Local News Briefs Thursday 12/18/14

The 17-year-old Fond du Lac man suspected of a bomb scare at the Fleet Farm in Fond du Lac has been sentenced to two years of probation. Christopher Porter pled “no contest” to a bomb scares charge Wednesday in Fond du Lac County Court. He was also ordered to write a letter of apology to Fleet Farm. Porter was an employee at the store on Rogersville Road on July 3rd when a bomb threat was found and police were called. The store was evacuated while it was searched.

Tucker’s Theft Suspect Pleads No Contest

One of three area residents charged for a robbery that occurred at the Tucker’s Restaurant on West Johnson Street four years ago has pled no contest to theft, battery and false imprisonment charges. Twenty-year-old Thomas Livangood of West Bend was in Fond du Lac County Court for a plea hearing this week. He, 23-year-old Bobbie Lahn of North Fond du Lac, and 20-year-old Vincent Hanes of Kewaskum faced charges for the May 15th 2010 robbery. Lahn got three years probation for her role in the robbery and Hanes will be sentenced next month.  During the robbery a female employee of the restaurant walked out of the employees’ entrance that evening carrying the night deposit bag. Two men walked up from behind her and one of them grabbed the bag before the two took off running. Police say Lahn was a Tucker’s employee at the time and allegedly drove Livangood and Hanes to the restaurant to commit the robbery. 

Oshkosh Theft Suspect Identified

Oshkosh Police have identified a 22 year-old Oshkosh man as the person of interest in the theft from the Oshkosh YMCA. The crime occurred on December 5th. A theft charge is being referred against him to the Winnebago County District Attorney’s Office. Police Tuesday issued a photo of the suspect to the media, which helped in identifying him.

 

Would Be Stripper Gets Wrong Residence

Fond du Lac Police say a woman hired to strip at a private residence went to the wrong home. Police got a call Tuesday afternoon from a woman who lives on Forest Avenue. She told them a black woman came to her apartment and began stripping off her clothing. The caller was with her boyfriend and someone else when the woman arrived. The caller had no idea who the woman was. Officers searched the area when they arrived, but couldn’t locate the stripper.

Washington County Farmer Fined

The state Attorney General’s office has obtained three judgments against a Washington County farmer and his company, Golden E Real Estate for illegal dredging and also filling a portion of wetland. Christopher Elbe will have to pay $60,000 in fines and court costs. He violated Wisconsin laws regarding wetlands and navigable waters in Sheboygan and Washington counties, and for violations of a DNR-owned conservation easement in Sheboygan County. The violations occurred in 2011, 2012 and 2013. 

Joining Planning Commission Will Be Good For FDL County

Fond du Lac County Executive Al Buechel says joining the East Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission will be good for the County. The County Board approved joining the commission this week. The cost of membership for the County will be $115,000 a year, but Buechel says a number of municipalities in the County are already members. He says it will save them money if the County is a member and they will be able to use those services. He says it’s good for the County as a whole to be a member. He points out that towns, villages and cities will be able to use the planning services for a variety of issues including sewer services, utilities, street planning and more. The commission even pays County residents who become members of the commission to attend meetings.

Thiesfeldt Says Common Core Will Be Discussed By Education Committee

State Representative Jeremy Thiesfeldt says there will be discussions about Common Core educational standards when he becomes chair of the State Assembly’s Education Committee. Thiesfeldt served on a task force that held hearings in the fall of 2013 on Common Core. One of those hearings was held in Fond du Lac. He feels the state should have its own set of standards.The state lawmaker from Fond du Lac says having only one set of standards discourages innovation in education. He says it’s hard to implement standards and even more difficult to review those standards when they become outdated. Thiesfeldt says they will also take a look at expanding school choice.

FDL County Clerk Says Dismantling GAB Would Be A Mistake

Fond du Lac County Clerk Lisa Freiberg says she hopes that talks about dismantling the state’s Government Accountability Board is just that, talk. She says the state already had separate agencies for elections and ethics and it wasn’t working. A recent audit of the GAB came up with some recommendations in areas that needed improvement. Freiberg says she can understand why the GAB may have fallen behind in some of its responsibilities given the number of recall elections in the past few years. For the most part auditors found the GAB was performing well. Freiberg says elections should be judged on how they are run and the state typically finished among the top five states in the nation when it comes to running elections. She says there are 1,851 municipalities in the state and 72 counties that participate in elections.

Senior Services Explained

The Senior Benefit Specialist for Fond du Lac County says their Senior Services Department is an aging unit, but it provides different services than the Senior Center and the Social Services Department. Julie Hilbert says people sometimes are confused about that. She says they provide transportation services including the handi-vans and escort services to the frail that need to go to doctor’s appointments. They also provide the senior dining program at nine different locations throughout the community and mobile meal program for the homebound. They even have respite programs for care givers. And of course Hilbert can provide information on benefit programs or do advocacy on behalf of senior citizens who need the help. They are located on the 3rd floor of the City-County Government Center in Fond du Lac or to find out more call Hilbert at 929-3521.

FDL City Holiday Hours Announced

The City of Fond du Lac has announced its hours for the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. The City offices in the City-County Government Center will close at noon on Wednesdays, December 24th and 31st and be closed all day on Christmas and New Year’s Day. Fond du Lac Transit will operate those until noon those Wednesdays and also be closed on Christmas and New Year’s Day. The Senior Center will be closed on Wednesday, December 24th and December 31st and be closed on Thursday Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. The public library will be closed on December 24th and 25th and will close at 4 p.m. on December 31st and be closed all day New Year’s Day. The Municipal Service Center will close at 11 a.m. on December 24th and December 31st and will be closed on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Refuse and recycling will be collected on those two Wednesdays, but the collection normally picked up on Thursdays will be picked up on Friday, December 26th and Friday, January 2nd along with that day’s normal collections.