Local News Friday 4/26/13

Sheboygan HS Student Has TB

 

(WHBL-Sheboygan)-A case of tuberculosis has turned up in Sheboygan South High School and parents and students are being notified by letter.  School and Sheboygan Public Health officials held a news conference Thursday afternoon and said the case was discovered after a family member was diagnosed last week.  They said the student has been excluded from school and will remain in isolation until no longer infectious.  Sharon Daun, District School Nurse Supervisor, said the student was in a special class and did not move from class to class, so they feel only about a dozen students were in close contact.  She said affected students are being notified by letter and phone and will be offered free testing and treatment.

 

All Three Brothers Now Sentenced For Area Thefts

 

The last of three brothers involved in stealing from area implement dealers in the fall of 2010 has been sentenced to prison. Fond du Lac County Judge Peter Grimm this week sentenced 26-year-old Jacob Peters to to 3 years in prison and three years of extended supervision. His brothers; 21-year-old Jesse and 27-year-old Steven Peters were sentenced in 2011 for their crimes. Jesse Peters got 7 months in jail and 3 years probation and Steven Peters 2 ½ years in prison and 2 years of extended supervision. County Sheriff’s investigators recovered a stolen flatbed trailer, motorcycle, ATV, and two snow blowers from a Town of Byron property in November of 2010.  The items were taken from local dealers including Fred’s Fasttrak Sales. The three brothers will also be paying more than $12,000 in restitution.

 

Slow Speed Chase

 

A Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s deputy was involved in a slow-speed chase on Highway 151 north early Thursday morning. It happened before 4 a.m. when the deputy came across a vehicle that was partially in a ditch. The driver took off, but was driving at speeds of 40 to 45 miles per hour weaving all over the road and at times turning his headlights off. The chase proceeded into Calumet County and the driver ended up in a ditch. He was taken to a hospital. Sheriff’s officials say it was not alcohol-relate, but they don’t know if he was driving that way because he was impaired or because of a medical condition. He will likely be placed on a probation hold. The driver has 6 previous arrests for drunken driving. 

 

Oakfield Man Arraigned On 8^th OWI Charge

 

An arraignment hearing was held in Dodge County Court this week for a 53-year-old Oakfield man charged with his 8th drunken driving offense. Jeffrey Niles pled “not guilty” to the charge stemming from a traffic accident in the Town of Chester last month. Niles put his car in a ditch after hitting some ice on the road. He was still on probation for his 7th OWI during the incident. Sheriff’s deputies also found a marijuana cigarette in his vehicle. He’s being held in the Dodge County Jail on a $50,000 cash bond.

 

Six Apply For Dodge County Chief Deputy’s Spot

 

The Chief Deputy’s position in the Dodge County Sheriff’s Department has attracted six applicants. Of those who applied by Tuesday’s deadline two are with the department and four others are from outside the area. Since it is a civil service position there will be a test for the applicants and then Sheriff Pat Ninmann will interview the top applicants and make her choice for Chief Deputy. She hopes to arrive at that decision by the end of May. Chief Deputy Blaine Lauersdorf recently retired.

 

Interest Slow In Airport Industrial Park

 

Fond du Lac County Executive Al Buechel says the Airport Industrial Park hasn’t generated as much interest as they had hoped it would when they put it together. He says they only have one tenant, but there is some interest in it. He says the business in the park, Wausau Equipment, has about 30 employees and has expanded its facility. He says they are hoping that company will choose to buy another lot for another expansion. Buechel says they couldn’t have foreseen the downturn in the economy in 2009 just as the Airport Industrial Park was getting going. However, he points out that there was slow going for the Rolling Meadows Industrial Park when it first started, but then sudden demand filled up the park.

 

NFDL School District Deals With Structural Deficit

 

North Fond du Lac Schools Superintendent Aaron Sadoff says much like the state’s budget the district’s budget is becoming a two-year budget process. He says in the past year they had to deal with a $1.2 million deficit and managed to take care of that. He says over the next two years there’s an $800,000 structural deficit, which they hope to reduce to $400,000 over the next two years. Sadoff says it’s been a real challenge over the past few years for public school districts. He says realistically they don’t have the financial resources they need, but they hope the economy gets going again in the next two years. He says an even bigger challenge is to provide a world class education to students while dealing with limited financial resources. 

 

State Representative Ballweg Listening Sessions Today

 

State Representative Joan Ballweg will be holding listening sessions in Markesan and Berlin today. She will be at the Markesan Public Library from 10 to 11 a.m. and the Berlin Public Library from 5 to 6 p.m. Ballweg represents the 41st State Assembly District.

 

MPTC Students Help Out With New Solutions Center Shelter

 

Students in Moraine Park Technical College’s Service Learning program had the unique opportunity to work on a local project that will have a positive impact in the community. The fruits of their labor culminated with a ribbon cutting yesterday for the Solution Center’s new family shelter. The shelter will be able to house an entire family while they are getting back on their feet. Caron Daugherty is the Dean of General Education at MPTC she says the students helped with renovation of the home. They will be recognized at a special breakfast next Thursday. She says MPTC students pursing a wide variety of careers logged 463 hours in the last 5 weeks primarily on the Solutions Center effort. She says according to IRS data that’s an economic impact of nearly $10,000 in the community. Daugherty says many of the students were inspired through the effort to put in even more time in community efforts.

 

Unemployment Rate Decreases In March

 

The unemployment rates for the City and County of Fond du Lac both improved in March. According to state Department of Workforce Development figures the City’s unemployment rate went from 9 percent in February to 8.4 percent in March. During that same period the County’s jobless rate improved from 7.9 percent in February to 7.2 percent in March. About 200 jobs were added in the Fond du Lac area last month.  All 72 counties saw decreases in unemployment rates for the month.