The Pewaukee Muskies defeated visiting Sussex on Snday, 6-2, to remain in first place in the Land O' Lakes Western Division baseball league. Pewaukee is first at 9-1 followed by West Bend at 9-3.

Games on Saturday saw the Brookfield Bulldogs down the Brookfield Blue Sox 10-3 and Oconomowoc outlast North Lake, 13-6.

On Sunday games saw Menomomee Falls down Hartland 6-1, West Bend defeat the Bulldogs 10-5, Oconomowoc stop Lannon 10-6, North Lake upset Monches 7-4 and the Blue Sox down Merton, 13-1 in seven innings.

On Wednesday, the Fourth of July, 1 p.m. games will find Pewaukee playing at Oconomowoc, Hartland at Merton, Lannon at the Bulldogs, West Bend at Sussex, Monches at Menomonee Falls and the Blue Sox at North Lake.

Firefighters are battling a five-alarm fire that is thought to havbe claimed the lives of two people  in an apartment above a  building on North Main Street just north of Wisconsin Avenue.

City of Oconomowoc Police Chief Dave Beguhn said a 911 call came in about 1:15 p.m. reporting flames going up the back of the building at 112 N.Main St.., which houses Stapleton Realty. 

A neighbor was able to assist one female out the structure. Firefighters were not able to get inside the building, and Beguhn said two deceased were thought to be inside. No other official information on that was available.

The rest of the bloick has been evacuated as firefighters continue to battle the blaze and attempt to keep it from spreading.

Beguhn said the fire continues to flare up on the roof and that collateral damage is expected to adjacent buildings because of water from extiguishing efforts.

The high temperatures have made the task even more treacherous for the 150 firefighters on the scene. "Four firefighters have gone to the hospital: two from the City of Oconomowoc for smoke inhalation, one from Dousman and one from Ashippun for heat exhaustion, and one of our firefighters was transferred to St. Mary's for the hyperbaric chamber for treatment of smoke inhallation," the chief said.

See more here.

Todd Wehmeyer was working at his desk Sunday afternoon at Stapleton Realty when he heard a crackling sound.

"I heard a noise from the back and saw flames at the window. I grabbed the fire extinguisher and told Judy (co-worker Judy Christensen) to call 911," he recalled.

"I went out the front door and saw people upstairs banging on the glass. They couldn't break it. Finally they got something to break it with," he said.

Just then Wehmeyer saw a neighbor, Bob Snyder,  come running down the street with a ladder.  They reached one of the women , who fell on to the Stapleton awning below. "There were  a whole bunch of us that caught her. She was ok, just bloody and stuff, " he said.

Police say two people were killed in the five-alarm fire that broke out early Sunday afternoon. At least four firefighters were injured battling the blaze. One City of Oconomowoc firefighter was taken to St. Mary's Hospital for hyperbaric oxygen therapy for smoke inhallation.

Carey Kaiser of Merton was eating lunch at Fongs with her family when the fire broke out across the street from the restaurant.

"We noticed everyone running out to the front. Towards the back of the Stapleton Realty building, we saw black smoke and people were dialing 911. Two women were pounding on a windows in the apartments above," she said.

Said when the window was broken, “smoke started spreading out the front of the building and the women were screaming they couldn’t breathe. One man climbed a ladder was one woman was able to climb over the glad and rolled down the awing and was caught by people. She was cut pretty bad," she added.

For much more on this story, read the Oconomowoc Focus.

City of Oconomowoc police have released the name of the woman killed in the fire at 112 N. Main St., in Oconomowoc on Sunday afternoon. She was identified as Sharon Phillips, 45, who lived in Apartment #1 above Stapleton Realty.

The power has been restored to the block of North Main Street after the July 1 fire that claimed the life of woman who lived in an apartment above Stapleton Realty.

City of Oconomowoc Police Chief Dave Beguhn said gas will be restored after noon today and  authorities will be letting people back into their businesses and homes.

Residents can get the most up-to-date information on recycling, water conservation and storm water management, as well as fresh produce, at local farmers' markets in July, according to a news release from Waukesha County Recycling and Solid Waste.

Waukesha County recycling and water conservation staff will be at the following Farmers’ Markets:

• Dousman Farmers’ Market July 18 from 2 to 6 p.m. 

• Delafield Farmers’ Market July 21 from7 a.m. to 1 p.m.

• Waukesha Farmers’ Market July 28 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Residents can stop by the tent to pick up information and ask questions, as well as getting a free recycling bin while supplies last.  

