Local News Briefs Saturday 11/1/14

Gusty winds blew a tree at Meadowbrook Boulevard into some power lines causing a power outage in Fond du Lac Friday morning. Alliant Energy officials say the outage affected about 241 customers in the area near the Piggly Wiggly Store. The outage began sometime before 6 a.m.

Waupun Schools Budget Approved

The Waupun School Board this week approved its 2015 budget.  The tax levy will be $10.4 million, which is an increase of .of less than half a percent.  However, the mill rate has decreased from $11.43 to $10.83 per thousand dollars of property value.  That is a five percent drop from 2014.

K9 Addie Passes Away

Officials say a K9 that served in the Lake Winnebago Area MEG Unit had to be euthanized due to an ongoing illness. Addie, a German Shepherd, was born in 2003 and served with the MEG Unit from 2004 to 2011. The drug detection canine’s purchase made possible through a donation by the late Marie Kuber of Fond du Lac. Her donation made the purchase of retired K9 Grendel possible for the Fond du Lac Police Department. Recently Vince and Bekki Kuber continued the family tradition donating $11,500 to the Fond du Lac Police Department, which made the purchase of K9 Rony possible. Rony is currently serving with his partner Police Officer Charles Beckford. 

Free Flu Shots For Veterans

Area veterans are invited to get free flu shots at the American Legion Post in Fond du Lac this Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event is for all past military veterans from all branches of military service. To qualify for the free flu shots you must show proof of your veteran status. The event is being sponsored by the American Legion Post, Salute the Troops of Fond du Lac and Walgreen’s.

Observers At The Polls

There will be election observers at the polls in Fond du Lac County next Tuesday. County Clerk Lisa Freiberg says the observers are only allowed to have conversations with elections officials. She says normally they will near registration tables or where you give your name and address, but they aren’t allowed to wander around. Freiberg is predicting about 68 percent of registered voters in the County will cast their ballots next week. She says the Congressional Race, Governor’s race and local referendums will generate some of the interest in voting.

United Way Penny Campaign

The Fond du Lac Area United Way recently saw the conclusion of their yearly penny campaign in Fond du Lac Schools. United Way Executive Director Tina Potter says more than $3,300 ($3,333.77) was raised during the penny campaign. She says that’s about $1,000 more than was collected during last year’s penny campaign. The school that collected the most was Rosenow Elementary. The overall campaign is also ahead of last year’s pace. At this time last year a little over $177,000 had been collected compared to the $238,000 already collected for this year’s campaign. The goal for the full fundraiser is $745,000.

FDL HS Band Trip To New York Next Spring

Fond du Lac High School band students will have a unique opportunity next spring a chance to take a trip to New York City. District Superintendent Jim Sebert says the trip is April 6th through the 11th and some of those days will be during the district’s spring break. He says it’s an experience some kids would otherwise not have.

FDL Visual Arts Holiday Sale

Fond du Lac Visual Arts has its annual holiday sale this weekend. It will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. today and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. tomorrow at Danlann Art Gallery at Division and Main in Fond du Lac. Amy Jarvis and Trista Holtz of the group say it will include photography, paintings, cards, drawings and more. They say it’s amazing art from incredibly talented people. Fond du Lac Visual Arts was formed in about 2010.

Lottery Badger 5 Milestone Reached This Week

State lottery officials say a significant milestone was reached Wednesday night when someone in Sheboygan won the $11,000 Badger 5 jackpot. It was the 101st Badger 5 jackpot won this year. Collectively those Badger 5 jackpots were worth over $4.9 million and were won on 126 different tickets.

Big Brothers Big Sisters Adopt A Family Program

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Fond du Lac County is urging residents to adopt a family during Christmas. Anyone interested in adopting a family can select the size of the adopted family.  Jennifer Smith, Support Specialist, says, “We have small and large families who are at risk of not having gifts for the holidays.  We invite the public to help us ensure that Christmas is fun for all the children we serve.” Groups are asked to contact Big Brothers Big Sisters, 920-922-8200, by November 17 to select the family they would like to help.  Information will be provided about the number of people in the family, age, and both their needs and wishes.  To avoid duplication of services, only those families in need who have not been adopted through Salvation Army, Department of Social Services, or another area human service organization are eligible to participate.  Gifts should be wrapped and dropped off at 448 S. Military, Fond du Lac, by December 16. Cash donations are also accepted to meet the needs of families who were not adopted. 

Daylight Saving Time

Daylight Saving Time comes to an end at 2 a.m. Sunday morning. It’s time to set our clocks back an hour. Fond du Lac Fire Department officials also remind residents that it is a good time too to change the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.