Local News Briefs Thursday 12/17/15

Dodge County Board Approves $4.1 Million In Purchases

Dodge County supervisors this week approved $4.1 million in various purchases. Chief among them is the $2.3 million that will be spent on security upgrades for the courthouse and jail. Another $719,000 will go for storage of digital surveillance footage. A new roof on the county administration building will cost over $200,000. New dump trucks for the highway department and squad cars for the sheriff’s department will come to nearly $840,000.

No Primary Election For City Of Waupun

The Waupun Common Council this week voted to eliminate city races from the February primary ballot. Officials say if there are three or more candidates for office in Waupun the names will appear on the April ballot instead. The move will eliminate costs the city would have shared for the primary election.

Mercury Marine Facility Opens In British Columbia

Mercury Marine has opened a new state of the art facility in Langley, British Columbia.  The 50,000 square-foot facility will be the new home to both Mercury Marine Canada and Land ‘N’ Sea Canada. The facility opened on Monday and is fully operational. Prior to the expansion, all finished goods were shipped from Milton. Now with the expansion, engines, parts and accessories will be available from British Columbia to allow customers to receive their order faster.

A Celebration Of Winter And Really Big Fish

Fond du Lac Area Convention and Visitors Bureau President Craig Molitor says they came to a realization during last year’s sturgeon spearing season that what the community is lacking is a major festival during the winter. Molitor recently announced to the Fond du Lac City Council that they will be staging a festival around the opening weekend of the sturgeon spearing season. He says they were surprised to find out how much the free press the World Ice and Snow Sailing Association’s World Championship actually generate for the community. He says it was worth more than $4.5 million in positive press for Fond du Lac both across the country and world. Molitor says they talked to some of the same people involved in the events on and around Lake Winnebago during last winter’s event and found they would be willing to participate in the 1st Annual Sturgeon Spectacular. Others also fell into line. Downtown Fond du Lac Partnership will be doing a chili crawl, THELMA will host a concert, Galloway House and Village will have activities as well. The Winnebago Association of Kite Boarders, Fishing Has No Boundaries and others will also have events.

Salvation Army Holds Annual Christmas Distribution

Christmas came early for more than 700 families in Fond du Lac Wednesday. The Fond du Lac Salvation Army held its Christmas toy, food and gift distribution at the Fond du Lac County Fairgrounds Recreation Building. Salvation Army Captain Steve Wilson says over 100 volunteers help set up and run the program. He says each person gets a cart and they choose items from toys, food and gifts. Wilson says they are fortunate to have so many businesses and individuals that donate for the program. He says it takes several months to organize the program and nearly a week to set up things at the fairgrounds, but it’s all worth it if you’re helping making someone’s holiday brighter.

NFDL Village Board Continues Discussion About Refuse Collection Issue

The North Fond du Lac Village Board will continue discussions on whether a refuse collection policy for non-owner occupied duplexes is fair. Village Administrator Chuck Hornung says the village board has held several discussions on the issue and tabled it at their last meeting so they could get more information and have more time to think about it. He says until the last few years they did not pick up refuse at non-owner occupied duplexes. He says they offered to contract through the village if the service was wanted. But some owners of the duplexes felt the village was double-dipping by charging them and their tenants. He says they charge the owners $150 a quarter and tenants $5 per quarter. The village board is expected to discuss the issue again at their meeting Monday night. 

Online Shopping Tips

The division administrator for the state’s Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection says if you’re still shopping online for Christmas gifts make sure you’re doing it in a safe manor. Frank Frassetto says your computer needs to have the latest protection against viruses. He says you should also be careful to only shop on legitimate sites. He says don’t trust a site based on its appearance because legitimate sites can be mimicked. Frassetto also says free gift card emails posted on social media sites may be a scam to get your personal information. Frassetto also advises printing out order forms for your records for added protection in case something doesn’t arrive or needs to be returned.