Visit waukeshacounty.gov/recycling or call (262) 896-8300 for more information.

City of Oconomowoc Chief of Police Dave Beguhn said that the State Fire Marshall has reported that the fire on North Main Street that claimed one fatality Sunday afternoon began at the exterior of the building and the cause is undtermined.

Beguhn said the full report is expected in approximately two weeks and perhaps more information will be available at that time, but for now the cause is undetermined.

 City of Delafield - The Common Council on Monday took the first steps in a negotiation process that could lead to the largest consolidation of local government services in the Lake Country region in more than 30 years.

The council appointed Mayor Ed McAleer, Ald. Gerald MacDougall and citizen Cate Rahmlow as the city's representatives on a 12 member committee that will negotiate during the summer the possible consolidation of the Town of Delafield fire department into Lake Country Fire and Rescue.

The Delafield Town board and the villages of Chenequa and Nashotah are expected to name their representatives to the committee later this month. The 12 member commitee will meet for the first time in late July or early August at the Delafield Town Hall, according to McAleer.

The Village of Hartland fire department  has been invited to join in the talks but village officials have yet to respond to the invitation, according to McAleer and Nashotah Village President Rich Lartz.

McAleer said if the negotiations are successful it would be the largest consolidation of local government services in the region since the creation of the Delafield-Hartland Water Pollution Control Commission in the mid 1970s.

The Lake Country Fire and Rescue(LCFR) was created three years ago when the City of Delafield Fire Department  merged with the Lake Country Fire Department which served the villages of Chenequa and Nashotah.

LCFR has about 12 full time fire fighter/paramedics and about 50 volunteers who work from fire stations in Delafield, Chenequa and Nashotah. It includes the region's first full time paramedic service which, in addition to responding to emergency medical calls, provides contractual paramedic ambulance services to area hospitals. 

The department is governed by a board whose members are appointed by the City of Delafield and villages of Chenequa and Nashotah. The three communities share in the department's operating costs.

The Town of Delafield has two full time fire fighters/EMTs along with about 35 to 40 volunteers who serve an approximately 18 square mile area that extends north of Interstate 94 along Highway 83 and east to Pewaukee Lake and south of Interstate 94 from Lapham Peak State Park to approximately Hwy. 18.

The department is governed by the five member Town Board which appropriates real estate tax revenues for department operations.

The town has a "primary response" system where volunteer emergency medical technicians (EMTs) have medical gear at home and in personal vehicles to enable them to respond directly to the scene of an emergency rather than reporting to fire stations on Maple Avenue, east of the Hwy. 83 and I-94 interchange and on Highway C, south of the state park.

 Eastbound traffic on I43 at Highway 164 is moving slow after Big Bend Fire Department responded to a rollover accident on eastbound I43 between 164 Highway Y. According to scanner traffic, emergency crews have cleared the scene. No further information is available at this time.

 The Village of Mukwonago Police Department reminds Mukwonago area residents the burning ban is still in affect for the area due to the record drought conditions.  This includes fireworks. Residents who want to see a fireworks displya are strongly incouraged to locate an official display to attend. Officers will be diligent in enforcing any fire or fireworks related violations due to the high danger to public safety, according to Lt. Ken Pileggi.

The Village of Mukwonago Police Department has fielded several calls reporting citizens leaving their dogs in cars in parking lots during sweltering heat.  Even if it is just for a few minutes, it can lead to tragic results. Residents are urged to call police if they observe an animal in a parked vehicle during high heat.

The Eagle Historical Society is once again presenting their Ice Cream Social and Band Concert in the Park beginning at 1:30 p.m. on July 8 at Eagle Village Park.

The Palmyra Eagle Community Band is preparing to delight its audience with family friendly music “From Sousa to Swing: the Great Era of American Popular Music.” The Ice Cream Social will begin at 1:30 p.m. The concert will begin at 2 p.m. The event is free thanks to the sponsorship of the Eagle Historical Society and the Palmyra-Eagle Community Band.  

For more information visit http://eaglehistoricalsociety.org/ 

 Pewaukee scored a come-from-behind 8-7 victory over the host Oconomowoc Five O's Sunday in the Land O' Lakes Western Division. The Muskies scored in the ninth inning to pull out the win. Pewaukee never led in the game until the final inning.

The Mukwonago Fire Department responded to an out of control grass fire on Lauren Parkway in the Town of Mukwonago late Wednesday afternoon. Flames reaching four feet high when fire crews arrived on scene quickly pushed east through an overgrown out lot toward homes on Mary Court, according to Deputy Fire Chief Andy Wegner. The fire started at the back edge of a residence that butted up to the grassy area of the out lot, but no cause has been determined at this time, said Wegner.

