(Beaver Dam) The Beaver Dam Common Council is meeting tonight (Monday night) One of the first orders of business will be to hear from the candidates for the vacant District 11 seat The council will then vote on and swear in the new alderperson.   Also on the docket is a presentation from Five Bugles Design who was hired by the city to do a fire station needs analysis at the cost of $24,000.   no longer complies with current building code in a variety of areas The council will also discuss an ordinance allowing golf carts on specified city streets A number of resolutions are also on file including a proclamation marking May 10th as World Migratory Bird Day in Beaver Dam and approval of a $1,000 donation from Horicon Bank to the Parks and Forestry Department.   The common council meeting starts at 7:30pm at city hall which is located at 205 South Lincoln Avenue Want to have your photos featured in our new website design Send us your local photos for consideration GOOD KARMA BROADCASTING100 Bill McCollum Way Upload your local photos here for consideration bringing people a fun shopping experience on Saturday mornings during the summer months and support your community — all in one stop,” Beaver Dam Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Tracy Propst said Joan Beekman brought her granddaughter Violet Elliot to the market on Saturday and was glad it was back for the two to spend time together The Beaver Dam Farmers’ Market is held from 8 a.m to noon every Saturday in the empty lot at 215 S but many of the booths will have two or three in them at a time Some of the venders are Kitchen family with fruits Parker's Pet Products with pet treats and Stellar Dreams with bath and body products “Make sure you take time to talk with the vendors so you can learn about the products and in season produce and walk away more knowledgeable with maybe a recipe or serving suggestion,” Propst suggests There will be some special weekends when other summer festivals are going on in town “At the Downtown Beaver Dam Farmers Market we love having a featured performer for children on the final market day during Fall Downtown Fest as well as music during events like the Wisconsin Arts & Peony Festival and a few other Saturdays,” she said Joan Beekman and her granddaughter Violet Elliot look at a piece that was created by a 3D computer at a booth at the Beaver Dam Farmers' Market on Saturday The farmers' market will be up and running on Saturday mornings until October including American Bank and Tyjeski Family Chiropractic help to support to keep the vendor fee at $75 Propst said most of the funds go towards advertising and operating costs There is not a big budget for extra entertainment but they do welcome local performers who let the chamber know their intent prior to the markets Beaver Dam Community Library also visits the markets sometimes Propst said that there is also the Mini Boss Project which offers free booth space for children wanting to sell at the market “One thing that was started last year was the unusual produce competition,” Propst said The Downtown Beaver Dam Farmers Market partners with Marshfield Medical Center–Beaver Dam to help make fresh WIC or Senior FMNP benefits can double their dollars through the matching program “Just look for the green sandwich board at the west end of the market to redeem your benefits and stretch your food budget even further,” Propst said Follow Terri Pederson on Twitter @tlp53916 or call 920-356-6760 Email notifications are only sent once a day Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device Account processing issue - the email address may already exist Invalid password or account does not exist Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account — The man charged with child abduction and enticement of a Beaver Dam teen has been bound over for trial appeared in court Thursday for a preliminary hearing where a judge found probable cause to believe he committed a felony Related: Man charged with impregnating and kidnapping Beaver Dam jailed on $2M bond Day was arrested in April at a truck stop near Omaha He is accused of taking a pregnant 17-year-old from her home in Beaver Dam after they met online Authorities say Day is the father of her unborn child Watch: Man accused of abducting a pregnant Beaver Dam teen bound over for trial The teen was in the courtroom gallery Thursday She was reunited with her family in early April after being missing from her Beaver Dam home since Feb The Sarpy County sheriff credited two truck drivers for alerting authorities to her location at a Love’s Travel Stop Related: Missing teen back with family in Beaver Dam after nearly 9 weeks missing Day is due back in court for arraignment on June 3 Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more. Report a typo or error // Submit a news tip Report a typo the man accused of abducting pregnant Beaver Dam teen Sophia Franklin Day appeared in a Dodge County courtroom on Thursday morning for a preliminary hearing where a judge determined there is probable cause to believe that a felony was committed by the defendant An arraignment hearing is scheduled for June 3 Day faces charges of child abduction and child enticement The 40-year-old was arrested earlier this month at a truck stop near Omaha Officials say Day was with pregnant 17-year-old Sophia Franklin from Beaver Dam at the time of his arrest He's accused of taking the teen from her home after they met online Authorities say Day is the father of her unborn child Image courtesy of the Sarpy County Sheriff's Office in Nebraska — The Arkansas man accused of abducting a pregnant teen from Beaver Dam is now headed to trial 40-year-old Gary Day appeared in a Dodge County court where a judge found enough probable cause to bind him for tria Day faces four felony charges including child enticement and child abduction of now 17-year-old Sophia Franklin. The pair disappeared on February 3 leaving Franklin’s residence in Beaver Dam She was three months pregnant at that time and Day is believed to be the father of her unborn child Day was extradited back to Wisconsin on April 16 MILWAUKEE--- On the Monday before Mother's Day the Daisie Foundation is bringing its signature "Random acts of Kindness" event to.. MILWAUKEE -- The Milwaukee Brewers are bringing back a fan favorite in partnership with local police departments: Brewers trading card.. WEST ALLIS -- What started as an "every beverage is free" event at a troubled West Allis bar over the.. the Beaver Dam Trap Team traveled to Hartford to take part in the 2025 Hartford Invitational.  