Local News Briefs Monday 12/28/15

Winter Storm Warning For Area

Look for the possibility of hazardous travel conditions later today and overnight. A Winter Storm Warning goes into effect at noon and it runs through 6 a.m. Tuesday morning. Up to 2 to 4 inches of snow and sleet could accumulate in the Fond du Lac area. Gusting winds of up to 45 miles per hour could accompany the wintry mix. Stayed tuned to News-Talk 1450 KFIZ for reports on changing weather conditions.

Drive Sober Effort Continues

The “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” national campaign continues through Sunday. The Fond du Lac County OWI Task Force is participating in the effort. Sheriff’s Captain Rick Olig says, “Drunken Driving is 100 percent preventable.” Olig, who serves as the County Highway Safety Coordinator, says someone is killed in an alcohol-related crash in Wisconsin every three hours. In addition to the Sheriff’s Department, police departments from Fond du Lac, North Fond du Lac, Ripon and Waupun are involved in the effort.

Number Of Child Sexual Assaults Hard To Pin Down

The number of child sexual assaults that actually occur is hard to pin down for advocates who help the victims. ASTOP Sexual Abuse Center Executive Director Jan McDonough says their prevention education program reached more than 11,000 children last year and 571 of them disclosed they had been sexually assaulted. She says early intervention can help those young victims. She says they provide help to the whole family too. She says a child discloses about being sexually assaulted an average of 7 times before they are believed. The ASTOP 24-hour crisis line is 800-419-0270.

Existing Home Sales Down In FDL County In November But Up For The Year

The state housing market showed more consistency this year. At least when it comes to home sales through the first 11 months, says Dave Clark of the Wisconsin Realtors Association. He says every region in the state showed sales were up. He says it was remarkably consistent. Statewide home sales were up 11.3-percent through November and the state is on pace to see a total of 75,000 sales for the entire year. In Fond du Lac County home sales were down by 16.7 percent in November, but year-to-date were up 9.4 percent.

FDL Police Christmas Effort Gets Generous Support

An effort to help out needy families during the Christmas season in Fond du Lac was expanded this season. Each year the City of Fond du Lac Police Department, their Police Chaplains and Cops for Kids Foundation adopt a number of less fortunate families in the community for the Christmas and Holiday season.  This year, they were able to increase the number of families to 72; that is an increase of about 30% from the 50 families that were adopted in 2014.  Helping the efforts was financial support Festival Foods, Holiday Automotive, the Cops for Kids Foundation, and an anonymous donor.