LA CROSSE POLICE ARE LOOKING FOR A MAN WHO ROBBED A RESIDENCE ON THE 100-BLOCK OF SOUTH EIGHTH STREET WEDNESDAY EVENING. JUST BEFORE 7:30PM WEDNESDAY—A BLACK MAN IN HIS 20’S—ABOUT 200-POUNDS AND 5-FEET-9-INCHES TALL BRANDISHED A PISTOL TO GET AN UNDISCLOSED AMOUNT OF CASH FROM THE RESIDENT. HE FLED ON FOOT. IF YOU HAVE ANY INFO—CALL THE LA CROSSE POLICE—OR 784-TIPS.

THE ONALASKA MAN INJURED IN A FLORIDA BOATING ACCIDENT IN MAY DIED WEDNESDAY MORNING. 35-YEAR OLD JASON BALDNER WAS ONE OF THREE MEN INJURED WHEN THEIR BOAT HIT A SEAWALL IN CAPE CORAL, FLORIDA. JASON WILLIAMS—FORMERLY OF ONALASKA AND CURRENTLY OF CAPE CORAL WAS DRIVING THE BOAT. WILLIAMS WAS DISCHARGED FROM THE HOSPITAL A FEW DAYS AFTER THE ACCIDENT. ANOTHER PASSENGER—ERIC TERPSMA OF CAPE CORAL WAS ALSO DISCHARGED. BUT JASON BALDNER WAS TRANSPORTED TO LA CROSSE’S GUNDERSEN LUTHERAN IN MAY. JASON BALDNER HAD BEEN TAKEN OUT OF INTENSIVE CARE LAST MONTH AND MOVED TO HOSPICE CARE. AGAIN—JASON BALDNER OF ONALASKA DIED WEDNESDAY MORNING.

A ST. PATRICK’S CATHOLIC PARISH PRIEST IN ONALASKA STOOD MUTE WEDNESDAY IN LA CROSSE COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT AS CHARGES OF POSSESSING THREE PORNOGRAPHIC PICTURES OF CHILDREN WERE READ. A “NOT GUILTY” PLEA WAS ENTERED IN THE PRIEST’S BEHALF. 59-YEAR OLD PATRICK UMBERGER WAS BOUND OVER FOR TRIAL ON OCTOBER 19^TH AFTER HE WAIVED HIS PRELIMINARY HEARING. UMBERGER—TAUGHT SCHOOL AT ST. PATRICK’S IN ONALASKA AND ALSO SERVED AS CHAPLAIN AT AQUINAS MIDDLE SCHOOL. UMBERGER HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM ACTIVE MINISTRY PENDING THE INVESTIGATION.

KEITH MARCHBANK’S DAUGHTER TESTIFIED AGAINST HIM IN LA CROSSE COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT WEDNESDAY. MARCHBANKS IS CHARGED WITH PLUNGING A PARING KNIFE INTO HIS EX-WIFE’S STOMACH ON MARCH 29^TH. AFTER ALLEDGEDLY STARTING A FIRE IN HER RURAL WEST SALEM HOME—MARCHBANKS WAS SHOT BY A POLICEMAN WHEN HE CAME TOWARDS OFFICERS WITH THE KNIFE. MARCHBANKS’ 21-YEAR OLD DAUGHTER TOOK THE STAND WEDNESDAY AND SAID---“HE PULLED OUT A BUTCHER KNIFE AND THAT’S WHEN I TOLD MY MOM TO RUN. ”THE DAUGHTER ADDED—“SHE WAS SITTING THERE HOLDING HER STOMACH BECAUSE THERE WAS A BUNCH OF BLOOD COMING OUT.”  THE 45-YEAR OLD MARCHBANKS WAS HOSPITALIZED FOR OVER 3-MONTHS DUE TO HIS GUNSHOT WOUND—HE IS CHARGED WITH FOUR COUNTS OF ATTEMPTED FIRST-DEGREE INTENTIONAL HOMICIDE—TWO WITH A DANGEROUS WEAPON—AS WELL AS ARSON. KEITH MARCHBANKS’ HEARING CONTINUES AUGUST 6^TH FOR TESTIMONY FROM ANOTHER WITNESS.

LA CROSSE MAYOR MATT HARTER SENT A LETTER TO THE WISCONSIN ATTORNEY GENERAL AND LA CROSSE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY WEDNESDAY. HE REQUESTED THEM TO INVESTIGATE WHETHER STATE LAW WAS BROKEN WHEN HE MET TWICE WITH LA CROSSE COUNTY’S SOLID WASTE DIRECTOR IN FEBRUARY. HARTER APOLOGIZED FOR THE DISTRACTION WEDNESDAY—BUT MAINTAINS THE MEETINGS WERE IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE CITY AND NOT FOR HIS FATHER’S REFUSE BUSINESS. THE 25-YEAR OLD MAYOR IS ACCUSED OF ATTEMPTING TO THWART CITY PLANS FOR A STUDY ON SOLID WASTE. MATT’S FATHER – GARY HARTER OWNS HARTER’S QUICK-CLEAN-UP WHICH HAS A CITY CONTRACT.  

