All dressed up; no place to go

Sometimes being a Town of Burlington police officer can be a real drag. Town of Burlington police responded to a call in Rochester Sunday afternoon after a man called the police to report he was stuck in handcuffs that he could not get off. Thursday, September 02, 2010

Man accused of sexually assaulting teen girl

An 18-year-old man from Delavan is facing six felony charges after allegedly sexually assaulting a Burlington teenager earlier this year. Brent Dzbinski is charged with three counts of sexual assault of a child under the age of 16, as well as a charge of repeated sexual assault of a child, felony intimidation of a client and a sex offender registry violation. In total, the charges carry maximum penalties for conviction of up to $435,000 in fines and up to 136 years in jail. Monday, August 30, 2010

It's your seat on the board

Classes are set to begin Wednesday in the Burlington Area School District, but first district officials will present their budget for the year to residents. The BASD annual meeting is scheduled for Monday at 8 p.m. in the Burlington High School auditorium. Sunday, August 29, 2010

Field of dreams

It's no secret to people in the area that Beaumont Field is one of the best baseball fields in the state. Now, Burlington and Baseball 2000 have a title to prove it. Saturday, August 28, 2010

Walgreens OKs work on driveway

Crisis averted. After announcing at the City Council meeting last week that a much-anticipated fix to the Walgreen's entrance might be delayed because of a lack of company approval, city officials finally received the paperwork last week. Friday, August 27, 2010

Five days food for an entire month

Take a look at the photo accompanying this story. Among the items it includes: six cans of vegetables, four cans of soup, four cans of fruit, spaghetti sauce, two boxes of pasta, peanut butter, jelly, two bags of potatoes, evaporated milk and a bag of rice. Thursday, August 26, 2010

City pursues rate hike

Facing the cost of removing radium from two municipal wells and looking to replenish a depleted fund balance, officials with the City of Burlington water utility are pursuing a rate hike. The water fund balance was at $67 at the end of 2009, according to the annual audit. While that balance has improved - currently, there is more than $80,000 in the account, according to city officials - the city still has to cover the cost of a pair of radium removal systems for two city wells. Monday, August 23, 2010

Work on Walgreens driveway lags

The City of Burlington Common Council got somewhat of a nasty surprise Tuesday night. What started as a simple question about the completion of roadwork at the intersection of Grove Street and Milwaukee Avenue turned into the unpleasant discovery that the expected fix on the grade of Walgreens' driveway entrance has yet to be formally approved by the drug store chain. Sunday, August 22, 2010

Jobs law funds may trickle to BASD

The new education jobs law passed last week by Congress and intended to preserve teaching jobs may end up helping Burlington schools. However, the information being provided at this point is nebulous, and how much Burlington Area School District will receive is up in the air as well. Saturday, August 21, 2010

Player shakes off massive hit

That Burlington Blue Devils defensive back Tony Grisham was standing - much less playing football - Saturday was something of a miracle. Grisham, who has been a standout on defense for the Blue Devils all season long, was involved in a serious car accident last week on his way to practice with the team. Friday, August 20, 2010

Man's urge to bear arms collides with chief's sensibilities

For Town of Burlington resident Tom Reda, an unproductive series of conversations with Town Police Chief Mike Sevick turned into something more last week. Reda requested to be put on the Burlington Town Board agenda last week, and spoke up about his right to openly carry a firearm. Thursday, August 19, 2010

Vet clinic will need variance for dog area

The City of Burlington Planning Commission preliminarily approved a new facility for Creature Comforts Tuesday night, but the dog daycare facility is facing an extra step in the process now. City planning consultant Patrick Meehan, in coming up with recommendations for the project, suggested that the facility - which would include a clinic and dog daycare - be approved, but that the commission not approve the outside play area for the dogs because it is in violation of the B-1 zoning laws. Sunday, August 15, 2010

BASD annual meeting is Aug. 30

As the Burlington Area School District gears up for its annual meeting Aug. 30, the focus remains on the district's budget The 2010-11 school district budget got preliminary approval in June. However, the annual meeting gives the school district residents a chance to ask questions about the budget and comment as well. Saturday, August 14, 2010

CPI will fight fines

After being hit with a $721,000 fine by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) last week, Cooperative Plus Inc. said this week it will fight the fine. The fine was issued for a Feb. 9 incident at the company's Burlington headquarters where Phil Adsit, 60, of East Troy, was trapped in a silo of soybeans for hours. Thursday, August 12, 2010

Beach bummer: Bohners Lake closed due to high bacteria counts

Officials with the Western Racine County Health Department closed the beach at Bohners Lake Wednesday after water quality testing revealed high concentrations of bacteria in the lake. Thursday, August 12, 2010

Deputy fires shots when man attacks with knife

A Town of Burlington man could face a lengthy prison term after allegedly coming after a sheriff's deputy with a knife Sunday. The deputy fired two shots at the man, but both were unhurt. Wednesday, August 11, 2010

City may allow message boards near schools

The Burlington City Council on Tuesday recommended allowing electronic message boards near schools and other institutional buildings on a case-by-case basis. Meeting as a committee of the whole, officials discussed a request from Gateway Technical College to place an electronic message sign at the HERO center (the new GTC building on McCanna Parkway), with the aim of having the sign up by the start of the school year. Sunday, August 08, 2010

BHS puts focus on reading

When Burlington High School received the results of the 2009 Wisconsin Knowledge Concepts Examination last spring, there was a bit of an unpleasant surprise. Burlington's level of students rated advanced or proficient in reading was 75 percent - just one point above the state passing standard of 74 percent. Saturday, August 07, 2010

Aldermen wary of parking proposal

After an initial review of a proposed city parking ordinance produced more problems than solutions last month, the item still hasn't resurfaced on the City of Burlington Common Council agenda. The reason? No one seems to want to step in the controversy it could create. Friday, August 06, 2010

First Banking Center mulls its options

Continued losses due to loan defaults combined with the challenge of raising capital in a poor economy could force Burlington-based First Banking Center to sell a majority interest to new investors or be acquired by another financial institution, according to CEO Brantly Chappell. He said the first of those options is preferred and most likely, but he couldn't rule out a sale to another bank if sufficient capital can't be raised. Thursday, August 05, 2010