More snow predicted; Chetek woman’s death called suspicious; Wisconsin clinics rated high by Consumer reports; more briefs

• Snow expected

Snow expected

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Get those shovels ready again. Forecasters say another 2 to 4 inches of snow will fall late tonight and tomorrow in central and southern Wisconsin.

The heaviest amounts are expected in the corridors of I-90 and I-94 between Hudson and La Crosse to the west and Milwaukee to the east. There’s only a chance of snow tomorrow in northern Wisconsin.

For today, parts of the far north could get lake-effect snow showers from Lake Superior. But otherwise, it’s supposed to stay dry with highs close to 30 degrees.

The National Weather Service says a slow-moving low pressure system will spread snow from west to east late tonight and into tomorrow. It’s supposed to taper off late tomorrow, and a dry weekend is expected.

Forecasters say temperatures will remain about normal at least through the middle of next week, with highs generally in the 20’s and lows in the single-digits and teens.

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Chetek woman’s death called suspicious

Authorities in northwest Wisconsin are investigating the death of a missing woman whose body was found in a field near Chetek.

Relatives called police on the night of Christmas Eve after the 43-year-old woman failed to show up for her family’s holiday observance.

On Christmas Day, somebody found the woman’s purse in a field, and officers later found her body in a wooded area near the field.

At last word, Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said the death was suspicious, due to the remote area where the body was found. But he said there were not any notable signs of trauma on the body, and there’s no reason to believe the community is at any risk.

The woman’s name was not immediately released.

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Wisconsin clinics rated high by Consumer Reports

The Marshfield Clinic and ThedaCare of Neenah had the highest total scores among 19 Wisconsin medical groups tested by Consumer Reports.

The world-famous product-rating service said all 19 groups had higher scores than the national average in three categories – cancer screenings, treatments for heart patients and care for those 60-and-older. The groups provide care for about half of all Wisconsinites.

The results are broken down in a special edition of Consumer Reports to be released in January. The magazine received performance information from the state’s Collaborative for Healthcare Quality. The Consumer Reports’ findings will also be on the collaborative’ s Website.

Also getting high marks were Aurora Health Care of Milwaukee, Bellin Health of Green Bay, the Dean Clinic of Madison and the Gundersen Health System in La Crosse.

The lowest scores went to Wheaton-Franciscan of the Milwaukee area, Froedtert in Menomonee Falls, Columbia-St. Mary’s Community Physicians of Milwaukee and Mercy Health of Janesville. Three of the four systems said Consumer Reports only looked at only a small sampling of quality measures.

Collaborative President Chris Queram said even the ones with the lowest scores outperformed their national counterparts.

Wisconsin is the third state in which Consumer Reports tested health systems. Minnesota and Massachusetts are the others.

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Fireman allegedly started farm blaze out of boredom

A former volunteer firefighter in Sheboygan County has been sentenced to six months in jail for starting a farm blaze that killed two dogs and damaged thousands of dollars in facilities.

Sean Bradley, 27, of Cedar Grove must also spend four years on probation. He has to $9,600 in criminal restitution plus an extra $65,000 that was ordered in a civil case.

Bradley was on the Cedar Grove Fire Department when authorities discovered that he started Walvoord’s Berry Farm on fire out of boredom in August of 2011. He pleaded no contest two months ago to an arson charge.

The fire destroyed two buildings and thousands of dollars of equipment. Authorities said Bradley was among the firefighters who responded to the call, and he stayed on the Cedar Grove department until he was arrested 13 months ago.

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Cellphones, glasses, iPads among things fliers leave on planes

If you left something on an airplane lately, you’re not alone.

Southwest Airlines – the main carrier at Milwaukee’s Mitchell International Airport – says it’s mind-boggling what fliers leave behind.

Baggage service manager Robert Lehr told the Journal Sentinel that lots of cellphones and reading glasses are shoved into seat pockets. He said 28 iPads were left aboard the company’s domestic flights on Dec. 14 alone.

“If you can carry it on a plane, it’s been left on a plane,” said Lehr.

In Milwaukee, airport officials picked up almost 1,000 lost items at the terminals in the past six months – including somebody’s oxygen tank.

Anything that looks suspicious will get the once-over by Milwaukee County sheriff’s deputies. Anything worth over $100 is turned over to deputies.

