Local News Briefs Thursday 6/25/15

The 49-year-old Warrens, Wisconsin woman injured in a motorcycle versus pickup truck accident in Fond du Lac late Sunday morning remains in critical conditional. A spokeswoman for Theda Clark Regional Medical Center gave us the news about Lisa Sattler’s condition. The accident happened at the intersection of West Johnson Street and Pioneer Road. Both the motorcycle and pickup truck had a yellow light when the accident occurred. The pickup was trying to turn left to head south on Pioneer Road when Sattler’s motorcycle ran into the side of it. The driver of the pickup 21-year-old Cody Warner of Fond du Lac was not injured.

Jobless Numbers Up In May

Unemployment rates for the City and County of Fond du Lac increased by about a half a percentage point in May. According to federal labor statistics the City’s jobless rate increased to 4.8 percent and the County’s to 4.2 percent. Those rates are still lower than last year at this time when the City’s unemployment rate in May was 5.2 percent and the County’s was at 4.9 percent. The state’s unemployment rate for May increased to 4.6 percent. For more click here.

FDL County Wraps Up First Year Of Participation In Cost Of Living Survey

The Fond du Lac County Economic Development Corporation has completed its first year of participation in the national cost of living survey.  The Cost of Living Index measures regional differences in the cost of consumer expenditures for professional households in the top income bracket.  From the looks of Fond du Lac County’s composite score, the county is in an attractive position based on cost of living.  The cost of living in the Fond du Lac area is below the national average.  Fond du Lac County has a composite score of 96.5, whereas the national average is 100.00.  This means that the cost of living in Fond du Lac County is 3.5% below the national average.  The second quarter of 2015 marked our first full year of cost of living data publications for Fond du Lac County.  Over the course of one year, the composite index score for cost of living in Fond du Lac County increased by 2.0%.  This type of slight fluctuation in scoring is normal. The next pricing period will be the weekend of July 9th through the 11th.  

Congressman Grothman On Trade Legislation

Congressman Glenn Grothman says farmers and manufacturers in the 6th Congressional District could benefit from more trade agreements with foreign countries. The House of Representatives passed a bill last week with debate over giving the president the authority to negotiate more trade deals. He says any deal the president negotiates would still need the approval of both houses. He says more trade agreements are needed to help farmers and manufacturers. He says national manufacturers have a goal of getting more trade agreements and specifically in the Asian area. Grothman says he’s been voting the way farmers and manufacturers would want him to vote on trade legislation.

Educating People About Scams A Constant Battle

An official with the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s office says innovations in technology and information sharing feed scammers with new ways of bilking people out of money. Lieutenant Cameron McGee some of the biggest scams have to do with charities. He says you can’t go wrong by giving to a local charity you’re already familiar with. He says a shredder is good investment to take care of sensitive documents that identity thieves would love to get their hands on. He says technology lends itself to new and creative scams. He says it’s a constant battle to educate people about the newest scams. McGee says you also have to be careful about who you are purchasing items from online.

NFDL School District Summer Breakfast And Lunch Program

North Fond du Lac Schools Superintendent Aaron Sadoff reminds district residents that any child living in the district can have breakfast or lunch for free at their middle school during their summer school programs. He says it’s a federal program fro school-aged children. He says breakfast is available at the Bessie Allen Middle School from 7:30 to 8:15 and lunch from 12:15 to 1 p.m. He says it’s a good program that will be funded for three more years. The program runs Mondays through Thursdays.

Home Sales Down

Existing home sales in Fond du Lac County were down by 21 percent in May compared to a year ago. Meanwhile the median price of a home was up by a little over 1 percent according to the Wisconsin Realtors Association. Meanwhile home sales were up statewide by 7.8 percent and the price for those home increased by 6.7 percent. For more click here.