Leader-Telegram from Eau Claire, Wisconsin • 9

Habitual criminal faces sentencing Man guilty of long list of charges 11834-85 183S-S8 ggjl Spending $26.4 million $27.6 million 4.5 Tax Levy minion $12.8 million 2.2 "fax Rate. 5 $15.07 $14.80 Per $1,000 of equalized valuation Staff graphic by Kathy Nelson the Wal-Mart Pharmacy, 3915 Gateway Drive. McMillan also was convicted of taking possession of a $3,000 dirt bike he knew had been stolen from a town of Seymour man's residence in October 1993. As part of their plea agreement with McMillan, Eau Claire County prosecutors dismissed numerous other charges, including felony counts of escape and attempted battery to a police officer, and misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct criminal damage to property and lewd and lascivious behavior. Prosecutors have agreed to recommend that McMillan be sentenced to no more than eight years in prison.

Court records indicate that McMillan has a lengthy criminal record, including convictions in Eau Claire County on felony charges of delivery of a controlled substance on Sept 17, 1990, and escape on Dec. 18, 1990. McMillan's record also includes having been adjudged an habitual traffic offender on March 16,1992. His traffic convictions in Eau Claire County include driving after revocation on April 29, 1991, drunken driving on Jan. 13, 1992, and causing injury by drunken driving on Oct 18, 1993.

chool toirate and eventually was arrested on nearby property owned by American Materials Corp. At the Eau Qaire County Jail, McMillan had to be physically restrained after he dropped his pants and began masturbating in front of officers. When he was taken to the emergency room at Luther Hospital McMillan created a disturbance and became so uncontrollable that six people were needed to restrain him while a blood sample was drawn. On the way back to the jail, McMillan kicked out a window in a police squad car and repeatedly banged his head against the security cage dividing the car's front and rear seats. All this occurred just two days after McMillan eluded arrest in a chase with police that began in Altoona, continued through Fall Creek and Augusta, and concluded in Clark County.

McMillan's motorcycle reached speeds of up to 115 mph during the chase. Court records also state that on Jan. 9, McMillan tried to obtain 80 tablets of Xanax, an anti-anxiety medication, by altering a doctor's prescription calling for onfy 30 tablets of the drug. He tried to pass the altered prescription at By Bob Brown Leader-Telegram staff A 23-year-old Eau Claire man with an extensive criminal record was convicted Wednesday on charges ranging from drunken driving and leading police on a chase to possessing stolen property and trying to illegally obtain prescription drugs. Chris McMillan of 1615 Piedmont Road pleaded no contest in Eau Claire County Circuit Court to felony counts of theft, attempting to obtain controlled substances by fraud and attempting to elude.

He entered similar pleas to misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct and obstructing an officer, and to a trnrd-offense charge of dnmken -driving. McMillan is to be sentenced Monday, Sept 11. According to court records, an intoxicated McMillan was arrested the morning of June 3 after rUce found him walkmgm front of a car parked on the side of West Churemont Avenue near the Ship Shape Car Wash. McMillan fled when approached by an officer in CF fall ft By tlm J. Sheehan Chippewa Falls News Bureau CHIPPEWA FALLS It has been nearly a decade since Chippewa Falls school district homeowners have had a school tax rate as low as the one they will see on tax bills next year, i The Chippewa Falls school board approved a tentative budget that estimates a tax rate below $15 per $1,000 equalized property valuation.

The last time the rate was lower was the 1985-86 school year, when the rate was $12.81 per $1,000 before jumping to $15.79 the next year. While the tax rate won't be set officially until early November, the rate is estimated now to be $14.80 per $1,000 of taxable property. That is a drop of 1.8 percent from this year's rate of $15.07. The decrease means the owner of a $60,000 home would pay $888 in school taxes next year, a decrease of $16.20 from this year's $904.20. The tax rate drop comes despite increases in both spending and the tax levy, the amount of money the district raises from property owners.

District Administrator Larry Annett told board members the increased spending is offset by more than $940,000 in increased state aids. Annett and David Lindahl, district business manager, told the board and a few members of the public present at the budget hearing, the budget is lean and Annett said state-mandated spending caps have stifled new initiatives and replaced innovation with a bare-bones budget mentality. "It used to be a pejorative to say you have a 'mean' budget Now it is seen as a positive," Annett said. The district's nearly $27 million See SCHOOL, Page 2B IP0uftuI oGopifi(i(ol United We Stand troops energized at conference he said. The system punishes savings and Teachers may see pay increase about 3 percent investments, and the internal Revenue Service is not workable and cannot be fixed, he said.

