Sen. Johnson details Republican five-point strategy
8:07 p.m.

MILWAUKEE - Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson of Oshkosh talked about his party’s strategy for Congress, an initiative called “America’s Choice,” at his office in the federal building in downtown Milwaukee on Friday.

America’s Choice is a five-point plan that calls for the reduction of government control and growing the private sector, using America’s energy resources, bringing federal regulations into balance, pro growth tax reform and the repeal of Obamacare.

FREEMAN: What is “America’s Choice?”

JOHNSON: It’s a pretty simple agenda. We have five elements to it. Obama’s all about growing government, which has grown our debt and deficit. We’re actually for growing the private sector, reducing the government’s control over our lives, which we believe long term will help reduce the deficit and get the debt under control.

I think all Americans recognize that President Obama, by and large, his party is about limiting our own natural energy resources. You can see it in his decisions with the Keystone XL Pipeline, de facto moratorium in the Gulf (of Mexico). They still won’t allow Alaskans to drill in ANWR (Arctic National Wildlife Refuge). They’re holding up permits for hydraulic fracturing in Ohio.

They’re doing everything they can to limit America’s use of energy resources, which of course continues our dependence on Middle East oil. That’s not helpful in terms of trying to control energy costs.

Read the full story in the Saturday edition of The Freeman

Waukesha’s Kramer says he carries gun on Assembly floor
4:34 p.m.

 MADISON (AP) - The Republican lawmaker who presides over the state Assembly said Friday he’s been carrying a concealed weapon during floor sessions.   

 Speaker Pro Tem Bill Kramer of Waukesha controls the chamber during debate. He presides over the chamber’s procedures, is responsible for upholding decorum and can order spectators out of the chamber if he so chooses.   

 He told The Associated Press that he obtained permit No. 16,657 under Wisconsin’s new concealed carry law. He said he’s had the permit since before Thanksgiving and has carried a hidden Glock 26, a subcompact semi-automatic, on the Assembly floor at times.   

 For more on this story, see Saturday’s Freeman.

Trial set for WELS official charged with child porn
3:21 p.m.

WAUKESHA - A former church official charged with possession of child pornography will go before a 12-person jury for a trial at 8:30 a.m. on March 13, said Judge Kathryn Foster at a Friday morning hearing.

Joel Hochmuth, 52, the former communications director for the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS), faces up to 75 years in prison and more than $300,000 in fines if convicted of all three counts of possession of child pornography.

According to the criminal complaint, undercover FBI agents have communicated with Hochmuth over a file-sharing network since October, when Hochmuth allegedly shared images of pre-pubescent and adolescent boys engaged in various sexual acts and told the agents over chat logs that he liked pictures of males who were 10 years old or older.

Hochmuth has pled not guilty and is free on $20,000 bail.

Shrink and Drink at Key Westconsin next week
3:20 p.m.

WAUKESHA - Anyone with a penchant for cocktails and a few nagging questions about life should check out the new event Key Westconsin is planning to host the first Tuesday of every month - “Shrink & Drink.”

Psychologist Julie Helmrich will be at the restaurant at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday to answer anonymous questions on just about any topic, said Rita Krivos, who owns the restaurant with her husband Gary.

Krivos said that Helmrich has hosted other “Shrink & Drinks” events at bars, and she’s answered questions on everything from a re-gifting sister-in-law to children with ADD.

People who attend the event simply write their questions on a slip of paper that Helmrich will draw at random and answer in an entertaining but informative way.

Komen drops plan to cut Planned Parenthood grants
11 a.m. 

 NEW YORK (AP) - After three days of controversy, the Susan G. Komen for the Cure breast-cancer charity says it is reversing its decision to cut breast-screening grants to Planned Parenthood.  

 ‘‘We want to apologize to the American public for recent decisions that cast doubt upon our commitment to our mission of saving women’s lives,’’ a Komen statement said.  

 As first reported by The Associated Press on Tuesday, Komen had adopted criteria excluding Planned Parenthood from grants because it was under government investigation, notably a probe launched in Congress at the urging of anti-abortion groups.  

 Komen said Friday it would change the criteria so it wouldn’t apply to such investigations.  

 ‘‘We will continue to fund existing grants, including those of Planned Parenthood, and preserve their eligibility to apply for future grants,’’ the statement said.   

Wis. tribes complain to feds about mining bill
10:58 a.m.

 HURLEY (AP) - A federal agency says it’s looking into whether Wisconsin violated treaty rights by not consulting with tribal governments that might be affected by a state mining bill.  

 The Bureau of Indian Affairs says it’s conducting an inquiry after at least one tribal government asked it to get involved.  

