Local News Briefs Friday 1/22/16

Names Released In Sheboygan County Fatal Accident

Sheboygan County Sheriff’s officials have released the names of the two men killed in a two-vehicle crash on I-43 Wednesday evening. Eighty-five-year-old Richard Brill of Oostburg was driving the wrong way on the interstate. Thirty-five-year-old Mark Graceffa of Grafton was unable to avoid Brill’s vehicle and there was a head-on crash. Both men died at the scene. The accident was reported about 5:30 that evening.

Window Vandalism Reported In Oshkosh

Oshkosh Police are investigating a rash of vandalism incidents in the city. Tuesday morning they received complaints about a window that was busted out in the 1300 block of Summit Avenue, a window that was shot by a BB gun in the 1600 block of Beech Street, and a door was damaged in the 1500 block of Beech Street. Police say a BB gun has been used to shoot out numerous windows of residences and businesses throughout the city. Anyone with information should call Oshkosh Police at (920) 236-5700.

Hartford Man Reaches Plea Deal In Washington County Sexual Assault Case

The 61-year-old Hartford man facing sexual assault charges in Dodge and Washington counties has reached a plea agreement in his Washington County case. Gary L. Koppen, Sr this week pled guilty to five misdemeanor charges. He was sentenced to 18 months in jail and three years of probation. Other charges were read into the record and dismissed. Koppen will get credit for the 324 days he’s already served in jail. Meanwhile he’s being held in the Dodge County Jail on a $50,000 cash bond. His jury trial in Dodge County is in March.

Washington County Burglaries Investigated

Washington County Sheriff’s detectives are investigating two residential burglaries that occurred Tuesday in the Town of Jackson. One happened in the 900 block of Western Avenue and the other in the 3000 block of Jackson Drive. A suspicious vehicle was also reported in the 2000 block of Scenic Road in the Village of Richfield. Two black men in it asked for directions to Highway 41. It was an older gray Toyota Avalon, with a spare tire on the rear of the passenger side of the vehicle. The person who went to the door was a black man, about 20 to 30 years of age. He was dressed for the weather. A resident of the home says he was “frantically” ringing the doorbell. Anyone with information should contact the Washington County Sheriff’s Department.

FDL City Council President Endorses State Senate Candidate

Fond du Lac City Council President Lee Ann Lorrigan has endorsed State Senate candidate Dan Feyen. Lorrigan says Feyen has done a terrific job as Fond du Lac County Republican Party Chairman. She also says that as a long time member of the Fond du Lac Parks Board he has firsthand experience in working with locally elected officials.  Feyen is running for the 18th State Senate Seat. Incumbent Senator Rick Gudex is not running for reelection this fall.

2020 Vision Project

You can expect to see a lot of Governor Scott Walker crisscrossing the state over the next few months. In his State of the State Address this week the governor talked about something called the 2020 Vision Project. State Representative Jeremy Thiesfeldt of Fond du Lac says it’s a way for the governor gauge what the public wants done. He says there have been a lot of changes made in the state and the governor wants to find out from people what else they would like to see done. Thiesfeldt suspects the governor will make a stop in the area at some point.

New Voting Equipment Ready To Use

New voting equipment will be ready for the primary election on Tuesday, February 16th. Fond du County Clerk Lisa Freiberg says 48 new voting machines were purchased and the total cost including software came to about $434,000. She says modems they will use to send voting results back to the County’s Clerk’s office from each polling location are totally secure. She says the voting results will be encrypted. She says the new machines are basically computers and information from them will be encrypted. She says that information will be decrypted at her office after it’s sent in. She says the machine that you place your completed ballot in will take a photo of your ballot. Freiberg says that will make it easier to go through ballots if there is a recount or someone files an open records request. The primary election in Fond du Lac County will feature a statewide primary for the State Supreme Court.

Free Credit Reports A Good Idea

The division administrator for the state’s Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection says one good way to start out the New Year is to make sure there are no problems with your credit. He says identity theft continues to among the Top Five consumer complaints they receive each year. He says you can get your credit checked for free once a year. He says a good strategy would be to have your credit checked by each of the three agencies that do the free credit reports by having a different one check your credit every four months. Those three agencies are Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.

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Teens Invited To Participate In Second Annual Chopped Event At FDL Public Library

Area teens can enjoy a spin on the Food Network’s popular “Chopped” program at the Fond du Lac Public Library this weekend. Community Information Coordinator Terri Fleming says Teen and Youth Services Coordinator Sarah Newton came up with the idea for Saturday’s program. Any kids in grades 6 through 12 can participate in the 1 p.m. event. They will be put on a team. Each team will be supplied with mystery ingredients to make a dish. There will be a time limit on what they create and a celebrity panel will judge the dish and the top two teams will get prizes. Fleming says there will be no cooking involved. The event is free and there is no registration required.

Home And Garden Show This Weekend In Oshkosh

The Winnebago Home Builders Association is holding its annual Home & Garden Show at the Sunnyview Expo Center in Oshkosh this weekend. Hours are 3 to 8 p.m. this afternoon, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday. The cost is $5 at the door. There will be prizes, demos and special speakers throughout the event.