AN ARMED AND INIBRIATED DNR FOREST RANGER REPORTED TO WORK LAST MONTH—EIGHT HOURS AFTER BEING ARRESTED FOR DRUNK DRIVING. 34-YEAR OLD FRANCIS KORESH OF BLACK RIVER FALLS WAS ASSESSED AS BEING DRUNK WHEN HE SHOWED UP FOR WORK ON JUNE 19^TH AND CHARGED WITH POSSESSING A FIREARM WHILE INTOXICATED. JUST BEFORE 3AM ON JUNE 19^TH AFTER BEING ARRESTED FOR DRUNK DRIVING---KORESH HAD A BLOOD ALCOHOL CONTENT OF .24-—AND THE COMPLAINT ALLEDGES HE WOULD STILL HAVE BEEN ABOVE THE LEGAL LIMIT AT 9:30AM WHEN HE REPORTED FOR DUTY. ACCORDING TO THE BLACK RIVER FOREST SUPERINTENDENT PETER BAKKEN—KORESH IS LIMITED TO HIS REGULAR FOREST DUTIES—MINUS A FIREARM.

THE SCHOOL REFERENDUM AT MELROSE-MINDORO WON’T BE HELD IN SEPTEMBER---IT’S BEEN PUSHED BACK TO NEXT YEAR. THE SCHOOL BOARD VOTED MONDAY TO TABLE THE $875,000-FIVE-YEAR REFERENDUM TO GIVE THEM TIME TO CLARIFY THEIR FINANCIAL NEEDS. SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT RON PERRY SAID IT WAS TOO DIFFICULT TO FORECAST THE DISTRICT’S BUDGET OVER THE NEXT 5-YEARS –LARGELY DUE TO THE UNCERTAINTY OF STATE AID. EVEN AFTER MEL-MIN TEACHERS GAVE BACK THEIR PAY RAISES AND ADMINISTRATION AND NON-UNION WORKERS TOOK A PAY FREEZE—PERRY SAID THE DISTRICT STILL FACES A $243,000 SHORTFALL NEXT YEAR.

A LA CROSSE MAN HAS BEEN ARRESTED BY STATE AND FEDERAL AGENTS FOR HAVING CHILD PORN ON HIS COMPUTER. 58-YEAR OLD JEFFREY STARKEY IS ESTIMATED TO HAVE DOWNLOADED ALMOST 300-IMAGES OF CHILDREN OVER THE PAST TWO-YEARS. ON JULY 14^TH—STATE DOJ AND FBI AGENTS WENT TO STARKEY’S HOME AT 410-CENTRAL ROAD AND SEARCHED TWO COMPUTERS. JEFFREY STARKEY IS FREE ON A SIGNATURE BOND AND HAS A PRELIMINARY HEARING IN LA CROSSE COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT ON AUGUST 6^TH.

A RETIRED LA CROSSE POLICEMAN WILL BE ON THE BALLOT FOR VERNON COUNTY SHERIFF. JEFFREY “JD” SMITH’S WEBSITE – “JD-FOR-SHERIFF.COM” OUTLINES HIS PLATFORM—INCLUDING A CUT IN THE SHERIFF’S SALARY BY 25% AND NOT ACCEPTING CAMPAIGN DONATIONS. SMITH—WHO REGISTERED AS AN INDEPENDENT--WAS BORN AND RAISED IN VERNON COUNTY AND NOW LIVES IN GENOA. JEFFREY AND WIFE BARBARA ARE THE PARENTS OF ADAM SMITH—A FORMER VERNON COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPUTY WHO DIED IN A CAR-CRASH IN 2005.

NO WORD YET ON THURSDAY MORNINGS MEETING REGARDING THE HIGH-SPEED RAIL LINE IN WISCONSIN. A MEETING WAS HELD AT 10AM IN WATERTOWN WITH U-S-TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY RAY LAHOOD AND GOVERNOR JIM DOYLE. WATERTOWN IS ONE OF THE PLANNED STOPS FOR THE FEDERALLY-FUNDED TRAIN. WISCONSIN WAS AWARDED $810-MILLION IN FEDERAL STIMULUS MONEY TO BUILD THE NEW LINE FROM MILWAUKEE TO MADISON—AND TO SHORE UP TRACKS FOR AMTRAK’S HIGH-SPEED LINE FROM MILWAUKEE TO CHICAGO.

TUESDAY AFTERNOON, SEVERAL LA CROSSE POLICE OFFICERS AND INVESTIGATORS HELPED TO SAVE A TEENAGED BOY FROM NEARLY DROWNING IN A SOUTH SIDE POOL.  RESPONDING TO A 911 CALL, POLICE ARRIVED AROUND 3PM AT 1609 WESTON STREET, TO FIND A WOMAN, INSIDE THE POOL, HOLDING THE UNCONSCIOUS TEEN.  FOAM HAD BEGUN TO FORM AT HIS NOSE AND MOUTH.  ROLLING THE BOY ONTO HIS SIDE, POLICE SAY HE STARTED BREATHING AND ANSWERING QUESTIONS.  WHEN THE HOMEOWNER SAW THE TEEN UNDERWATER, SHE SAID, SHE JUMPED INTO THE POOL.  THE TEENAGER WAS TAKEN TO FRANCISCAN SKEMP MEDICAL CENTER.