Local News Briefs Tuesday 8/18/15

Dodge County Sheriff’s officials have identified the woman who died after she was found in a parking lot in Watertown early Sunday morning. Twenty-seven-year-old Tiara Hobbs of Cudahy was taken to Watertown Hospital where she was pronounced dead. A 911 call from N866 County Road R about the unresponsive woman in the parking lot alerted authorities about the situation. The call was made shortly after 2:30 a.m. Sheriff’s detectives and the County Medical Examiner’s office are investigating Hobb’s death.

Westbound Lane Of Forest Avenue Closing

Fond du Lac’s Department of Public Works tells us the westbound lane of Forest Avenue will be closed between Main Street and Macy Street. The closure will begin Thursday and will be in effect for approximately one week. Driveway access to the parking lot on Forest Avenue will not be affected.

Ribbon Cutting For New North Entrance To FDL City County Building

A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held for the new north entrance to the Fond du Lac City-County Government Center in Fond du Lac prior to the County Board’s meeting tonight. The ceremony is scheduled for 6:15 p.m. Both City and County officials are expected to be in attendance along with City Council and County Board members. Former Fond du Lac Police Chief and County Board Supervisor Mel Heller will have the honor of cutting the ribbon. The new entrance will open to the public on Wednesday.

FDL County Board Preview

Fond du Lac County supervisors tonight will be asked to approve the purchase of 38 acres for the construction of a future highway garage and other county facilities in Fond du Lac. County board members will be asked to approve purchasing the land on South Hickory Road south of Highway 151 for $800,000. The Board meets at 7 p.m. at the City-County Government Center in Fond du Lac.

Meeting About Proposed NFDL Ladder Truck

North Fond du Lac officials will hold a meeting tonight to discuss the proposed purchase of a new ladder truck for the village fire department. The meeting will be at 6 p.m. at the Municipal Building Board Room on Garfield Street. The current ladder truck will be thirty years old next year and is becoming ineffective as a fire emergency response vehicle. What’s discussed at this meeting and future meetings about the ladder truck will help the Village Board make their eventual determination.

Food Trucks

The president of the Fond du Lac City Council is pleased the City is giving food vendors another option by expanding the City’s food truck ordinance. The Council approved the change last week opening the door for more food trucks to operate within the City. Council President Lee Ann Lorrigan says Chameleon Mobile has had some success operating on private property prior to the Council passing the amended ordinance. Lorrigan says she enjoyed the variety that Portland offered in the food trucks they allowed. There are restrictions with the City’s new ordinance, but previously food trucks were only allowed to operate downtown.

Flu Shots

Some health officials are already pushing people to get flu shots, but is it too early? Fond du Lac Public Health Officer Kim Mueller says they’ve already received some flu vaccine for this fall’s immunization clinics. She says getting shots early does afford you protection against the flu. She says normally the Health Department and others who provide flu shot clinics do so from September through November. Mueller says there’s no 100 percent guarantee that getting immunized against the flu will ward it off because each year health experts have to predict how previous cases of influenza will mutate. She says if you do want to get a flu shot or nasal mist early you can visit or call the County Health Department in Fond du Lac. You can call 929-3085.

Senator Fitzgerald Keeping Hours During Dodge County Fair

State Senator Scott Fitzgerald will be keeping office hours at the Dodge County Fair this Friday. The Senate Majority Leader from Juneau will be at the Republican Party Booth from 4 to 5 p.m. that afternoon. He will also be participating in a cream puff eating contest that afternoon at the fair. The Dodge County Fair kicks off Wednesday and runs through this Sunday at the Dodge County Fairgrounds on Highway 33 east of Beaver Dam.