Local News Briefs Saturday 1/18/14

A 56-year-old Fond du Lac man has been sentenced to 2 years in prison and 5 years of extended supervision on a child pornography possession charge. Scott Bernhardt was sentenced in Fond du Lac County Court Friday morning. The charge was brought against him as a result of an investigation by state and local police.  According to the criminal complaint a forensic preview of his laptop computer uncovered hundreds of sexually explicit images of children in a folder saved to the computer’s hard drive.  In an interview with investigators, Bernhardt admitted to downloading and viewing child pornography for the last ten to 15 years, according to the complaint.  

Prison Worker Arraigned On Smuggling Charges

An employee at Waupun Correctional Institution waived her right to a preliminary hearing Thursday in Dodge County Court on charges that she smuggled tobacco into the prison. Britny Ann Kiehnau then entered a “not guilty” plea at a subsequent arraignment hearing to three felony counts of Delivering Illegal Articles to An Inmate. The 29-year-old Forestville woman allegedly brought chewing tobacco, cigarettes and matches to an inmate in November.

Ripon Watson Street Recovery Efforts Continue

The executive director or the Ripon Area Chamber of Commerce says the Watson Street Recovery Committee has done a fantastic job of keeping people up-to-date on needs in the wake of last month’s downtown fire. Jason Mansmith says families displaced by the fire have gotten the help they need and businesses are moving on. Soon two of the four buildings that were affected by the blaze will be demolished. Mansmith says one of the fallouts from the fire that residents have had to deal with is the blocking off of that section of Watson Street, which has hampered access to other businesses. He says there Ripon Main Street Director Craig Tebon is trying to rectify parking and other issues associated with that blocked access.

FDL Facebook And Twitter Accounts Keep City Connected

The City of Fond du Lac’s website allows residents to keep up on what services the City offers, but social networking gives them more immediate information. Dave Zitlow is the Manager of the City’s Information and Technologies Services Department. He says sometimes they are asked by the police or fire departments to get information out about road closings or emergencies. He says that’s when the City’s Facebook and Twitter pages come in handy. He says you can connect to those pages through Facebook or Twitter, but there are also links on the City’s website as well.

Dredging Operations At Lakeside Park Attract Interest

Fond du Lac’s Public Works Director says quite a few people took interest in the dredging of the channels at Lakeside Park last month. Jordan Skiff says before PCI Dredge knocked off dredging operations for the winter due to the cold quite a few people visited the park to watch some of the dredging.He notes during a meeting last month at the Lakeside Park pavilion when they gave an update on the dredging about 60 people attended. He says some where interested because they fish and others were longtime residents who wanted to simply know more about what was going on.

MPTC Murder Mystery Meal

A good meal and a little intrigue are in store for those attending next month’s Mardi-Gras Murder Mystery Dinner at Moraine Park Technical College. MPTC President Sheila Ruhland (REW-land) says its being put on by Phi Theda Kappa and the Culinary Arts Students. She says those attending will be treated to a great meal, but will also have to do a little sleuthing. She says tickets are $30 and are available at MPTC bookstores. The cost includes the dinner, entertainment and prizes.

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