Local News Briefs Tuesday 9/29/15

A near-fatal accident  in Dodge County over the weekend may have been the result of a bad decision. Sheriff Dale Schmidt says in an accident Friday afternoon a 78-year-old Brandon man suffered critical injuries when his car was struck by an RV when he tried to merge into traffic on Highway 151 southbound from Oakwood Road. Sheriff Schmidt says Orville Kemink tried to pull across several lanes of traffic and didn’t have the opening to do that. Kemink was flown to Aurora Summit Hospital. The two Monroe men in the RV were not injured.

Fire In Downtown Sheboygan Displaces Resident

A fire in downtown Sheboygan Sunday afternoon displaced 17 people. The fire occurred in a three-story office building. Firefighters say it was in a back office and was quickly extinguished. Tenants living above a business in the building were displaced because of smoke from the fire. There was also some water damage. No injuries were reported.

Sex Offender Being Released In Washington County

Washington County Sheriff’s officials say a 50-year-old sex offender will be released from prison Wednesday and will be living at a residence in the Town of Jackson. Leonard Morey will be living at 1725 CTH NN. He will be the only person living there. At that time, he will be the sole resident. He was convicted of three different sexual assault charges involving the same child victim in the 1990s. His victim was an underage girl. His extended supervision will expire on September 30th, 2035. He will be on GPS monitoring.

FDL County COLI Below National Average

Fond du Lac County remains a very affordable place to live, work, and raise a family according to the second quarter 2015 Cost of Living Index data.  The after-tax cost for a professional/managerial standard of living is 96.6 or 3.4% below the national average of 100.00. The Cost of Living Index measures regional differences in the cost of consumer goods and services for professional and managerial households in the top income bracket.  It is based on more than 90,000 prices covering 60 different items in 271 urban areas.  The composite index of 96.6 for the Fond du Lac area is based on six different categories: grocery items, housing, utilities, transportation, health care, and miscellaneous goods and services.

Getting A Jump On High School Classes

The Fond du Lac School Board yesterday held a workshop to discuss how to implement Wisconsin Act 138. District Superintendent Jim Sebert says the new law allows 7th and 8th graders to take courses for high school credit. He says the courses have to be aligned and those teaching it have to be high school certified. He says there are several courses students could take to get high school credit. He says that could include foreign language courses like Spanish 1 or French 1 or math courses like Algebra or Geometry for instance. Sebert says 7th or 8th graders who do get a jump on their high school classes would be freed up to take other courses during high school such as more electives. He says later in high school those students could also take some college credit courses through arrangements they have with local colleges.

NFDL Refinances Borrowing For TID One

The North Fond du Lac Village Board recently passed a resolution to refinance borrowing for Tax Incremental District #1 along I-41. Village Administrator Chuck Hornung says they should be able to pay it off over the next five years. He says they owe about $2 million on it. He says with the debt being callable they had an opportunity to refinance it. The original borrowing took place in 1999 with refinancing of the loan in 2005. Hornung says even though they only have a few years until it’s paid off, the refinancing will save them significant money. He says it will save the Village about $285,000.

Grothman Introduces Legislation To Name FDL Post Office After WW II Hero

Congressman Glenn Grothman recently introduced legislation to designate the U.S. Post Office located on West 2nd Street in Fond du Lac as the “Lieutenant Colonel James ‘Maggie’ Megellas Post Office.” “I am proud to pay tribute to Lieutenant Colonel Megellas’s sacrificial service to our country,” said Congressman Grothman. Congressman Grothman also introduced, H.R. 808, which authorizes and requests President Barack Obama to award Megellas with the United States’ highest military honor, the Medal of Honor, for his courageous actions during the Battle of the Bulge in World War II. Megellas was born and raised in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, and graduated from Ripon College. He currently lives in Colleyville, Texas.  U.S. Senator Ron Johnson introduced similar legislation in the Senate in July.