One discussed alternative was a flat tax that would exempt the first $32,000 in income for a family of four. Additional income would be taxed at a 17 percent rate, Forest said. "If you make more money, you pay more tax," he said. "You (file) it on a A second option discussed was. a national sales tax.

It would tax imports purchased here but not tax U.S. exports in an attempt to level the balance of trade, Forest said. Chuck Dodge of Eau Claire said participants at a workshop on foreign trade agreed the North American Free Trade Agreement is not working. Thousands of U.S. jobs are being exported, and the United States still has a $15 billion trade deficit with Mexico, he said.

United We Stand America grew from billionaire Ross Perot's 1992 independent presidential campaign. The organization grew because of, Americans' discontent with the two-party system. Based on speeches delivered by both Democratic and Republican leaders at the conference, Johnston said the upcoming 1996 federal bud-, get debate in Congress will widen the discontent "I think we're headed for a real big battle over the budget," he said. By Dan Holtz Leader-Telegram staff Altoona's Dave Johnston has attended numerous political gatherings but was most impressed by last weekend's national United We Stand America conference in Dallas. "This was really an historic session," Johnston said Thursday.

"The focus was on education and informing. You didn't hear just one side. You heard all sides." Johnston and about 20 therr UWSA members gathered at the London Square Mall's Community Room Thursday night to share information they received at the issues-based conference. :4. Audrey Williams of rural Eau aire attended a workshop on immigration reform.

Workshop participants agreed illegal imniigration needs to stopped. But the bigger question was what to do with legal immigrants, Williams said. The United States allows the best young minds from other countries to study at our universities and then stay to practice their professions here, Williams said, and doesn't insist they go back home to improve their own countries. "As long as we continue to do that we're shrinking their middle class and allowing their ruling systems not to be challenged," Williams said. Dave Forest of Eau Claire said participants at a workshop on tax reform agreed the federal income tax system's maze of deductions is unfair.

"Most of the deductions don't benefit the majority of the people," Thursday night Supervisors will receive a 3.07 percent increase, the same as other non-teacher bargaining District "Administrator Larry Annett told the board that increase keeps pace with the cost of living. Administrative personnel will receive a 2.1 percent salary increase. In other action Thursday, the board approved a $9,500 contract with Ayres Associates of Eau Claire to do a study of water at Jim Falls and Stillson elementary schools. The two schools, the only two in the district with their own wells, have exceeded lead and copper standards. The state mandates the water be tested twice yearly.

The unacceptable levels will require further testing and a plan to resolve the problem, the board was told. As required by state rules, a public notice on the water problem has been posted, and teachers and parents will be notified in writing. The district will provide an alternate water source for the schools when they open next week. TimJ.Sheehan CHIPPEWA FALLS When the school doors open next week, teachers in the Chippewa Falls district should have a new contract min The school board Thursday night approved a contract settlement that features what is called a "minimum qualified economic offer" under the state's imposed salary caps. If the Chippewa Falls Federation of Teachers ratifies the master agreement, the contract will take effect.

Teachers vote on the mediated proposal Monday. The increases in the contract include salary and benefits. Board President Mary1 Beth McLaughlin told the board the first year of the contract likely will see an increase of 2.9 percent in total compensation. The second year that number increases to 3.38 percent, she said. The contract also calls for the district to increase its share of the employee retirement fund to 6.5 percent.

The employee can con-, tribute the remaining 6.5 percent. The district previously contributed 6 2 percent. Contracts with supervisory personnel also were approved i Staff photo by David John Cass of Eau Claire Is reflected in the Chippewa River as he casts for bass recertify under the Water Street bridge. "People are just going to get fed up that (Congress) can't agree. The political polarization is going to be great" Rice Lake looks for calmeir start after rocky '94 a much more paced experience and allows them to become much more comfortable in Classes begin Monday, Aug.

28. Estimated enrollment: 2,823. a school environment." The addition of about 182 students does have budget Editor's note: This is the final story in a series about the start of school By TimJ.Sheehan Chippewa Falls News Bureau When school doors open Monday, Aug, 28, in Rice Lake, the focus will be on the routine matters of getting used to new programs and procedures. The atmosphere is markedly different from a year ago, when a budget crisis created turmoil and forced the school board to make a series of painful cuts to meet state-mandated spending caps. District Administrator Robert Foster said the situation going into the 1995-96 school year is considerably better.

