Local News Briefs Wednesday 12/30/15

FDL County Sheriffs Deputies Respond To More Than 100 Calls For Assistance During Storm

During Monday and Tuesday’s snow storm, Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s deputies responded to more than 100 requests for assistance from drivers. According to Sheriff’s Captain Rick Olig during a 24 hour period they assisted 21 motorists, 17 crashes without injuries and 3 with injuries. There were also 73 runoffs during the storm.

Drunken Driver Goes Double The Speed Limit In Dodge County

Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt says a 34-year-old Waukesha woman put lives in jeopardy by allegedly driving drunk and at nearly twice the speed limit on County Highway P on Christmas Eve. Another driver had to pull onto the shoulder of the road to get out of the way of the speeding vehicle, which was going 109 miles per hour. When the woman’s car was stopped she believed she was still in Waukesha and was uncooperative in identifying herself. She also tried unsuccessfully to escape from the back of the deputy’s squad car. She is facing drunken driving, speeding and obstructing an officer charges.

FDL Man Facing Felony Theft Charge

A 43-year-old Fond du Lac man is suspected of stealing from his employer to support a drug habit. Edward Drab, Jr. made his initial appearance in Dodge County Court this week. Drab is charged with felony theft. He allegedly stole over $6,000 worth of copper from Quad Graphics in Lomira. Drab was released on a $1,000 signature bond. He has a preliminary hearing in February.

Slow Going Even For Ambulances And Fire Truck

Even ambulances and fire trucks had a tough time getting around Fond du Lac Monday night following a major snow storm that left about a foot of snow on the ground. Fire Captain Garth Schumacher says plows just couldn’t keep up. He says one of their ambulances got stuck at 1st and Main with a patient in the back briefly. He says they even sent out one of their own plow trucks. He says some passer-bys pitched in helping shovel the ambulance out. Schumacher says one of their engines, responding to a fire alarm, also got stuck. He says that happened on Sullivan Drive and generally there was slow going throughout the night.

Request To Shovel Out Hydrants

An official with Fond du Lac Fire and Rescue is asking residents to give them a hand by shoveling out around hydrants. Captain Garth Schumacher says this week’s winter storm left a lot of snow behind, which can create a real hazard if it buried fire hydrants they need to get to put out a structure fire. He says they do have mapping software that tells them where hydrants are located in the city, but he says it saves time if they can actually see hydrants when they are pulling up for a fire call.

No Tow Policy

The Highway Safety Coordinator for Fond du Lac County says leaving commercial vehicles and cars that go into the ditch during snowstorms might be inconvenient for the driver, but it’s safer for those trying to remove the vehicle. Sheriff’s Captain Rick Olig says when it’s safe to do so a work zone is set up while the vehicle is being removed. He says there is a system for determining when to leave a car, truck or van in a ditch during a snow storm. He says if you can’t see the lights on a tow truck and Sheriff’s squad, a vehicle is tagged and marked through dispatch and the driver is given a ride. He says the State Patrol also goes along with the “no tow” policy when it’s in place.

FDL Humane Society Reaches Capital Campaign Goal

The Fond du Lac Humane Society recently reached its goal in a fundraising campaign to expand their current animal shelter. Shelter Manager Renee Webb says they had a lofty goal and it took several years to reach it. She says they passed their goal of $600,000 in a campaign that they launched in 2012. She says they hope to break ground in the spring. She says the architect is working on and wrapping up plans. She says they will build on to their current site tripling their square footage. She says they will go from having 2,600 square feet to close to 8,000 square feet.

Meeting About Highway 67 Improvements In Town Of Osceola

The state’s Department of Transportation will host a meeting next Tuesday to discuss proposed improvements to State Highway 67 in the town of Osceola. The project in Fond du Lac County includes the replacement of a culvert, as well as stream restoration work to improve fish and wildlife movement upstream of the existing culvert location. The meeting begins at 6 p.m. at the Ice Age Visitors Center with a short presentation at 6:15 p.m. The Center is about a half a mile west of Dundee on State Highway 67. Construction is scheduled in 2017.

Some FDL County Youth Going To Space Camp

Four Fond du Lac County youth will be attending Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama this spring. Denise Retzlaff is the 4-H Youth Development Educator for the Fond du Lac County UW-Extension Service. She says the middle school-aged kids will be attending a program with other children from throughout the country learning about NASA and the History of Space Exploration in the United States. She says they will also be learning about the International Space Station and they will be part of a simulated space mission. Retzlaff says a number of years ago she chaperoned a group to the Space Camp so she’s somewhat familiar with what goes into space exploration.