This was the team’s 3rd 100 target event of the year.  A total of 421 athletes participated in this year’s event.  The sun was out but the team faced a stiff northwest wind that made the targets challenging Beaver Dam finished 2nd out of the 9 teams entered with a final score of 352/500.  The top 5 scores for IE were: Beaver Dam finished 4th of 10 teams with a final score of 417 missing 3rd place by 1 target!  The top 5 IA scores were: Beaver Dam’s JV squad also earned a 2nd place finish with a score of 441/500.  There were a total of 12 JV teams entered.  The top 5 for JV were: The Varsity squad for Beaver Dam performed well but faced some difficult competition.  They finished with a score of 462/500 which earned them a 5th place finish.  15 teams competed in the Varsity division.  The top 5 varsity scores were: Riley Yaroch-1st Place Men’s Collegiate 94/100 Ethan Miller-2nd Place Men’s Varsity 98/100 Kensie Reifsnider-3rd Place Ladies IE 62/100 Ethan Miller and Conner Schade each had 50 straight targets Favorite High School Athletic MomentAll the bus rides Pre-Game/Event Routine To Get Focused For Competition Include…I listen to music and hype myself up Advice You Would Give To A Freshman High School AthleteBe obsessed with getting better but also have fun A Person(s) Who Had A Major Impact On My Athletic Career & Why Is…My dad because he’s always pushed me to work harder than everyone else Plans For After GraduationAttend UW-Eau Claire to major in Psychology Tenpas because he’s laid back and his dad jokes are elite Most Interesting Place I’ve Ever Visited Is…Seattle Previous White Construction Athlete of the Week Features 9/2/24 – Ben Brown – Beaver Dam High School 9/16/24 – Tabitha Buwalda – Central Wisconsin Christian 9/23/24 – Lauren Moldenhauer – Markesan 9/30/24 – Joy Mielke – Beaver Dam High School 10/21/24  – Taylor Schaumberg – Lomira 11/25/24 – Lexi Sobrilsky – Beaver Dam High School 12/30/24 –  Broc Mullenbach – Beaver Dam 1/6/24 – Jaelynn Drzonek – Beaver Dam 1/13/25 – Zach Schave – Beaver Dam1/20/25 – Karalyn Krubeck – Cambria-Friesland If you have a question about this story or have an idea for a future local sports story, please email ddsports@goodkarmabrands.com (Hubbard) Multiple injuries were reported following a two-vehicle crash in the town of Hubbard yesterday (Sunday) afternoon She stopped at the intersection with Highway 33 but pulled out in front of a westbound truck A passenger in the Rav 4 suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries Three passengers in the truck received minor injuries The crash remains under investigation.  (Hubbard) A three-vehicle crash in the township of Hubbard yesterday (Sunday) resulted in multiple injuries driven by an 81-year-old man from Hillsboro was southbound on Highway TW and stopped at the intersection with Highway S Law enforcement say the driver then failed to yield the right of way and pulled out in front of an eastbound pickup truck that was operated by a 67-year-old man from Iron Ridge causing the pickup truck to strike a northbound Chevrolet The council will then vote on and swear in the new alderperson The meeting starts at 7:30pm at city hall which is located at 205 South Lincoln Avenue (Beaver Dam) The Beaver Dam School District’s newest Wall of Fame Award recipients will be honored tomorrow (Tuesday) The two awards the district hands out are the Friends of Education which was given to Chuck and Jeanne Stangle (stung-gul) The Wall of Fame Awards Banquet is tomorrow night at the Beaver Dam High School Award plaques will be permanently displayed on the high school’s Wall of Fame in the commons area (Beaver Dam) The Wisconsin Broadcasters Association named 95.3 WBEV the 2024 Small Market Station of the Year Saturday night at their annual awards gala in Madison Your hometown station was also recognized as the Small Market News Operation of the Year was Best Online Breaking News for our coverage of the floods that hit the area last summer WBEV was also singled out for Best News Writing (Beaver Dam) State Representative Mark Born has introduced legislation that has direct ties to economic development in Beaver Dam The proposed bill relates to TIF districts that contain qualified data centers.   A TIF district is a designated zone where newly generated property taxes are used to fund specific projects within that area Beaver Dam is working in partnership with Alliant Energy on a potential data center project on a 500-acre site north of the city A TIF district is expected to be formed around the project site.   Born says state restrictions prohibit TIF districts that are worth more than 12-percent of its entire city.  “The idea was we don’t want to have your entire city value tied up into TIF district’s and not having your tax base supporting other things…so while it’s an important economic development tool they shouldn’t get too big necessarily,” says Born “What wasn’t thought about was what if you have an enormous project that is bigger than anyone had ever imagined…that is what these data centers are.”  Exceeding that 12-percent mark means that a municipality cannot establish another TIF district until the one that surrounds a data center ends The Beaver Dam Republican says the legislation that was introduced exempts data centers that are in TIF districts from that 12-percent value limit.  “It’s a big deal I think for the future of development in Beaver Dam,” says Born “We’ve had successful TIFs…eventually those TIF districts come back into the regular tax roll and bring that money in that can be invested throughout those taxing jurisdictions…so the school district is part of that…the city…the county…the tech college…all ultimately reap the value of this growth.”  Born says he hopes the bill passes the Assembly by June.  (Beaver Dam) A Beaver Dam woman is facing Child Pornography charges The Dodge County Sheriff’s Office investigated an Internet Crimes Against Children tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that originated in the town of Beaver Dam The investigation led to the arrest of Angela McKay The 39-year-old was booked into the Dodge County Jail and charges are being requested to the district attorney’s office for Possession of Child Porn.   Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt says his agency is committed to keeping children safe.  “We get to hold these people accountable and get them off the streets,” says Schmidt and I’m very proud of that detective bureau and the work that they do and our community can be proud of them as well.”     The Dodge County Sheriff’s Office is leading this investigation and was assisted by the Wisconsin Department of Criminal Investigations Digital Forensics Unit.  The Owensboro Times Kentucky to the late Hugh Darrell Maddox and Margaret Butler Maddox Murfin was a retired underground coal miner for Amex Coal Aside from her parents she was preceded in death by one brother Indiana; several step grandchildren and one sister Funeral services will be held at 11 AM Thursday Burial will follow in Sunnyside Cemetery in Beaver Dam Murfin’s family from 3-7 PM Wednesday and 9 AM until the time of the service Thursday at the funeral home Online condolences may be left for the family of Sandra Louise Murfin by visiting her memorial tribute at www.danksfuneralhome.com Privacy Policy Site by Tanner+West ELBA - A 22-year-old Beaver Dam woman died in a head-on collision roughly a minute after her vehicle was spotted driving in the wrong direction on U.S The Dodge County Sheriff's Department said her vehicle Highway 151 in the northbound lanes shortly after 11 p.m April 18 in the town of Elba just west of Columbus It collided with a 2019 Toyota Corolla in the northbound lane suffered serious injuries and were transported to hospitals in Columbus and Madison An occupant in the other vehicle had less serious injuries Preliminary information on the crash did not include the suspected cause No additional information was available as of noon Contact reporter Jim Riccioli at  james.riccioli@jrn.com Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInWICHITA FALLS Texas (KAUZ) - 6:20 UPDATE: Wichita County Emergency Management was also involved and Wichita Falls Fire Department Station 3 allowed drone operators to use their property to launch drones from WCSO 5:40 UPDATE - Texas DPS Sergeant Juan Gutierrez provided additional details on the information including that Ancell had multiple felony warrants including parole violation for possession of a firearm by a felon theft of property and evading arrest or detention in a motor vehicle The entire manhunt played out in “a wooded area East of US 281 near Midwestern Pkwy,” according to Gutierrez Responding agencies included the Wichita Falls Police Department Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice who provided the dogs that ultimately caught Ancell noticed an unmarked law enforcement vehicle that entered the area for unrelated reasons That prompted him to take off in an attempt to exit the area leading to the manhunt that prompted three local schools to go into secure statuses had hidden underwater underneath a beaver dam but is now in custody A dog from the Allred Unit alerted authorities to Ancell’s location 4:50 UPDATE - Sheriff Duke said that law enforcement has caught Britton Ancell 4:00 UPDATE - Sheriff Duke said he still believes Ancell is somewhere in a nearby field but that the fugitive is not believed to pose any threat to the public but that the dogs are still searching for Ancell 3:40 UPDATE - Students were let out from Southern Hills Elementary and no students are still at the Career Education Center according to WFISD 2:50 UPDATE - The suspect has been identified as Britton Ancell a wanted man with a warrant out for his arrest for burglary of a building Police has previously looked for Ancell under a home on Old Jacksboro Highway before giving up the search for the time Wichita County Sheriff David Duke confirmed that the James V Allred Unit is sending out dogs to help search the area investigators from the agency were gathering information on the suspect they were searching for and were waiting in the area when they spotted him took off running into the brush in the area shedding his backpack and coat in the process K9’s will use those items to help track the suspect down Legacy High School has also been cleared for “normal dismissal” per Duke A trio of WFISD schools are in a secure status as law enforcement are engaged in a manhunt for an unnamed suspect Legacy High School and Southern Hills Elementary are in secure statuses WFISD said in a statement that they will provide more information as it becomes available and News Channel 6 is working to learn more the parent company of Facebook and Instagram may be behind a planned nearly $1 billion data center in Beaver Dam On Friday, Bloomberg reported that the state reached an incentive deal in February with an unnamed company to develop the project The project is expected to include a “multiyear investment of $837 million,” Bloomberg reports The company has not yet made a public announcement and local leaders have not disclosed the developer behind the project A spokesperson for the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. said via email the agency certified a developer as eligible for sales tax exemptions for data centers which is the contract referenced in the story “WEDC has no comment on the Bloomberg story,” the spokesperson said “WEDC does not comment on any discussions it may or may not be having with businesses unless and until a contract is approved.” The news comes after the city of Beaver Dam, Alliant Energy and the Beaver Dam Area Development Corp. spent much of the last year working on a potential data center development The project would be located on a more than 500-acre site that the city and Alliant Energy have been marketing for years The city has already formed a tax increment financing district to support the project, as well as approved development and water utilities agreements with a potential developer In a February project update said the developer has “demonstrated its desire to be a good neighbor and sound environmental steward” throughout the planning process “It is important to note that this tremendous