Local News Briefs Monday 8/24/15

The Fond du Lac School Board this afternoon will vote on approving a preliminary budget for the new school year. The proposed $103 million budget includes a $34 million tax levy $1.5 million more than the previous school year. The mill rate of $10.02 per thousand dollars of equalized value on a property works out an increase of 45 cents. The board’s approval of the preliminary budget will set the stage for a September 14th public hearing. The budget will be finalized in October. Today’s meeting is at 5 p.m. at the District Administration Center Board Room.

Youth Apprenticeship Program Grants Awarded

Governor Scott Walker and Department of Workforce Development Secretary Reggie Newson recently announced the awarding of $2.2 million in Youth Apprenticeship grants. Among those receiving the grants are the Fond du Lac Consortium, which will receive a $78,760 grant. The Sheboygan Area Youth Apprenticeship Consortium will get over $94,000 and CESA 11 in Winnebago County will receive more than $72,000.

Grothman Will Seek Second Term

Although no official announcement has been made, Congressman Glenn Grothman will be seeking another term. Grothman says more can be accomplished with a new president in office and he wants to be part of that effort. He says a lot of good things can’t be done for the country until President Obama is out of office. Grothman says it’s probably a good thing that members of the House of Representatives only have two year terms. He says our forefathers said that Congress has to run every two years to force people to meet with the people on a regular basis, which he thinks is a good idea. On the other hand he’s not in favor of term limits. He says it’s important some people are in office longer for some sense of history when things come up and he believes the House has a good blend now.

NFDL Police Slowly Converting To SUVs

The North Fond du Lac Police Department is slowly converting its fleet from sedans to SUV’s. Village Administrator Chuck Hornung says they replace a squad car every year. He says they have four marked squad cars and replace one of them each year. He says starting this year they replace one with an SUV. He says the first reviews from their police officers about the SUV were positive. He says they like the extra space, which officers can store their equipment in. He says half of the back seat was partitioned off with plexiglass to carry that equipment.  Hornung says their police department isn’t the only one making the conversion to SUV’s. He says Fond du Lac has also been purchasing SUV’s for their police department. He says North Fond du Lac will be getting another SUV for its police department in 2016.

Some Would Benefit From Pneumonia Vaccine When They Get Their Flu Shot

The public health officer for Fond du Lac County says some people should be getting pneumonia vaccine at the same time they are getting immunized for the flu. Kim Mueller says a physician may recommend pneumonia vaccine for those 65 or older. She says there is a newer vaccine on the market. She says pneumonia is something you may develop if you are hit hard by the flu. She says you don’t have to be 65 or older to get a recommendation from your doctor about pneumonia vaccine. She says the very young or those with heart or lung conditions that could suffer serious complications from contracting pneumonia would be good candidates for the vaccine.

MPTC President On Merger Rumors

Moraine Park Technical College President Bonnie Baerwald says people got the wrong idea about a legislative study committee’s task. She says rumors had it the committee was studying whether to combine the UW-System’s two-year schools with technical colleges in the state to eliminate duplication of services and reduce costs. She says it was an informal group and she hasn’t heard or seen anything about a plan being in place. She says the committee was for the benefit of freshmen and sophomore legislators who don’t have the history on the differences between the two systems. She says the two-year UW-schools are more about preparing students for a transfer to a 4-year University. She says the two systems have different mission statements and objectives. She says the technical college system is more about preparing students for jobs such as occupational training, business and industry training, and job preparation.