KFIZ News Monday 1/16/17

Mercury Marine Ribbon Cutting Today

Mercury Marine will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony today for its new 49,000 square foot EDP paint plant in Fond du Lac.  Mercury Marine president John Pfeifer will be joined by area leaders in Fond du Lac for the ribbon cutting ceremony. The plant, which broke ground in 2015, will more than double the capacity of the current facility and give Mercury the opportunity to christen a new state of the art coating system.  The expansion is part of Mercury’s investment of more than $730 million since 2008 on Research and Development and expansions to its Fond du Lac global headquarters.

Human Trafficking Goes Unnoticed

North Fond du Lac Police Chief Darren Pautsch says human trafficking goes on unnoticed right here in our own back yards. Pautsch says what you see on the internet may be a way of advertising for sex crimes or prostitution. He says in this area human trafficking is promoted through the internet, smart phones, Craigslist, backpage and those types of things and it goes unnoticed. He says one example is the case of 27-year-old Beau Brown of Fond du Lac who allegedly posted pictures of his girlfriend on Craigslist advertising her for sex. He says she wasn’t aware of it and when men showed up for sex Brown allegedly collected the money and forced her to have sex with them. Chief Pautsch says Brown allegedly made her comply with physical beatings and threatened to take her kid away. He says if you see something fishy online or in your neighborhood that could be human trafficking don’t let it got unnoticed, contact authorities.

Ripon And NFDL Near Agreement With Police Unions

Ripon and North Fond du Lac officials are working on contracts with the police unions. Ripon City Administrator Lori Rich says they held discussions in closed session last week. She says initially in an open session they exchanged proposals for a two year agreement with a 2 percent wage increase. She says the ratification of the contract is on the Common Council’s agenda for next Monday. Meanwhile the North Fond du Lac Village Board could consider approving contracts with their police and EMS unions tonight. Village Administrator Chuck Hornung says most of the work on those contracts is finished. He says they are close to an agreement.

Yahoo Breach Leads To Phone Scams

News of Yahoo breaches have led to attempts to scam Yahoo customers. Frank Frassetto of the state’s Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection says after news broke about the breaches the Federal Trade Commission started getting reports of online searches for Yahoo Customer Care Service phone numbers. He says the important thing to remember is that Yahoo does not offer phone based support. He says scammers were using the breaches to make some money offering that supposed support for a fee. Frassetto says in reality Yahoo does offer free customer support, but only online.

Prescribed Burns Planned For Horicon Marsh

DNR Officials say prescribed burns are planned for seven units in the Horicon Marsh and will be done this month and next month if weather conditions are favorable. Five of the units are on state property, while two units are a combination of state and federal refuge. Prescribed burning at Horicon Marsh is part ongoing efforts to remove much of the standing dead cattail stems to provide more areas for spring bird migration, feeding and roosting and help other plant life.

Blood Needed

The American Red Cross recently put out an emergency request for people who could donate blood or platelets. Barb Behling of the Wisconsin chapter says weather and the holidays keep people from donating blood. She says those who would like to give blood can find out where a blood drive is being held at redcrossblood.org. She says you just have to put in your zip code to find out how near a blood drive is to you. She says blood and platelets help people fighting cancer, going through surgery or other medical procedures. All types of blood are needed, but types O, B negative or A negative are especially needed.

Success Of 211 Being Celebrated With Tailgate Party

Society Insurance will be hosting a tailgate party on Friday, February 3rd to celebrate the success of the United Way’s participation in the 211 program. It is a phone number you can dial for free, confidential information and referrals. Fond du Lac Area United Way Executive Director Amber Kilawee says the majority of the calls are for basic needs like food, shelter or even utility assistance. In 2015 there were 450 local calls to 211 and that increased to 504 last year. More than 800 people also visited the 211now.org website. As for the tailgate party any non-profit that provides services to the community is welcome to participate. Those who would like to attend can register at the Fond du Lac Area United Way’s website. There is no cost to attend. Hours for the event are from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.