Local News Briefs Friday 12/18/15

FDL County Woman Falls For Grandparents Scam

Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s detectives are investigating a case involving a woman who fell for the grandparent’s scam and lost quite a bit of money. Lieutenant Cameron McGee says they might be able to have a good outcome in the case. He says the victim did lose quite a bit of money to the scammer. He says they have some good leads on the case and hope to bring it to a successful conclusion soon. During the so-called “Grandparent’s Scam” a caller posing as a police officer or authority tells the potential victim their grandson or granddaughter has gotten into trouble and needs money to pay bail or to get out of trouble.

Waupun Man Found Not Guilty Of Trying To Elude Officer

A Dodge County jury this week found a 23-year-old Waupun man not guilty of trying to run from a police officer. Jordan Bader allegedly reached speeds of over 100 miles per hour while trying to elude an officer who tried to pull him over for speeding on Waupun’s Main Street. The incident happened during the early morning hours of March 18th.  

Candle Safety

The Division Chief of Fire Prevention for Fond du Lac Fire and Rescue says when it comes to holiday safety tips he can’t emphasize more the need to be careful while using candles. Troy Haase says actually you should be careful with candles year round. He says it’s best to burn them on a surface that can take heat and up and out of the reach of children and pets. He says a stove top or the hearth of a fireplace would be good examples. Haase also says a candle mounted in a decoration display or even surrounded by glass isn’t entirely safe either. He says glass can break if it’s exposed to too much heat and then the candle wax runs and can start something on fire. According to the National Fire Protection Association candles start an average of 9,300 house fires a year, lead to 86 deaths, 827 injuries, and cause $374 million in property damage. 

Partnership Encourages First Time Drivers To Make Good Decisions

Fond du Lac County Chief Deputy Sheriff Mark Strand says they work with a student group at the Fond du Lac High School that encourages other students to make good decisions by staying away from alcohol and drugs. Strand says STAAND stands for Students Taking Action Against Negative Decisions. He says deputies have been teaming up with STAAND members encouraging students learning how to drive to make good decisions. He says a plastic key will also serve as a reminder to students who sign a contract with STAAND. Strand says they’ve partnered with STAAND for a few years encouraging first time drivers to make good decisions. He says deputies do a power point demonstration for students in addition to the STAAND contract and plastic keys that are given to students learning to drive.

United Way Inching Towards Goal

With less than two weeks left in the year the Fond du Lac Area United Way’s fall fundraising campaign still needs donations. United Way Executive Director Amber Kilawee says they still have over $150,000 to raise towards their $756,000 goal. She says they’ve raised about 80 percent of that goal or $602,947. She says it would be nice if they could make that goal before the end of the year. But she says the campaign usually goes into early January. Last year the Fond du Lac Area United Way raised $751,000.

City Office Closings For The Holidays

City offices in the Fond du Lac City-County Government Center will be closed all day on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. They will close at noon on Christmas Eve Day, and New Year’s Eve. The same hours apply for the operation of Fond du Lac Area Transit. The Senior Center will be closed all four days. The Library will close at 4 p.m. on Christmas Eve Day and New Year’s Eve and will be closed all day on Christmas and New Year’s. Refuse and recycling will be picked up on Thursday, December 24th and the 31st. Collection for Friday, December 25th and January 1st will be done on the following Mondays along with Monday’s regular collections. Those materials should be placed curbside by 5 a.m. those mornings.

Mercury Marine Named Green Master For Fifth Year In A Row

Mercury Marine has earned “Green Master” designation from the Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council for the fifth consecutive year. Earning the Green Master designation places Mercury among the top 20 percent of the nearly 200 participating companies. Few have received the designation five consecutive years. The Green Masters Program measures companies on a broad range of sustainability issues.  The company scored 599 total points, just six points shy of the maximum. The program average was 364.