Expect cooler weather; Repairs to old lift bridge will mean detours for local commuters; more briefs

Talk about it

The heat wave is over in most of Wisconsin, and for the first time this week, the mercury is not supposed to hit 90 anywhere in the state.

A cold front is moving out of Wisconsin this morning. As it moves east, some lingering showers will disappear in the far north and the southeast. Drier and less humid air is expected to move in sometime this afternoon.

Highs are only expected to be in the mid-70’s to low-80’s statewide.

The mercury hit 95 in parts of southern Wisconsin late Wednesday afternoon, and the heat caused buckling on some major highways in the region during the week.

Milwaukee set a record the warmest overnight low for yesterday, as it only got down to 77 degrees.

There’s a slight chance of showers returning to parts of the state tomorrow, and another weak front could bring rain to southeast Wisconsin Saturday.

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Repairs to old lift bridge will mean detours for commuters

Thousands of Wisconsinites who work in Minnesota’s Twin Cities will have to find a new way to get to work this fall.

The Stillwater Lift Bridge north of Hudson will be closed from September through December so workers can make almost $3.5 million worth of improvements.

Todd Clarkowski of Minnesota’s Department of Transportation says the 80-year-old lift bridge will get a variety of new components, including electrical items. Among other things, guardrails will be replaced along with curbs and gutters.

A Sauk County contractor, Edward Kraemer and Sons, submitted the winning bid for the project.

An open house on the project will be held 4-7 p.m. today (Thursday) the Stillwater City Hall.

The lift bridge will be replaced later this decade by a new four-lane bridge a few miles to the south.

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Man rescues daughter, then drowns

A man drowned near Tomahawk Wednesday after helping a daughter to safety in Crystal Lake.

Authorities said the 42-year-old Merrill man was in the lake with his children when one of them started having trouble. He swam to the daughter and helped her, and then went under himself in about 10 feet of water.

A witness from Colorado dived and brought the victim to shore where efforts to revive him failed.

The incident happened early Wednesday afternoon in the Lincoln County town of Bradley. The victim’s name was not immediately released.

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State’s economy recovering – slowly

Wisconsin’s economy continues to recover, but at a slower pace than in the last few months, according to the state Revenue Department’s economic outlook.

The forecast is for employment in the state to increase by 1% this year, and 1.7% next year.

Wisconsin remains below its peak employment of 2.9 million residents just before the recession hit in 2008. The state expects to return to that figure by early 2015.

Nationally, the jobs lost in the Great Recession are expected to return by the third quarter of 2014.

The state Revenue Department expects an annual jobless rate of 6.5% for this year, and 6.1% next year. By 2015, the unemployment rate is expected to plunge to 4.7%.

As for personal incomes, revenue officials expect a 2.9% increase this year and 4.1% in 2013.

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State’s grey wolf numbers more than double goal

Wisconsin had up to 880 grey wolves when spring began, 4% more than the year before.

The Department of Natural Resources said Wednesday that the wolf population is between 815 and 880. That includes about 40 animals on Indian reservations.

The numbers outside the reservations were more than double the state’s original goal of having 350 wolves.

Officials said there were at least 213 packs of two wolves or more. The largest was a group of 10 animals at Fort McCoy near Sparta.

Officials say the over-abundance of wolves has resulted in farm and hunting animals being killed. The governor and Legislature approved a new hunting and trapping season for wolves after the state was given final authority in January to manage its own population. The DNR is currently working on the details for the new season.

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U.S. Senate primary race heats up

Just when you thought it was safe to watch TV again, a new round of political attack ads appears to be in the works.

Tommy Thompson’s U.S. Senate campaign says it expects a flurry of attack ads, after a new Marquette poll gave the former governor an 18-point lead over the nearest of his three Republican challengers.

The conservative Club for Growth is backing former Congressman Mark Neumann, saying he’s the true conservative in the race. The group has also questioned Thompson’s conservative credentials, and it ran ads attacking the former governor last summer before he entered the Senate field.

Barney Keller of the Club for Growth said voters have not focused on the Senate race because they’re still getting over the Walker recall effort. But once they start paying attention, he said, Thompson’s support will vanish.

Keller claims Thompson’s lead in the Marquette poll is due only his name recognition.

“Republicans already suspect that Tommy Thompson isn’t a true conservative,” said Keller.

Thompson, Neumann, Jeff Fitzgerald and Eric Hovde will square off in an Aug. 14 primary with the winner to face Democrat Tammy Baldwin in November for the right to replace retiring Senator Herb Kohl.

The Marquette poll, released Wednesday, shows Thompson with a 34% to 16% lead over Neumann among likely Republican voters. Hovde had 14% and Fitzgerald 10%.

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17-year-old pleads no contest to church arson charge

A northeast Wisconsin boy will be sentenced Aug. 21 for starting a fire that caused $2 million in damage to a Catholic grade school.

Vincent Enneper of Oconto Falls turns 17 today.

A judge accepted a plea deal Wednesday in which Enneper pleaded no contest to arson, and charges of burglary and a previous attempted arson were dropped.

The fire heavily damaged St. Anthony School in Oconto Falls Feb. 21.

Enneper told investigators he entered the building to look around, but he started fires because he was bored and one of them got out of control.

Almost 50 students were moved to another church for the rest of the school year, and other temporary locations will be ready for the fall.

The teen’s attorney, Bradley Schraven, said he hoped the sentencing would focus on the boy’s rehabilitation.

Enneper was originally charged as a juvenile, but his case was waived into adult court. The attempted arson charge was the result of a minor fire in 2006 at St. Anthony Church.

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Beloit students end trip early after prof dies in fall

A long-time professor at Beloit College died after he fell in South America during a student research trip.

Dan Shea, an anthropology professor, died Tuesday after he fell in Chile where he and five Beloit students have been for almost two weeks.

College spokesman Jason Hughes said the group was planning to stay in the country until next Wednesday, but arrangements are being made to bring everyone home as soon as possible.

Shea was a member of the Beloit College faculty for 44 years.

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Insurance executive faces 24 fraud charges

A federal grand jury in Madison has handed down 24 fraud charges against a former insurance company president in Wausau.

Timothy Mathwich, 62, is the third executive of Manson Insurance to be charged in a scheme that caused Wausau’s River Valley Bank to lose almost $2 million in 2008.

The indictment said Mathwich forged insurance premium financing notes for customers who never asked for them, and the notes were then sold to the bank.

Former Manson CEO David Scholfield was sentenced to five years in prison late last year for his role in the scheme. And former Manson treasurer Susan Brockman was given a six-month prison term. Both were also ordered to pay over $5 million in restitution to victimized customers.

An attorney for Mathwich said he had not seen the indictment as of late Wednesday afternoon, but he disputes the allegations.

Tags: state news, wisconsin