Local News Friday 3/22/13

FDL Woman Injured Man Arrested In Drunken Driving Accident

 

A 57-year-old Fond du Lac woman was injured and a 44-year-old Tigerton man arrested for driving drunk and causing an accident after a two-car collision on the Johnson Street Highway 41 overpass in Fond du Lac Wednesday night. Assistant Police Chief Steve Klein says an off-duty Sheriff’s detective saw a vehicle flee the scene and gave police a license plate number and the direction of travel the striking vehicle took. The man driving the vehicle was seen pulling into the parking lot of the Kwik Trip at Johnson Street and Rolling Meadows Drive and taking off on foot behind the building. The man was urinating behind the building and took off running when an officer approached him. After a short foot chase he was arrested. He was bleeding from the head and had blood on both arms. He’s facing his second drunken driving charge, OWI causing injury, hit and run causing injury, and obstruction charges. The woman was taken to St. Agnes Hospital with unknown injuries.

 

Suspicious Man In Oshkosh

 

Police in Oshkosh say a black man may be posing as an alarm employee. They say a resident in the 400 block of West New York Avenue early Wednesday afternoon reported finding a man at the back door of the home.  The man said he had paperwork in reference to an alarm system and wanted that resident to open the door to take it. The resident refused and the man eventually left. The man was described as being black, six feet tall or taller and in his mid 30’s. He was wearing a long tan coat and a hat. Police checked the area, but couldn’t locate the man. Police say if the man approaches your home, don’t let him in and give them a call at (920) 236-5700 or 911.

 

Sheboygan Woman Gets Threes Years For Credit Card Thefts

 

(WHBL-Sheboygan)-A Sheboygan woman who was stealing credit cards and then using them around Sheboygan last July and August is going to prison.  Twenty-three- year-old Crystal Federer was sentenced this week in Sheboygan County Court to three years in prison and three years of extended supervision. She stole the credit cards mostly from purses she had taken from cars and elsewhere.  She then made numerous purchases with them including flat-screen televisions. Police identified her through surveillance video. 

 

RFP Being Developed For UW-FDL Master Plan Work

 

Officials with the UW-Fond du Lac are working with Fond du Lac County to develop a request for proposals for firms that would be willing to work on a master plan for the campuses facilities.

In addition to the all the facilities on campus the university is currently surveying students on whether they’d like to see on-campus housing developed in the future. UW-Fond du Lac Dean John Short says they also need to look at their physical education building and whether it will serve their needs long into the future. He says developing a master plan will require a lot of work for the firm that eventually does it. Fond du Lac County owns the buildings and grounds on campus.

 

FDL County In The Middle Of The Pack In County Health Rankings

 

Fond du Lac County’s rank in the annual County Health Rankings for Wisconsin remained virtually the same compared to last year. In the 2012 report prepared by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation the County finished 35th, this year Fond du Lac County finished 36th among the state’s 72 counties. County Public Health Officer Kim Mueller says we need to improve in health behaviors where the County finished 42nd. That included tobacco use, diet and exercise, alcohol use and obesity. She says the County did a community health assessment last year and developed a community health improvement plan to address four big needs that included doing something about obesity, dental health access, mental health access, and alcohol use. She says it will take time to make improvements. Mueller says there were some bright spots with the County finishing 22nd among health factors, 16th for clinical care, 20th for social and economic factors, and 25th for physical environment.  Ozaukee County finished as the healthiest county in the rankings and Menominee the worst. To see the report click here

 

FDL School Board Meeting Cancelled

 

The Fond du Lac School Board meeting scheduled for next Monday night has been cancelled. District officials say that’s because of a lack of action items for the agenda. Typically the board meets twice a month on the second and fourth Monday of the month.

 

FDL School Board Candidates Forum

 

The Fond du Lac Area Retired Educators’ Association will be holding a candidates’ forum next Tuesday for the four candidates running for the Fond du Lac School Board. The candidates are Elizabeth Hayes, Kathleen Nagle, Mark Jurgella and Barbara Kuhls. The forum will be held in the legislative chambers of the City-County Government Center at 7 p.m.  Al Messer is the association’s president. He says a local chapter of the League of Women Voters used to sponsor such forums, but disbanded so they are happy to step in and offer the candidates’ forum. Former UW-Fond du Lac Dean Judy Goldsmith will be the moderator. The general election is on Tuesday, April 2nd.

 

Appointments Made In Wake Of Campbellsport Tragedy

 

Two interim administrators have been appointed by the he Campbellsport School Board to fill vacancies created by the death of Associate High School Principal and Athletic Director Lance Beyer. Beyer was killed in a two car-crash in the Town of Marshfield at the beginning of the month.  Appointed by the school board this week was Robert Hepp who will be the interim Associate Principal and Athletic Director for the Junior/Senior High School. Hepp previously worked as the dean of students. Steve Hamm will fill that role in the interim. Beyer had been with the Campbellsport School District for eight years.

