Plea deal reached in 2022 murder of Lily Peters (CHIPPEWA FALLS)
A guilty plea closes the case of a Chippewa Falls girl’s murder more than three years ago. 18-year-old Carson Peters-Berger pleaded guilty in Chippewa County Court on Wednesday to first degree intentional homicide in the death of 10-year-old Lily Peters. Judge Steven Gibbs accepted the plea and sentenced Peters-Berger to life in prison with eligibility for extended supervision after 25 years. Gibbs said he took into consideration the fact that Peters-Berger was 14 years when Lily Peters was killed. She disappeared on April 24, 2022, and was found dead the next morning near her home. Peters-Berger was originally charged with homicide and two counts of sexual assault. He declined to address the court at his sentencing.
Sheboygan considers dropping Flock Safety contract over trust issues (SHEBOYGAN)
Sheboygan may become the latest Wisconsin community to drop a contract with Flock Safety. Police Chief Kurt Zempel and City Administrator Casey Bradley have requested to end Sheboygan’s contract with Flock at the September 8th Common Council meeting. That follows discovery by the police department of an irregularity when doing a check of their camera data “which undermines trust in the services provided.” City crews are already covering the currently installed Flock cameras so they can’t record anything. Police have not specified the problem issue, but additional information may provided at next month’s council meeting.
New Berlin Mayor apologizes for anti-Muslim posts, council resolution condemns them (NEW BERLIN)
New Berlin’s city council has condemned its mayor for racist social media posts. Attention was drawn to the posts on Mayor Dave Ament’s personal accounts last week, when a Muslim advocacy group reported numerous racist memes and posts. Some of the messages called for the closure of all mosques in America, while others made crude jokes of Muslims in general. At Tuesday night’s city council meeting, Ament apologized to the public, saying he was sorry for the division and hurt he caused to the community. Ament left the meeting and the council issued its condemnation in his absence.
Central Wisconsin town fights Walmart over property values, again (RIB MOUNTAIN)
The Village of Rib Mountain and Wal-Mart-Sam’s Club are back at odds over property value. The big-box retailer is once again challenging the assessed value of its stores in the popular shopping area. Administrator Gaylene Roden says the challenges date back to 20-17, and have continued since a 20-23 State Supreme Court decision that ruled in favor of the city of Delavan over Lowe’s, essentially closing the so-called dark store loophole that allowed major retailers to say their stores should be valued as if they are vacant. The village is calling on the state legislature to clarify the law, saying repeated challenges often lead to legal costs and pressure to accept lower values, which means lost revenue for local services.