Local News Briefs Thursday 2/13/14

A 28-year-old Fond du Lac native was killed when his motorcycle collided with a pickup truck in Florida. Staff Sergeant Andrew Koerner was stationed with the Army 7th Special Forces Group at Eglin Air Force Base. A 73-year-old woman who was in the pickup truck was also killed in the accident last weekend. In July of 2008 Koerner joined the Army.

Small Fire At FDL Business Put Out

Fond du Lac firefighters responded to a small fire at Twohig Flooring at 316 North Rolling Meadows Drive just after 1 p.m. Wednesday afternoon. An employee of the business was able to put the fire out with an extinguisher prior to the fire department’s arrival. Division Chief of Fire Prevention Troy Haase says firefighters found moderate smoke in the building and ventilated it. He says the likely cause of the fire was low voltage wiring, which caused hot materials to drop down into the wall.

FDL Man Facing Burglary And Theft Charges

A 47-year-old Fond du Lac man could make an initial appearance on burglary and theft charges today for allegedly stealing money from cash boxes after Oakfield schools sporting events. Police caught the man in the act Tuesday night. Authorities say nearly $1,000 was taken at the Oakfield Junior/Senior High School.

Injury Accident Near Neenah

A 27-year-old Pine River man was injured during a one-vehicle accident on Highway 41 southbound just south of Breesewood Lane near Neenah yesterday afternoon. Winnebago County Sheriff’s officials say he lost control on the slushy and snow-covered road and struck a median wall. He was ejected from the vehicle and taken to a local hospital for treatment of multiple non-life threatening injuries. The accident was reported at 4:20 p.m.

Sheboygan Teen Bound Over For Trial In Murder Case

(WHBL-Sheboygan)-The case against a Sheboygan teen accused of murdering his father last month will proceed to trial.  17 year old Dorian Torres faces a first degree intentional homicide charge for the death of 41 year old Emilio Torres.  Emilio was found dead at his apartment on Meadowland Drive on January 30, roughly one week after he was last heard from by his ex-wife. During a preliminary hearing Wednesday, Sheboygan Police Detective Joel Clark filled some of the gaps of what occurred during the week Emilio was not heard from.  This included Wal-Mart surveillance video of Dorian buying duct tape that was similar to what was used on the wrapping that covered Emilio’s body.  Also, there were numerous transactions of Emilio’s debit card, and a call to Community Bank and Trust asking for assistance with a credit card he had. An arraignment hearing for the case in front of Judge Terrence Bourke is scheduled for February 27.

Senator Johnson Schedules Town Hall Meeting In FDL

U.S. Senator Ron Johnson will be holding a Town Hall meeting in Fond du Lac next Tuesday afternoon. It will be at the City-County Government Center from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in the Legislative Chambers. Everyone is welcome to attend.  During the meeting the federal lawmaker from Oshkosh will give his State of the Nation presentation, which highlights the fiscal challenges our country faces today.  Following the presentation he will take questions from the audience.

$68 Million In New Development In FDL In 2013

Fond du Lac Community Development Director Wayne Rollin says 2013 was the highest year ever in the City in terms of the value of new development. He says not all those projects are complete yet, but industrial, commercial and residential projects totaled up to $68 million. He says in 2012 the value of new development in Fond du Lac was $41 million. Building permit revenues for the City’s Inspections Division finished at 138% of budget for 2013. He says 2014 is also shaping up to what could be a good year. He says the City should finish in the $50 $60 million range for new development again this year. With a new Walgreen’s going up near the corner of East Johnson and Country Lane there’s speculation about development there. Rollin says County Lane will be extended a couple hundred feet to the south and will be ready to move to the east, which could pave the way for future development. He says nothing is lined up there right now.

Improvement To Wireless Internet Service In FDL County Moving Along

An effort to expand wireless internet service to rural areas of Fond du Lac County is moving along. Fond du Lac County Board members this week got an update from Steve Schneider of Bug Tussel Wireless. County Executive Al Buechel says things didn’t move along as fast as they thought it would last year. He says four towers in the Towns of Forest, Ashford, Osceola and Oakfield will be ready for customers by the end of the month. He says overall 13 towers will improve the wireless internet service to rural areas of the County by this fall. Ten towers are being constructed and Bug Tussel will be using space on three of the County’s communications towers.

Sturgeon Season Ends Today

The sturgeon spearing season on Lake Winnebago comes to a close today. DNR Sturgeon Biologist Ryan Koenigs says the 55 adult female sturgeon speared yesterday on the lake tripped the 90 percent harvest cap trigger closing the season at the conclusion of sturgeon spearing for today. Altogether 118 fish were speared on Lake Winnebago Wednesday including the largest of the season to date a 161 pounder that John Skahen of Chilton registered at Quinney. It measured 77 inches. It’s only his second sturgeon in 40 years of spearing. System-wide for the five days of the season 1,765 fish have been speared. Ninety-nine of those fish weighed in excess of 100 pounds. The six day season will tie for the third shortest sturgeon spearing season.

Fixing Water Main Breaks A Dangerous Job

Fond du Lac’s Public Works Director says repairing broken water mains in bitterly cold temperatures is dangerous and fatigue inducing work. Jordan Skiff says they’ve 25 to 30 times this winter public works crews have had to repair broken water mains and quite a few times that’s been in below zero wind chills. He says it’s stressful and dangerous, standing in freezing water and trenches. He says it can have a physical impact on the health of those crews due to the hours and conditions. Skiff says it could take a crew a few hours to half a day to make repairs as it did near St. Agnes Hospital when a water main broke earlier this winter.

Suspect In Nehls Burglary Arraigned

The 45-year-old Beaver Dam man accused of burglarizing the home of former Dodge County Sheriff Todd Nehls was arraigned Monday. Scott Schonitzer entered a plea of “not guilty” by reason of insanity and the judge appointed a doctor to perform an assessment. Schonitzer is charged for the break-in at the Nehls residence in December and another in October. He is also charged now with three other counts of felony Burglary for separate incidents in December. Schonitzer remains in the Dodge County Jail on a $300,000 cash bond.

Green Lake County Crime Of The Week

Authorities in Green Lake County are looking for a young male burglar who broke into an unoccupied home on in the Sunnyside Estate Area of Silver Creek Road in the Town of Brooklyn. The break-in happened between January 13th and February 3rd. The thief took two bottles of wine, five bottles of beer, a pair of orange-colored work gloves, three smaller LED flashlights, and a hatchet with a black handle.  Entry was forced leading to some damage. Anyone with information about the burglary is asked to call the Green Lake County Crime Stoppers program at 1-800-438-8436. Tips may be eligible for a $1,000 cash reward if they lead to an arrest or recovery of property.

Blood Drive At UW-FDL Today

The UW-Fond du Lac is hosting a Blood Drive today. It’s from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Large Group Instruction Room 114.  Walk-ins are welcome.