Local News Briefs Thursday 2/26/15

A 49-year-old Fond du Lac woman who stole more than a quarter million dollars while working as a bookkeeper at a local construction firm has been sentenced to prison. Fond du Lac County Judge Richard Nuss sentenced Denise Heffner to 6 years in prison and 15 years of extended supervision. Last October she pled no contest to three felony theft charges and two others were read into the record and dismissed. According to the criminal complaint the thefts occurred while she was working for Sesing Construction between April 1st of 2005 and October 23rd of 2012. The business owners believed the amount stolen from them was approximately $253,000.  The case was investigated by the City of Fond du Lac Police Department.  Assistant Attorney General Devra Ayala along with Fond du Lac Deputy District Attorney Dennis Krueger prosecuted the case for the State of Wisconsin.

Manning Of Waupun Prison Towers For Third Shift A Concern

Prison workers concerned about a proposal in the Governor’s state budget to cut third shift manning of guard towers packed into a Committee of the Whole meeting of the Waupun Common Council. Waupun is home to Dodge Correctional, Waupun Correctional and the John Burke Center. State Representative Michael Schraa of Oshkosh says the proposal doesn’t eliminate any employees, but would be done through attrition. He also told the gathering the Governor’s proposed budget is a changing animal and far from the finished product. State Senator Rick Gudex of Fond du Lac says there has never been a break out on third shift in the history of the system. He says thr greater concern is the introduction of contraband at night time. He says the safety of the community is a top priority and notes that technology – including infrared cameras, trip wires and sensors – could serve as an effective deterrent.

FDL City Council Approves Curb And Gutter Work

The Fond du Lac City Council last night approved curb and gutter work for portions of Walker Street, West 12th Street, Cedar Street and West Division Street. Two residents spoke during a public hearing on the work. Charlotte Nelson told the Council she was glad to see the improvements coming, which she believes will relieve the frequent flooding her property has seen over the years. She says it’s been flooded 14 times and she’s excited she’s going to have a brand new street. City Engineer Paul DeVries answered a question about assessments for the project that another resident had brought up. He said the cost to property owners that they were notified of won’t change. DeVries says in fact the total of those assessments are less than 1 percent of the total cost to the City for the project. He says the assessments come to $21,800 plus change versus more than $2.2 million in total cost for the City.

Sentencing Set For Former Waupun Police Lieutenant

The former Waupun police officer who admitted committing 59 burglaries will be sentenced in May. Earlier this month charges from seven counties were consolidated against 45-year-old Bradley Young of Brandon and he pled guilty to one burglary from each county in Green Lake County Court. A sentencing hearing has been scheduled on May 26th. Young told investigators he had some financial issues and was involved in a small amount of gambling. Among the seven counties he committed burglaries in are Barron, Burnett, Dodge, Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Marquette, and Waushara Counties. 

Former Fondy Woman Gets Probation For Running A Drug House

A former Fond du Lac woman has been placed on probation for three years for maintaining a drug trafficking place. Thirty-six-year-old Jaime Gaudinier of Burnett pled no contest this week in Fond du Lac County Court to that charge and possessing drug paraphernalia. She will have to pay fines and court costs for the drug paraphernalia charge. Two other charges, which included neglecting a child were read into the record and dismissed.

Liberal Arts Education Valued

UW Fond du Lac Dean John Short says the value of a liberal arts education is becoming more prized by business leaders. He says those major business and industry leaders are saying what they need today is people who can write well, think well, be analytical thinkers and look at all sides of an argument. Short says he recently attended a meeting of the American Association of Colleges & Universities in Washington, D.C. and there was panel after panel talking about workforce development needs. Dr. Short says business and industry are constantly dealing with change and they need workers who can deal with change. He says liberal arts educations produce the kind of graduates that they need.

MPTC Transfer Fair At FDL Campus Today

Moraine Park Technical College will hold the last of three transfer fairs at its Fond du Lac campus today. Transfer fairs were held at MPTC’s West Bend and Beaver Dam campuses on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively. MPTC Interim President Bonnie Baerwald says it’s a great way to see how credits can be transferred towards four-year colleges and universities. She says representatives from a number of four-year schools will be on hand to answer questions. She says they’ve lined up representatives from 21 four-year colleges and representatives. She says they have articulation agreements with a number of four-year colleges and universities around the country. The transfer fair is from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the cafeteria.