Local News Thursday 6/6/13

FDL County Register Of Deeds Dies

 

Fond du Lac County Register of Deeds Patricia Kraus died Monday at the Hospice Home of Hope in Fond du Lac. Kraus became Register of Deeds in 2005 and was Register of Deeds when she became ill. The Governor will appoint her successor to the Register of Deeds office. Kraus was 61-years-old. Funeral arrangements are being handled by the Uecker-Witt Funeral Home.  Visitation is from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home and Friday morning from 9:30 to 10:30 at Holy’s Family’s Scared Heart Church with a mass following at 10:30.

 

Kohler Company Employee Accused Of Embezzling

 

(WHBL-Sheboygan)-An employee of the Kohler Company is facing felony theft charges for allegedly bringing Las Vegas girls back home for “managing.” Forty-six-year-old Kirk Riddle of Sheboygan, a Communications Leader for the firm, was charged Wednesday with 12 counts of using company credit cards for illegal purchases totaling over $117,000. The criminal complaint states Riddle allegedly used the cards to purchase airfare tickets for at least six different women from Las Vegas, lodging in Milwaukee, Grafton and Saukville, a rental car, electronics, and other miscellaneous expenses.  Additional charges included advertisements for an escort service Riddle allegedly wanted to start in Las Vegas. Riddle was charged following an investigation by Kohler Company security, which called in the Kohler Police Department.  He is facing three to ten years on each count.

 

Appeal Denied In Sheboygan County Murder

 

(WHBL-Sheboygan)-A Milwaukee man who is in prison for killing another Milwaukee man is going to stay there.  Twenty-eight-year-old Michael Moffett was convicted by a Sheboygan County jury in 2010 in the murder of Luis DeLeon and sentenced to life without parole. He had appealed on the grounds that evidence in the case showed that he was in imminent danger and that deadly force was justified when he shot and killed DeLeon in March of 2009.  The Appeals Court disagreed in a decision handed down Wednesday and upheld the conviction. The shooting took place in the 1300 block of Huron Avenue and was believed to be the result of a dispute over drug turf.  Both men were known drug dealers.

 

Motion To Delay Juneau Man’s Trial Denied

 

A Dodge County judge has denied a motion to delay a 3-day jury trial for the 42-year-old Juneau man who injured a Juneau officer by allegedly driving drunk into her squad car. Judge John Storck this week denied several motions made by the attorney for Chad Buelter. One was to delay the trial and the other to suppress evidence.  Buelter is facing two felony charges. The officer was legally parked on a street. Buelter stumbled away from the scene of the accident in April of last year leaving behind the injured officer and three drunk and confused passengers in his vehicle. The jury trial is scheduled to begin June 25th.

 

Refinery Maintenance And Supply To Blame For High Gas Prices

 

Supply and demand have gas prices poised near the $4 a gallon mark. Pam Moen of the Wisconsin AAA says motorists in the Midwest are paying some of the highest prices in the country right now for gasoline. She says that’s due to the demand and two large refineries being out of service the past few weeks for maintenance. Yesterday the national average for gas prices was at $3.61 a gallon while in Wisconsin it was $3.97. Moen says those refineries should go back on line soon, which will lower the price of gas. She says refinery capacity is being expanded and that will allow storage capacity to meet even bigger demands, which also would help with the price of gas. The first time gasoline crossed the $4 a gallon threshold in Fond du Lac was in July of 2008. It spiked at $4.19 a gallon that August and was blamed on supplies and the impact of Hurricane Ike.  

 

Superintendents React To JFC’s Voucher Proposal

 

Superintendents of two local school districts are monitoring changes in a proposal to expand the school choice voucher program statewide. Fond du Lac Schools Superintendent Jim Sebert says he was hoping the proposal would be removed from the budget for more public discussion. He says he is pleased special education vouchers and charter school oversight were removed from the proposal. North Fond du Lac Schools Superintendent Aaron Sadoff says the Joint Finance Committee’s plan represents a shift in philosophy about school choice from funding opportunities for poverty-stricken families to simply paying for those who want school choice. Under the JFC’s proposal the statewide cap would be 500 students the first year and 1,000 students the second. The 1 percent cap for school districts would amount to about 75 students for Fond du Lac and 12 for North Fond du Lac.

 

FAA Fees For AirVenture Called Inappropriate

 

Officials at EAA AirVenture were recently caught off guard when they learned the FAA would be billing them for expenses associated with air traffic controller services to the tune of about half a million dollars. EAA spokesman Dick Knapinski says they believed when Congress allowed the FAA in April to move money around to pay for such things the air controller issue was over. But they checked in mid-May and found out otherwise. Knapinski says they aren’t the only ones who think the fees are inappropriate. He says Congressman Tom Petri is looking into it and Senators Tammy Baldwin and Ron Johnson have been circulating a letter that will go to the FAA that says it isn’t right. He says pilots are already paying for those types of services through fuel taxes. Knapinski says the FAA provides about 100 staff members for EAA and over half are air traffic controllers. He says AirVenture will go on and they will continue to have a high level of air traffic control services. AirVenture attracts more than 10,000 aircraft and 500,000 visitors a year.

 

Clean Sweep Collects 8 Tons Of Household And Agricultural Chemicals

 

Fond du Lac County UW-Extension officials say 8 tons of toxins were collected during last month’s Clean Sweep events in Brandon, Campbellsport and Fond du Lac. About 140 households throughout the County contributed potentially dangerous items that filled 86 steel drums. The household, business and agricultural chemical waste filled 15 drums in Brandon, 17 in Campbellsport and 54 drums in Fond du Lac. The most common household items were aerosols, flammable paints, fuels and batteries, which came to more than 3 tons. Household pesticides and poisons amounted to 3,500 pounds. Diana Tscheschlok of the Extension Service says, “It’s great to see people protecting the drinking water, surface water, and the air we all use.” The event held May 3rd and 4th collected the largest amount of hazardous chemical waste during a Clean Sweep in the past five years.

 

Replacing Ash Trees Threatened By EAB

 

Even though the Emerald Ash Borer isn’t believed to be in Fond du Lac the City is taking steps to replace some of its Ash trees. Department of Public Works Director Jordan Skiff says 35 percent of the public trees in the City or 7,000 are Ash trees. He says the nearest City with EAB infestation is West Bend, but Skiff says trees don’t show signs of infestation right away. He says this winter they will remove some Ash trees that are in poor condition or may be growing to close to power lines. He says eventually the City won’t be able to afford replacing Ash trees that might be infected or near to be replaced. He says anyone who would like to adopt a tree and pay for treatment or to replace a tree should contact them.

 

FDL Fire Dept Works To Ensure Safety At Walleye Weekend

 

The Fond du Lac Fire Department will have a presence at Walleye Weekend this weekend not only to sell gyros, but also to make sure the event goes off safely. Division Chief of Fire Prevention Troy Haase says they will be inspecting the tents this Friday. He also reminds those attending the festival to watch carefully for children and others in neighborhoods near Lakeside Park as they are driving through those neighborhoods. He says they will have a command vehicle, engine and ambulance in the Park in case of emergencies. About 100,000 people attend Walleye Weekend each year.