 The contentious mining bill would streamline the state’s complex mine-permitting process. Republicans hope the bill will kick-start plans for an iron mine just south of Lake Superior.  

 A Wisconsin Public Radio report says officials from the Lac du Flambeau, Red Cliff, Bad River and Menominee tribes claim the lawmaking process ignored treaty rights.  

 Bureau spokeswoman Nedra Darling says the agency is acting on a 2009 executive order that federal officials consult with tribal governments on matters that involve the tribes.

New job growth in Waukesha
4:49 a.m.

WAUKESHA - Connecture Inc. of Waukesha, which creates software for the health insurance industry, announced Thursday that it will create 100 new jobs here with annual salaries around $85,000, a company official said.

Connecture, located at N17-W24222 Riverwood Drive, has 25 immediate openings and is hosting a job fair from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Thursday at The Iron Horse Hotel at 500 W. Florida St. in Milwaukee, said Megan Riddle, the firm’s marketing manager.

"We’re going to have employees, management, executives and recruiters at the event," Riddle said. "We’re encouraging people to register ahead of time, bring their resumes - the whole deal.

"It’s a networking opportunity as well as a chance to understand what it’s like to work for Connecture, what we’re looking for and hopefully make enough connections and make some follow-up interviews."

The remaining 75 positions should be filled over the course of the year, Riddle said.

Connecture’s products are in the health insurance business exclusively and automate the sales and service for a variety of clients, Riddle said. The company is looking to fill positions like software developers, business managers and quality assurance analysts.

For more on this story, pick up a copy of today's Freeman.

Waldo predicts warm weather
4:49 a.m.

WAUKESHA - With the unseasonably warm winter this year, Waldo the woodchuck’s shadow was no where to be seen during the fog on Thursday.

Students from Ixonia and Eagle elementary schools repeated the "Groundhog Pledge" with Keeper of the Burrow Richard Perschon from the Milwaukee Groundhog Club before Waldo’s big reveal at Elks Lodge on Springdale Road.

"I liked seeing Waldo and he didn’t see his shadow," Xavier Tremblay, 8, from Ixonia Elementary, said. Tremblay is excited for the good weather because he wants a chance to play basketball.

His other favorite part of the day was seeing two snakes and other animals brought by the Wildlife In Need Center. WINC, located on Waterville Road in Summit, hosted an animal presentation of 13 critters including salamanders, flying squirrels, Waldo and more.

Although he doesn’t "chuck wood," Leslie Kiehl, education coordinator from WINC, said Waldo does eat sticks to maintain fiber in his diet.

For more on this story, pick up a copy of today's Freeman.

Washington County Board chair facing first primary
4:49 a.m.

It’s unfamiliar territory for County Board Chairman Herb Tennies.

For the first time in a 46-year career on the County Board, the West Bend business owner must first advance through a primary vote Feb. 21 before his name can be added to the April 3 nonpartisan general election.

Challenging the longest-serving supervisor in Washington County history are West Bend residents David Krochalk, a former city alderman, and James (Jim) Becker Jr., a contract account manager with American TV & Appliance, Milwaukee.

"Five times I’ve had opponents," said Tennies, 72, who represents the county’s District 2 in west central West Bend. In the first of his 23 elections in 1966, when he was all of 26, Tennies defeated a sitting county supervisor, he said. "But this is the first time I’ve had to have a primary."

All 30 county supervisors are up for election this spring, with 18 unopposed. Six districts will have new representatives either because of redistricting or incumbents who chose not to run again.

For more on this story, pick up a copy of today's Daily News.

Checking it twice: Volunteers here going over recall petitions a second time
4:49 a.m.

WAUKESHA - Lyndsey Walz of Sussex says she found many technical errors by circulators in the petitions to recall Gov. Scott Walker during her volunteer time at the Waukesha County Republican Party Victory Center.

"I did see a couple names that were pretty evident that they were not real, but mostly I’m finding technical errors that the circulator is filling in information that they should not be - filling in dates for people, filling in too much information," Walz said Thursday. "Also the circulator is supposed to sign the bottom of their petition after every single petitioner has signed and sometimes the circulator will sign and somebody will go back and sign the petition after, which is not allowed."

Democrats turned in 1 million signatures on recall petitions on Jan. 17. It will take 540,208 valid signatures of eligible Wisconsin voters to force a recall election against Walker.

The GAB has 61 days to review petitions for phony names, fictitious address and problems with dates, while the Wisconsin Republican Party and the Friends of Scott Walker have 30 days to file challenges with the GAB, said Reid Magney, GAB public information officer. The clock started ticking the day after Walker’s campaign received the petition copies.