financial impact would be realized without the need for any city borrowing,” the statement read “All project investment would be supported by the company’s own newly created taxable value.” declined to comment on Bloomberg’s reporting According to the city’s development agreement Beaver Dam plans to use municipal bonds for around $10 million of public infrastructure improvements The city also plans to bond for around $100 million in development costs Those bonds would be repaid by the property tax revenues generated from the project The project in Beaver Dam is one of several planned data centers in Wisconsin Others are in varying stages of development in Mount Pleasant Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and Wisconsin Educational Communications Board KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons and his solo band kicked off their 2025 tour Friday night (May 2) at Frederick Brown Jr The band — consisting of Gene on bass and vocals Brian Tichy on drums and vocals and Brent Woods on guitar — reportedly played only six songs before the rest of the gig was scrapped due to bad weather A second show followed Saturday night (May 3) at Beaver Dam Amphitheater in Beaver Dam Fan-filmed video of both concerts can be seen below Simmons recently postponed nearly 20 dates on his solo tour with the GENE SIMMONS BAND to 2026 Gene currently has dates scheduled through August 3 in Sturgis In a recent interview with 95.9 The Rat's Carl Craft Gene discussed the "Personal Assistant And Band Roadie For The Day" experience he is offering to his fans during his tour with the GENE SIMMONS BAND called "The Ultimate Gene Simmons Experience" offers fans the opportunity to not only meet Simmons and his band but to assist him with load-in at the venue and setting up the stage attend soundcheck and spend time backstage The roadie will also join Simmons for a meal and the 75-year-old rock legend will introduce the fan during the gig The experience costs $12,495 — plus the original ticket price and comes with a bass guitar Gene previously used — and is only available to one fan per venue Asked how he came up with the price tag of $12,495 for the experience Simmons said: "Here's the deal: when I was a kid and I went to see [Jimi] Hendrix or somebody of course I enjoyed the show and really got off on it — we talked about it forever and stuff — but I didn't know what it was like What's it like to sit and have breakfast or lunch with my favorite rock stars do soundcheck and then be on stage with your video You can't take a poop without a camera coming in under the stall And then you get pulled up on stage to sing along with them And I'll tell you why — because nowadays everything is so litigious That means everybody sues everybody for no reason And that's just the way life is here in America — much more in California because the insurance costs for that are astronomical Gene went on to say that the $12,495 price tag doesn't "just" include "the classic stuff financial and legal exposure," he explained "Somebody has a bad experience and they sue you and it costs you hundreds of thousands of dollars you buy anything — a tool — they give you insurance Simmons is offering another package called the "Gene Simmons Bass Experience" which gives one fan and three guests the chance to meet the KISS icon backstage the fan will be able to take home one of Simmons's bass guitars which can be signed and personalized for $6,500 for a "non-stage-played" instrument and $12,500 for one that Simmons previously played at a show in addition to the ticket cost Simmons's $12,495 "Personal Assistant And Band Roadie For The Day" experience is limited to one per show and includes the following perks: etc.)* And… you get a Gene Simmons (KISS-rehearsal-used) bass signed by Gene Simmons For more information, visit GeneSimmonsAxe.com During an appearance on a December 2024 episode of Billboard's "Behind The Setlist" podcast Gene spoke about how he now tours and performs with his solo band He responded: "I thought I could stay away from the stage [after the completion of KISS's 'End Of The Road' farewell tour] It bears noting that there's a magic that happens up there that words don't really sort of describe It's probably closer to… There used to be a guy named Dr [Arthur] Janov and he had a kind of a strange hippie point of view about people having their stuff pent up You go in there and you just let loose and reportedly — I was never part of that but reportedly — people would come out drenched in sweat and relieved and tired and you expel all this stuff black — you can't do any of that stuff because we're very sort of… There are subtle rules that we all have to be aware of and it's this celebration of life with the fans and you So the GENE SIMMONS BAND is a chance for me with some friends who are monsters on their instruments to go out there and just have a great time why don't you do 'Almost Human' from 1804?' You betcha 'Do you guys know 'Whole Lotta Love'?' 'Yeah And at every show we bring fans up on stage When asked how the idea for touring without managers and a road crew came about it was done by black musicians when they played the Chitlin' Circuit I don't do that — I take my band with me — but Berry would show up And you can be as tight as THE [ROLLING] STONES I don't know if you've ever seen THE STONES live And you never quite know where the end of the song is — it never quite ends — because there is no end; you just kind of feel it Regarding what the difference is to him financially when he plays shows with his solo band compared to how it was with KISS Gene said: "I make more [with my solo band] And the pyro alone for every [KISS] show was 10 grand enormous costs for doing that — but proud to have done that with [fellow KISS founder] Paul [Stanley] and the rest of the guys in the band It's almost as if you decided to rent some amps in a garage and plug in and then everybody from the neighborhood comes in and you have a much different relationship There's none of that sort of prepared thing It's very informal and an awful lot of fun." the GENE SIMMONS BAND members include guitarists Brent Woods (WILDSIDE VINCE NEIL) and Zach Throne (COREY TAYLOR) alongside drummer Brian Tichy (LYNCH MOB the GENE SIMMONS BAND played a number of shows