Local News Briefs Tuesday 4/8/14

Dodge County Sheriff’s officials are investigating a stabbing at the North Hills Mobil Home Park in the Town of Beaver Dam. A teenage cousin of the victim reported the stabbing late Friday night. The victim was an 18-year-old Madison man who was stabbed in the arm. Deputies couldn’t locate the victim, but he has active warrants out for his arrest. Sheriff Pat Ninmann says the parties involved know each other and the stabbing was not a random act. Ninmann says there is no threat to the community and this may be a case of a drug deal gone sour.

Two Arrested On Separate Weapons Incidents In Oshkosh

Oshkosh Police arrested two Oshkosh men for separate weapons calls over the past few days. The first call involved a 34-year-old man in the 200 block of E. Melvin Avenue who was armed a 9 millimeter handgun during a dispute with a 33-year-old woman. Police found the gun on him when they arrived at the scene last Thursday night. The second incident happened in the 800 block of Central Street Sunday night and involved a 31-year-old man who reportedly had a compound bow and was involved in a domestic incident. He was located at a tavern. Both men were arrested and taken to the Winnebago County Jail. Each is facing charges including disorderly conduct and endangering safety. No one was hurt in either incident. 

Two Meetings On Highway 23 Scheduled For Tuesday In The Area

The state’s Department of Transportation will be holding meetings in Fond du Lac and Green Lake Counties today on Highway 23 resurfacing projects. The meeting in Green Lake County will be from noon to 1 p.m. at the Brooklyn Town Hall in Green Lake and will focus on this year’s reconstruction of Highway 23 between Green Lake and Ripon. The meeting in Fond du Lac County will be from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Rosendale Municipal Building and will focus on design concepts for a proposed resurfacing between Ripon and Rosendale. The Green Lake to Ripon project could start as early as April 21st, while the Ripon to Rosendale project wouldn’t begin until June of next year.

Possibility Of Federal Disaster Relief For Harsh Winter

Emergency management directors in Wisconsin are preparing for the possibility of some federal relief for the harsh winter. Fond du Lac County Communications and Emergency Management Director James McNabb says nothing is concrete yet, but there’s a possibility of some type of relief for municipalities for expenses that occurred for the 60 day period beginning at the end of January.He says broken water mains would be among those types of costs incurred. By mid-February the City of Fond du Lac had experienced nearly 30 water main breaks and about three dozen frozen water services. To prevent that from happening residents were being asked to run their water for 5 minutes, three times a day.

Thiesfeldt On Elections Bills

Two elections bills State Representative Jeremy Thiesfeldt of Fond du Lac had a hand in were recently signed into law by Governor Scott Walker. Thiesfeldt says one reduces nomination signatures someone needs to run for City Council in cities like Fond du Lac and Oshkosh. It cuts the number from 200 to 100. He says he didn’t have a problem getting that many signatures when he served on the Fond du Lac City Council. He says it’s hoped it will increase the number of people running for City Council. The other bill gives elections clerks the option of doing a hand count when a recount is needed in an election. He says it can get costly if voting machine memory packs have to be replaced as was the case in a Campbellsport School Board election. He says the vote allow recount by hand without having to get a judge’s permission to do so.

FDL County Board Preview

The Fond du Lac County Board will hold a special meeting tonight at 7 p.m. During the meeting the board will act on amending language to a resolution approved at the March 18th board meeting, which set salaries for the Sheriff’s and Clerk of Courts positions. The salaries have to be set before nomination papers are circulated for the elected positions, which begins April 15th.  An increase in pay for the Sheriff’s positions for the final year of the four year term was wrong and needs to be amended. Following the meeting an orientation will be held for the 25 supervisors who will make up the board over the next two years. The meeting is at the City-County Government Center in Fond du Lac.

Police Dog Grendel Retiring Today

After eight years of service to the Fond du Lac Police Department, police dog Grendel is retiring today. The public is invited to stop by and say goodbye to Grendel during a ceremony at 2 p.m. at the police station on North Main Street. Grendel and Officer Ryan Williams were both left critically wounded during the standoff incident in March of 2011 that also resulted in the death of Police Officer Craig Birkholz. We had Williams and Grendel in our studios in May of that year for a Behind the Badge program talking about their recovery and impending return to the force. Williams told us at the time one of the toughest questions he was getting was how Grendel would respond to live fire and he said during a test his dog was fine with it. They had been visiting schools to thank students for all the get well cards and wishes. Williams says he’s kept them all. Grendel even spoke during the program, when asked to do so. Grendel’s service to the community and retirement will also be recognized by the Fond du Lac City Council at its meeting Wednesday night.

Camelot Drive Parking Restrictions

Beginning tomorrow new parking restrictions go into effect on Camelot Drive. The Fond du Lac City Council passed an ordinance prohibiting parking on Camelot Drive with two areas of exception. Parking will be prohibited on Camelot Drive from South Main Street to Highway 151, except on the west side of Camelot Drive from Knights Way south to the curve just before Society Insurance and on the east side near the Ledgeview Nature Center. The location near the Ledgeview Nature Center and Pond will be a 2-hour limit except Saturdays and Sunday when people can park at any time. No Parking signs will be posted on Camelot Drive by Wednesday, April 9th.

Kohler Company Developing Fifth Golf Course In Sheboygan County

(WHBL-Sheboygan)-The Kohler Company wants to build a fifth golf course in Sheboygan County. At a packed Town of Wilson board meeting Monday evening, Destination Kohler GM Michael Belot provided few details about their plans at what is currently tented forest property along Lake Michigan.  All that was shared was it would be an 18 hole course with basic amenities like a clubhouse, maintenance facility and golf cart barn.  Access to the course would be off County V/12th Street. The town approved a pre-development agreement, making Kohler cover costs as the planning process continues. Kohler lawyer Steven Westphal said the company will provide the public opportunities to comment on the project in the future.

Local Product Featured On Arsenio Hall Show

A product made by a Brownsville company was featured in a skit on the Arsenio Hall Show last Friday night. Actor Don Cheadle wore a pair of the Drunk Busters of America impairment goggles to demonstrate the dangers of golfing while impaired. The goggles are usually used to simulate impairment and the dangers of driving drunk. Here’s a photo from that skit.

Kewaskum Teacher Recognized

Kewaskum teacher Kim Longdin is the 2014 recipient of a statewide award from the Wisconsin Education Association Council. Longdin, who is president of her local education association and community coalitions, was selected as the recipient of the Tenia Jenkins Activist Award for her activism for students and educators. She will be honored at WEAC’s annual meeting later this month. “Kim’s work in the classroom, in the Kewaskum School District and in the Kewaskum community has brought her to a special place in the hearts and minds of her students, colleagues, parents and citizens,” said WEAC President Betsy Kippers. Longdin was nominated for the statewide award by her colleagues. Kewaskum Principal Julie Skelton supported the recommendation, saying, “The community of Kewaskum recognizes Kimberly as a leader and an advocate for education.”

In the photo: Kewaskum teacher Kim Longdin, left, accepts the 2014 Tenia Jenkins Activist Award from WEAC President Betsy Kippers recently in West Bend. Longdin will also be honored at a statewide meeting later this month.