Local News Briefs Saturday 1/16/16

Changing Weather Conditions Lead To Accidents

It’s been a tough week for drivers in the area this week. Both the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Department and Fond du Lac Police Department have had to help out motorists dealing with freezing, thawing, and freezing conditions throughout the week of varied temperatures. Fond du Lac Police Officer Erik Foster says over a one-week period through Thursday afternoon they dealt with 67 accidents in the City. Drivers had to deal with freezing rain, below zero wind chill factors, some snow and later in the week dense fog.

Fewer Water Main Breaks So Far

Fond du Lac Public Works Director Jordan Skiff says the mild start to our winter is probably one reason they haven’t seen as many water main breaks. He says it does take a while for the frost to drive deep into the ground, but they are keeping an eye on that as they do excavations for water main breaks this year. He says residents may recall a few years ago when sub-zero temperatures had them asking people to leave a tap trickling so water mains wouldn’t freeze up. He says they are starting that process for some of their shallower services.

Increase In Ripon Room Tax Considered

The Ripon Common Council will take more time before they make a decision about increasing the City’s room tax. City Administrator Lori Rich says the Council is considering increasing it from 6 to 7 percent. The last increase took effect in January of 2005 when it raised to its current rate. She says the Council wants to get more input from hotels and motels, but didn’t get much of that during their meeting this past week. She says they sent letters out to lodging establishments encouraging them to send someone to the Council meeting, but only one representative showed up.

Last Few Days Of United Way Campaign

There’s less than a week left in the Fond du Lac Area United Way campaign. Holly Moe of the United Way says they are getting closer to their goal, but they are not quite there yet. She says they are at 94 percent of their goal of $756,000 or about $45,000 short of it. Thursday the United Way Board of Directors will meet to start making decisions about allocations to United Way agencies. You can donate to the 2015 campaign up until that time.

Evening Of Wine And Chocolate Scheduled In Waupun

The Agnesian HealthCare Foundation and the Waupun Memorial Hospital Special Events Committee has scheduled its annual “An Evening of Chocolate & Wine” fund-raising event. It will be held at the Waupun City Hall on Saturday, February 6th from 6:30 to 10 p.m.  The event features chocolates and various hand-selected wines, specialty beers, local cheeses and a bountiful hors d’oeuvre buffet for $50 a person. The evening will feature jazz vocalist Ron Williams and a silent auction. Proceeds will benefit Waupun Memorial Hospital’s women’s health and breast care services. Dress is business casual. For reservations or sponsorship information, call (920) 926-4959.

Dental Associates Donates To Green Bay Packers Foundation

To recognize Dental Associates’ partnership with the Green Bay Packers, the company has donated $1,000 to the Green Bay Packers Foundation. This past December, Dental Associates hosted a company-wide casual dress day at its 12 clinics and corporate office. Employees who donated to the Packers Foundation could wear jeans to work and pair them with their favorite Packers apparel. The initiative raised $500 and Dental Associates provided a company match. The Green Bay Packers Foundation now has distributed more than $5.9 million for charitable purposes since it was established in 1986 by Judge Robert J. Parins, then president of the Packers Corporation, “as a vehicle to assure continued contributions to charity.” One of Dental Associates’ clinics is located in Fond du Lac.