Local News Briefs Thursday 2/19/15

The 21-year-old Bark River, Michigan man who crashed in a ditch near Brandon following a high-speed pursuit last September has been sentenced to three years of probation. Fourwinds Charging Hawk pled no contest yesterday in Fond du Lac County Court to a fleeing charge. Waupun Police say he was doing 60 miles per hour down Main Street when an officer tried to pull him over last September 10th.  He headed north on Highway 49 towards Brandon. Brandon Police and Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s joined the pursuit and he crashed after turning on Liner Road.

Former Sheboygan Alderman Bound Over For Trial On Sexual Assault Charge

Former Sheboygan City Alderman Kevin Matichek was bound over for trial during a preliminary hearing in Sheboygan County Court yesterday. He’s suspected of having a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old boy. The hearing featured the testimony of a Sheboygan Police detective who said Matichek began a relationship with a then 14-year-old boy last June. Shortly afterwards it became sexual. Matichek gave the victim gifts of electronics, clothing and drove him to various places. The detective also testified that Matichek gave the victim instructions about what to say if people asked saying he should deny any touching, sexual contact, deny any photographing, recording, anything like that. Matichek’s lawyer entered a not guilty plea for him.

Warming Shelters

Just a reminder that there are a couple of locations in Fond du Lac you can get out of the cold during these bitter cold temperatures if you have no place to go or have inadequate heating. The Fond du Lac Salvation Army at 237 N. Macy Street is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Also the Solutions Center has a warming shelter at St. Paul’s Cathedral at 51 W. Division Street that is open 24 hours during times of severe cold.

Duey Stroebel On Winning 20th State Senate GOP Primary

Six months after losing to Glenn Grothman in the Republican primary for the 6th Congressional District race former State Representative Duey Stroebel is on the verge of claiming Grothman’s former Senate seat. Stroebel Tuesday got more than two-thirds of the vote in the Republican primary for the 20th State Senate District. He says he’s grateful for the support. Stroebel easily defeated Ozaukee County Board chairman Lee Schlenvogt and military veteran Tiffany Koehler. He says his run for Congress last year may have helped with name recognition, but each race is won on its own merit. Stroebel is unopposed in the April 7th general election, but says he will still be putting in campaign appearances waiting for the opportunity to be sworn in as a State Senator.

Firefighters SWAT Collaborate On Forcible Entry Training

Members of Fond du Lac Fire and Rescue recently showed members of the Fond du Lac Police Department’s SWAT team what they know about forcible entry. Lieutenant Jim Knowles says when police or fire respond to a call the door of a business or home may be locked and sometimes they have to force their way in. He says they covered a variety of ways to get in through forced entry. He says they try to do the least amount of damage possible, but sometimes it’s unavoidable. He says they even showed SWAT members how they use auto extrication tools in some instances.

Knowles says whether you’re working with police or fire sometimes the entry you just forced your way into may be your only way out if something goes wrong. Knowles also says it would be helpful if people being evacuated from apartment buildings during a fire left their front door unlocked so it doesn’t have to be forced open when they are making sure everyone is out.

Lemonade Day Registration Should Be Done Soon

One of the organizers of the May 2nd Lemonade Day in Fond du Lac says he’s looking forward to the variety and number of stands that 10, 11, and 12-year-old kids participating in the program can come up with. Jeff Stueber of Moraine Park Technical College says it’s something Google came up with inspired by the story of a real life girl who wanted to make money to buy a turtle. They realized it was a way of inspiring young entrepreneurs. He says since 2007 it’s grown and last year more than 202,000 kids participated. He says locally the Fond du Lac Area Association of Commerce and MPTC are collaborating on Lemonade Day. He says other schools and communities in the area are also participating. Stueber says beginning in early March a two-hour session will be held at MPTC each week for kids participating in the program leading up to Lemonade Day. He says it’s important to register by the end of the week if your kid will be participating at fonddulacarea.lemonadeday.org.

Job Fair At Marian University April 15th

Marian University’s Sadoff Gymnasium will host the annual job fair on April 15th. Jim Cleveland of the Fond du Lac Area Association of Commerce says they already have 50 employers lined up for the job fair. He says a couple of major employers will sponsor the event. Mayville Engineering and Quad Graphics are the events corporate sponsors. He says on April 9th they have two events at Marian University that could help out job seekers. There will be resume assistance from 5 to 7 p.m. and there will also be a panel discussion at the Stayer Auditorium talking about how to apply for jobs, how to interview, how to dress for success and more.

DPI Chief Visiting Oshkosh North High School Communities Program

State Schools Superintendent Tony Evers will be visiting the Oshkosh North High School Communities program on Thursday, February 26th. From 8:30 to 9:30 that morning the DPI Chief will learn more about how the Communities program is making a difference in the lives of students and community members. The current focus of students in the program is a project that is highlighting how local courageous people and organizations advocate for the civil rights of various social groups.

FDL Public Library Sponsors Teen Photo Contest

The Fond du Lac Public Library is encouraging teens to stretch their camera creativity and enter the new Teen Photo Contest.  The contest will award a grand prize of a $250 Amazon gift card for the best overall entry, and will award three honorable mention prizes for the best photos entered in the three categories: Daily Life, Nature and Anything Goes. Teens who attend school in Fond du Lac County in grades six through 12 are eligible. Deadline to enter is April 1st, after which the library will gather a VIP panel to judge entries and award prizes. Entries will be printed and displayed in the library’s Langdon Divers Gallery in the month of May, sharing that space with entries and winners of the Upcycled Glam Contest, another library teen challenge. Full details on the contest rules and guidelines are available at www.fdlpl.org/teens or by calling (920) 322-3941.