Local News Briefs Thursday 8/15/13

An employee at a Walmart in Neenah is in critical condition, after police say she was shot during a confrontation at the store Wednesday morning. Neenah Police Chief Kevin Wilkinson says 46-year-old Justine Boyd of Greenville walked into the store’s liquor department, argued with the employee a 56-year-old Neenah woman, and then shot her in the stomach. Wilkinson says the suspect and victim knew each other, but the motive remains unclear. Wilkinson says it does not look like Boyd was trying to rob the store, and she remained there until police arrived. Only one shot was fired. Walmart officials say both women were cashiers at the store.

 

Grocery Store Break May Have Launched Crime Spree

 

The crime spree a Waupun police officer went on last week may have started in Waupun. The state Justice Department is investigating a break-in at the Piggly Wiggly store in Waupun that happened on Sunday, August 4th or early Monday, August 5th. Bradley Young admitted to taking $3,000 dollars from the store. That alleged crime kicked off a crime spree that included two more burglaries, two car thefts and a high speed chase in three more counties. Young has 22 years with the Waupun Police Department. He’s been placed on administrative leave.

 

Waupun Man Sentenced

 

A 25-year-old Waupun man who tried to arrange an encounter with a 15-year-old girl has been sentenced to 9 months in jail and five years of probation. Zachary Tenpas was sentenced in Dodge County Court this week after entering a “no contest” plea to a reduced charged of attempted assault. Three misdemeanor charges were read into the record and dismissed. After asking the teen to friend him on Facebook Tenpas followed up by messaging her not aware her father was the one responding. Later a police officer posing as the girl arranged a meeting in public with Tenpas. During the sentencing Tenpas was given credit for time served.

 

Vacancy On FDL City Council Will Be Filled

 

By a 4 to 2 vote the Fond du Lac City Council decided Wednesday night to fill the vacancy created by the recent resignation of Councilman Rob Vande Zande. Advertising for the seat that runs until next April starts today with applications due by September 4th. Interviews will begin a few days later with a goal of filling the seat by the Council’s second meeting in September. Councilwomen Catherine Block and Leann Lorrigan voted against filling the seat. Block said she didn’t like the idea of having two appointed Council members and Lorrigan was worried about the short learning curve for a new Council member at a time when they are tackling the 2014 City Budget. The Council approved amendments to the City’s Alcohol Licensing ordinance that tightens up language and clarifies the ordinance. Also during the meeting the Council honored former City Councilman Rob Vande Zande for his service with a plaque and symbolic key to the city.

 

West 2^nd To South Brooke Will Be Reconnected

 

No specific time frame was given, but the Fond du Lac City Council last night voted unanimously to reconnect West 2nd Street to South Brooke Street. Two business owners had made the request because residents are using their parking lot as a way to cut across to South Brooke Street from West 2nd. City Engineer Paul De Vries recommended against it and City Manager Joe Moore told the Council there are a number of situations in the City where motorists use a shortcut to get over to another street. Also Wednesday night the Council unanimously approved $4.5 million in Industrial Development Revenue Bonds for the Thelma Sadoff Center for the Arts project. Community Development Director Wayne Rollin told the Council it’s an economic development tool and the City is held harmless for sponsoring the bonds. Council President Sam Meyer also asked that City staff take a look at extending fire pit hours for residents from 11 p.m. to Midnight and that will come back before the Council at a future meeting. Meyer also presented officials of Ruby’s Pantry with a proclamation in honor of their 10th anniversary. Pastor Paul Pfeffer and others accepted the proclamation for the surplus food for the needy program.

 

Fire Pit Disputes

 

The Division Chief of Fire Prevention for the Fond du Lac Fire Department says they would like to avoid neighborhood disputes about the use of fire pits. Troy Haase says if they have to show up they will put the fire out so work things out with your neighbors first. There is an ordinance that regulates the use of fire pits for outdoors burning in the City. He says you have to be 25 feet from a house, 6 feet from a lot line and 10 feet away from a wooden deck or surface. He says the manufactured outdoors fire pits can be used closer to wooden surfaces, but they need to be intact. For more about the fire pit ordinance click here.

 

Prepping For Winter

 

Fond du Lac County Highway Commissioner Tom Janke says while the weather is warm they are preparing for winter by stocking up on road salt. Janke says it’s hard to predict how much they will need for a winter because conditions can vary from year to year. He says last winter we got a lot of snow. He says there’s a possibility that they will construct a new salt shed as part of a new highway garage in Campbellsport, doing the salt shed first.

 

Senator Gudex Works On Nursing Home Needs

 

State Senator Rick Gudex says he’s doing what he can to help out nursing homes in the states after listening to constituents’ concerns. He says one item was taken care of with the state budget, which increased nursing homes share of bed taxes. He’s also sponsoring a bill that would create drug formularies for nursing homes. Gudex says that would create a list of prescription drugs used in the nursing homes that would be go to pre-prescribed and pre-approved drugs. He says with new medications coming on the market constantly Medicare won’t reimburse for those drugs, but drug formulary ensures nursing homes will get more reimbursement for the drugs they use.