with a lineup that consisted of Simmons alongside guitarist/bassist Jeremy Asbrock guitarist Phil Shouse and drummer Brent Fitz Simmons stated about his solo shows: "Doing these smaller concert halls which hold a thousand to three thousand people means they get filled up by real diehard fans It's a hoot for me because I've never really had a chance to do this stuff live It's been a lot of fun." Gene told the Chicago Sun-Times: "By the end I get the chance to bring as many people from the audience as we can fit on the stage to sing with me." Regarding how the idea for a solo tour came about Simmons told Australia's Advertiser in a 2018 interview: "The GENE SIMMONS BAND was not a plan or anything a corporate event asked me to be keynote speaker … then they said 'Won't you get up and sing a few tunes?' I explained that you can't just do that you've got to have a band and rehearse and all that 'I like you!' "So I put together a band from Nashville — these guys back up Kid Rock and lots of other people — and without a single rehearsal I just told them which songs I wanted to do and they learned them It just sounded natural — there is such a thing called chemistry they do teach 'chemistry' but not the kind I'm talking about It felt right and as soon as the videos went on YouTube and such This little GENE SIMMONS BAND never tried to be KISS… It was just a little bit of fun and stuff we're headlining festivals in the Czech Republic Posted by Jim Burson on Friday Posted by Andre Turner on Saturday TONIGHT (FRIDAY 5-2): We are excited to host Gene Simmons Band at the Fred tonight Posted by Frederick Brown Jr. Amphitheater on Friday, May 2, 2025 🚨SEASON OPENER🚨 - https://mailchi.mp/rumseyrecords/buythedamtickets-13360266 Posted by Beaver Dam Amphitheater on Saturday, May 3, 2025 According to Beaver Dam Police Chief John Kreuziger a couple at a Nebraska truck stop raised a red flag after seeing Day and Franklin traveling together so she went over to them to strike up a conversation,” Kreuziger said she did not feel comfortable with some of the answers Chief Kreuziger said the woman determined Franklin was the subject of an Amber Alert and immediately called 911 told Beaver Dam Police Department around 11:40 p.m Wednesday that officers found Franklin and Day Sarpy County Sheriff Greg London praised the woman who called authorities after feeling like something was off when seeing Franklin and Day “This is a textbook example of someone making a 911 call because they didn’t think something was right,” London said he’s got several warrants out of several states.” As for how the pair made it to the Love’s Truck Stop in Nebraska and then they hitchhiked with another trucker from Idaho all the way into Sarpy County,” London said Police said 17-year-old Franklin is in a secure facility and waiting to be reunited with her family Kreuziger said both Franklin and her unborn child are healthy “The message is that Sophia’s back and she’s going to be reunited with her family,” Chief Kreuziger said told NBC affiliate TMJ4 that she thanked God and everyone who took the time to look for her daughter Leah Franklin said she and her husband have not had a chance to talk with Sophia just yet They are looking forward to seeing her and being a family again “I can’t even begin to say how grateful I am,” Leah Franklin said Wow if that’s not a good thing I don’t know what is.” Leah Franklin asked for privacy as they try to ensure both her daughter and unborn grandchild get the proper care they need Kreuziger said the next steps are to extradite Day back to Wisconsin, where he faces charges of child abduction and child enticement in Dodge County He also faces charges in Nebraska for contributing to the delinquency of a minor and false reporting WMTV 15 News Anchor Phoebe Murray knocked on doors around Franklin’s home in Beaver Dam Thursday morning and neighbors she spoke to expressed relief that Franklin has been found “I’m happy that she was found safe and unharmed,” neighbor Gene Bennett said Neighbors said this could have gone a lot of different ways but they’re happy she and her child are safe Franklin was last seen on February 2 and an Amber Alert was issued the following day. At the time of her alleged abduction, Franklin was 16 years old and three months pregnant. She was believed to be traveling to Arkansas with Day who investigators said is the father of her unborn child Her family had put out another plea for the teen to come home on Wednesday, which was Franklin’s seventeenth birthday. Leah Franklin shared what a struggle it has been not knowing where her daughter is still uncertain as to what tomorrow is going to hold and whether or not you can move forward in certain aspects of your life of if you should just stay here and wait,” Franklin said on Wednesday The alerts have since been canceled in Arkansas According to the Wisconsin Department of Justice nearly half of the Amber Alerts in the state have ended because someone called authorities with information there have been 65 Amber Alerts in Wisconsin Click here to download the WMTV15 News app or our WMTV15 First Alert weather app Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInMADISON (WMTV) - The man accused of kidnapping a pregnant teen from Beaver Dam waived extradition Thursday in Sarpy County Gary Day, 40, waived extradition for charges outside of Nebraska on two separate cases, WMTV’s sister station WOWT said. This means he has voluntarily agreed to return to other jurisdictions where he faces charges Both Arkansas and Wisconsin have requested he be extradited He pleaded not guilty last Friday to two misdemeanor charges of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and false reporting in Sarpy County He is expected to return on April 24 to Sarpy County court Authorities arrested Day, 40, the night of Wednesday after a couple at an Omaha truck stop raised a red flag when they saw him and 17-year-old Sophia Franklin traveling together Sophia Franklin was reunited with her family the next day Day faces charges of child abduction and child enticement in Dodge County Dodge County District Attorney Andrea Will previously told WMTV that the timing of Day getting brought back to Wisconsin could vary depending on the extradition process in Nebraska Franklin was