Wegner said he sent a Town of Mukwonago police officer and an ambulance to Mary Court to evacuate residences on the east side of the fire as crews attacked the blaze from the west end with a good headwind pushing the flames toward the homes.

There was “minimal to any structural damage,” but the fire may have affected siding on some of the houses. Air quality in surrounding homes was checked and determined to be good, Wegner added. There were no injuries reported. Wegner guessed about 20 acres were involved in the fire.

Due to the Fourth of July holiday, staffing was light at the department and calls went out to seven other area fire departments to assist with the blaze. 

Firefighters work to put out hot spots (top photo) on a grass fire that started behind a residence on Lauren Parkway and pushed eastward toward homes on Mary Court late Wednesday afternoon.

A firefighter sprays the burnt lawn of a home on Mary Court (bottom photo) after winds from the west fanned the flames around several homes. Mukwonago Deputy Fire Chief Andy Wegner reported "minimal to any structural damage" on homes.

Mukwonago Fire Department Deputy Chief Andy Wegner said the fire was caused by a homeowner on Lauren Parkway trying to smoke out gophers on his property. 

Read the complete story in the July 11 Mukwonago Chief.

Maureen Stapleton said the building she owns that was destroyed by a five-alarm fire on July 1, will be rebuilt.

The veteran Realtor said that in the meantime, Stapleton Realty is set up and open for business at 29 S. Main Street.

"I have rented desks and that will be our headquarters for kicking off our rehabing and redeveloment of our North Main Street office. We're going to rebuild and it will be better than ever," she said.

The State Fire Marshall said the cause of the fire is 'undetermined', but said it began in the rear exterior of the building at 121 N. Main Street. A woman who lived in an apartment above the office was killed in the blaze.

Stapleton said she has received an outpouring of support from the community. "Everyone is so wonderful; and that is why we live in Oconomowoc," she added.

The family 17-year-old Sarah Ford is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to her whereabouts, according to Lt. Brian Larson with the Waukesha County Sheriff's Department.

The Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department is seeking help from the public in locating the missing Town of Genesee teen. Ford was last seen Tuesday afternoon in the City of Waukesha.  Family members are concerned that she may not be able to care for herself.  

Ford is described as 5’8" and 165 pounds with brown hair and brown/hazel eyes. She was last wearing a blue sweatshirt and pink sweat pants. She may now be wearing a red t-shirt with blue and pink hearts and red sweat pants. Sarah has no contacts in the area.  All suggested places where she could be have been checked with negative results. 

Anyone with information on Ford’s whereabouts is encouraged to contact the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department at (262) 548-7122.

The Village of Mukwonago Public Works Department reminds residents that Indianhead Beach is open to provide an opportunity for cooling down from the extreme heat.  

Indianhead Beach is open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. There is no charge to enter the beach area. Residents are reminded that there are no lifeguards on duty and it is swim at your own risk.  

Mukwonago Baptist Church will hold "Down of the Farm," a free, fun-filled week of Vacation Bible School from July 9 through July 13.

Children from four years old through eighth grade are invited to share in the fun of the week including skits, great competition, a petting zoo, refreshments, dramatic missionary stories and life-changing Bible lessons. The week will end with a family fun fair, refreshments and a program where students can experience all the fun of the week. 

Moms may also enjoy a special Mornings for Mom program that includes great fellowship, enjoyable crafts and practical Bible studies. Dads will have a special day on July 13 where they can enjoy great food, fellowship and a special message for dads from the World of God. 

A 56-year-old Hartland man was charged today in Waukesha County Circuit Court with sexually assaulting a 9-year-old girl.

Wayne D. Herbes, of 518 E. Capitol Drive, Hartland, faces three counts of first degree sexual assault of a child under age 13, according to the criminal complaint. The alleged incidents occurred between June and September 2011.

The complaint stated that on December 8, 2011, police interviewed the victim, who reported that Herbes, a friend of the victim's grandmother, had sexually assaulted her at his Waukesha residence.

The victim described three alleged incidents in the complaint. According to the victim's statement, Herbes touched her inappropriately while her grandmother was in the shower.

Another incident allegedly occurred when the girl's grandmother went to the grocery store and left the victim alone with Herbes. In that instance, he allegedly took a picture of her private parts using his cell phone.

In a third incident, the victim's grandmother had left to go to a friend's house and Herbes again touched her inappropriately, the complaint stated.

A judge today set the defendant's bail at $100,000.

