Local News Briefs Wednesday 2/10/16

Downtown FDL Committee To Be Discussed

The Fond du Lac City Council will discuss the creation of a Downtown Fond du Lac Committee during their meeting tonight. Council Vice President Gary Miller says it’s not going to be like the committee they put together for Lakeside Park. He says there are very complicated issues and he’d like to see the Council move ahead with the committee. He says has specific ideas about the stakeholders that should be included on the committee. The Council will have a Committee of the Whole Meeting at 5 p.m. with the Downtown Fond du Lac Partnership Board of Directors and staff to discuss the creation of the committee. Miller says he’s glad to see the DFP will be involved in the process. He hopes Council members are prepared for the task before them. City Manager Joe Moore will also give an update on the committee during the Council’s regular meeting, which starts at 6 p.m.

Badger 5 Winner In FDL

The Pick N Save on West Pioneer Road in Fond du Lac sold one of the seven winning tickets for a $111,000 Badger 5 jackpot. The tickets were for last Friday night’s game. The winning numbers that night were 5, 10, 15, 20 and 30. Winners have 180 days to claim their prize.

Fox Lake Woman Sentenced To Probation For Church Thefts

A 42-year-old Fox Lake woman has been placed on probation for a year for stealing from a Beaver Dam church. Tricia Maleck this week pled to three misdemeanor theft charges in Dodge County Court. According to the criminal complaint she was given responsibility for a checkbook belonging to First Lutheran Church in Beaver Dam. She was supposed to be managing a youth group’s funds. Maleck admitted stealing a total of $4,000 dollars from the church through two withdrawals and by forging a church administrator’s signature on a check.  She told police she needed the money to help pay for her divorce.  She also ordered to perform 20 hours of community service and write a letter of apology to the church.

ATV Trail In Dodge County Open

The ATV trail along the Wild Goose State Trail in Dodge County is now open. Colder temperatures are being predicted this entire week which should continue to make the trail surface suitable for riding. All snowmobile trails in both Fond du Lac and Dodge Counties remain closed because of lack of snow.

Survey Will Ask About NFDL School Facilities Needs

A North Fond du Lac Schools committee continues its effort to make long range plans for the district’s facilities. District Superintendent Aaron Sadoff says they’ve identified some needs in their buildings. He says early childhood through 5th grade they have some big needs, he says they need a new gym floor at Bessie Allen Middle School and security needs, and at the High School they are growing and need to address some needs as well. He says the High School debt will be retired in a couple of years. He says there will be some tax relief and an opportunity to address facility needs. He says they will be sending out a survey that will ask questions about a possible referendum. He says it will be sent out in the spring or fall and will ask questions about a possible referendum that would address some of their long range needs.

Watch Your Step

Fond du Lac Fire and Rescue has had quite a few ambulance calls over the past few days for slip and fall accidents. Assistant Chief Todd Janquart says changing conditions haven’t helped with slippery sidewalks and driveways. He says a little sun during the day and colder conditions at night create thaw and freeze that perpetuate the problem. He says it creates icy conditions that lead to slip and falls and secondary injuries. Janquart says if you can keep your sidewalks and driveways clear it will help alleviate the problem.

Humanity Project Making Progress

A participant in the Humanity Project in Fond du Lac says they’ve made some great strides during the pilot program that is attempting to reduce tensions and misunderstandings about race. Former UW-Fond du Lac Dean Judy Goldsmith says there is a lot of diversity in the group’s membership. She says they have a wonderful time together and what they are doing is really impressive. She says there is a lot we still don’t understand about each other. She says they have a couple more meetings this year before they do a wrap up meeting. Goldsmith says they will start up again in September and hope to expand on what they have accomplished. She says they hope to bring more people into their membership and will form a speakers’ bureau to talk to other groups about what they are doing.

School Safety Planning

A school resource deputy for the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Department says safety planning for schools has evolved over the years. Dean Schelinske works for the Sheriff’s Department in the Campbellsport School District. He says they update safety planning at the beginning of the school year and toward the end of it. He says they would like to see visitors to the schools check in with the main office first. Schelinske says the reason they have safety drills at the schools is so if something occurs students will know what to do and will do it systematically the same way they would a tornado or fire drill. Schelinske has been a school resource deputy for 14 years.