Local News Briefs Friday 2/20/15

Funeral services will be held Saturday in Waupun for a man who died following a shooting in Milwaukee. 24-year-old Ryan Rompre was in a vehicle at the intersection of Sherman and Roosevelt streets on February 11 when another vehicle pulled up next to his and opened fire. Rompre and a 25-year-old woman were injured in the shooting. She sustained non-life-threatening injuries. He suffered serious injuries and died Tuesday at Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa, one week after the shooting. Police believe the incident may have been drug-related. The search continues for the suspect. Rompre attended Waupun schools and had been enrolled at Fox Valley Technical Institute in Appleton. Tomorrow’s funeral services are under the direction of the Werner-Harmsen Funeral Home in Waupun.

Information Sought On Stolen Credit Card User

Oshkosh Police are hoping the public can help them identify a suspect that used a stolen credit card to purchase items in Oshkosh. The man used the card at the CVS Pharmacy store in Oshkosh on January 27th around 6:00 a.m.  The man is white and has a medium build. He was wearing a black Northface brand jacket, dark blue jeans, and a knit cap when he used the stolen credit card. If you can identify him or have information on the crime you’re urged to contact Detective Paul Frey of the Oshkosh Police Department at (920) 236-5267.  If you have information and would like to remain anonymous, please contact Winnebago County Wide Crime Stoppers at (920) 231-8477 or text IGOTYA and your crime tip to 274637 or go to www.winnebagocrimestoppers.org and submit your text via the web.  You may be eligible for up to a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. 

Pizza Ville Ownership Change

Pizza Ville in Fond du Lac is in the process of transferring ownership. It was bought by James Roberts of Roberts Homes and will be managed by his daughter Samantha Roberts. Samantha says the ownership change takes effect Monday, March 2nd. She says Pizza Ville will be keeping the same great pizza and buffet providing great customer service! Hours will stay the same 11am-9pm Monday through Thursday, 11am-10pm Friday and Saturday, and 9am-9pm Sunday.

Historic Designation For Lakeside Park Bridge Sought

Members of Fond du Lac’s Historic Preservation Commission would like to designate the bowstring truss bridge or Fountain Island Bridge in Lakeside Park as a local historical structure. Commission Chairperson Lisa Pauly says that’s the way commissioners felt after their meeting this week and discussing the bridge’s history, rarity and architectural significance. But they want to hear first from an engineer the City has contracted on what kind of work needs to be done to restore the bridge. She says there will also be a public hearing and the engineer’s report at their April meeting. Pauly says they will decide at the April meeting whether to give a local historical designation and if they do will work on state and national designation’s later. It’s estimated the bridge was built in 1870 and was located elsewhere in the City before it was moved to the park.

Governing Student Fees

State Senator Rick Gudex says one of the bills he was working on this session would have cleaned up the language in a state statute regarding how some student fees at the UW are used. The state lawmaker from Fond du Lac says the Governor has since incorporated something similar in the state budget. He says some of the fees collected from students are supposed to be used by students through the discretion of student governance. He says sometimes those fees amount to millions of dollars. He the bill would have allowed the chancellor to coordinate the use of those monies with the input of student groups. He says the Governor’s version would have included another governing body in those decisions as well. Gudex says he’s with holding his bill to see what comes out of the Governor’s version in the state budget.

Drug Take Back Program Will Continue

(Wisconsin Radio Network)-The state’s popular prescription drug take back program will continue. Attorney General Brad Schimel says they have reached an agreement with an Indiana company to destroy old medications, which will be collected in secure boxes at police stations. Schimel says prescription pain killers left in homes are often how people get hooked on opiates, which often leads to heroin use when the pills run out. He says it’s important to get the unnecessary drugs out of homes in a safe manner.

Grothman Town Hall Meeting In FDL

Congressman Glenn Grothman will hold the last of his three town hall meetings this week today. He will be at the Fond du Lac Public Library from 9 to 10 a.m., Neenah City Hall from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and the Oshkosh City Hall from 3:45 to 4:45 p.m. A total of 15 town hall meetings were scheduled across the 6th Congressional District this week.

Three Positions Open On Moraine Park District Board

Moraine Park Technical College is accepting applications through March 6th for three positions on the Moraine Park District Board. Openings exist for the following positions: employer member, employee member and school district administrator member; each is a three-year term of office that expires June 30, 2018. More details about the application process are available at the MPTC website.

Battling The Winter Blues

An official with SALT or Seniors and Law Enforcement Together says there are ways senior citizens can battle the Winter Blues. Jaime Roth is the chairperson of SALT. She says seniors are more likely to get the Winter Blues because they are less active. She says there are ways to keep that from happening starting with some exercise. She says you should also eat healthy and make sure you get in eight glasses of water a day. Roth says try planning an event for later in the year that you look forward to. She says if you’re able to get out of the house and take a walk, get some sunshine even if it only means opening up curtains or shades, find something that helps you relax, reach out to other people on the phone or internet and make sure you are getting enough sleep.