If convicted on all three counts, Herbes faces up to 120 years in prison.

The expression “easy as pie” has always been a curious one.

Anyone who has baked one knows that the dough making and rolling and filling can be time consuming and the results not always desirable. “Easy as pie” would be to grab a ready-made one out of the freezer case at the grocery store.

Another place to enjoy a piece that is “easy as pie” is at the pie social hosted by the Sussex Lisbon Area Historical Society.

The event is from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Depot Museum, N63 W23791 Main St., Sussex, next to the Piggly Wiggly.

For a slice of pie and ice cream you’ll pay only $3. Kids are just $1.50.

Betty Mindemann will be doing antique appraisals during the social. Verbal appraisals are $5 or three for $10. Written appraisals are $25.

This is also a good time to view the museum’s current exhibit “Business of Our Founding Fathers” and tour the Memory Garden.

For more information visit www.slahs.org.

Dakota, the great horned owl that was taken from his cage at The Wild Life In Need Center (WINC) last November will be on display tomorrow from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at WINC, W349 S1480 S. Waterville Rd., Suite B in Oconomowoc. 

Families will also enjoy other activities such as mammal feedings. 

For more information about the center, visit http://www.helpingwildlife.org/index.htm

The Vernon Fire Department isn't exactly sure what started a brush fire along I-43 this afternoon, but a discarded cigarette butt is a likely cause, Chief Alex Felde said.

The fire began around 2:09 p.m. this afternoon on the shoulder of northbound I-43 near Edgewood Ave. Felde said the fire burned between one and two acres of land. 

The department called for mutual aid from Mukwonago, who provided an additional brush truck and an ATV. The Waukesha County Sheriff's Department was on the scene to help control traffic. 

Felde said that with these extremely dry conditions, he is taking no risks. In a situation like this one where a fire could quickly get out of control, he called for backup immediately to ensure everyone's safety. 

No one was hurt in the incident. 

Crews were back in the station at around 3:30 p.m.

 Host Arrowhead opened WIAA regional play Tuesday night by scoring a wire-to-wire 3-1 victory over Nicolet. Matt Gaberoni went the distance for the Warhawks and allowed only a seventh inning run to the Knights.

AHS led 1-0 going into the bottom of the sixth inning before pushing two runs across in the sixth. Mitch Dubnicka walked and scored when DomTodarello bunted for a single with two outs. Todarello then stole home two batters later. 

The Warhawks had six hits and Nicolet had seven. 

 Town of Delafield - About a dozen town residents say they will insist on referendum approval of any proposed agreement that would merge the town fire department into Lake Country Fire and Rescue which presently serves the villages of Nashotah and Chenequa as well as the City of Delafield.

The residents said after a Tuesday night Town Board meeting that they wanted town voters to decide whether the town board should adopt any agreement that would result in Lake Country Fire and Rescue providing services to the town.

Most of the residents indicated they had been opposed to efforts during the past decade to build a new fire station in the town.

It was the failure of three fire station referenda that prompted town officials to approach Lake County Fire and Rescue officials about a possible expansion of the regional department to include the town.

Negotiations among the four, possibly five, neighboring communities are tentatively scheduled to begin in mid August.

Hartland Village President David Lamerand said he will seek approval from the Village Board for Hartland representatives to be included in the talks that could lead to the Hartland Fire Department also becoming part of Lake Country Fire and Rescue.

Each community participating in the negotiations will have three representatives, two elected officials and a citizen.

As the gardens at Old World Wisconsin hit their peak, the historic site will host a series of before- and after-hours heirloom garden strolls. These exclusive events provide opportunities for visitors to learn about the different ethnic groups' gardening styles and traditions see some of their favorite plants and learn how they were used.    

Each stroll will be led by the site's expert historical gardener, Marcia Carmichael. In addition to researching, organizing and leading management of the site's 12 heirloom gardens, Carmichael is also the award-winning author of "Putting Down Roots:  Gardening Insights from Wisconsin's Early Settlers," which was published in 2011 by the Wisconsin Historical Society Press and features the gardens of Old World Wisconsin.  

Each tour concludes with refreshments featuring flavors from the homelands of the gardens visited; evening strolls include refreshments in the garden toured, plus a cash bar. 

Reservations are required and available online at www.regonline.com/Register/Checkin.aspx or at (262) 594-6301.

Reservations for a garden stroll include a single-use, half-price museum admission voucher, valid for the 2012 season.