last seen on February 2 and an Amber Alert was issued the following day. At the time of her alleged abduction, Franklin was 16 years old and three months pregnant. She was believed to be traveling to Arkansas at the time with Day which was at one point extended to Arkansas and Missouri (Beaver Dam) The Democratic Party of Dodge County held a Hands Off protest in Beaver Dam over the weekend Community members rallied along 311 North Spring Street from 11am to 1pm Saturday The event was part of the 50-50-1 protests held nationwide Organization officials say the movement is a non-partisan non-violent resistance to the authoritarian takeover of American democracy by Donald Trump because that is the 250th anniversary of the opening battles of the American Revolutionary War (Beaver Dam) The city of Beaver Dam is getting grant funds from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation 19 organizations will receive a share of nearly $3.2-million-dollars in Small Business Development Grants.   Beaver Dam is in line for $50-thousand-dollars which will be used to expand its existing Downtown New Business Recruitment Grant The program provides $5,000 to brick-and-mortar businesses in the city for lease and mortgage payments as well as building repairs and improvements.  The Small Business Development Grant builds on governor’s Main Street Bounceback Grant Program which provided nearly $95-million in funding to nearly 9,500 businesses to fill empty storefronts in all 72 counties throughout Wisconsin.   (Beaver Dam) A popular summer festival will not be happening this year that takes place at Tahoe Park and throughout the downtown Event Co-Chair Mary Vogl-Rauscher says what led to this decision was a twofold problem One of the issues was that the company that puts on the fireworks display had already been booked up Vogl-Rauscher says the other complication they ran into was a lack of funding She notes that like many other not-for-profit groups in the area there was a struggle with getting volunteers and raising the necessary dollars to put on this event One of the pricier attractions is the fireworks show which Vogl-Rauscher says have tripled in costs in recent years The city pays roughly a third of the cost to put on the fireworks show but organizers need to raise the rest of the money as well as cover the expense to bring in the UW Band to perform Vogl-Rauscher did share her appreciation for local businesses and organizations who have sponsored the event over the years She also thanked the many volunteers who contributed in putting on Best Dam Fest It is unknown if Best Dam Fest can make a return next summer Vogle-Rauscher says that decision will be up to others as she will be pulling back her involvement with the event moving forward Concord General Services crew works on a culvert underneath Elm Street in Penacook that was overrun by water after a beaver dam collapsed on Dagody Hill on Tuesday This was a pond on Dagody Hill until the beaver dam that held back the water collapsed Tuesday A beaver dam holding back a pond collapsed Tuesday afternoon sending a deluge of water over a portion of Elm Street in Penacook and closing the road for a day The dam had created a large pond on Dagoty Hill overloading culverts that carry a small creek underneath Elm Street near the intersection with Peaceful Lane more than a foot of water flowed over the pavement City crews shut down the road until the flood could subside and they could determine whether it was safe for traffic to cross The road was closed between Peaceful Lane and Weir Road “We wanted to be sure the road wasn’t undermined,” said Kevin Rowell foreman of the General Service crew working on the site Wednesday morning the side-by-side culverts – one roughly 18-inch-diameter galvanized steel and one 24-inch concrete – held the stones and concrete facing upstream that took the brunt of the force but the road is expected to reopen sometime Wednesday The pond in question is not far from the Weare Road Trail hiking trail It’s not uncommon for beaver dams to give way especially in the spring when high water increases the pressure on them “They keep trying to raise that water level as much as they can If there’s a weak spot and if they don’t arm that weak spot the water pressure from the height of the dam builds up,” said N.H Fish and Game wildlife biologist Patrick Tate Tate said that if there if the beavers stick around “My experience is that they do rebuild the dam in the same spot … The shape of the dam may end up being a little bit different Trapping nearly eliminated beaver from New Hampshire by the late 1800s Six beaver were released in the state between 1926 and 1930 as part of a restocking program and by 1955 Tate said the number of beavers “ebbs and flows” from year to year but that “we certainly have an abundant population.” The state has an active wildlife control program that is often called to trap or remove beavers whose dams are causing flooding that threatens buildings or you agree with our use of cookies to personalize your experience measure ads and monitor how our site works to improve it for our users A new data center could be coming to Beaver Dam as a flurry of similar projects across the state are raising concerns about whether utilities will be able to keep up with rising energy demand Alliant Energy and the Beaver Dam Area Development Corp have been working on a potential data center development for much of the last year executive vice president of the Beaver Dam Area Development Corp “The entity we are working with is currently attempting to obtain non-local project approvals,” Campbell said in an email all involved parties look forward to a future project announcement.” A spokesperson for Alliant Energy said in a statement the utility is in the “exploratory and due diligence phases of a potential project.” Last November, American Transmission Co. filed an application with state regulators for a distribution and interconnection project in Dodge County. In the application ATC said it received an interconnection request from Alliant to “serve a new large load addition in the Beaver Dam area” associated with “a data center campus.” Those projects could have a big impact on the state’s electric grid. Data centers are energy-intensive buildings that consume 10 to 50 times the energy per floor space of a commercial office building A spokesperson for Microsoft said the company anticipates the first phase of its Mount Pleasant project will require 450 megawatts That’s enough energy to power roughly 300,000 homes.  “That new data center coming to Mount Pleasant is going to use more energy than all the homes in Dane County,” said Amy Barrilleaux a spokesperson for the nonprofit Clean Wisconsin “This is a scale of energy use unlike anything we’ve really ever seen.” a typical large industrial user in Wisconsin needs between 30 to 100 megawatts according to the Wisconsin Industrial Energy Group a nonprofit that advocates for large energy users a senior scientist at the MIT Lincoln Laboratory said data centers use so much power because the computing equipment they house needs a lot of energy He says some popular artificial intelligence platforms use 20 times the power of a desktop computer “There is a significant amount of energy that’s also spent to cool these processors because they need to stay usually somewhere between 60 to 80 degrees,” he said He said adding multiple data centers “absolutely will stress the local grid” if there’s no additional resources built to supply power “Something has to come onto the grid in order to power this,” he said “You can’t just add a gigawatt or one and a half gigawatts of power consumption … and expect that the grid will adjust.” There’s growing concern among Wisconsin’s industrial users that the state could soon have insufficient capacity to meet demand for electricity.  That’s according to a 2024 filing with utility regulators from the Wisconsin Industrial Energy Group the Wisconsin Cast Metals Association and the Wisconsin Paper Council “At the same time that we are watching electricity demand increase Wisconsin utilities are dramatically reducing electricity capacity through the voluntary premature retirement of baseload generation,” the industry groups wrote “It appears that Wisconsin — or at least certain of its utilities — will have insufficient capacity to meet demand as early as 2025.” The Midwest electric grid, which includes Wisconsin, is at “high” risk of power supply shortfalls in the coming years, according to a December 2024 report from the North American Electric Reliability Corp. The report says the Midwest isn’t adding enough generation resources to keep up with coal plant retirements and demand growth is expected to have multiple data centers in its southeastern Wisconsin service area a spokesperson for We Energies’ parent company said the Midwest grid operator requires utilities to have enough capacity to meet peak demand in both the summer and winter months.  He said the utility is confident it will be able to meet energy demand in the coming years It expects that between 2025 and 2029 that energy demand will increase by about 20 percent from what’s currently in the system To boost reliability, he says We Energies currently has more than $2 billion in natural gas infrastructure projects awaiting approval from regulators and WEC Energy Group plans to spend $9 billion on renewable energy projects by 2029 “Whether you’re living in an apartment in Racine or you’re a large business somewhere in the northern part of the state you want to make sure that when you need the energy We’re going to make sure we can meet that commitment.” executive director of the Citizens Utility Board of Wisconsin said there’s a concern that utilities in the state could build too much infrastructure to meet demand projections “We’re in this really strange period where there’s a lot of hype and we don’t know what’s the reality based on all the announcements versus how many (data centers) will actually get built,” he said he says utilities across the Midwest are doing their best to attract data centers so they can profit from building infrastructure “The profits that the utilities are going to earn on those plants for years to come it’s hundreds of dollars for each customer around the state — it’s real money,” Content said “The risk is that we’re going to spend $2 billion on natural gas plants that end up not being needed and saddling customers with those costs too.” Technological developments could make artificial intelligence more energy efficient. Bloomberg reports that a Chinese AI model appeared to achieve the same results as American models with a fraction of the energy use said the pace that new data centers are being proposed in the state “feels very concerning” and has the potential to derail the state’s clean energy transition She said she believes that investing in more fossil fuels is the wrong way to go because new gas plants would have a life of about 30 years “That is something we cannot afford if we want to reach clean energy goals in Wisconsin,” she said “This isn’t saying that AI and data centers are bad but we do need to figure out what the impact is and how to handle it.” Editor’s note: Alliant Energy and the Citizens Utility Board of Wisconsin are sponsors of Wisconsin Public Radio Day, 40, was arrested this week at a truck stop near Omaha with Sophia Franklin He pleaded not guilty to contributing to the delinquency of a minor and providing a false name to law enforcement - both misdemeanors Day also faces charges in Vermont and Indiana for exploitation cases which will be the subject of the Friday afternoon court appearance Beaver Dam police say a witness at the truck stop said she saw a young pregnant girl with two older men and thought it was weird so she went up and started talking to them The woman reported that the things they were saying were not adding up so she walked away and did some research on her phone After recognizing Franklin from the Amber Alert 'It just doesn't seem right on what they're doing together,' and it was very inconsistent and that's why she called 911," Sarpy Co When police approached the three individuals He also changed his appearance by growing a beard and mustache Day was taken into custody without incident Franklin was transported to Sarpy County's juvenile justice center and to a hospital to be checked out Police say she and her baby are in good condition "[Her] parents were contacted and as far as I know the parents are coming to Nebraska to reunite with their