Local News Briefs Thursday 1/9/14

Police in Fond du Lac asked a neighborhood around the Reid Terrace apartments between East Merrill Avenue and East Division Street to shelter in place last night while they looked for a man who was trying to harm himself. A woman told police she had gotten a call from a man who said he was going to hurt himself and then heard what sounded like a gunshot. Police eventually discovered the man dead in an apartment of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The shelter in place warning began about 4:30 p.m. and lasted for nearly three hours.   

Sheboygan Police Ask For Reckless Homicide Charge In Drug Death

Sheboygan Police are asking for a reckless homicide charge against a 31-year-old Sheboygan man suspected of supplying a fatal dose of heroin to a Sheboygan woman last July. Police say the charge stems from the overdose death of a 30-year-old woman last July 19th.  The suspect allegedly provided her with the heroin that killed her. He’s been held in the Sheboygan County Jail since July 30th due to other drug related charges and was on probation. 

FDL City Council Approves Wage Increases

Last night the Fond du Lac City Council approved a three year agreement with the Fond du Lac Police Supervisory Association and a two year pact with the Fire Supervisory Association. Labor Relations Coordinator Chad Wade told the Council that the agreement calls for 3 percent wage increases this year and next and a 3.25 percent increase for 2016 for the Police Supervisory Association. He said they would however be contributing more towards the Wisconsin Retirement Association. The agreement with the Fire Supervisory Association includes 2 percent increases for both this year and next. Both associations will also be paying more towards their health insurance. Also last night the Council honored Mercury Marine with a proclamation recognizing their 75th Anniversary. Mercury President Mark Schwabero thanked the Council on behalf of the 3,000 people who work for Mercury in the Fond du Lac area and the 5,500 who work for the company worldwide. He said the actual anniversary is Wednesday, January 22nd but Mercury will be celebrating with activities throughout the year. Photo from Fond du Lac Fire Chief Peter O’Leary in it Council President Sam Meyer (left) gave a proclamation to Mercury Marine officials at last night’s meeting. 

FDL County Board Meeting Cancelled This Month

The Fond du Lac County Board’s meeting for January has been cancelled due to insufficient business to hold a meeting. Thirteen of the board’s 25 supervisors signed a petition requesting that the Tuesday, January 21st meeting be cancelled. The next meeting of the County Board is scheduled for Tuesday, February 11th at 7 p.m. at the City-County Government Center in Fond du Lac.

State AG Candidate Had OWI

(Wisconsin Radio Network)-Waukesha County D-A Brad Schimmel, the only Republican in the race to succeed J.B. Van Hollen as attorney general, has admitted to having an OWI. It was more than twenty years ago. Representative Jon Richards is a Democrat also running for A-G. He says it still points to why they want to make a change in the law regarding keeping records for first offense OWIs. The Assembly has passed a bill that would end the practice of expunging certain first offense OWIs from drivers’ records, and Richards called on Schimmel to urge the state Senate to pass it, and Governor Scott Walker to sign it.

Warming Shelter Busy During Cold Snap

It’s been a busy couple of weeks for the Solutions Center’s warming shelter in Fond du Lac. In fact Solutions Center Executive Director Lindee Kimball says it’s been for all three of their shelters if you also include the men’s and women’s shelter as well. She says with the extreme cold they kept the warming shelter open around the clock for a few days. She says they put up 17 people at the warming shelter. She says that meant going through a lot of supplies plus extra meals. She says they were fortunate enough that people donated items including meals during that time, but they could certainly use more donations at this time. She says they could use toilet paper, laundry soap, garbage bags and food such as bagels and eggs for the breakfast at the warming shelter. She says donations can be dropped off at the women’s shelter at the corner of Sophia and Division in Fond du Lac.

Wreaths Kept Red In FDL For Holiday Season

For the first time this past holiday season the Fond du Lac Fire Department participated in the Keep the Wreath Red campaign. Fire Chief Peter O’Leary says the campaign heightens the awareness of fires attributed to holiday decorations. The campaign begins at Thanksgiving and runs through the end of the year. He says the wreaths at each of the firehouses have red bulbs and each time there is a fire due to holiday decorations a red bulb is replaced with a white one. Chief O’Leary says for the inaugural Keep the Wreath Red campaign in Fond du Lac they didn’t have to replace any bulbs because there weren’t any fires due to holiday decorations. He says in fact there were no fatal fires in Fond du Lac during 2013.

FDL County Included In 2012 Voting Audit

Some voting equipment in Fond du Lac County was included in the Government Accountability Board’s latest audit from 2012. The audit found the equipment in Fond du Lac County and elsewhere was in accordance with vendor specifications and no fraud was detected. Fond du Lac County Clerk Lisa Freiberg says those types of audits usually happen after a November election and Fond du Lac County is usually included. She says the audit is done by hand to see how accurate the machines are. Freiberg says as usual the voting machines turned out to be accurate. According to the Government Accountability Board at total of 107 reporting units across the state were included in the 2012 audit.

Not Enough Known About E Cigarettes

The coordinator for the 5 Counties for Tobacco Free Living says there still isn’t enough known about E cigarettes or electronic cigarettes to assume they are a safe product. Sandy Bernier of the Fond du Lac County Health Department says the state’s smoke free law doesn’t cover them, but that doesn’t mean they can be used anywhere. She says some workplaces may have policies in place where aren’t allowed to be used. She says there’s no proof that using them is actually an effective way of quitting smoking. Bernier says there have been no comprehensive studies on the danger of particulates in E cigarettes and whether the second hand vapor they produce may be harmful. She says in fact E cigarettes aren’t regulated at this point. She points out the Center for Disease Control studies show the use of E cigarettes by middle and high school students has doubled. 

Green Bay Police Officer Cleared In Shooting

(Wisconsin Radio Network)-Green Bay Police Chief Tom Molitor says the investigation into an officer-involved fatal shooting is complete. He says the Brown County District Attorney’s Office cleared the officer of any wrongdoing.The shooting took place on December 16th, when 63-year-old Darold VandenHeuvel reached for his gun outside his estranged wife’s west side apartment building. Officer Clint Beguhn fired 10 shots, killing VandenHeuvel. This is Beguhn’s second deadly shooting in four-and-a-half years on the force, he was also cleared of wrongdoing in 2011.                 

FDL Auto Dealership License Suspended

The state of Wisconsin last month suspended the vehicle dealer license of a Fond du Lac area dealership. The suspension remains in effect until Family Auto Budget Sales is in compliance with state law. An investigation by the state’s Department of Transportation’s Division of Motor Vehicles–Dealer and Agent Section found the dealership at 556 South Military Road violated state law. The dealership acknowledged that, despite earlier warnings, it failed to adhere to dealer facility licensing requirements. The state Department of Administration’s Division of Hearings and Appeals found the violations warranted a suspension of Family Auto Budget Sales’ motor vehicle dealer’s license. The suspension will remain in effect until the vehicles displayed off-premise are properly stored at a location that is inaccessible to the public or until the location is properly licensed. While suspended, the dealership cannot engage in any activity that requires a motor vehicle dealer license. Any future violations could result in the loss of the dealership’s motor vehicle dealer license.

Town Of Metomen Gets State Trust Fund Loan

Fond du Lac County’s Town of Metomen was recently approved for a State Trust Fund Loan to help out with a construction project. The Board of Commissioners of Public Lands approved a $70,000 loan for the township to help with costs for constructing a town hall addition and cold storage building. It was one of more than $11 million in loans the board recently approved.