Local News Briefs Saturday 10/12/13

A 21-year-old Fond du Lac man suspected of child abuse was bound over for trial during a preliminary hearing in Fond du Lac County Court this week. Sebastian Doern is charged with child abuse recklessly causing great harm. According to the criminal complaint Doern’s 8-month-old son was treated at Children’s Hospital in Milwaukee last month for skull fractures and bleeding on the brain. The injuries were considered life-threatening. Doern allegedly told a Fond du Lac police detective that he tossed the child to the ground on September 7th after getting upset with him. An arraignment hearing is scheduled for January 2nd.  Doern is being represented by attorney Kirk Everson.

FDL Conservation Warden Position Will Remain Vacant For Time Being

The DNR’s Warden Supervisor for the area says a conservation warden vacancy in the Fond du Lac area will remain vacant for the time being. April Dombrowski works out of the Oshkosh Field Office, which oversees Calumet, Fond du Lac, Outagamie and Winnebago counties. She says for the time being Kyle Kosin who works as a conservation warden in Campbellsport is also handling complaints in Fond du Lac. She says the next conservation warden for that office will come out of the next recruit class.

Second Time The Charm For Walker PSC Appointment

State Representative Jeremy Thiefeldt of Fond du Lac says the second time was the charm for Governor Walker in appointing a member of the State Assembly to the Public Service Commission. State Representative Jeff Stone of Greendale was recently appointed by Governor Walker to the PSC as state division administrator for Water Compliance and Consumer Affairs. Thiesfeldt says the governor previously had tried to appoint Assembly Majority Leader Scott Suder to the post, but Suder got too much criticism over the appointment and took a lobbying job. He says Suder was considering several jobs and decided to become a lobbyist for the Wisconsin Paper Council. Stone was co-author of a bill with Thiesfeldt that seeks to protect children’s credit records from identity thieves.

United Way Campaign Moving Along

The Fond du Lac Area United Way’s fall fundraising campaign continues to slowly move along towards its goal of $740,000. United Way Executive Director Tina Potter says they’ve raised about $154,000 so far. She says many workplace campaigns are still being put together. Last year the campaign did make $737,000, which went to help out United Way agencies that provided services for more than 19,000 people in the community.

Heating Moratorium Begins Soon.

The state’s Public Service Commission is urging residents who aren’t currently connected with their local utility to contact that utility to be reconnected before the annual heating-disconnection moratorium that begins on November 1st. Each winter, utilities are prohibited from disconnecting customers who are behind on their bills from November 1st to April 15th.  However if heating utilities are disconnected when the moratorium begins customers have to make arrangements with the utility to pay outstanding bills in order to have service restored. For more information click here.

Allenton And St. Lawrence Fire Depts’ Open House And Pancake Breakfast

A $1,000 stipend from the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition will allow the Allenton Fire Department to put on a side-by-side demonstration Sunday. The live demonstration will include two similarly furnished rooms — one protected with fire sprinklers and the other not.  The demonstration will be held as part of the open house and pancake breakfast that the Allenton and St. Lawrence Fire Departments will be putting on at the Allenton Fire Station. The event is from 8 a.m. to noon with the sprinkler demonstration at 10:30 a.m.