buy energy efficient appliances.

Don Smith of Wisconsin Focus on Energy said the appliance rebates are not large enough to make people drop everything and buy something right away. He said the new rebates should be around for 6-12 months, giving folks time to decide what's best for them.

The amounts range from $25 for a new dishwasher to $200 for a new furnace. There are larger rebates for renewable energy systems, including $2,000 for a new solar hot water system.

Retailers were told last week what's eligible for the new rebates.

Smith said folks might be disappointed by the small rebates, but with the energy savings, they'll keep more of their money as time goes on.

A Roberts man has been arrested for mistreating a dog after he allegedly injured it with a plastic spoon, leading to its death.

The incident happened on New Year's Day in Roberts.

St. Croix County authorities said the nine-month-old Golden lab was screaming for a couple hours before a neighbor went to check on the pet and found the spoon protruding from it.

The dog was taken to a veterinarian and was euthanized because its intestine was punctured.

A 25-year-old man was arrested. He lived where the dog was found, but it was not immediately known if he was the pet's owner.

As of Monday, prosecutors had not reviewed the case for possible charges.

A man has been arrested in connection with animal cruelty incident that occurred in the town of Hudson New Year's Eve.

Michael J. Wondra, 25, Hudson, was booked into the St. Croix County Jail Jan. 1 on one count of intentionally mistreating animals.

Sheriff Dennis Hillstead said the man was arrested after deputies investigated an incident when neighbors became concerned about a yelping dog.

Hillstead said the dog was found with a plastic spoon in its rectum that caused a serious injury. The dog was taken to a veterinarian and euthanized because its intestine was punctured.

The sheriff said Wondra is free on a $2,000 cash bond he posted.

Charges in the matter had not been filed by the district attorney's office as of Tuesday morning.