Morning garden strolls on July 22 in the Kruza and Schottler gardens and Sept. 16 in the Ketola and Pedersen gardens are from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Cost is $15 per person

Evening Garden Strolls on Aug. 23 in the Schulz and Koepsell gardens and Sept. 6 in the Sanford and Benson gardens are from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Cost is $20 per person.

A benefit for Laura Dwyer of Okauchee, who was severely injured in May when a tree limb fell on her back, will be held on Sunday, July 15 at the Hideaway Pub and Grill, N55 W34657 Rd. E, in Okauchee.

Raffles, food and drink specials and live music are planned. The event runs from noon to 1 a.m.

For more information, please all Kathy Eichstedt at (262) 719-5121.

 A 21 year old Big Bend woman was taken to Froedtert Memorial Hospital by Flight for Life after she suffered serious head, facial and leg injuries after being ejected from her vehicle during a three-vehicle collision on Big Bend Dr. at Guthrie Dr. at 3:42 p.m. on July 11. 

Police are still investigating the accident, but preliminary reports indicate that a 39 year old Waukesha man was operating a dump truck northbound on Big Bend Dr. when the 21 year old woman turned eastbound onto Guthrie Dr. from southbound Big Bend Dr. and was struck by the dump truck. The dump truck continued northbound and began crossing into the southbound lanes where it struck a vehicle occupied by a 37 year old Salem woman and her 11 year old daughter. 

The 21 year old woman was found lying next to her vehicle which came to rest on a grassy area on the west side of Big Bend Dr. The dump truck came to rest approximately 110 feet north of Guthrie Dr., approximately 40 feet west of the roadway in a grassy area. The vehicle operated by the 37 year old woman came to rest just west of the dump truck. 

The dump truck driver, the 37 year old woman and her daughter suffered minor injuries and were not taken to the hospital. 

Although its creator died the night before it opened off-Broadway, the musical “Rent” went on to enjoy a 12-year run on Broadway.

The ninth-longest running Broadway show is the last offering of the 2011-12 season for Theatre on Main in Oconomowoc.

After opening on January 25, 1996, a day after the sudden death of its originator Jonathan Larson, “Rent” went on to win a Tony Award for Best Musical and 5,124 Broadway performances.

The show, loosely based on Puccini’s “La Boheme,” follows an eclectic group of bohemians all trying to make it in New York City, including Mark, a filmmaker, who is the narrator.   There are also his former girlfriend, a performance artist, and her lover; Mark’s roommate, a musician, and the exotic dancer who’s the object of his affection; a computer geek and his lover, a street musician and drag queen; and the landlord of the building where they live.

The show runs through July 29 with performances at 7 p.m. Thursdays, 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 4 p.m. Sundays.

Theatre on Main is located at 25 S. Main St., Oconomowoc.

Tickets are $14 for adults and $12 for students and seniors. Call (262) 560-0564 for ticket information.

 The Mukwonago Fire Department responded to a one vehicle crash and grass fire last night around midnight on Highway E near Highway EE in the Town of Mukwonago. 

No further details are yet available. 

Check next week's Mukwonago Chief for more information. 

Village of Sussex- Village Administrator Jeremy Smith said this morning he will recommend  the Village Board end negotiations with NAI/MLG regarding the purchase of 120 acres of the farm land near the intersection of Hwy. 164 and Silver Spring Road.

The village had intended to purchase the land and create a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district to raise real estate tax revenues to pay for streets and other public improvements so NAI/MLG could develop a commercial park on the site.

NAI/MLG holds an option to purchase the land from Johnson Bank . The bank took over the farm land from the  Bilienski Brothers after the developers had purchased it from the Meissner family but were unable to develop it because of internal financial issues.

Smith said the latest estimates on the costs for development site preparation, installing sewer mains, and building a new street intersection are higher than the original estimates.

He said that because of the higher than anticipated cost he will recommend later this month to the village board to cancel the proposed project.

The decision came two days after Village Trustee Pat Tetzlaff had questioned why Smith and other city officials were moving so rapidly on the project when the village board had instructed them to "proceed cautiously."

The village's Community Development Authority had been expected to approve creation of the TIF District later this month and a final Village Board decision on the project was anticipate for late August.

Smith said there is not enough time to make revisions in the development plans before September 28, when NAL/MLG's purchase option on the land is expected to expire.

 Returning for a second year is the Mukwonago Area Chamber of Commerce's Music in the Park, which kicks off July 14 at Indianhead Park Beach.

Making its debut will be Art in the Park, a showcase of work by local artists. Area sculptors and photographers will show their work beginning at 2 p.m. A plein-air event will be held throughout the village the week before the event, from July 8-14. "Plein-air" involves artists painting or drawing live on site. Judging and review of work will be held throughout the day.