"It has clearly been a much more measured summer," Foster said. "While all of the issues are not resolved in terms of equity and fairness, the budget we have is a much more comfortable one. "It will allow us to be able to function more efficiently and effec extracurricular activities. One of the new programs in the district is a move to all-day, everyday kindergarten for the district's roughly 180 kindergartners. Foster said the move is designed to help the youngsters better prepare for their education.

"The problem we had seen was that there were just not enough hours to do all the things we like to be able to do with kindergarten youngsters," he said. "This allows the experience to be tively in those new facilities," Foster said, referring to the two new buildings opened last year. It was the cost of opening those new buildings, combined with the state-imposed revenue caps, that forced the district to consider drastic budget cuts. Some of those cuts and increased fees remain in place, but the focus this year is back on education. Foster said once the budget is finalized, the board may consider such moves as reducing fees imposed on students participating in implications, but they are not all negative.

Because state-mandated revenue caps are based on full-time enrollment adding the students will allow the district to receive more revenues. Man guilty of using fraud to obtain pain medicines A St. Paul man who used similar stories about an old back surgery to receive pain medications from both Eau Claire hospitals on the same night has been sentenced to 60 days in the Eau Claire County Jail. Michael R. Cates, 43, pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of -attempting to obtain a prescription drug by fraud Wednesday in Eau Claire County Circuit Court.

Under terms of a plea agreement, those charges were reduced from the two original felony counts of obtaining a controlled substance by fraud. -1 i i A. According to court records, Cates obtained eight tablets of Tylenol with codeine at Sacred Heart Hospital on the evening of July 26. A few hours later, during the early morning of July 27, he received 15 tablets of the drug Lortab at Luther Hospital. -I In both cases Cates told emergency room doctors he just had moved to Eau Claire and needed the drags to relieve pain related to a back surgery he'd had two years ago.

When arrested, Cates possessed four tables from a 60-tablct prescription of painkillers he'd received from a Hudson pharmacy on July 26. In addition to his jail sentence, Cates was fined $140. Government auction set The annual auction of items owned by the city, county, school board and university will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at Hobbs Municipal Ice Arena. The auction will include the sale of hundreds of items, including about 200 bikes, a 1984 BMW car, athletic equipment, electronic equipment and numerous other items.

Payment must be made in cash on the day of the auction. All bidders must register before bidding and obtain a bid number. Bikes will be auctioned off around lp.m. WEUX building new tower WEUX-TV (Channel 48) is building a tower to boost its transmitting power to 1.5 million watts. The 500-foot tower is being constructed near Colfax, station general manager Nancy Martinson said.

The boost in power should provide a clearer signal to cover a larger area, Martinson said. The project should be completed by Nov. 1, The Eau Claire station, an affiliate of Fox Broadcasting began broadcasting in February 1993. WEUX's current tower is in the town of Wheaton in Chippewa County. Good neighbors honored MENOMONIE The Tainter-Menomin Lake Improvement Association presented two Good Neighbor awards at its annual meeting Thursday night.

Forester, Dunn County land conservationist, and Clarence and Darleen Bignell, farmers in the Knapp area, received the awards. "Jim doesn't know what 9 to 5 means. He is our main resource. He Is always available to us. Jim has the expertise and he is there for us," said Patti Huiras, association president "The Bignells have not used a plow in 10 years," Huiras said, noting the farmers use a no-till disk method and contour strips.

"Their land flows into the Wilson Creek, which flows into Lake Menomin," she said, not ing the good land management practice affects water quality. Board member resigns CHIPPEWA FALLS Chippewa County Board member Robert Sommerfeld has resigned, but the reason is unknown. Sommerfeld, who represents the Third Ward of the city of Chippewa Falls, gave his resignation letter dated Aug. 9 to the county sheriff as required by state statute. In the brief letter Sommerfeld wrote he could "no longer serve my district in an effective manner." Sommerfeld did not return several phone calls.

Ooettl has decided to solicit candidates to, serve out Sommerfeld's term, which expires in April. Anyone in the city's Third Ward interested in serving on the County Board is asked to submit an short resume to Goettl in care of the county clerk's office. Sommerfeld, a former City Council member, was elected to represent the 23rd District on the County Board in 1990. He was serving his third term. From staff reports Martinson said..