Local News Briefs Wednesday 5/18/16

FDL Police Memorial Ceremony Today

The Fond du Lac Police Department will hold their annual National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Ceremony this afternoon at 1 p.m. at Hamilton Park. Over the years four officers have lost their lives in the line of duty in the City. They are Officer William Prinslow, Officer Nick Klaske, Officer Craig Birkholz, and State Trooper Trevor Casper. The public is welcome to attend the ceremony at the Police and Fire Memorial.    

Water Work Scheduled In FDL

Fond du Lac’s Water Department tells us starting today pavement repairs will be made on E. Division Street at two separate locations. East and westbound traffic on Division Street between Portland Street and Marr Street will be closed for approximately 3 days. The westbound lane of traffic on Division Street between Marr Street and Amory Street will be closed for approximately 2 days.  Beginning Tuesday, May 24th, the water department crews will be lowering the water services on Fourth Street between Ellis Street and Everett Street. Work will continue into June with restoration to be completed shortly after. Fourth Street will remain open to traffic; however the parking lanes may be closed to allow excavation work to be completed.  During, the work there will be minimal water disruptions, prior to the work the crews will make attempts to contact residents involved.  People with questions may contact the City of Fond du Lac Water Utility at 322-3680.

Representative Thiesfeldt Says Clerks Attempt To Expand Registry Unlawful

State Representative Jeremy Thiesfeldt is calling on State Attorney General Brad Schimel to stop counties from extending the Domestic Partnership Law. Specifically he is outraged by the Dane County and Milwaukee County clerks declaring their intent to issue domestic partnerships to heterosexual couples. Thiesfeldt says the partnership was originally for same sex couples and was worded that way. Those clerks feel the domestic partnership Law is discriminatory something he agrees with. But he says county clerks don’t get to make laws he says that’s something the legislature does. When the U.S. Supreme Court declared same-sex marriage legal Thiesfeldt attempted to create legislation to dissolve the Domestic Partnership Law, but didn’t get the backing he needed in the legislature. Thiesfeldt says the clerks actions are unlawful and reveal the true intentions of the original proponents of the Domestic Partnership Law. He says it’s another example of our Society looking to destroy one of the bedrock institutions, which is marriage and trying to replace it with something else.

Summer Kickoff Event At Thelma Tonight

Summer activities in the Fond du Lac area will be highlighted during a kickoff event at the Thelma Sadoff Center for the Arts tonight. Downtown Fond du Lac Partnership Executive Director Amy Hansen says there are hundreds of events going on and representatives will be highlighting some of those activities. Thelma Executive Director Kevin Miller says contrary to what people believe there is a lot going on in Fond du Lac. The Fond du Lac Area Convention & Visitors Bureau is sponsoring the Summer Kickoff.  Doors will open at 5 p.m. and the program will begin at 6, followed by live music from Lighthouse Trio. Attendees will also have the opportunity to win a “staycation” package including a hotel stay at the Holiday Inn Express and tickets to various events.

NFDL Village Board Applies For Virtual Building Program

The North Fond du Lac Village Board this week approved participating in a Fond du Lac County Economic Development Corporation program. Village Administrator Chuck Hornung says usually it takes months for business to get the right permits to put up a new building. He says through the Virtual Building Program a building 15,000 square feet in size is already designed with the potential for up to three expansions and the proper permits are already in place. He says if the business agrees to it the building could be put up right away. He says the Village Board agreed to spend $12,500 if the Village is accepted for the program with the FCEDC putting up a matching amount. He says the program is limited. He says it is first come first serve with whoever signs up and gets the application in for a particular year getting first consideration. He says it looks like the program will be offered in future years as well.

Fire Station Open House

To celebrate National Emergency Medical Services Week, Fond du Lac Fire and Rescue will hold an open house at Fire Station #1 tonight from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Assistant Fire Chief Todd Janquart says there will be demonstrations. He says that includes a medical demonstration, Flight for Life will land, and there will be an automobile extrication where they cut apart a car. He says they will also demonstrating the difference a home sprinkler system makes during a fire by doing a side-by-side room demonstration. He says there will be light refreshments and some things kids can take home such as coloring books, stickers and more. Flight for Life is expected to land between 5 and 5:15 p.m. if they are not called to an emergency. Fire Station #1 is located at 815 S. Main Street.

West Bend Man Facing Marijuana Trafficking Charges

Washington County Sheriff’s officials say 220 marijuana plants were seized during the execution of a search warrant in the City of West Bend last Friday. As a result 56-year-old Gregg Mueller of West Bend has been charged with marijuana trafficking. Other growing paraphernalia was also recovered during the search. Bond was set at $10,000 cash when Mueller made his initial court appearance Monday. A preliminary hearing is scheduled next Wednesday.   

House Fire In Washington County

Fire destroyed a two-story home on Washington County Highway O in the Town of Erin late Monday morning. Sheriff’s officials say the single-family home was unoccupied and was in the process of being vacated. No one was injured fighting the fire. Eleven fire departments battled the blaze. The cause of the fire is being determined. The time of the fire call was just before 11:30 a.m.

Former Prison Guard Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Inmates

A former corrections officer has been charged in Dodge County Court for allegedly sexually assaulting three inmates at Fox Lake Correctional. Thirty-two-year-old Alex Andre Wouts of Poy Sippi made his initial court appearance this week. He was released on a $5,000 signature bond. Allegations were made to the District Attorney’s Office that led to an investigation at the prison last December. Wouts denied the assaults. He has a preliminary hearing on July 14th.

Spring Drug Drop Successful

  The Spring Cleaning Drug Drop collection in Fond du Lac County saw a 29 percent increase over a similar effort the year before. According to Drug Free Communities officials 2,275 pounds of old and unused prescription drugs were collected during the recent effort. Drug drop boxes are located at a number of police stations throughout the county. Amy Sebert of Aurora Health Care and Chair of the Drug Free Communities Opioid Initiative Prevention Pillar says, “By removing these drugs we prevent abuse and misuse in our community.”

Third Eye Blind Opens EAA AirVenture

Third Eye Blind, the San Francisco-based band that has sold more than 12 million records with a string of Top 20 hits, will get EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2016 off to an energetic start when it headlines the fly-in’s popular opening night concert on Monday, July 25. The concert, presented by Ford Motor Company, is free to all AirVenture opening-day attendees and will be held on Boeing Centennial Plaza immediately following the afternoon air show.  Third Eye Blind’s Top 10 hits include “Semi-Charmed Life,” “Jumper,” and “How’s It Going to Be,” with “Never Let You Go” reaching the Top 20.