 

Imagination Network

 

The Fond du Lac Inventors and Entrepreneurs Club has a new name. Fond du Lac County Economic Development Corporation President Steve Jenkins says the club whose members are all about inspiring ideas came up with a good one for a name, Imagination Network. That happened during their meeting Tuesday night at the Elks Club. He says it fits because it’s about networking with people who have good ideas or inventions and want to take the next step. He says there are quite a few inventors in the community. Jenkins says the FCEDC provides what support it can to foster new products from those inventions. The group meets every second Tuesday of the month at the Fond du Lac Elks Club. Registration and networking begins at 5 p.m. with the meeting following at 6 p.m. Those who would like to know more about the Imagination Network can contact the FCEDC at 929-2928 or email info@fcedc.com

 

FDL Evening Lions Stuff The Bus Effort Saturday

 

The Fond du Lac Evening Lions Club is teaming up with Back to School and inviting the community to help them “Stuff the Bus” with school supplies and books Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Walmart on Rolling Meadows Drive. All donations are welcome; specific lists of needed supplies are available online at fonddulaclions.org. The club is partnering with the Back to School program sponsored by Loaves and Fishes, the Boys and Girls Club along with several schools and churches in the county to provide needed supplies to families with limited resources. The supplies will be distributed Saturday, August 24 at the Boys and Girls Club. The bus is being donated courtesy of Johnson School Bus. Tom Clausen, president of the Lions Club says, “The donated school supplies and books will make a difference in the lives of our local children and will give them the supplies they need to be successful in school.”

 

CitizensFirst Expands Membership Area

 

CitizensFirst Credit Union has expanded its membership area to include all of Portage, Waupaca, Sheboygan and Green Lake counties. That expanded service area became effective August 5th after the state’s Department of Financial Institutions approved an amendment to the CitizensFirst charter. “We’re happy to expand our membership area in order to serve residents of these counties,” CitizensFirst CEO Kevin J. Ralofsky said. “There has been an increasing number of service requests outside our current field of membership, and these counties are all within convenient driving distance of at least one of our five branches.” CitizensFirst Credit Union is a not-for profit, member-owned community financial cooperative. It has assets of more than $384 million and serves nearly 30,000 members at five branch locations in Oshkosh and Fond du Lac. Membership is open to anyone who lives, works or worships in Winnebago, Fond du Lac, Outagamie, Calumet, Dodge, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Washington, Waushara, Green Lake, Portage, Waupaca and Sheboygan counties.

 

The crime spree a Waupun police officer went on last week may have started in Waupun. The state Justice Department is investigating a break-in at the Piggly Wiggly store in Waupun that happened on Sunday, August 4th or early Monday, August 5th. Bradley Young admitted to taking $3,000 dollars from the store. That alleged crime kicked off a crime spree that included two more burglaries, two car thefts and a high speed chase in three more counties. Young has 22 years with the Waupun Police Department. He’s been placed on administrative leave.

 

 

Waupun Man Sentenced

 

A 25-year-old Waupun man who tried to arrange an encounter with a 15-year-old girl has been sentenced to 9 months in jail and five years of probation. Zachary Tenpas was sentenced in Dodge County Court this week after entering a “no contest” plea to a reduced charged of attempted assault. Three misdemeanor charges were read into the record and dismissed. After asking the teen to friend him on Facebook Tenpas followed up by messaging her not aware her father was the one responding. Later a police officer posing as the girl arranged a meeting in public with Tenpas. During the sentencing Tenpas was given credit for time served.

 

Fire Pit Disputes

 

The Division Chief of Fire Prevention for the Fond du Lac Fire Department says they would like to avoid neighborhood disputes about the use of fire pits. Troy Haase says if they have to show up they will put the fire out so work things out with your neighbors first. There is an ordinance that regulates the use of fire pits for outdoors burning in the City. He says you have to be 25 feet from a house, 6 feet from a lot line and 10 feet away from a wooden deck or surface. He says the manufactured outdoors fire pits can be used closer to wooden surfaces, but they need to be intact. For more about the fire pit ordinance click here.

http://www.fdlfire.com/blog/outdoor-fire-pitfireplace-information/

 

Prepping For Winter

 

Fond du Lac County Highway Commissioner Tom Janke says while the weather is warm they are preparing for winter by stocking up on road salt. Janke says it’s hard to predict how much they will need for a winter because conditions can vary from year to year. He says last winter we got a lot of snow. He says there’s a possibility that they will construct a new salt shed as part of a new highway garage in Campbellsport, doing the salt shed first.

 

Senator Gudex Works On Nursing Home Needs

 

State Senator Rick Gudex says he’s doing what he can to help out nursing homes in the states after listening to constituents’ concerns. He says one item was taken care of with the state budget, which increased nursing homes share of bed taxes. He’s also sponsoring a bill that would create drug formularies for nursing homes. Gudex says that would create a list of prescription drugs used in the nursing homes that would be go to pre-prescribed and pre-approved drugs. He says with new medications coming on the market constantly Medicare won’t reimburse for those drugs, but drug formulary ensures nursing homes will get more reimbursement for the drugs they use.

 

CitizensFirst Expands Membership Area

 

CitizensFirst Credit Union has expanded its membership area to include all of Portage, Waupaca, Sheboygan and Green Lake counties. That expanded service area became effective August 5th after the state’s Department of Financial Institutions approved an amendment to the CitizensFirst charter. “We’re happy to expand our membership area in order to serve residents of these counties,” CitizensFirst CEO Kevin J. Ralofsky said. “There has been an increasing number of service requests outside our current field of membership, and these counties are all within convenient driving distance of at least one of our five branches.” CitizensFirst Credit Union is a not-for profit, member-owned community financial cooperative. It has assets of more than $384 million and serves nearly 30,000 members at five branch locations in Oshkosh and Fond du Lac. Membership is open to anyone who lives, works or worships in Winnebago, Fond du Lac, Outagamie, Calumet, Dodge, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Washington, Waushara, Green Lake, Portage, Waupaca and Sheboygan counties.