Local News Briefs Wednesday 5/13/15

The 24-year-old Manitowoc woman who led Sheboygan County Sheriff’s deputies on a high speed chase Monday night that reached speeds of 120 miles per hour has been charged. Mary Rasmussen was charged in Sheboygan County Court Tuesday. Among the charges are 1st degree recklessly endangering safety, eluding an officer, theft, possession of narcotics and drug paraphernalia, and four counts of bail jumping. A $5,000 cash bond was set and she will be back in court for a preliminary hearing next Wednesday.

Milwaukee Man Sentenced In Washington County Heroin Death

A Washington County judge this week sentenced a 39-year-old Milwaukee man to 10 years in prison on a charge stemming from a drug death. Twan Parham was sentenced on a 2nd degree reckless homicide charge the result of the heroin overdose death of 51-year-old Jeffrey Erickson in 2013. The two never met. Twenty-four-year-old Clayton Selsing of Neosho is facing a 1st degree reckless homicide charge for buying the heroin and allegedly administering the fatal shot to Erickson. He will be in court next Monday.

FDL City Council Preview

The Fond du Lac City Council tonight will hear a presentation from Winnebago Lutheran Academy requesting to lease a portion of McDermott Park. The high school near the park would like to build some athletic fields on the property and lease the property from the City. It’s a move that could benefit both the school and the City. Also during the meeting the Council will consider ordinances allowing the keeping of honey bees in the City and setting permit fees for it. The meeting is at 6 p.m. at the City-County Government Center.

FDL Superintendent On Opt Out Bill

Fond du Lac Schools Superintendent Jim Sebert has mixed feelings about the legislation introduced by State Representative Jeremy Thiesfeldt that would allow more students to opt out of testing for tests like the Badger Exam. Sebert says from a positive perspective he thinks what the Fond du Lac legislator is trying to do is provide some clarity. But Sebert worries people may perceive that the bill encourages kids to opt out of testing. The bill would also remove the penalty for school districts on school report cards if less than 95 percent of kids take the testing. Sebert says that high threshold is needed to get a good idea of how the overwhelming majority of kids are doing on testing. Sebert says the district uses a lot of formative assessments, which are assessments for learning to see where kids are strong and where there are areas that need growth. He says it helps give teachers an idea of where kids are at in their learning.

Samaritan Clinic Cash Raffle Today

Someone will be $100,000 richer today with the drawing of the grand prize for the Samaritan Health Clinic Cash Raffle. Dr. Alyssa Stephenson is one of the co-chairs for the raffle. She says the clinic at Agnesian HealthCare in Fond du Lac provides nearly 90 health care services vouchers a month for physician follow-up visits, vision or dental care, and medication assistance. She says the raffle started out raffling off a house, but the cash raffle has caught on the last few years. The raffle has been going on 23 years. Co-chair Dr. Michael DeGere says the clinic helps those who might not otherwise be able to afford health care services, but anyone’s financial circumstances can change quickly. People can still purchase tickets through the drive through at the St. Agnes Hospital from 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. today. We will have the drawing on KFIZ and K107.1 at 12:05 this afternoon and Bob Hoffmaster will be in the lobby of St. Agnes for the Morning Show.

FDL County Offices Closed For Memorial Day

Fond du Lac County offices in the City/County Government Center, the Sheriff’s Office Lobby Window, the Portland Street Annex including the Veterans Service Office, the Department of Social Services and the Highway Department will be closed all day on Monday May 25th in observance of Memorial Day.

Congressman Grothman Urges Better Care For Veterans In Rural Areas

Congressman Glenn Grothman Tuesday signed onto a bipartisan letter, along with several other freshman House members, urging Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald to prioritize the needs of rural veterans and to ensure they are receiving the proper care they deserve. This can be a great challenge for veterans and their families. “America’s veterans deserve the best health care available and shouldn’t be forced to drive long distances for health care services,” said Congressman Grothman. “The VA system is still broken and more needs to be done. It is my hope that Secretary McDonald will consider this important issue and ensure that our rural veterans are not forgotten.”

SPROUT Helps With Development For Those Birth To Six

A Fond du Lac psychologist says the Community Partnership for Young Children is a good way to assess if children under the age of six need some help in their mental development. Matt Doll says it’s better known as SPROUT Supporting Positive Relationships so children Under six can Thrive. He says resources are available to help children that might need it. He says early intervention can mean avoiding higher costs, lost lives and productivity later in life. He says a good way of thinking of it is “cradle to career,” if we catch things early on the assembly line it costs us very little to fix. A questionnaire about SPROUT is available in both Spanish and English. It’s available outside the WIC office on the 3rd floor of the City-County Government Center in Fond du Lac. For more information you can also call the Fond du Lac County Health Department at 929-3085.

FDL County Sheriff Benevolent Association Brat And Burger Fry Today

The Fond du Lac County Sheriff Benevolent Association will hold a brat and burger fry at the City-County Government Center in Fond du Lac today from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sheriff’s Sergeant Eric Halbach says proceeds are being used to fund a scholarship for students who are interested in criminal justice. He says they’ve done some other activities including a food drive for the Salvation Army last fall. For the association it’s their second annual brat and burger fry. It will be located on the 1st floor of the City-County Government Center. For early birds there’s also a bake sale that starts at 7 a.m. and runs until bakery items are sold out.