Wine and beer will be available.

Skip Towne and the Greyhounds will perform live music from 6 to 9 p.m.

The next Music in the Park will be Aug. 17 and will feature music by Cold Sweat.

The last Music in the Park will be Sept. 7 and will feature Christian music sponsored by Orchard Hills Assembly of God, in partnership with the Mukwonago chamber. Brooklife will play from 6 to 7 p.m. Cherly McCrary and The Heir Born Praise Band will follow from 7 to 8. Burrie Family Band will entertain from 8 to 9.

 The popular band Mount Olive will play at the Hartland Street Dance next Saturday (July 21) beginning at 7 p.m. The Boogie Men were scheduled to play but cancelled last week.

 Lowly Hartland, with just a 1-12 record going into Sunday's game at Pewaukee, shocked the first-place Muskies by a 14-12 score. The Oilers scored seven runs in the top of the first inning and were never headed.

Troy Dibb had three hits to lead Hartland and T.J. Ludorf homered in the eighth inning and finished with three runs batted in for the day. Starter Matt Brueser was the winning pitcher.

Other games Sunday saw Sussex down Menomonee Falls 7-2, West Bend defeat Monches 6-4, Lannon whip North Lake 17-5, Brookfield Bulldogs defeat Merton 7-6 and Oconomowoc blank Brookfield Blue Sox 10-0.

Games on Saturday saw Menomonee Falls edge North Lake 3-2, Blue Sox down Hartland 9-1 and the Bulldogs upset Pewaukee 6-2.

On Friday,  Merton stopped Monches 11-7 and West Bend stopped Lannon in 10 innings, 15-11.

Pewaukee leads the league with a 10-3 mark. The Bulldogs and West Bend are next at 11-4.

The Arrowhead baseball team knocked off top-seeded Menomonee Falls (27-5) on Monday morning in the WIAA summer baseball sectional semifinal at Cedarburg, 7-4.

The Warhawks, seeded fourth, picked up a complete-game performance from Matt Gaberino and rallied for three runs in the sixth to break a 4-4 tie. Gaberino, Jordan White and Eric Cottrell all had RBIs in the crucial rally that sent AHS into the 4:30 p.m. sectional final against either Germantown or Cedarburg.

Kyle Eskoff went 3 for 4, and Dominic Todarello had three hits for Arrowhead (23-9). The 2009 state champions had lost in the first round of the playoffs each of the past two years but will now play for the chance to return to the state tourney, held this year at Kapco Park in Mequon on Friday.

Accused owl thieves Matthew R. Kuhlemeyer and Dilan S. White, both 18 and of Dousman, appeared in Waukesha County Circuit Court Monday afternoon and learned that prosecutors are seeking $22,000 in restitution on behalf of the Wildlife in Need Center in Ottawa.

"That's a problem," White's defense attorney Paul Bucher told the judge. Bucher said he wanted to resolve the issue with his client through a plea, but when he saw the proposed restitution figure, "I fell off my chair."

Calling the request "absurd", Bucher told the judge that White could not, in good faith, make a plea as to the charges against him.

The two men were charged with burglary and criminal damage to property for allegedly stealing the now infamous great horned owl, Dakota, last November from his outdoor enclosure.

Dakota subsequently escaped his alleged captors and flew into the woods. He was found weeks later on a Dousman couple's porch in poor health.

The Wildlife in Need Center is seeking restitution as compensation for a variety of reasons, including for the time volunteers spent searching for the owl.

Bucher sought to have the restitution issue cleared up before going to trial, but Judge William Domina said the court must deal with any restitution during a sentencing hearing.

Domina did, however, order the two parties to meet and confer on the restitution issue for at least one hour.

As a result of today's hearing, which saw a large turnout of Wildlife in Need Center supporters as well as family members of the defendants, the case will now go to a joint trial in October. A jury status hearing was scheduled for September 27, at 8:30 a.m. The trial begins on October 2, at 8:15 a.m.

Southern Wisconsin is now in drought conditions that rival those of 1988, according to a UW-Extension news release. These conditions pose challenges for all Wisconsin residents, both urban and rural. 

Potential crop losses may prove stressful to cash grain farmers as they struggle to meet commitments, and for livestock farmers who require large amounts of quality feed and forage. Urban residents wonder what to do about their lawns, gardens and trees. Everyone is concerned about heat exhaustion. 

