A READSTOWN MAN WAS FOUND DEAD IN A DITCH SOUTH OF NECEDAH SATURDAY AFTERNOON.  65-YEAR OLD ROGER NELSON HAD JUST UNLOADED CORN AT THE CASTLE ROCK RENEWABLE FUELS ETHANOL PLANT.  NELSON THEN DROVE THE ELITE FLEET SEMI SOUTH ON HIGHWAY “80” WHEN HE ENTERED A DITCH.  AFTER NECEDAH FIRST RESPONDERS PERFORMED CPR--ROGER NELSON WAS TAKEN BY AMBULANCE TO HESS MEMORIAL HOSPITAL WHERE HE WAS PRONOUNCED DEAD.   

A BOATER ON THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER OFF THE PETTIBONE BEACH WAS TRAPPED FOR A TIME TUESDAY AFTERNOON.  JUST BEFORE 5PM TUESDAY THE LA CROSSE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND DIVE TEAM WATCHED AS THE BOATER MANAGED TO PULL HIS BOAT BACK ON THE ICE AND ONTO PETTIBONE BEACH.  JUST AS AL GORE PREDICTED—THE ICE IS MELTING—THE ICE IS MELTING---BE CAREFUL OUT THERE. 

A PUBLIC HEARING ON A BILL TO CREATE STATEWIDE LIMITS ON WHERE SEX OFFENDERS CAN LIVE WILL BE HELD THURSDAY.  THE BILL WOULD LET THE STATE CORRECTIONS DEPARTMENT COME UP WITH STATEWIDE LIMITS ON KEEPING SEX OFFENDERS AWAY FROM SCHOOLS AND OTHER PLACES WHERE KIDS GATHER.  CORRECTION OFFICIALS HAVE OPPOSED SOME OF THE TOUGHER LOCAL ORDINANCES IN EXISTANCE.  THEY SAY IT ENCOURAGES SEX OFFENDERS TO GO UNDERGROUND AND NOT REGISTER WIH THE STATE AS THE LAW REQUIRES.  SOME REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS SAY RESTRICTIONS SHOULD BE UNIFORM.  DEMOCRAT ASSEMBLYMAN FRED KESSLER ALSO SAYS A STATE LAW WOULD PREVENT SEX OFFENDERS FROM CONCENTRATING IN RURAL AREAS WHERE THERE’S A LACK OF OFFICERS TO ENFORCE LOCAL RESTRICTIONS. 

A 19-YEAR OLD WHO PLEADED GUILTY TO SEXUALLY ASSAULTING TWO 13-YEAR OLD GIRLS WAS GIVEN 4-YEARS PROBATION TUESDAY IN LA CROSSE COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT.  JAMES OLSON---WITH NO KNOWN ADDRESS---TOLD JUDGE ELLIOT LEVINE TUESDAY HE DESERVED TO BE PUNISHED BUT DIDN’T THINK PRISON WOULD BENEFIT HIM---BECAUSE –HE SAID---“I WON’T LEARN ANYTHING IN THERE.  ”JUDGE LEVINE AGREED AND SENTENCED OLSON TO 4-YEARS PROBATION—60-DAYS ON ELECTRONIC MONITORING—100-HOURS OF COMMUNITY SERVICE AND COMPLY WITH SEX OFFENDER TREATMENT.  JAMES OLSON WAS ALSO SENTENCED TO EIGHT-MONTHS IN THE LA CROSSE COUNTY JAIL FOR VIOLATING PROBATION FOR BREAKING INTO A TRAILER AT “LOGGER’S FIELD” TWICE LAST SUMMER. 

THE MAUSTON SCHOOL BOARD PLACED OLSON MIDDLE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL TOM REISENAUER ON AN INDEFINITE LEAVE OF ABSENCE MONDAY NIGHT.  DISTRICT ADMINISTRATOR STEVE SMOLLEK WOULD ONLY SAY IT WAS A PERSONAL MATTER.     TO REPLACE TOM REISENAUER--MELISSA MURRY—THE MAUSTON HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL WAS APPOINTED THE INTERIM OLSON MIDDLE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL. 

IS LA CROSSE MAYOR MATT HARTER GUILTY OF AN ETHICS VIOLATION?  LAST MONTH, MAYOR HARTER URGED LA CROSSE COUNTY SOLID WASTE DIRECTOR HANK KOCH TO BACK OFF A SOLID WASTE STUDY IN ONALASKA AND LA CROSSE.  LATER KOCH SAID HE FELT THE MAYOR WAS CONCERNED THE IMPLIMENTATION OF THE IDEA WOULD HURT THE MAYOR’S FATHER’S BUSINESS---HARTER’S QUICK CLEAN-UP.  14-DAYS LATER--MAYOR HARTER AND HIS DAD GARY HARTER--PAID A VISIT TO KOCH—KOCH SAID THE VISIT WAS LIKE A POLITICIAN LOBBYING ON BEHALF OF A FAMILY MEMBER.  MAYOR MATT SAYS HE JUST COULDN’T HELP IT---AFTER ALL—HE WAS BROUGHT UP IN THE GARBAGE BUSINESS---HE SAYS---IT’S IN HIS BLOOD.  CITY ATTORNEY STEPHEN MATTY SAID THE MEETING WAS SERIOUS ENOUGH TO LOOK INTO IT.   

A LA CROSSE ATTORNEY HAS BEEN CHARGED WITH STALKING AN EX-GIRLFRIEND.  53-YEAR OLD RANDY NETZER IS ACCUSED OF SHOWING UP AT THE STORE WHERE THE 29-YEAR OLD WOMAN WORKS AND DRIVING BY HER NEW HOME AFTER A JUDGE GRANTED HER A RESTRAINING ORDER.  BUT THE “HAPPY ADS” IN THE LA CROSSE TRIBUNE HASN’T HELPED THE ATTORNEY’S CASE.  THE STALKEE SAID THESE ADS—ALSO CALLED “SUNSHINE ADS” –WERE DIRECTED AT HER---SUCH AS –“DEAR MUFFINZ---THANKS FOR A GREAT 2008.  ”NETZER ALSO PLACED A VALENTINES DAY AD SIGNED “RANDY AND KITTIES KRYSTIA AND S’MORES AND FISHIES ALFRED AND UTENA.  ”THE WOMAN SAID NETZER WAS ADOPTING PETS AND NAMING THEM BY REFERENCING HER.  WHEN CONFRONTED BY POLICE--NETZER SAID HE DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT THE RESTRAINING ORDER AND TOLD THEM HE DID HAVE FOUR CATS---BUT WOULDN’T NAME TWO OF THEM.  TUESDAY, RANDY NETZER WAS CHARGED WITH HARRASSMENT AND FELONY STALKING AND RELEASED ON A $3,000 CASH BOND.   NETZER, A REAL ESTATE ATTORNEY HAD TWO RESTRAINING ORDERS AGAINST HIM IN THE ‘90’S BY A MILWAUKEE WOMAN.