daughter," London said The man Franklin and Day were with was a trucker and he did not know who he was talking to An Amber Alert was issued for Franklin after she was reported missing in February She was 16 years old at the time and three months pregnant There was a no contact order in place between Franklin and Day After his first attempt was cut short by weather, Gene Simmons played the first full show of his 2025 solo tour Saturday evening in Beaver Dam You can see the complete set list and fan-shot video from the show below Read More: Gene Simmons vs. Ace Frehley: Who's Got the Better Set List? Simmons took some flak for offering a $12,495 "roadie for a day" fan experience in which a fan gets to accompany him and his crew all day as they prepare for the show “This is not for everybody and it ain’t cheap,” Simmons explained to Buffalo's WIVB placing some of the blame for the high cost on the need for insurance “It’s also a different world than what I grew up in if you get a papercut… everybody gets sued.” Simmons' tour  is currently scheduled to conclude on May 15 at the Fallsview Casino in Niagara Falls. You can get complete show, ticket and paid roadie information at his official website This November Simmons will briefly reunite with his Kiss bandmates for a special unmasked performance at the weekend-long Kiss Army Storms Las Vegas event Watch the Gene Simmons Band Perform 'Deuce' Watch the Gene Simmons Band Perform 'House of Pain' "House of Pain" (Van Halen cover)7 "Ace of Spades" (Motorhead cover)8 "Spit" / "Whole Lotta Love" (Led Zeppelin cover)14 "And Your Bird Can Sing" (The Beatles cover)15 via SetList.fm After his first attempt was cut short by bad weather, Simmons delivered a full show Saturday night.\nRead More After his first attempt was cut short by weather, Gene Simmons played the first full show of his 2025 solo tour Saturday evening in Beaver Dam Read More: Gene Simmons vs. Ace Frehley: Who's Got the Better Set List? “This is not for everybody and it ain’t cheap,” Simmons explained to Buffalo's WIVB Simmons' tour  is currently scheduled to conclude on May 15 at the Fallsview Casino in Niagara Falls. You can get complete show, ticket and paid roadie information at his official website This November Simmons will briefly reunite with his Kiss bandmates for a special unmasked performance at the weekend-long Kiss Army Storms Las Vegas event via SetList.fm Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInMADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - The Amber Alert for a missing 16-year-old girl from Beaver Dam believed to be with a 40-year-old man has now extended to Missouri On Feb. 6, an Amber Alert was made effective in Arkansas The Wisconsin Amber Alert went into effect on Feb. 3 for Sophia Franklin She is described as being 5-feet-9-inches tall and weighing 186 pounds who was last seen at Sophia’s home on surveillance footage Monday morning He is believed to be the father of Sophia’s unborn child Four charges, two of child enticement and two of abduction of a child, have been filed in Dodge County against Day and a warrant has been issued for his arrest Court records show Day is a resident of Cabot which is about 25 miles northeast of Little Rock According to the criminal complaint filed against Day Sophia’s father reported on Monday that she was missing Surveillance footage from their home showed Day walking near the house around 7:50 a.m. and his 2014 Buick LaCrosse was parked a block away The complaint states his vehicle was seen on FLOCK cameras on Highway 151 southbound near Sun Prairie around 8:30 a.m. which would be 45 mins after he was spotted on home surveillance footage Beaver Dam Police Department updated the Amber Alert on Tuesday after it was determined that Day may be switching the license plates on his vehicle The vehicle had Arkansas license plate BBR 20L but was also spotted with Pennsylvania license plate number KGW518 Monday morning in Wisconsin The alert states the license plate has also changed to Arizona at one point Beaver Dam authorities said that Sophia’s parents are not under investigation in the case Anyone with information about their whereabouts is asked to call the Beaver Dam Police Department at 920-887-4612 or the Amber Alert tip line 888-304-3936 The man accused of abducting a pregnant Beaver Dam girl in February waived extradition for charges he faces in Wisconsin and Arkansas Gary Day was in a Nebraska courtroom Thursday during which he voluntarily executed waivers of extradition to both states Day, 40, of Cabot, Arkansas, was arrested last week at a truck stop near Omaha, Nebraska with the teenage girl, who was reported missing Feb. 3 The pair had been the subject of an Amber Alert for weeks until Day's capture The waiver means Day has voluntarily agreed to return to other jurisdictions where he faces charges Wisconsin and Arkansas each have sought his extradition was found safe and has since been reunited with family Court officials in both states were expected to be notified of the waivers this week Day remains in custody in Sarpy County without bond A criminal complaint filed in Dodge County indicates the teen met Day online in April 2024 and developed a relationship Day drove to Wisconsin and took her to Arkansas Authorities encountered the teen at Day’s home in Arkansas Day was on probation at the time for pleading guilty to endangering a child in 2020 He was subsequently charged with interference of child custody and contributing to the delinquency of a minor Day appeared in state court in Sarpy County Nebraska and pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and providing a false name to law enforcement Day expected to return to court in Sarpy County April 24 Nebraska officials confirmed to WMTV they dismissed the misdemeanor charges Day faced in Nebraska as well as an Arkansas state extradition complaint to speed up Day's extradition to Wisconsin Sophia Franklin was found at a truck stop near Omaha in the company of Day had been missing for two months and was the subject of an Amber Alert She has since been reunited with her family Authorities have said Day and Franklin met online and there was a no contact order in place between the two Police reported Day had changed his appearance by growing a beard and mustache.