Local News Briefs Monday 4/25/16

Waupun Man Pleads In Drug Overdose Death Case

A 33-year-old Waupun man will be sentenced in July for sullying drugs in a 2009 overdose death. Christopher Skalitzky last Friday in Dodge County Court pled no contest to five charges stemming from the death of 25-year-old Shallen Carlene Manske of Junea. She was found unresponsive by officers responding to a possible overdose and pronounced dead a short time later. An autopsy indicated that she died as the result of those drugs or from a pre-existing seizure disorder.  Skalitzky will be sentenced July 29.

FDL School Board Preview

The Fond du Lac School Board will go through some reorganization during their meeting tonight. Fond du Lac County Judge Peter Grimm will swear in returning members Elizabeth Hayes and Mark Jurgella, and newcomer Peggy Breister who won election to the board earlier this month. Board officers will be elected, compensation set for school board members and other business will be conducted. The board meets at 5 p.m. at the District Administration Center Board Room on West 9th Street.

Tree Cutting Scam

A Fond du Lac Police officer urges residents to be careful about not falling for a scam involving tree trimming. Erik Foster says utility companies are doing their annual tree trimming. He says scammers will work those neighborhoods approaching residences while the trimming is going on. He says someone will approach your home and tell you they are with the utility company and need to look at your property. He says while that person tours the property with you, someone else your home and robs you. He says ask them to come back when someone is with you or lock your doors if you go outside the home with them. But he says first ask for ID and call the utility company to verify they have sent someone to look at your property. Foster says the scam hasn’t hit Fond du Lac yet, but cities to our south.

County Supervisors Updated On Elizabethkingia

Fond du Lac County Public Health Officer Kim Mueller was recently asked to update the County Board on Elizabethkingia. Mueller told the Board it’s not a rare disease. She says it usually occurs five times a year in a state and the state has seen it in the past. She says what makes it so unusual this year is the size of the outbreak. It’s the biggest outbreak the state has ever seen with about 50 people who tested positive for it and 18 deaths that may be attributable to it. She says it’s hard to say if the 18 deaths are because of the bacteria. She says it usually strikes people 65 or older that already have serious underlying medical conditions. She says there’s only been one case in the County.

NFDL Village Board Considers Maintenance Contract For Well

The North Fond du Lac Village Board is exploring whether it should contract for the maintenance of Well #4. Village Administrator Chuck Hornung says Utility Service Management Group will take care of the maintenance of wells for an annual fee. He says they contracted with the group on a well and that saved the village some money when issues arose with it. He says the well was being rehabbed when a number of things were found that had to be fixed, which was covered under the contract saving the village money in the process. He says now the Village Board is considering whether to approve a contract for maintenance of Well #4. He says the village board will consider it at their next meeting.

Modest Increase May Be Coming After UW Tuition Freeze Lapses

The Chancellor of the UW Colleges says a tuition freeze should end in June of next year. Cathy Sandeen told KFIZ News that the UW System is concerned about the affordability of their schools. She says they are still the most affordable choice for higher education in the state. She says their average tuition and fees are about $5,000 per year, which is way below other options. She says any hike in tuition would be carefully considered, but they do have faculty and staff that are under compensated compared to their peers. She says they do worry about retention and a modest, conservative tuition increase would be needed to reward those people who serve their mission so well.

Moraine Park Corrections Club Hosting K9 Unit At FDL Campus Today

Moraine Park Technical College’s Corrections Club will be hosting the Milwaukee House of Correction K-9 Unit today. The event will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Moraine Park’s Fond du Lac campus cafeteria and give attendees a look at the highly skilled K-9 operations used in the criminal justice field. MPTC Vice President of Student Services Stanley Cram says the public is welcome, but he cautions don’t bring anything the dogs are trained to detect such as contraband. He says a friend of his raises German Shepherds that are used for similar purposes. He says they are expensive dogs that undergo a lot of training and often they are imported from Germany. Milwaukee’s K-9 unit consists of 11 teams.

School Library Funding

Public School Districts in Wisconsin will share $37.7 million in library aid. According to the state’s Department of Public Instruction the Fond du Lac School District will be receiving $288,755. North Fond du Lac ($58,571), Campbellsport ($62,861), Rosendale-Brandon ($38,931), Oakfield ($20,308), Ripon ($65,404), and Waupun ($77,448) will be receiving the funding as well. The money from the Common School Fund will be paid today and must be used for the purchase of materials for school libraries.

For more information click here.

Boater Safety Courses Offered

Both the Dodge and Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Departments will be hosting Boater Safety Courses. The course in Fond du Lac will be held on May 10th, 12th, 17th and 19th. The course in Juneau will be on May 25th and 26th. Pre-registration is required. For more information and to register check the Dodge and Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s websites.

Dodge County website link.

 

Fond du Lac County website link.