Local News Friday 5/24/13

Daycare Evacuated For Smell Of Smoke

 

The Camelot Day Care Center was evacuated early yesterday afternoon for a report of smoke in the building. Fire Chief Peter O’Leary says employees smelled smoke in the building, which they believed was coming from an air exchanger. A bearing in a blower motor burned out. Children and staff at the daycare were evacuated from the building while firefighters investigated. The time of the call was shortly after noon.

 

Sheboygan Falls House Fire

 

Officials in Sheboygan Falls evacuated more than a dozen homes yesterday during a house fire when it was learned there were guns and ammunition kept in the basement. No one was injured during the fire.  Police Chief Steve Riffel says there wasn’t anything illegal about the weapons being kept in the home, but they were worried about the possibility of combustion. The fire was brought under control in about two hours. Riffel says there was significant damage to the home and its contents.

 

Lisko Trial Goes To Jury Today

 

A Fond du Lac County jury today will decide whether a 59-year-old Campbellsport man is guilty of charges in a vicious dog attack. Richard Lisko is suspected of stringing up an 18-year-old man at his farm last August and having his pit bull attack the man. He suspected the man of stealing morphine pills from him. Lisko’s attorney has contented during the trial that his client was a victim himself of burglaries and gunshots were fired on the property. The victim’s father, 43-year-old Joel Kennedy of New Berlin, has already been sentenced to six months in jail and 3 years of probation for his role in the attack. Lisko is charged with felony counts of false imprisonment and 1st degree reckless injury. The trial had been scheduled through today.

 

Conviction Vacated In Winnebago County Sexual Assault Case

 

Wisconsin’s Innocence Project helped vacate the conviction of a man who spent 20 years in prison for allegedly sexually assaulting a UW-Oshkosh student at knifepoint. A Winnebago County judge this week vacated the conviction of 53-year-old Joseph Frey who was suspected of the 1991 rape. New DNA testing matched a different offender.  District Attorney Christian Gossett says in the 1993 jury trial the jury heard DNA evidence was recovered, but didn’t come back to Frey. He says criminal charges could be filed against Frey in the future. Additional evidence will be tested before all charges are dropped against him. Frey will be held in the Winnebago County Jail until a court appearance in July.

 

West Bend Man Sentenced In Child’s Death

 

The live-in boyfriend of a West Bend woman whose 3-year-old daughter died of a massive streptococcus infection last May has been sentenced for his role in the child’s death. Twenty-five-year-old Justin Streicher was sentenced in Washington County Court this week to 15 years in prison and 10 years of probation. That’s the same sentence Leann Lesznski received last month for her daughter’s death. According to the criminal complaint the infection spread throughout Haley’s body due to days of neglect. Leszynski wouldn’t seek medical attention for the toddler fearing she would be accused of child abuse and would lose custody of her three daughters.  Authorities say Streicher is a heavy drug user.

 

Cedarburg Man Gets 10 Years For Sexual Assault

 

(WHBL-Sheboygan)-A Cedarburg man has been sentenced to prison for sexual assault of a child.  Fifty-six-year-old Victor Garcia was charged last September after the victim, then 13, wrote a letter to her mother telling her of the assaults, and the mother then contacted the Sheboygan County Sheriff’s Department.  The investigation revealed that the sexual contact began when the victim was 11 and continued until she was 13 while the family lived in West Bend and Adell.  Garcia, a longtime friend of the family admitted to the contact.  Judge L. Edward Stengel recently sentenced him to 10 years in prison to be followed by 10 years on extended supervision.

