Local News Briefs Tuesday 3/17/15

Sheboygan County Sheriff’s officials say the driver of a passenger car was hurt after the car collided with a dump truck north of Waldo Monday afternoon. It happened shortly after noon at the intersection of County Road U and Blueberry Road in the Town of Lyndon. The impact in the crash caused the car to flip, trapping the driver inside. Jaws of life were used and Flight for Life flew the driver to Froedtert Hospital. The driver of the car was the sole occupant of that vehicle.

Name Released From Pond Rescue

The Dodge County Sheriff’s Department has released the name of the 56-year-old Town of Shields man who was rescued with his dog from a frozen pond Sunday evening. Dale Bratz was trying to rescue the family’s black Lab when he went through the ice on the pond in his backyard. His wife called 911 and a sheriff’s deputy threw him a ice water throw bag and Bratz and the dog were pulled to safety. Bratz had been in the chilly waters for about 17 minutes and appeared to be suffering from hypothermia. He was taken to the hospital in Watertown. The dog was fine.

FDL County Board Preview

The Fond du Lac County Board of Supervisors tonight will be asked to approve a part-time position in the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office. The property and evidence control specialist position will begin March 29th and will pay from $20.43 to $24.41 per hour. Also during the meeting supervisors will be asked to approve several proclamations for Public Safety Telecommunicators Week (April 12-18th), Severe Weather Awareness Week (April 13-17th), and Work Zone Awareness Week (March 23-27th). They will also hear a presentation from East Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission Executive Director Eric Fowle. The board meets at 7 p.m. at the City-County Government Center in Fond du Lac. 

Eisenbahn Trail Closed To ATV Use

The Eisenbahn Trail in Fond du Lac County is currently closed for ATV riding.  ATV use is only allowed on the trail between December 15th and March 15th when the ground is frozen and the temperature is 28° or lower.

Senator Gudex On Proposed Cuts To The UW System

State Senator Rick Gudex says the $300 million cut in the proposed state budget for the U-W System is a fluid number. The state lawmaker from Fond du Lac has had conversations with both UW-Oshkosh Chancellor Andrew Leavitt and UW-Fond du Lac Dean John Short about the impact it would have on their schools. He says the one thing that has to be realized is that the two and four-year schools have to be treated differently. He says the four-year schools have more ability to recover lost revenue because of the size of their institutions. He says some do research and the UW-Oshkosh is a great economic development partner that has avenues in that direction, but the UW-Fond du Lac has very little opportunity to make up revenue through outside funding. He says the other part of the proposal for the UW-System is to give those schools more autonomy, which will allow them to make up some of that lost revenue. He thinks at least half of that $300 million can be made up.

Commonwealth Given More Time For Closing On Offer To Purchase Old Ripon Hospital

The Ripon Common Council is giving Commonwealth Development more time before the closing on the offer to purchase for the former Ripon Medical Center. Ripon City Administrator Lori Rich says the closing on the offer was coming up quickly. In fact it was scheduled for April 1st.  She says the Council agreed to extend the deadline for the offer to purchase to May 1st. She says Commonwealth has to submit their site plan and certified survey map to the Plan Commission this month before the closing. Commonwealth has had some experience in turning around old hospitals having successfully redeveloped one in Milwaukee and will be doing the same in Ripon. They plan to turn the Ripon Medical Center into 40 units of family housing.

Middle Class A Strength For FDL County

Fond du Lac County Economic Development Corporation President Steve Jenkins says a recent study by Martin Prosperity Institute found the County or Metropolitan Statistical Area had the least overall levels of income segregation in the nation. He says that means the community doesn’t have much separation in the levels of income and has a strong middle class.  He says that means Fond du Lac County is the type of community companies are willing to invest in. He says the County also was ranked first and second in the nation in occupational and educational integration. The full results of the study are available at http://martinprosperity.org/content/segregated-city/

Waupun School District Forming Community Engagement Committee

Waupun Schools Superintendent Tonya Gubin says the school district can’t handle all of the needs students face today so they are forming a Community Engagement Committee. She says about 40 business owners and stakeholders were sent out invitations. She says simply stated the committee will be about getting parents more involved in their child’s education. She says that can help with tackling problems like bullying. She says they also need help managing some of the social issues. She says they do have some great resources in Waupun that can benefit everyone’s kids. The committee’s first meeting will be at the Waupun Public Library from 8:30 to 10 a.m. Thursday.

Opportunities This Summer In Agnesian Student Volunteer Program

Agnesian HealthCare’s Volunteer Services will have many opportunities for students this summer who will be 15 or older by June 1st.  Interviews for the program are scheduled for Thursday, April 9 and Monday April 13 in Agnesian HealthCare’s lobby concourse, at 430 E. Division Street, Fond du Lac. Sessions on April 9 are scheduled at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m., and on April 13 at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. Parents are invited to attend if they wish. The summer student volunteer program begins the week of June 8 and ends on August 28. Students need to bring with them two letters of reference from someone other than a family member, such as a teacher, employer or someone they baby-sit for. Guidance counselors at area schools have been given a list of interview dates and times. Students should arrive at one of the designated session times. For more information, call Barb VanEgtern, Agnesian HealthCare Volunteer Services, at (920) 926-4966.