Local

MADISON–State investigators have cleared two Middleton police officers and two Dane County sheriff’s deputies involved in the fatal shooting of a WTS Paradigm employee killed by law enforcement after shooting at his co-workers, District Attorney Ismael Ozanne said.

“There was no other option,” for the four responding officers after Anthony Tong, 43, refused commands to drop his weapon, Ozanne said at a Monday news conference.

Each of the four responding officers shot at Tong, Ozanne said. Tong also fired in the direction of the officers.

Tong died from a shot to his chest, however, the bullet disintegrated preventing State Crime Lab technicians from determine who fired it, said Middleton Police Chief Charles Foulke.

MADISON–The largest number of individuals, organizations and governmental units, ever, were accepted Thursday as parties in the state’s consideration of a power line proposed to be built between the town of Middleton and Dubuque, IA.

Public Service Commission (PSC) administrative law judge Michael Newmark approved requests from approximately 60 individuals and entities to be intervenors in the proposed Cardinal-Hickory Creek (CHC) 345-kilovolt power line project.

Used to typically working with a dozen or so intervenors in a contested case, Newmark had hoped to consolidate intervenor requests along common lines of interest to better manage the process. However, he soon acknowledged that would be impossible with two different proposed routes spread across 100 miles and five counties.

MIDDLETON–Former Middleton resident Victor Brar has been awarded two physics monetary grants for his work as an assistant professor of physics at UW-Madison.

The first award is the Moore Inventor Fellowship, named after physicist and Intel co-founder Gordon Moore, as is Moore’s law, an observation that transistors and processors double every 18 months while cost is cut in half.

The fellowship seeks inventions that impact the advancement of technology, and Brar’s invention involves manipulating an incandescent filament by notching it to reduce light to a single color, making it much more like a laser, but more efficient and faster. 

“You use an electron beam to cut notches in a pattern. Depending on the pattern, it will emit different colors,” said Brar. “Because the light doesn’t scatter that much, it will go a further distance.”

MIDDLETON–The Middleton Common Council discussed a storm water utility fee increase that will be voted on by the council Jan. 15, 2019. If approved, a referendum question would be put to voters in 2020 asking to triple the rate from $15 to $45 per ERU (equivalent runoff unit) for five years.

The storm water utility board made the recommendation to increase the fee to the common council after reviewing damage estimates in the Pheasant Branch Creek Corridor from the August flooding.

Council president and chair of the storm water utility board Susan West explained to the council that the board reviewed costs estimated to be roughly $3,000,000 beyond regular revenue raised by the utility. The figure includes what the city expected to recover from FEMA and be awarded through grants.

West said to finance the repairs over five years the board determined raising the ERU rate from $15 to $45 would bring in about $600,000 annually.

MIDDLETON–On Dec. 17 at approximately 7:13 p.m., Middleton police officers responded to an attempted armed robbery at the Arby’s restaurant at 8321 Murphy Dr.

The suspect entered the store, jumped over the counter and displayed a small, black handgun. The suspect is described as a light-skinned black male, around 20 years of age, 5’4, and skinny. He was wearing a green jacket over a blue hood and jeans. The hood was pulled tight to obscure the suspect’s face. He left out the back door of the business.

MIDDLETON–On Dec. 4, at approximately 6:12 p.m. a Middleton police officer attempted a traffic stop on a white Dodge Neon, in the 2100 block of Allen Blvd. for failing to obey a traffic sign. The vehicle failed to stop and eluded the officer. A few minutes later Ricky Warren, 27, of Madison, called 911 to report that his vehicle, the one that eluded the officer, was just stolen from the 6500 Block of University Ave. Warren advised the vehicle was stolen by three masked men that displayed handguns and pulled him from the vehicle.

Officers arrived in the 6500 Block of University Ave. and found evidence to negate Warren’s story that the car was stolen. After further investigation, and witness statements, it was determined that Warren himself was driving the Dodge Neon when it failed to stop for the stop sign. He then attempted to elude the officer trying stop him and called 911 while still driving the Dodge Neon to report it as stolen.

MIDDLETON–At a special common council meeting called for the purpose of overriding the mayor’s veto on the 2019 city budget, voting or deciding on an alternative budget to the one that was approved by the finance committee the council voted six to two, exactly what was needed to override the veto and approve the budget.

The property tax levy increases 2.8 percent under the adopted budget. The mill rate is estimated to be the second lowest for a city in Dane County behind Verona.

The budget includes a resolution to implement a public fire protection direct charge to residents which will appear on water utility bills. The fire protection fee was included as a revenue source, generating about $500,000 annually, in the budget approved by the finance committee and published for citizens to review. Prior to voting on the budget, the council voted against the proposed water utility fee which left a shortfall in the budget for a variety of personnel items. 

MIDDLETON–Former town of Middleton Administrator David Shaw last month resigned and released the town from all claims stemming from his employment as town treasurer in agreements that provided him with six months’ severance pay.

Former town Deputy Treasurer Patricia Keichinger entered into similar agreements with the town which offered her three months’ severance pay.

Shaw and Keichinger each signed a resignation agreement and a separation agreement on Oct. 23. The former employees acknowledged that the releases they offered, and the consideration provided were not given in connection with “an exit incentive or other employment termination program.”

However, the severance payments provided for in the separation agreements were contingent on each of the former employees signing their resignation agreement.

The town board has declined to discuss the reasons for their simultaneous departures.

MIDDLETON–Hundreds of people from around the area streamed into Madison Marriot West to give input on the proposed American Transmission Company’s (ATC) Cardinal-Hickory Creek project (CHC). The sessions, held Nov. 12, were organized by the Wisconsin Public Service Commission (PSC) and the Wisconsin DNR. 

Attendees at the meetings could review maps, the application for construction of the line and give input on the environmental impact of the project, which would potentially run through the Driftless Area. Staff from PSC was on hand to answer questions about the project and the process.

PSC Communications Director Matthew Spencer said the commission welcomes input from the community. There have been sessions in Dodgeville and Middleton with a third planned in Lancaster. “It’s a great way for the public to give input, and public input goes a long way in an EIS (Environmental Impact Statement),” said Spencer.