 

2014 FDL City Budget Manageable

 

Fond du Lac City Manager Joe Moore this week gave the City Council a somewhat rosy picture of the 2014 City Budget. He says it will maintain the City’s bond rating, an adequate fund balance, and current levels of service. He says they don’t want to impose any new fees or layoffs. He’s anticipating a $1 million imbalance, but he says can be addressed with their fund balance. He says some things are helping. For instance new hires in the police and fire department have to contribute towards their retirement. He says wellness programs are also impacting health care insurance costs. He says they’d like to investment more in their street projects in 2014. Moore says there are other things they will have to take care of including $238,000 to do new property assessments, $60,000 for GIS equipment for the engineering department, $38,000 more for even year elections, a $12,000 increase for the Downtown Fond du Lac Partnership and $65,000 more for the Police Department to hire five more Community Support Officers.

 

Effort To Rename Street Abandoned

 

Windhover Center for the Arts Executive Director Kevin Miller says they’ve abandoned an effort to try and rename a section of Sheboygan Street to Avenue of the Arts. The Advisory Parking and Traffic Board last week voted unanimously to recommend to the City Council not to rename the section of the street from Marr to Main Streets. Miller says they have enough to handle with their expansion and efforts to promote an Arts and Entertainment District to concentrate on a street name change. He says the Windhover has had a number of positives connected with the expansion and more to come, so they’ve abandoned the effort to rename the street and will move on.

 

Unemployment Levels Dip In April

 

In April the unemployment rates for the City of Fond du Lac and Fond du Lac County dropped by nearly a half percent. According to the state’s Department of Workforce Development the City’s jobless rate for last month was 7.9 percent compared to 8.4 percent in March and the County’s rate dipped from 7.2 percent to 6.8 percent. About 100 more people found jobs in the Fond du Lac area last month. State officials say 30 of the state’s 32 largest cities and 67 of its 72 counties saw their unemployment rates decrease in April.

 

FDL Fire Dept Door Hangers Getting A Workout

 

The Fond du Lac Fire Department’s new initiative of canvassing neighborhoods where recent fires occurred and distributing door hangers with fire safety tips is getting a workout. Firefighters were out distributing door hangars for the second time in less than a week following a cooking fire at a duplex on 5th Street late Wednesday night. Fire Chief Peter O’Leary says in this particular case there were no smoke alarms, which is against the law and if the family had been sleeping could have been tragic. He says if the door hangers impact just a few people who take the time to review them it might prevent future fires. In this particular fire a pan of cooking oil ignited and a man trying to cover it and take it outside suffered a burn in the process. The fire was restricted to the stove the pan was on.

            

Memorial Weekend Travel Safety

 

A State Trooper is asking motorists to take their time getting to their destination this Memorial Day Weekend. Trooper Luke Newman says you want to make sure your car is ready for a long trip if you’re going to take one. He says it’s also advisable to make sure your load is secure if you are hauling a trailer or have something in the back of a pickup truck. He says if you are going to use a trailer you should check the tires for proper inflation and that the wiring isn’t damaged so when you hook it up to your vehicle drivers following you know when you’re going to stop. Newman says above all be patient and allow for more travel time because you will have lots of company on the road. According to the Wisconsin AAA 685,000 state residents will be traveling this weekend and the majority, 627,000, will be traveling by car.

 

FDL County Highway M Construction Begins Tuesday

 

Fond du Lac County Highway M construction will begin next Tuesday. Work on the highway is expected to be completed on September 15th. During construction County Highway M will be closed to through traffic from Olden Road in Fond du Lac County north to Highway 44 in Winnebago County. The project will involve grading and asphalt paving. The contractor will maintain a surface suitable for emergency and local access within the project limits.

 

Town Of Byron Memorial Day Activities

 

Town of Byron veterans will be honored at the Memorial Day tribute scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Monday morning at the Byron Town Hall. Town of Byron resident Roger Kaufman, a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II, is the keynote speaker. The morning program also includes unveiling of 16 names added to the Veterans Memorial, a roll call of veterans buried in the Town of Byron cemeteries, a firing squad salute, and an open house exhibit from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. The event, co-sponsored by the Town of Byron Veterans Memorial Committee and the Byron Historical Society, is open to the public.