Local News Briefs Friday 2/26/16

Last Day To Apply For Downtown FDL Exploratory Committee

Fond du Lac Community Development Director Dyann Benson says her office will have a role in aiding the new Downtown Fond du Lac Exploratory Committee. She says staff will provide whatever expertise they can to the committee to make it easier for the committee to develop a report for the City Council. Today is the last day to apply for membership on the committee. Benson encourages people to apply if they have an interest in serving on the committee. Applications are available at the City website, but they need to be returned to the City Clerk’s office by 4:30 this afternoon. City Clerk Maggie Hefter told the City Council this week 14 people had applied. The City is hoping for a 17-member committee.

Waupun School Board Approves Wireless Infrastructure Upgrade

The Waupun School Board this week approved a wireless infrastructure upgrade for the school district. District Superintendent Tonya Gubin says it’s an expensive project, but through the federal E-rate program they get a 60 percent discount on the cost. She says it was a $202,000 upgrade, but the district will only spend about $65,000 due to the E-rate reimbursement. The E-rate program helps schools and libraries to obtain affordable broadband. Gubin says this upgrade involved replacing some costly Cisco switches. She says the goal was to be less reliant on the more expensive switches.

Oshkosh School District Plan Cuts If Referendum Fails

The Oshkosh School Board this week approved $7.4 million in cuts over the next two school years if an April 5th referendum isn’t approved by voters. The Referendum for Learning would provide $4 million a year for seven years or $28 million. Among the proposed cuts would be the closing of one of the district’s five middle schools, the combining of two elementary schools, combining North and West high school sports, and more. District officials the referendum is in answer to inadequate state funding that does not keep up with inflation or increasing educational costs.

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Social Media Post About Someone Jumping From Oshkosh Bridge A Hoax

Police in Oshkosh have concluded that a social media post about someone jumping from a bridge in the City Wednesday was a hoax. Police, the Winnebago Sheriff’s Office, and the Oshkosh Fire Department checked all the bridge cameras on the Fox River and the river was checked and there was no evidence that a person had jumped from a bridge. The investigation has concluded.

Oshkosh Sex Offender Moved

An Oshkosh sex offender has moved to 325 Broad Street room #3. Twenty-eight-year-old Nikkita Williams was convicted in 2011 of 3rd degree sexual assault. The woman he assaulted was injured. The Department of Corrections will supervise Williams until June 6th, 2017.

St Agnes Emergency Dept Earns Trauma Care Status

St. Agnes Hospital’s Emergency Department has earned designation as a Level III Trauma Care facility by the State of Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS). “St. Agnes Hospital has a long tradition of providing excellent care to trauma patients,” says Dr. Nathan Larsen, medical director of the hospital’s emergency department. The DHS requires that all hospitals in Wisconsin complete a process of categorization and verification as trauma care facilities, establishing four levels of trauma care service based upon resources available at each hospital.