Mitchell International has procedures for trying to reunite owners with their lost property. But if things are still not claimed, they’ll be sold at sheriff’s sales.

The electronic data firm of Mozy says the holidays are full of stress for most people so it’s no surprise that more items get lost this time of year. Mozy said almost four of every 10 Americans lose two or more personal belongings in a year’s time, and the average American lost almost $250 in possessions over the last 12 months.

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Man accused of killing father in argument over truck purchase

A man accused of killing his father in Washington County will get a mental exam to see if he’s competent to help with his own defense.

Beau Musial, 37, of Richfield was charged Wednesday with first-degree intentional homicide.

Prosecutors said Musial and his 76-year-old father, Jerome, argued about Beau’s purchase of a semi-truck, and then a few minutes later, Beau allegedly punched his father and slit his neck with a serrated knife seven or eight times.

Investigators quoted Beau Musial as saying he was upset with his father and “couldn’t take it anymore.” The two men lived together, and officials said the slaying took place at their home last Friday night.

Beau Musial is being held under a $700,000 bond. Results of his competency exam are expected to be reviewed at a court hearing Jan. 23.

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Husband questioned in death of police officer

Funeral services will be held Saturday for Jennifer Sebena, the Wauwatosa police officer who was shot to death Christmas Eve while on duty.

Three Milwaukee TV stations said investigators executed a search warrant yesterday at the home Sebena shared with her husband Benjamin in Menomonee Falls. Multiple TV reports also said that the husband was brought in for questioning Christmas Day.

But the state Department of Justice, which is heading up the investigation, refuses to confirm that he’s the “person of interest” whom police said yesterday that they’re working with.

Benjamin Sebena was wounded while serving in Iraq, and he received the Purple Heart.

His 30-year-old wife was shot early Monday morning. Police said she failed to respond to a radio call, and her body was found two hours later near Wauwatosa’s downtown library.

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Trial set for man accused of killing bowler with bat

A one-week trial is set for late July for one of two men accused of robbing and beating a Wausau man to death six months ago.

Zach Froehlich, 19, faces 13 charges, including reckless homicide, strangulation, armed robbery and armed burglary.

Authorities said Froehlich and Warren Krohn, 21, robbed Kerby Kniess of $21 before pounding him to death with a baseball bat in a detached garage where he was living.

Kniess, 49, was a well-known figure in Wausau’s bowling community. An autopsy showed that he died from head trauma and a skull fracture.

Krohn is charged with five counts that include reckless homicide, armed robbery and armed burglary. Krohn does not have a trial date yet, and the status of his Marathon County court case will be reviewed Feb. 21.

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Accountant admits to stealing from inheritance

An accountant from Mequon faces prison time after she’s sentenced in March to tax evasion and filing false claims against the IRS.

Leah Kuchta, 42, struck a plea deal with federal prosecutors which calls for a prison term of up to 2 1/2 years. She also agreed to repay the IRS almost $325,000 plus interest and penalties.

The plea agreement indicates that Kuchta took $181,000 from her grandmother’s inheritance several years ago and used the money to buy a house in Mequon, start a business with her boyfriend and invest in land deals in Arizona.

Prosecutors said Kuchta also stole $30,000 by forging a check intended for her sister, and she collected almost $90,000 in false claims paid by the IRS that related to her investment business.

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Wisconsin movie actress dies

Milwaukee movie actress Sally Marks has died.

Marks, 82, died from cancer Dec. 7, but the death was not publicized until now because the family delayed making funeral arrangements. A celebration of her life – with music from a jazz band – is scheduled for Jan. 27 at Milwaukee’s Italian Community Center.

Marks’ first movie role came when she was six. She portrayed Dorothy Lamour as a child in the 1936 film “The Jungle Princess.” She went on to perform in five more movies with giants of the era like Spencer Tracy and Hedy Lamarr.

Marks left Hollywood when her mother died. But in 2007, she returned to acting – this time, on Milwaukee’s live theater stages. She had nine roles on stage in plays that included “Steel Magnolias,” “Death Trap” and “Naughty Children.”

Sally Marks is survived by her husband Robb, three step-children and four grandchildren.

Tags: state news, news, crime, wisconsin