Local News Briefs Friday 1/3/14

We have a wind chill advisory in effect until 10 a.m. this morning, but the really cold weather is on the way for Monday and Tuesday. This morning’s wind chills will sit from 15 to 30 below zero, before temperatures rise to the low teens. Saturday temperatures climb into the upper 20s. On the way Monday and Tuesday are some of the coldest temperatures of the season with highs temperatures in the single digits below zero Monday and barely over zero Tuesday. 

Pedestrian Hit By Car

Fond du Lac Police say a pedestrian was hit by a vehicle at the intersection of Scott and Doty Streets just after noon yesterday. They say the person was male and was taken to St. Agnes Hospital. The victim was in the intersection when a vehicle stopped at a stop sign tried to make a left turn. Police says the driver spotted the pedestrian, but not in time.

Plymouth Man Charged In Attempted Robbery

A 25-year-old Plymouth man has been formally charged for trying to rob the West Side Pantry in downtown Plymouth last Sunday evening.  Travis Diels faces an armed robbery charge in Sheboygan County Court for the December 29th incident. According to the criminal complaint he allegedly went behind the counter and demanded several times that the clerk open the cash register.  The clerk did not comply and instead pressed a panic button, forcing Diels to flee the business. The next day, following up on a tip, Plymouth Police conducted a search warrant at a residence where Diels was arrested. He’s back in court next Wednesday afternoon for a preliminary hearing.

State Launches Financial Transparency Website

(Wisconsin Radio Network)-Wisconsin residents can now go online and get a closer look at how the state is spending taxpayer dollars. The “OpenBook Wisconsin”  website went live Thursday, and offers the public a look at more than 25 million financial transactions the state has made since 2007. Department of Administration Deputy Secretary Chris Schoenherr says it’s a “historic moment” for government transparency in Wisconsin, although the site does still have a long way to go and they expect several improvements to be made in the coming months and years. It provides a general view of how much the state spent and who received the money in a wide variety of categories, ranging from travel expenses to security costs. It primarily tracks expenditures made using the state’s accounting system, and includes data for state agencies and the Legislature, along with more limited information for the University of Wisconsin System and the court system. 

Developing Students 21^st Century Skills

The superintendent of the Fond du Lac School District says they are constantly looking for new ways to prepare students to be college and career ready. Jim Sebert says they are making head way and improvement on school report cards issued by the state’s Department of Public Instruction shows the school district is ready for the next level. Sebert says they put together goals for inspiring critical thinking as part of the 21st Century skills that students need. He says that also includes building communications and collaboration skills with kids.

Local Legislator Fought For Highway Projects

State Senator Rick Gudex says he and State Representative Jeremy Thiesfeldt were involved in seeing to it that a couple of highway projects in Fond du Lac County remained on schedule over the next few years. The state lawmaker from Fond du Lac says that can be accomplished a couple ways through direct legislation and the state budget. He says it was important to make sure the proposal for an interchange at Highway 151 and Fond du Lac County Highway V and the bypass and County Highway T were included in the budget. He says State Senator Joe Leibham took the lead in the fight to make sure the Highway 23 improvement project between Fond du Lac and Plymouth stayed on schedule. He says the improvement to four lanes is another huge potential for growth.

World Premiere For Sturgeon Spearing Film In FDL

A sport unique to the Lake Winnebago system of lakes will soon have its own unique film. The Fond du Lac Convention and Visitors Bureau and Boettcher Media Group will host the world premiere of the documentary “The Frozen Chosen” on Thursday, February 6th at the Thelma Sadoff Center for the Arts in Fond du Lac. Craig Molitor, the president of the Visitors Bureau, says the film about sturgeon spearing was put together by Wisconsin native Steve Boettcher. Molitor says the premiere will be handled with some flair. Molitor has seen the film and he says as you would expect from a company that has won five Emmys it was done very well. The film will be shown a couple days before the beginning of the 2014 sturgeon spearing season.

FDL Area United Way At 92 Percent Of Goal

The Fond du Lac Area United Way will run their fundraising campaign for another couple of weeks to meet their $740,000 goal. United Way Executive Director Tina Potter says they are at 92 percent of their goal, which works out to about $679,000. She believes they will reach their goal. Potter says they got 29 grant requests this year and couldn’t possibly fund all those requests, which come to about $918,000. Decisions on allocations will be made at the end of the month. To donate to the United Way stop by or mail them to 74 South Main Street, Fond du Lac, WI. 54935. You can also donate them online at the United Way’s website.

Grief Support Offered At New Bereavement Center

The bereavement coordinator for Agnesian HealthCare says they will soon begin a new eight week grief support group at their new Bereavement Center. It’s located at 1161 West Johnson Street in Fond du Lac. Sister Joy Ann Repp says they offer the support group a few times a year. She says it meets three times a year from 6 to 7:30 p.m. each Thursday during those eight weeks. The program will be offered from January 9th to February 27th. She says they do need people to register for the group. You can do that by calling (920) 907-3940.

WMH Hosts Panel Discussion On Affordable Care Act

A panel discussion on the Affordable Care Act will be held later this month at Waupun Memorial Hospital. Agnesian HealthCare president and Chief Executive Officer Steve Little says part of their mission is working to help individuals and families throughout their service area understand and prepare for changes as Obamacare gets underway. Little will lead the panel discussion on January 16 along with a slate of experts on healthcare reform. The panel will cover how health reform impacts care delivery, what people need to be doing as part of the Affordable Care Act and how to access health insurance through the exchanges. The free program will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, January 16 at Waupun Hospital’s Lower Level Meeting Room.  To learn more or to register, call the Journeys health resource center at (920) 926-4960 or register on-line by visiting www.agnesian.com/community-calendar