Local News Briefs Monday 2/10/14

A 56-year-old Menasha man was arrested for his third drunken driving offense after rolling his SUV over on Lake Winnebago near Neenah Sunday afternoon. According to the State Patrol Randy Losse was about 1,500 feet out from Paynes Point Road when he lost control, hit a snow bank and rolled the SUV over multiple times. He refused medical treatment, was given a field sobriety test and arrested for a third drunken driving offense. The incident happened short after 3:30 p.m.

Pedestrian Hit By Drunk Driver In Mayville

Mayville Police say they suspect a drunk driver hit a pedestrian Friday night on Dayton Drive. The driver was arrested for a third drunken driving offense after hitting two parked vehicles and the pedestrian. The victim suffered minor injuries. The incident was reported at 10:45 last Friday night.

Storage Unit Burglaries Reported In Washington County

Investigators in Washington County are asking for information from the public on recent storage unit burglaries. Sheriff’s officials say nearly fifty incidents occurred at multiple facilities in the Towns of Trenton, Jackson, Polk and Village of Slinger. Burglaries occurred between January 13th and February 4th. Those renting storage units are encouraged to make sure their units are locked and report any suspicious activity. Anyone with information on a possible suspect is requested to call the Sheriff’s Office at 262-335-4378 or the Washington County Tip Line at 1-800-232-0594.

Sturgeon Succcess Shared

A couple of sturgeon spearers shared their success the opening morning of the season with News-Talk 1450 KFIZ. Wade Bates fielded a call from one lucky spearer who got an 80 pounder. Another talked about his success and his grandfather’s success back in the day. The season continues on both Lake Winnebago and the Upriver Lakes, but the harvest cap was nearly reached for the Upriver Lakes yesterday and the season on the Upriver Lakes will close at 1 p.m. today. The Lake Winnebago season could run for several more days. 

State Rep Schraa Backs Elimination Of State Treasurer’s Office

The State Assembly this week will take up a bill that would eliminate the State Treasurer’s office. Originally the bill included also eliminating the Secretary of State’s Office, but that was removed from the bill. State Representative Michael Schraa of Oshkosh favors eliminating the treasurer’s office. He ran against current Treasurer Kurt Schuller in the primary for the Assembly seat and Schuller originally proposed eliminating the office when he ran for treasurer. He says recently the treasurer’s office moved into a smaller office in the basement of the State Capitol, which he says will save about $400,000 a year on the office space they were renting. He says the treasurer’s office has been stripped of its major responsibilities. The bill would have to be approved in two consecutive sessions of the state legislature and then require approval of a statewide referendum to eliminate the treasurer’s position.

The Frozen Chose On Milwaukee PBS Station Tonight

For those who weren’t able to make it the world premiere of the documentary film “The Frozen Chosen” in Fond du Lac last week, it will air on Milwaukee Public Television tonight at 9 p.m. Film maker Steve Boettcher filmed the documentary about two families on Lake Winnebago and their love of sturgeon spearing. He says the Muche family takes a stealthy approach to where they spear. The Schumacher family has been spearing since 1932 when the sport was reintroduced on Lake Winnebago and the whole family participates. He happened to be filming when Kevin Schumacher who had never speared a sturgeon before was lucky to get a 132 pound sturgeon. He says it’s quite the experience and something to see. DVD copies of the film will be available through the Fond du Lac Convention and Visitor’s Bureau website with proceeds going towards Sturgeons for tomorrow.

Not Much Change With Vacating Of Lakeshore Drive

The vacating of the Lakeshore Drive railroad crossing in North Fond du Lac hasn’t changed much in the village. Village Administrator Chuck Hornung says people became used to taking alternative routes because it was closed so often due to railroad traffic. He says the fire department usually calls the railroad to find out what crossings are open before they go out on a call. He says it doesn’t affect police and fire response. One impact the vacating of the crossing had was reducing the amount of times trains blew their horns on approaching the crossing, which was up to 160 times a day.

Women’s Leadership Breakfast Features Solutionologist

The Women’s Leadership Breakfast hosted by the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Agnes will feature a speaker who has overcome adversity and is considered the world’s leading solutionologist. CSA Director of Development Terry Letvinchuck says the breakfast is about empowering women as leaders. The key note speaker is Jodi Pliska who has overcome a disease and become an inventor, award-winning author and more. The disease leaves a person with no body hair. Proceeds from the breakfast support the Working Family Grant program at Marian University. She says the program provides tuition, along with stipends for rent, childcare, and food to economically disadvantage single parents. The best way to register for the breakfast is at the Congregation’s website. The deadline to register is February 28th. The breakfast is on Thursday, March 16th at Whispering Springs.