 

FDL City Council Candidate Endorsed By Thiesfeldt

 

Former Fond du Lac City Councilman and State Representative Jeremy Thiesfeldt endorsed Sam Meyer’s candidacy for the Fond du Lac City Council Thursday. Thiesfeldt says, “Sam Meyer has proven himself to be a valueable asset to the community and has my full support for the election to the Fond du Lac City Council.” Thiesfeldt went on to say Meyer has made the community stronger through his previous leadership on the city council, county board, and the Downtown Fond du Lac Partnership. Meyer is one of four candidates for three seats on the Council. The others are incumbent Councilwoman Rebecca Lunde Ross, Catherine Block and Dan Manning.

 

Roggensack Runs For Another Term On State Supreme Court

 

State Supreme Court Justice Pat Roggensack says her experience as both a justice and with the State Appeals Court makes her a better choice for voters on April 2nd. Roggensack has been on the Supreme Court the past 10 years and served on the State Appeals Court for 7 years. She also was a lawyer for 16 years before that. She says her opponent Marquette Law School Professor Ed Fallone has said if he’s elected he will create a voice for working class families before the Court. She says a justice is supposed to apply the rule of law fairly for everyone who comes before the Court. You can learn more about Roggensack at her website or on her Facebook page. 

 

State Supreme Court Justice Pat Roggensack says the Court is getting along and conducting their business more efficiently. She says they will need to do some repair work for the choking incident involving Justices Prosser and Bradley, but that happened in June of 2011 and the justices on the Court have gotten along well since then. She says they’ve also worked the last few years to make sure they are rendering more case decisions and have been able to accomplish that. She says they’ve gone from rendering opinions for 13 or 14 cases a couple of years ago to 35 or 36 last year.  Roggensack faces Marquette Law School Professor Ed Fallone in the April 1st election.

 

Decision Delayed On Including Fallen Officer’s Name On National Memorial

 

(Wisconsin Radio Network)-It could be another year before a decision is reached on whether to add a fallen Wisconsin police officer’s name to a national memorial. Officials with the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund have decided to wait until 2014 before deciding whether to add Jennifer Sebena’s name to the memorial. The non-profit was expected to meet Thursday to reconsider an earlier decision to reject her name, but Jim Palmer with the Wisconsin Professional Police Association says board members told him they opted for a delay instead. Sebena’s name was initially left off of the memorial because the Wauwatosa officer died as the result of a domestic incident. Sebena was shot and killed Chirstmas Eve while on duty. Her husband has been charged with her murder.

 

Oakfield School District Hoping To Reverse Declining Enrollment Trend

 

After 6 or 7 years of declining enrollment officials with the Oakfield School District say projections might show a reversal in that trend. Oakfield Schools Superintendent Pam Yoder says they have about 520 students today compared to more than 600 children at one time. She says they are one of the few districts that benefit from open enrollment. She says smaller class sizes and the small school atmosphere are one of the things that appeals to people. Declining enrollment however did impact their state funding, which is one of the reasons they are asking for more operating funds during an April 2nd referendum.

 

Voyager Phones Home From 11 Billion Miles Away

 

(Wisconsin Radio Network)-A satellite launched by NASA in 1977 is becoming the first man-made object to reach the edges of our solar system. Alan Peche, director of the Barlow Planetarium at the UW-Fox Valley, says Voyager One is still sending information back to Earth. He says it’s talking from 11 billion miles away and its probably outside our solar system. Peche says it’s an exciting time to follow space exploration. Peche says it’s amazing that we can still communicate with Voyager, considering its broadcast strength is only a little stronger than a cell phone.

 

Senate Scholar Participants Announced

 

State Senator Rick Gudex informs us that Kyle Kettner of Oshkosh West High School and Riley Wogernese of Lourdes Academy have been chosen to participate in the 2013 Senate Scholar Program. High school juniors and seniors from around the state of Wisconsin will be participating in a week-long, intensive program at the State Capitol either in an April or May session. The Senate Scholar Program’s rigorous curriculum is two-fold. First, the students are introduced to many facets of the legislative process. They meet with legislative support agencies, legislative staff, the Governor’s staff, a Supreme Court Justice, the media, lobbyists, and University of Wisconsin-Madison faculty members. The students then put their knowledge into action. When the Senate is on the floor, Scholars staff the session under the direction of the Senate Sergeant at Arms’ office. The week’s events culminate in a Senate Scholar committee hearing on a bill that the students have drafted.