Answers to many drought-related questions can be found online at University of Wisconsin-Extension, Cooperative Extension’s “Extension Responds” 

“Through the coordinated effort of our county-based educators and campus-based specialists, Cooperative Extension is able to quickly respond to local needs,” said Richard M. Klemme, UW-Extension, Cooperative Extension dean and director.

 Arrowhead's baseball team suffered a heartbreaking 3-2 loss in eight innings to Germantown Monday evening at the Cedarburg sectional in the chanpionship game. AHS never trailed in the game until Germantown won with a two-out single in the bottom of the eighth inning. 

AHS was five outs away from advancing to Friday's state meet before Germantown scored twice in the sixth to tie the game at 2-2. They won it in the eighth inning.

Jarek Petras worked seven strong innings for the Warhawks. At one stretch in retired 14 of 15 batters he faced. James Reinowski took the loss for Arrowhead.

Matt Gaberino and Mitch Dubnicka had the RBIs for Arrowhead in the first and fourth innings.

AHS finished the year at 23-10. Germantown is 24-9.

 The East Troy Community Band, under the direction of Jay Huenink, will perform their “Grand Finale” concert at the Alpine Valley Music Theatre at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 21.

The family-style concert is free to the public and sponsored by the Alpine Valley Music Theatre.  The band will be joined by the East Troy Community Choir, directed by Rodger Trader.  All seats are under cover. 

Parking is available in the resort parking lot through the A-Frame entrance on Highway D.  Shuttles will be available to the back entrance of the amphitheatre. 

For more information, see the band’s Facebook page or website at: www.etband.com.

Waukesha native Jennifer R. Jones has accepted the position of Park Lawn
Elementary School principal, replacing Joan Marley who retired at the end of the 2011/12 school year.

Jones comes to  Oconomowoc from the  Waukesha School District where she was an Instructional
Resource Teacher/Reading Specialist for eight years. She has also been employed by New Berlin   and Milwaukee Public Schools. 

Pewaukee High School has hired Sean Sullivan to be its new head girls soccer coach, replacing Rick Kocchi. The PHS graduate has been a coach in Pewaukee schools for 14 years, most recently as JV boys and girls coach.

He is co-founder of the Pewaukee Select Soccer Club and was named co-head coach of the girls team in 1998 before stepping down in 2001 to work both JV squads.

There is still time to catch the Mukwonago Village Players' live musical journey across Elvis' life in "Elvis: I'll Remember You." The final shows run this weekend with shows on Friday, July 20 and Saturday, July 21 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, July 22 at 2 p.m. at Mukwonago High School. 

Ticket prices are $15 for adults, and $12 for students 18 and younger and seniors 60 and older. Tickets can be purchased online. Tickets go offline 24 hours before the start of the performance. 

Consisting of flashbacks to Elvis' famed career, the audience is treated to an energetic, hip-shaking, humorous, controversial and dramatic look into the singer's life featuring more than 20 of Elvis' top hits performed live by the cast, featuring Elvis Tribute Artists, according to the MVP website.  

 Two players with Lake Country ties stand in first and second place after the third round of the 2012 Wisconsin State Amateur at the Club at Strawberry Creek inKenosha.

Kyle Henning of Brookfield, playing out of Wanaki, is alone in first place at 8-under-par after rounds of 72-70-66. Henning's father Bruce is the Oconomowoc High School boys golf coach.

Sam Frank of Delafield, playing out of the Legend at Brandybrook, is second a 7-under-par. Frank has shot rounds of 71-70-68.

Mike Sorenson of Merton is tied for ninth place, 10 strokes back at 2-over-par.

 Sam Frank of Delafield finished in second place Thursday at the 111th Wisconsin State Amateur golf tournament at the Club at Strawberry Creek by shooting a 72-hole score of 5-under-par. Frank lost by one shot to Brady Strangstalien of Viroqua.

The State Am is the largest and most prestigious amateur golf tournament in Wisconsin.

Biking enthusiasts will tell you that Wisconsin, with its gently rolling hills and pastoral landscapes, is a great place to ride in summer.

Bicycle groups fill up the warm-weather months with rides, long and short, taking advantage of the state’s natural resources.

The Bay View Bicycle Club has planned its Annual Lake Country Classic Bicycle Ride for this Saturday throughout scenic Lake Country. The ride starts and ends at First Congregational Church, 815 S. Concord Road in Oconomowoc.

Five routes will range from 15 to 100 miles to accommodate all skill levels and families. The ride features marked routes, cue sheets, sag wagon support and rest stops with homemade treats, fruit, sports drinks and water.

