Local News Briefs 4/11/16

Meadows Ribbon Cutting And Time Capsule Opening

The Meadows of Fond du Lac celebrated its opening with a ribbon-cutting and time capsule opening Friday. The facility is much changed since the former Rolling Meadows Nursing Home closed in September of 2006. It’s been revamped for Senior Living. Prior to the ribbon-cutting a time capsule was opened from the 1956 cornerstone. It was sealed in September of 1957 and items included in it gave spectators a glimpse back in time. County Executive Al Buechel, who celebrates 40 years in County Government this month, says he recognized many of the people in photos of County officials included in the time capsule. Buechel described the items as he took them out of the capsule. He says it was a very interesting walk back in history. He says he’s very pleased Meadows owner Tim Burns took a chance on the old nursing home. He says it’s an ideal reuse of the building and he’s happy Burns made the investment because it’s very important for the community. You can see photos of some of the items taken out of the capsule and a video of that in our story by clicking here. 

Downtown Exploratory Committee Will Tour Downtown

The Downtown Exploratory Committee and Fond du Lac City Council will be taking a bus tour of the downtown this evening. The tour will start in the parking lot of the City-County Government Center at 5 p.m. It is hoped the tour will give the committee more ideas for the work ahead of them. The public is welcome to attend, but seating is limited.

Spring Fish And Wildlife Hearing Tonight

The Wisconsin Conservation Congress and Department of Natural Resources will hold their spring fish and wildlife hearings in all 72 counties tonight at 7 p.m. In Fond du Lac County the meeting will be at the Theisen Middle School in Fond du Lac. In Dodge County the hearing will be at the Horicon Marsh Education and Visitor Center. This year there are 12 DNR and Natural Resources Board questions, and the Conservation Congress has 33 advisory questions. Among the proposals are creating a Senior Citizen Conservation Patronage License, banning lead fishing tackle and lead shot on DNR managed lands, and a proposal to increase hunting, fishing, and trapping license fees.

Thiesfeldt Office Hours

State Representative Jeremy Thiesfeldt will hold a spring listening session tonight at the Fond du Lac Salvation Army Office at 237 N. Macy St. from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. It’s an opportunity for constituents to share their thoughts as well as see the great work being done at the Salvation Army.

Hydrant Flushing Starts Today In FDL

The Fond du Lac Water Utility begins its bi-annual citywide water main flushing today in the northeast section of the city. Assistant Fire Chief Steve Beer says that flushing actually helps the fire department for example in recently improving their ISO fire insurance rating to a Class 1 rating. He says the Water Department does the maintenance and will calibrate how many gallons per minute a hydrant is capable of flowing a certain time of the day. The flushing will continue in the southeast neighborhood on Tuesday, the southwest area on Wednesday morning and finish in the northwest quadrant Wednesday afternoon. Flushing operations will take place each day between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. If unexpected problems occur, the schedule could extend into Thursday.

Flu Season May Extend Into May

Fond du Lac County Public Health Officer Kim Mueller says the flu season may run a little longer this year. She says this year the flu season didn’t really begin until January, which is later than normal. She says the influenza season has peaked. She says we are on the down swing, but some people still might get it. She believes there still will be cases of the flu popping up next month. She says a few people will test positive for the flu and some may even require hospitalization.

ASTOP And Agnesian Domestic Violence Program Move

ASTOP and Agnesian HealthCare’s Domestic Violence Program have a new home. They used to be housed at St. Agnes Hospital in Fond du Lac, but ASTOP Executive Director Jan McDonough  says they have moved into an Agnesian-owned facility at 21 S. Marr St. She says they have much more space to serve their clients. She says it’s nice to have both services under one roof. Their new location is across the street from Thelma Sadoff Center for the Arts and kitty-corner from the Fond du Lac Public Library.

Shilling Bill Would Provide Address Confidentiality Program

One of the bills State Senate Minority Leader Jennifer Shilling authored would provide an address confidentiality program for victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, and stalking. She says it would provide a central mail collection for those victims so there address does not need to be made public. She says a woman came to her with the concern. She says signing up children for school forms or getting bills paid endangered the safety of the woman. Several states have address confidentiality programs.