Local News Briefs Friday 2/13/15

Fond du Lac City Manger Joe Moore assured the City Council this week that City staff will be bringing them a proposal on what to do about a bridge that needs to be replaced or repaired in Lakeside Park. He says they are still in the early stages of analysis about the bridge located across from the pavilion. He told the Council they would be included in the decision about the bridge, which some would like to see saved. Public Works Director Jordan Skiff recently told us original estimates put the replacement cost at $70,000 versus $110,000 to $120,000 to repair the bridge. Moore says they will bring an analysis to the Council. The City’s Historic Preservation Commission will also have a say about the bridge. 

Oshkosh Citgo Burglary Arrest

Oshkosh Police have arrested a 17-year-old Oshkosh man in connection with the burglary of Citgo Station in the 400 block of N. Sawyer Street. The man was arrested Wednesday for last Friday night’s burglary. He was able to get through the front door and removed a number of tobacco products before he left. He’s being held in the Winnebago County Jail.

Skiers Outlet Burglary

Oshkosh Police are looking for a burglar that broke into the Skiers Outlet early Wednesday morning. Entry was made through a back door and an unknown amount of clothing items were taken. Anyone who might have information about the burglary is urged to call the Oshkosh Police Department at (920) 236-5700.

Ripon Street Closure This Morning

Ripon Police are advising drivers to use an alternate route this morning and avoid using Douglas Street near the Seneca plant. Seneca Foods will be moving some large equipment and a crane into place. Douglas Street near the Seneca plant, between Fenton St and Jackson St., will have street closures affecting that area while equipment and cranes are moved. Police are asking if possible please avoid that area around 8 a.m.

Wisconsin Powerball Winners

The area did have a Powerball winner in Wednesday night’s drawing. The winners of the $564 million jackpot bought their tickets in North Carolina, Puerto Rico and Texas. But there was a $30,000 winner who bought their tickets at Bob’s Mini Mart in Oshkosh. Wisconsin also had a $1 million in Racine, and there were $10,000 winners in Blair, New Lisbon, Racine and Sturgeon Bay.

Congressman Grothman Votes For Keystone XL Pipeline Bill

Congressman Glenn Grothman voted this week in favor of bills that would impact education and energy costs. The federal lawmaker from Campbellsport voted in favor of legislation that would reduce the scope of the No Child Left Behind program. He says it’s contributed to federal spending and gives too much control of education to the federal government. He says Fond du Lac and North Fond du Lac Schools should be making their own decisions about how they should operate. Grothman also voted in favor of the Keystone XL Pipeline. He says it would create jobs and make us more energy independent. He says quite a few of those 40,000 jobs could be coming out of Wisconsin. He hopes Michels Pipeline will be heavily involved in that. President Obama has threatened to veto Keystone XL Pipeline legislation.

FDL County Well Represented By Advanced Industries

The president of the Fond du Lac County Economic Development Corporation says a recent ranking that put Fond du Lac County among nation’s top small metro areas in terms of advanced industries is important. According to the study, released by the Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institute, Fond du Lac County ranked 13th the highest in Wisconsin. FCEDC President Steve Jenkins says it’s a good showing for the County making up about 6,700 jobs. He says on the other hand it is more than half of the manufacturing employment in the County. It’s also about 13.4 percent of all employment in the County. He says it shows manufacturers are leading edge manufacturers. Jenkins says one of the recent things he read about it that most of the manufacturing will be performed by robots by 2020, which means employees will need the skills to make sure the robots are programmed correctly, are working and maintained.

Looking For Love

(Wisconsin Radio Network)-If you’re lovelorn, be careful this time of year. There are unscrupulous people ready to pounce on those looking for love in all the wrong places. Sandy Chalmers heads the state Office of Consumer Protection. She says millions of Americans visit online dating websites every year hoping for a companion or soul mate while looking for romance. But she says criminals are also on those websites and they also troll social media websites and chat rooms looking for victims. Chalmers says women over 40 are often targeted. If there’s money involved, she says you can bet it’s not about love.