And if your bike breaks down?  No problem! Representatives from Wheel & Sprocket will be on hand to provide emergency bike repair.

Besides getting a good workout and meeting other bikers, the ride helps support charitable and community organizations including the Boys and Girls Club, the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin, the Hunger Task Force and others.

The Bay View Bicycle Club was founded in 1989 by longtime Bay View resident, Dick Knepper. The club’s membership has spread from Bay View to include approximately 150 cycling enthusiasts in Southeastern Wisconsin. The club organizes rides every weekend from April through October.

For more information or to register for the ride visit www.bayviewbikeclub.org.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT) will host a public open house meeting from 5 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, July 25 at the City of Pewaukee City Hall, W240 N3065 Pewaukee Rd. to discuss the proposed improvements to Highway 190 (Capitol Dr.) to Five Fields Drive.

The meeting will be held in an informal open house format. No formal presentations will be given. Representatives from the DOT project team will be available to discuss the proposed project and address any questions or concerns. Persons interested in the project may visit anytime during the meeting hours.

The intention of this project is to improve pavement conditions, safety and operations as well as improve mobility on Highway 190. Construction on Capitol Drive is currently scheduled for spring of 2013.

Pewaukee City Hall is wheelchair accessible. Citizens who are deaf or hard of hearing and require an interpreter may request one by contacting DOT Project Manager Christine Rawson, (262) 548-6428, at least three working days prior to the meeting via the Wisconsin Telecommunications System (dial 711).

 Town of Lisbon - Town Chairman Matt Gehrke said tonight there is going to have to be " a strong indication of support" at an advisory referendum next month in order for the Town Board to continue exploring consolidation with the Village of Sussex.

Town Supervisor Dan Heier predicted voters will reject consolidation at the non binding referendum.

Supervisor Ryan Lippert added that he is not likely to support consolidation if  it is approved next month by a narrow margin of voters in a low turn out election.

"There is going to have to be a strong indication of support for the board to proceed,
Ryan and I might have a slight difference in how you define strong," said Gehrke.

Town voters will be asked on August 14 "if the terms of the consolidation were reasonable, would you be for or against consolidating Lisbon and Sussex to form a new municipality."

The third in a series of public forums on the issue will be conducted on July 31 at the Hamilton High School Fine Arts Center.

The board debated for more than an hour tonight over the wording in informational materials that will be distributed at the forum and later mailed to all town residents.

Heier and Supervisor Dan Fischer  voted against distributing the materials, arguing the information was "too one sided" in favor of consolidation.

"I don't think voters in the town will approve it," predicted Supervisor Heier.

In order to be approved, a consolidation ordinance must have four of the five town board member votes, seven of the five village trustee votes and it must be approved by both communities in a binding referendum.

 WE Energies is responding to a report of a fallen branch on a power line along Red Fox Run off of Beaver View Road in North Lake, according to the Waukesha County fire scanner. 

It is unclear at this time if power is out in the area. 

More information will be provided as it becomes available. 

It's been a few years since Packer fans have had the chance to see Gilbert Brown dominate the field, but now is their chance to meet him up close and personal. From 6 to 9 p.m. on Aug. 2, fans can get an autograph from the iconic Packer at the Cornerstone Sports Pub and Eatery, 24 S. Main St. in Oconomowoc. NFL Photos, footballs, helmets and gravedigger shovels will be available for purchase. 

The Gilbert Brown All Star Football Camp is being held this year from July 31 through Aug. 2 in Oconomowoc. 

 Due to space constraints in today's Lake Country Reporter, biographical information for each was excluded from the story. 

Find complete biographical information here: www.livinglakecountry.com/lakecountryreporter/news/county-will-have-new-clerk-come-fall-qd65r91-163413916.html

 Village of Sussex - Village trustees tonight unanimously agreed to accept a staff recommendation to stop plans to purchase 120 acres of farm land on the west edge of the village that was slated to developed into a commercial park by NAI/MLG of Brookfield and Milwaukee.

Village Administrator Jeremy Smith had advised trustees last week that cost for constructing public improvements and utilities on the land were higher than original estimates.

The plans had called for the village to use real estate tax revenues from a special taxing district to finance purchase of the land and the construction of streets, sidewalks, water, sewer and storm water control facilities in the park.

Village President Greg Goetz thanked the village staff and representatives from NAI/MLG for their work in investigating the economic feasibility of the project. He also praised village trustees for "keeping an open mind" while the village went through the process of determining whether the project was feasible.

He said the process followed by the village determined "this development project is not going to work out at this time."