Local News Briefs Tuesday 1/27/15

In the wake of a tragic accident on Lake Winnebago near Oshkosh over the weekend ice conditions on the lake remain unpredictable. Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Sergeant Jeff Bonack says he regularly with a person from the Pipe Fishing Club. Bonacks says the ice has improved since earlier in the season. He says his contact person says the ice is okay, but the Sheriff’s Department’s stance is always there’s never 100 percent safe ice when you are going out on a frozen surface. He says there all types of ice including white ice that has air built up in it and can be dangerous, dark solid ice which is safest or honey-combed ice which can have water moving through it. A 40-year-old Sussex man and his 8-year-old son went through the ice Sunday with their jeep. Both Andrew and Derek Doro were taken to hospitals. They both died. 

Lottery Winner At Korneli’s

Korneli’s on South Main Street in Fond du Lac had a big instant lottery ticket winner this past weekend. Store officials say $10 Money Zone ticket was a $10,000 winner. The customer who bought it is a regular at Korneli’s. He was going to cash it in at a lottery office.

Residential Burglaries Reported In Oshkosh

Oshkosh Police says residential burglaries have occurred throughout the city the past few days during the early evening hours. During the burglaries someone walks through backyards and the burglaries are committed in areas where there is limited lighting. Entry is gained through patio doors on the back side of residences. Items taken are limited. Police are asking residents to secure their homes entryways and if possible leave a light on at the entryways during hours of darkness. They recommend making your home look as though someone is there by leaving on lights, putting lights on timers or leaving a television or radio on. If you happen to notice someone suspicious around your home or a neighbor’s, contact the Oshkosh Police Department at (920) 236-5700.  If you believe there is a burglary occurring, dial 911 to report it.

Ten Minutes Added To FDL HS Students Days

The Fond du Lac School Board last night approved adding 10 minutes to the school day for High School students. District Superintendent Jim Sebert says it will accomplish several things. He says the 502 juniors at the high school will take ACT testing on March 3rd and 4th while the rest of the students will get March 3rd off and start March 4th at 11:45 a.m. He says they are also building extra time into the high school calendar so that if they need to make up more than two days a year for weather cancellations they won’t have to add days at the end of the year. He says they will add the time at the beginning and end of the school day. Sebert says starting next Monday high school students will start their day five minutes earlier at 7:55 a.m. and will attend school five minutes later until 3:25 p.m. The makeup days for ACT testing are March 17th and 18th.

FDL Main Street Program Something To Be Proud Of

During the Downtown Fond du Lac Partnership’s recent annual meeting one of the highlights included a recap of 10 years of participation in the state’s Main Street program. DFP Executive Director Amy Hansen says the City became a Main Street community in 2004. She says it takes a lot of community support to get involved. She says over those ten years the DFP has done it’s best investing in public amenities. She says purchasing things like trash receptacles, planters, holiday decorations and more have come to over $160,000. She says the City has invested quite a bit itself. Hansen says in that decade more private investment has been invested in the downtown than in any Main Street Community in the state. She says that amounts to $87 million in investment in those ten years and there was $14.68 million in private investment invested in the downtown district this past year. The DFP is one of ten semi-finalists for the 2015 Great American Main Street Award.

NFDL Utility Budgets Reviewed

Department heads recently reviewed the Water, Wastewater and Storm Water Utility budgets for this year for the North Fond du Lac Village Board. Village Administrator Chuck Hornung says it’s an annual review. He says they haven’t increased utility rates for a few years and won’t like do it this year. He says there could be a small rate increase in 2016 though. He says the board will consider approving the budgets at their meeting next Monday.

Preventing Shingles

Fond du Lac County Public Health Officer Kim Mueller says if you want to avoid getting painful condition shingles later in life get vaccinated against chicken pox when you’re a child. She says a vaccine given to a child will help prevent chicken pox and shingles later in life. She says shingles typically shows up in older people who had chicken pox when they were young. She says there is a vaccine you can get when you’re older, which prevents shingles that you should talk to your health care provider about if you want it. She says a lot of insurance companies cover it and the vaccine is available through pharmacies and the health department as well.

Oshkosh Educational Screening

The Oshkosh Area School District will be providing a free educational screening in early March. The screening will be held at the Oshkosh Recreation Department at 425 Division Street March 3rd through the ^th from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Child Development Days is a play-based screening for children residing in the Oshkosh Area School District who were born between September 2nd, 2011 and September 1st, 2012. While the children play, trained screeners will assess learning, motor, and speech & language skills. Hearing screening is also available. Parents are given immediate feedback on their child’s development. A family fair will be held in conjunction with the screening, offering information on community opportunities for young children. If you have no received information about the screening, please call the Office of Early Learning at 424-1004 to schedule an appointment.