KFIZ News Monday 1/9/17

Violent Sex Offender Placement

Fond du Lac County Sheriff Mick Fink says his message remains the same the County is willing to accept its own violent sex offenders, but not others. The County is embroiled in a battle over the placement of Washington County sex offender Terry Olson. A decision to place him in a property on Nitschke Road in the Town of Eldorado was suspended by a Washington County judge and further stalled by a restraining order granted by Fond du Lac County Judge Richard Nuss last month. Fink says they already have a violent sex offender staying in that residence on Nitschke Road, but he hasn’t been a problem and he is from the County. He says the problem is not every county is willing to accept violent sex offenders from their own county.  He says if they were issues over how far you can place a sex offender from a residence where children live or frequent could be more clearly worked out by legislators. Last week Washington County Sheriff Dale Schmidt issued a press release saying a property being considered for Olson on Terry Road in the Town of Erin is no longer an option because it is no longer for sale.

Taycheedah Park Patrols Raise Concerns

Fond du Lac County Sheriff Mick Fink and District Attorney Eric Toney have been invited to the Taycheedah Town Board meeting tonight to discuss issues about a park patrol for Kiekhaefer Park. Town Supervisor John Abler has been randomly patrolling the park due to vandalism and illegal drug and alcohol use. He was authorized to add two volunteers. Concerns came up about a November 1st incident in the park where Abler was allegedly armed with a holstered handgun and using the Sheriff’s frequency on the radio. He was questioning an individual about trees being cut down in the park. Two deputies responded to the park. In a letter to town officials Sheriff Fink raised concerns about the incident and particularly Abler being armed and the use of the Sheriff’s frequency. The Sheriff had previously granted use of the frequency, but for the purposes of coordination with Sheriff’s Deputies not to request vehicle registration checks and other information. The meeting is at 7 p.m. at the Town Hall.

Carbon Monoxide Levels In FDL Home Could Have Been Fatal

Recently Fond du Lac firefighters took three people to St. Agnes Hospital who were suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning. They got a call to a residence on South Pioneer Parkway because someone was feeling sick. Fire Chief Peter O’Leary says there was a problem with the furnace and there were high levels of carbon monoxide in the home. He says it is important to have working carbon monoxide detectors in the home. He says people with carbon monoxide suffer flu-like symptoms. He says people don’t always know they have carbon monoxide poisoning because they think they are sick with the flu, especially during the winter time. O’Leary also stresses the importance of making sure you have a proper working furnace, wood stove, gas-fired water heater, gas or wood-burning fireplace. He also recommends pulling your car all the way out of the garage to warm it up and shutting the garage door.

Fewer FDL County Traffic Fatalities In 2016

Fewer people died on Fond du Lac County Highways in 2016. Sheriff’s Captain Ryan Waldschmidt says there were ten deaths, which is two fewer than in 2015 and slightly less than the five year average of 13. Still he says until there are no deaths on County highways during a year there is room for improvement. He says that ten is still too many. Waldschmidt says two of the deaths were alcohol-related and lab results are still pending for a motorcycle fatality they believe will bring that total to three. He says there were 9 accidents and 10 deaths last year in the County, which means about a third of the accidents involved alcohol use. Seven of the crashes involved vehicles and two involved motorcycles. Of the ten deaths, six drivers were killed and four passengers. Three people were not wearing seatbelts and neither motorcyclist was wearing a helmet.

One In A Hundred Drivers Stopped During Enforcement Effort Were Drunk

About 1 in every 100 drivers stopped in Fond du Lac County during the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” enforcement campaign was driving drunk. Sheriff’s Captain Ryan Waldschmidt says there was 1,057 traffic stops during the holiday season, with 577 traffic citations, 618 traffic warnings, and the 16 OWI arrests. He says that works out to about 1.5 percent of all the traffic stops they made was for a drunken driver, which he says is still too many. The effort ran from December 15th through New Year’s Day, but Waldschmidt says there are other enforcement efforts already underway thanks to grants they’ve received. He says they try to deter people from driving drunk or driving recklessly, who can cause accidents. In addition to the Sheriff’s Department, police departments from Fond du Lac, North Fond du Lac, Oakfield, Rosendale, Brandon-Fairwater, and the Town of Ripon participated in the Drive Sober campaign.

FDL School Board Preview

The Fond du Lac School Board tonight will consider 1 percent increases in pay for 28 administrators. Initially the board voted down the raises by a 4 to 3 vote, but at their last meeting voted to reconsider the matter. The rest of the district’s employees got similar increases this past year. The board will also consider approving six new courses for the High School for the 2017-18 academic year. Superintendent Jim Sebert will also talk about Acuity Fund Grant applications. The application process will start next week. The board meets at 5 p.m. at the District Administration Center Board Room.

Red Kettle Goal Achieved

The Fond du Lac Salvation Army made its goal of raising $160,000 during the Red Kettle campaign, but it was close. Captain Telinda Wilson says as they got closer to the end of the year, they weren’t entirely sure they would make it, but eked by. She says they are fortunate because not every Salvation Army chapter in Wisconsin made their goals. She says the Red Kettle campaign is their biggest fundraiser of the year and they depend on it. She says with making a little over $161,000 they won’t have to revise their budget or cuts programs for services they provide throughout the year. The annual KFIZ/107.1 The Bull Bucket Brigade in early December helped raise about $17,000 for the campaign.

Prescription Drug Discount Card Program Reaches Milestone

Fond du Lac Area United Way Executive Director Amber Kilawee says County residents reached a significant milestone last year using a prescription drug discount card. She says the United Way is part of a program called Family Wise. She says it has been available since 2011 and since then residents have saved over $500,000 using the card for prescription drugs. The card is free and available at a number of locations. She says you can download it from their website. The Senior Center, Aging and Disabilities Resource Center, the County building and a number of United Way agencies also have them. She says people save an average of 42 percent on their prescription drug costs when they present it at the pharmacy. Nationally people using the card have saved over $1 billion. If you would like to know more about it call the United Way at (920) 921-7010.