http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/wisconsin/wheaton/ Wheaton, WI News http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/wisconsin/wheaton/content/df82591e37dfbedd6624c15e5f6699aa.html LAKE HALLIE Chippewa Fire District Chief John Neihart said he feels like any discussion of the village of Lake Hallie pulling out of the fire district is an attack on him and his firefightersI think we provide very professional service Neihart told the Lake Hallie Village Board and Hallie Town Board on Wednesday And we are providing that at a very reasonable rateThe Village Board and Town Board met jointly to discuss all options for fire and emergency services which could include pulling out of the Chippewa Fire District About 50 people mostly volunteer firefighters attendedNeihart said it would be a mistake for the village of Lake Hallie to leave the Chippewa Fire DistrictRight now you are discrediting everything they work for Neihart saidLake Hallie Village President Pete Lehmann disagrees saying the two municipalities are simply acknowledging that the Hallie area has grown and now is the time to examine possible changes to its emergency servicesNo one said we are splitting from the Chippewa Fire District Lehmann said We need to take a step back and look at how we can enhance servicesThe only action taken Wednesday was to form a new committee to examine emergency services The committee could suggest forming a new fire department contracting with a nearby municipality such as Eau Claire or Chippewa Falls or suggest some changes to the Chippewa Fire District to keep it intactThe committee will include Kathy Bernier Mark Perry and Dennis Sykora from the village of Lake Hallie and Larry Marquardt and Ron Steinmetz from the town of Hallie Whatever the village does the town is likely to follow Lehmann saidWe came from the same start and we want to make sure that whatever we do moves us forward Lehmann saidThere are five municipalities that comprise the Chippewa Fire District: the village of Lake Hallie and the towns of Hallie Lafayette Howard and Wheaton In November the fire district's board voted 32 to approve purchasing a new 515000 engine for the town of Howard The village of Lake Hallie and the town of Hallie cast the votes against the purchase The day after that vote Lehmann contacted Lafayette Town Chairman Dave Staber and informed him the village was going to examine its emergency service optionsBruno Rahn a Lafayette Town Board member and president of the Chippewa Fire District Board said the new truck for Howard has not yet been ordered He asked the Hallie boards to make a decision soonThe remainder of the fire district cannot fund that truck Rahn said The district hinges on your decisionRobert Borseth is deputy chief in the Chippewa Fire District working at the station in the town of Howard He defended the need for the 515000 truck The machine would have a 2000gallon tank twice the normal size because there are no lakes and only one small river in that town so there is a need for the fire truck to be able to hold more waterThe truck is sound it's logical and I don't think the town and the village board should be considering other options because we need this truck Borseth saidLehmann said he is disappointed that the bid request for the truck was written so specifically that only one fire truck manufacturing company Pierce Manufacturing from Appleton submitted a bid Lehmann said he prefers to have at least three bids on any government projectThe difficulty is we are unable to compare enhancements and features Lehmann said It's never a good opportunity when you have only one bidBorseth said the truck includes space for emergency service equipment an additional backseat to hold more firefighters and compartments for different types of foams used to fight fires The truck bid submitted by Pierce Manufacturing also has front airbagsIt wasn't any bias to any manufacturers Borseth saidOne area that needs to be addressed is looking at more mutual aid agreements Lehmann said He would like to see the Chippewa Fire District try to reach an agreement with the town of Tilden which borders both the towns of Howard and WheatonVetter can be reached at 7230303 or chrisvetterecpccom http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/wisconsin/wheaton/content/f1cea6aebc233d7f816bd7582abc76fb.html RACINE After a night of drinking an argument between two men Tuesday morning ended with one of them in the hospital and the other arrested for attempted firstdegree intentional homicide Racine police said http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/wisconsin/wheaton/content/dcb3bc732d0e4a5c86f6df2da8039c06.html Lake Hallie town of Hallie open meeting to public http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/wisconsin/wheaton/content/128e25b6a9819d135156b06e40324510.html Fire districts future in doubt http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/wisconsin/wheaton/content/e2c6f17914d36fb2b11240a2e149fc5e.html LAKE HALLIE Village of Lake Hallie officials are considering pulling out of the Chippewa Fire DistrictVillage President Pete Lehmann didn't return calls Tuesday but Village Board member Kathy Bernier said the proposal will be reviewedAnything and everything is on the table Bernier said We're going to look at everythingThe Chippewa Fire District is comprised of five municipalities: the village of Lake Hallie and the towns of Hallie Howard Wheaton and LafayetteOn Nov 18 the Fire District Board voted 32 to buy a 515000 engine for the station located in the town of Howard Each of the five municipalities has one voting member on the Fire Board and the representatives from Lake Hallie and the town of Hallie voted against the purchaseTown of Lafayette Chairman Dave Staber said Lehmann informed him the next day via email that the village was going to consider pulling out of the districtThat was Hallie's opinion that it was too much for these economic times Staber said Staber said he plans to attend the meeting tonight and he hopes the fire district stays unitedLafayette pays about 40 percent of the overall Chippewa Fire District budget with the village of Lake Hallie contributing 375 percent Wheaton pays 17 percent Howard pays about 4 percent and the town of Hallie pays 1 percent Staber saidIf Hallie pulls out we'd have to pay 64 percent of the budget he saidStaber also fears how the reduction of the Chippewa Fire District would impact servicesWe can't take a step backward to EMT service he said We have to have the paramedic serviceTown of Howard Chairman Vernon Schindler said the current fire engine in his town is 31 years oldIt seems that every time we go out on a fire something little goes wrongThe board has considered replacing the truck for the past five years Schindler said This year we thought it was time to do something Each of the five municipalities in the district has a fire department building The Howard building is unstaffed but there are 23 volunteer firefighters Schindler said There are five vehicles stored in the building ranging from the fire engine to a firstresponder ambulanceOne reason the new fire engine costs 515000 is that the Howard station needs a machine with a larger tank Schindler said Howard doesn't have any lakes or large rivers so there simply isn't a nearby water source from which to draw he saidIt is unclear how Lake Hallie would provide emergency medical services and fire service if it left the district The village could form a new fire department or look at contracting with nearby municipalitiesSchindler isn't sure of how the fire district could move forward if Lake Hallie leftIf they pull out I don't know what we'd do I really don't Schindler said It would be a disaster for the district it would be over http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/wisconsin/wheaton/content/6733c0cf7b994256fe5bdb6f49bfb63f.html CITY OF BURLINGTON Man charged with ninth OWI A rural Burlington man was charged Monday in Racine County Circuit Court with his ninth offense of operating a vehicle while intoxicated http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/wisconsin/wheaton/content/d9916f7d6b99acf3b13b6b1b15988bc6.html RACINEA 24yearold Racine man was shot in the back around 2:30 am Saturday according to the Racine Police Department http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/wisconsin/wheaton/content/63054f4744945ca04e74bd9d939ddc9d.html RACINEA 24yearold Racine man was shot in the back around 2:30 am Saturday according to the Racine Police Department