Local News Briefs Tuesday 11/4/14

Bond has been reduced for a 31-year-old Fond du Lac man who allegedly fired shorts at a residence on Lost Arrow Road last month. Judge Robert Wirtz allowed the cash bond for James Walsh to be reduced from $60,000 to $40,000 during a recent bail/bond hearing. Nobody was injured during the incident on October 10th. He was taken into custody without incident after about a five-hour standoff with Sheriff’s officials. Walsh is charged with 1st degree recklessly endangering safety, possession of a firearm while intoxicated, battery and disorderly conduct. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for November 14th.

FDL Man Arraigned On Window Smashing Charges

One of the three suspects in the rash of car vandalism that occurred in Fond du Lac last month pled not guilty to two charges of criminal damage to property s when he recently appeared in Fond du Lac County Court. Twenty-year-old Tony Sharratt was arraigned last Friday. A plea hearing is scheduled for January 27th. Twenty-year-old Zacharias Manthey and 26-year-old Traven Koenigs of Fond du Lac are facing similar charges. They and two other young men are accused of riding around in a pickup truck and using baseball bats to smash out windows of more than 60 vehicles in Fond du Lac on September 9th.

Oshkosh Woman Arrested For Making Bomb Threat

Oshkosh Police arrested a 47-year-old Oshkosh woman Sunday night who phoned in a bomb threat to the Olive Garden Restaurant. The restaurant was evacuated and police checked the inside and outside of the building, but didn’t find any suspicious objects. Investigators were able to trace the phone number the threat was made from back to the woman. She had recently been fired from the restaurant. She was arrested for making a bomb threat and taken to the Winnebago County Jail.

Voting On..

Fond du Lac County voters will be voting on a number of issues today, but there’s a lack of local races. State Representatives Jeremy Thiesfeldt and Michael Schraa are uncontested. The Sheriff’s race was won in the primary by incumbent Mick Fink. The biggest contested race in the area will be the 6th Congressional District race, which features Republican Glenn Grothman and Democrat Mark Harris. Statewide voters will decide on Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State and State Treasurer races. There are a number of referendums including a statewide referendum that if approved would protect the state transportation fund from being raided. The Town of Ripon and Ripon School District has referendums. The Cities of Fond du Lac and Ripon each have advisory referendums on limiting campaign contributions. We will have the results for you after the polls close at 8 p.m.

Voting Info

Fond du Lac County Clerk Lisa Freiberg says if you voted in the August primary election you don’t have anything to worry about when you go to the polls today. She says unless you’ve moved or changed your name you won’t have to register at the polls. She says if you get stuck in line when the polls close at 8 p.m. you will still be allowed to vote. She says you won’t have to show a driver’s license or state photo ID this election because there is no voter ID requirement. However if you need to register to vote you could use a driver’s license as proof of residency or a current bill. You must have resided at that residence at least 28 days.

Move To Amend Referendum Today

Voters in Fond du Lac and Ripon will be asked in an advisory referendum today if they’d like to see some balance restored in campaign financing. Specifically it has to do with the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision in 2010 that ruled corporations and other entities can be considered as people and money is a form of speech thus eliminating limits on political campaign contributions. Former UW-Fond du Lac Dean and County Board member Judy Goldsmith says more money is being spent on elections this year than ever before. One estimate puts that figure at $4 billion. She says most of the people the group Move to Amend have spoken to are in favor of restoring some limits. She says money, especially a lot of it, does create influence. She says elections are supposed to be about the will of the people not about those who have the most money to spend on them.

Nearly Half Fail Alcohol Sales Compliance Check

Fond du Lac County Chief Deputy Sheriff Mark Strand says nearly half of the convenience stores they checked for alcohol sales compliances failed in a recent compliance check. He says they usually get students that are under 21 from Marian University to work with them on the checks. He says they supplied fluorescent orange placards to places that sell alcohol advising customers they don’t sell to anyone under 21. He says they go back to those places and in a recent check 8 of the 18 they chose for compliance checks sold to someone under 21. He says driver’s license for those under 21 are vertical not horizontal. Those who sell to someone under 21 are cited, but Strand says that’s minor in comparison to what could happen if the person they sold to is a serious or fatal accident and they trace the sale of alcohol back to them.

Candle Safety

The Division Chief of Fire Prevention for the Fond du Lac Fire Department says if you’re going to use candles this holiday season make sure you use them safely. Troy Haase recommends using them on a surface that is used to heat like a kitchen stove. He says not all containers for candles are made to withstand the heat of the flame. Candles also should not be used around something that is flammable. According to the National Fire Protection Association the top three days for home candle fires were Christmas, New Year’s Day and Christmas Eve.

St. Agnes Recognized For Promoting Organ Donations

St. Agnes Hospital in Fond du Lac is being recognized by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for reaching the silver level of achievement for promoted enrollment in state organ donor registries. The hospital is part of a national campaign, which has helped to add 327,659 donor enrollments to state registries nationwide since 2011, exceeding the goal of 300,000 donor enrollments. St. Agnes Hospital, the Ripon Medical Center and Waupun Memorial Hospital, conducted awareness and registry campaigns to educate staff, patients, visitors and community members about the critical need for organ, eye and tissue donors. Of the 1,228 hospitals and transplant centers participating in the campaign, 400 were awarded recognition during this phase of the campaign. “Most people don’t realize the importance of family discussions surrounding organ donations prior to an unexpected injury or illness,” says Jill Stenson, vice president of St. Agnes Hospital nursing. “Since consent for organ donation is requested of families, each family needs to discuss their feelings on organ donations today so there are no doubts later on.”

MPTC IT Grads

The first class of students at Moraine Park Technical College involved in an Information Technology Interface program recently completed the Content Management Certificate.  Those who received their certificate included: Moosey Goljenboom of Pickett; Amy Moore of Berlin; Sharon Prag and Catherine Roegner of West Bend; and Amy Vanden Boogaard of Fond du Lac. The graduates presented projects they were involved in, all requiring extensive project management, team work and creative thinking skills. Information sessions for upcoming IT certificates will be held on Moraine Park’s Fond du Lac campus on Monday, November 17, at 1:30 and 5:30 p.m. and Thursday, November 20, at 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Preregistration for sessions is recommended through Moraine Park’s website. The IT Careers program was implemented as part of a three-year nearly $1 million grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor to address emerging needs in the IT sector.