The Republican Party distributed the petitions for verification to offices across the state and the Waukesha volunteers have already gone through the petitions sent here, but they’ll go over them again, said Nicole Larson, deputy director of communications for the Republican Party of Wisconsin.

"In this particular field office, they’ve been through it and they’re going through them another time or two to make sure they feel good about finding everything that’s happened on those petitions, if there’s anything they missed the first time."

For more on this story, pick up a copy of today's Freeman.

Richfield allays fears over budget at forum
4:49 a.m.

The village managed to calm some of its residents’ budgetary fears at a community forum before the regularly scheduled board meeting. 

In the wake of a letter to the editor published in the Daily News regarding tax increases, village Administrator Joshua Schoemann invited Richfield residents to a workshop that addressed the tax levy, mill rate and expenditures outlined in village’s 2012 budget. 

About 20 residents made their way to the village hall Thursday evening to view a slide show and hear a presentation outlining 2012 revenues and expenses.

For more on this story, pick up a copy of today's Daily News.

Waukesha family has its own connection to Marilyn Monroe
4:49 a.m.

WAUKESHA - Harold Sylvester Hunt was a popular man at Merrill Hills Manor in 2010. He loved to chat with friends and family and he especially loved to show off his prized possession - his worn high school yearbook that featured him in the same class as Norma Jean Baker, who later changed her name to Marilyn Monroe.

"He knew of her from a distance and said she was a very pretty girl with lots of boys buzzing around," said Sue Kerkhof, Hunt’s daughter. "He’d paw through this yearbook and you’d be here all night listening to stories."

Kerkhof said Hunt’s parents eloped from Alabama to West Los Angeles, where Hunt went to University High and often walked the same route to school as Monroe.

Although Monroe didn’t sign Hunt’s yearbook, it does contain a signature from Hunt’s ROTC Sgt. Marshal Thompson, who went on to star in the film "Clarence, the Cross-Eyed Lion" and the TV series it inspired, "Daktari."

Hunt didn’t finish high school, electing instead to join the Army Air Corps, which sent him to Madison where he made his home with his family.

For more on this story, pick up a copy of today's Freeman.

Highway 164 project may mean razings
4:49 a.m.

Bill Martin of Richfield has lived for 16 years in a house just off of the intersection of Pleasant Hill Road and Highway 164. His home sits on about 3.5 acres of land and is surrounded by trees that he planted.

He doesn’t know his home’s market value, but he does know that, whatever the price tag, "(It’s) not including blood and tears." 

In just one year, it may not even be standing anymore.

Martin’s house is one that has been identified by the state Department of Transportation as a potential candidate for removal in its upcoming Highway 164 rehabilitation project. The reconstruction, slated to start in 2016, is set to begin at the roundabout on Highway Q at Richfield’s southern boundary and end at Highway E near Scenic View Country Club in the south end of the town of Polk. 

The DOT has outlined plans to reconstruct several intersections along a 7-mile stretch of the road, including the intersection at Pleasant Hill Road. Up to four residences and one business face potential displacement. One archaeological site near the intersection will also be affected.

For more on this story, pick up a copy of today's Daily News.

Sex offender will be moving to West Bend
4:49 a.m.

A convicted sex offender, who has been living in the Washington County Jail since his release from prison in November, will move into an apartment on Jefferson Street next week.

West Bend police have notified residents around 1102 Jefferson St. that former Slinger resident Patrick K. Dolan, 34, will remain under "intense supervision by the (Wisconsin) Department of Corrections and area law enforcement."

That supervision includes wearing a global positioning system (GPS) device at all times, Police Chief Kenneth Meuler wrote in his letter to residents of the neighborhood.

Dolan was convicted of two counts of second-degree sexual assault of a child in 1997 and 2003.

For more on this story, pick up a copy of today's Daily News.

Owls put it together
4:49 a.m.

WEST BEND - Slinger showed just how dangerous a team it can be Thursday night.
Now it’s just a matter of staying that way as the postseason rapidly approaches.
The Owls got off to a hot start and were able to cruise passed West Bend East.

For more on this story, pick up a copy of today's Daily News.

T'wolves can't hold lead
4:49 a.m.

JACKSON - Living Word Lutheran got down big early on, but caught up.
Then the Timberwolves lost the lead after using every ounce of energy to get back into the game.

Kenosha Christian Life defeated the Timberwolves on Thursday night, after the Eagles built an 11-point first-quarter lead.

For more on this story, pick up a copy of today's Daily News.