Local News Tuesday 12/2/14

Winnebago County Sheriff’s officials say a driver killed in a single-car accident Sunday morning on County Highway H near Arrowhead Lane was a 24-year-old Omro man. Jerold Domrzalski was driving south on County Highway H when his vehicle left the roadway and struck a tree. He died at the scene. It’s believed the icy road conditions and speed were factors in the crash.

Fatal Accident In Sheboygan County

A 27-year-old Sheboygan woman died in a single-car crash in the Town of Sheboygan late last night. Sheboygan County officials say the woman was on Mill Road, west of Lisa Lane, when she lost control of her vehicle and struck a tree. She was the sole occupant of the vehicle. The accident happened around 10 p.m.

Frontage Road Burglaries Reported In Oshkosh

Oshkosh Police say they’ve taken 27 business burglary complaints since the beginning of November. The burglaries have been reported mainly along the frontage road on Koeller St and Washburn St. and in the downtown Oshkosh area.  Taken in some of these incidents was cash.  Other businesses were broken into, but nothing was taken.  Oshkosh Police are continuing their investigation into the burglaries.  If you have information about any of these crimes and would like to remain anonymous, please contact Winnebago County Wide Crime Stoppers at (920) 231-8477 or text IGOTYA and you crime tip to 274637 or go to www.winnebagocrimestoppers.org and submit your text via the web.  You may be eligible for up to a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.

State Senator Joe Leibham Resigns

State Senator Joe Leibham has resigned from his seat representing the 9th State Senate District. Leibham announced his resignation Monday. It took effect at the end of the day. In his announcement Leibham said he’s is considering future employment opportunities. He says there are no official legislative activities scheduled this month, but limited staff will continue to address constituents’ needs. He says he has been working with Senator-elect Devin LeMahieu to ensure a smooth transition.

Grothman Would Like To Base Local Headquarters In FDL

Congressman-elect Glenn Grothman says he intends to have a local office in Fond du Lac while he’s representing the 6th Congressional District. The State Senator from Campbellsport maintained his campaign headquarters in Fond du Lac during his run for Congress and would like to have a local office in the City when he takes his seat in Congress. He says he’d love to make Fond du Lac his base of operations while he’s in the district. He’s also working on his congressional staff. He says he wants to mostly hire people from Wisconsin for his staff. Grothman spent nine days in Washington, D.C. last month during an orientation for new House members.

Drivers Tested By First Taste Of Winter

Drivers got a taste of winter last week in the Fond du Lac area with both snow and freezing rain conditions. Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Captain Rick Olig says there were no serious crashes, but motorists need to take their time and drive slower. He says County snowplow crews do a good job, but they can’t cover all the roads in the County around the clock. He says they don’t have enough personnel to do that and some roads do not get enough traffic to warrant 24/7 coverage. He says it takes a coordinated effort with the County Highway crew and State Patrol. He says if it gets too bad they won’t tow any vehicles for a certain time period because it’s not safe to have a tow truck out their trying to pull vehicles out.

Minutes Could Count In Making Up Lost School Days

The superintendent of the Fond du Lac School District says under a new law school districts are no longer required to run a minimum of 180 days. Jim Sebert says they must however maintain a certain number of hours, which could still come into play during the winter months when a storm could lead to cancelling or delaying classes. He says that gives them options if they have a repeat of last year’s winter, which led to making up several days. Sebert says instead of adding days they would have the option of adding minutes to days to make up the difference.

Representative Schraa Appointed to Joint Finance Committee

State Representative Michael Schraa of Oshkosh was recently appointed by Assembly Speaker Robin Vos to serve on the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee for the 2015-2016 session. The 16-member panel is responsible for all taxing and spending proposals that come before the Legislature, most notably the biannual state budget. Schraa says he’s humbled by the opportunity. He says, “I’m looking forward to bringing my background as a small business owner to the committee to carefully and thoughtfully analyze each item in the budget and all other bills before the committee.” Schraa represents the 53rd State Assembly District.

Gratitude Selling Christmas Tree Pickup Stickers

The Gratitude Club in Fond du Lac is sponsoring a fundraiser that will allow those who purchase stickers to place their Christmas trees curbside for disposal next month. Mary Gerlach is a member of the Gratitude Club’s Board of Directors. She says the stickers will be available at the A & W and Gille’s tree lots for $5 a piece. You will also have to supply your name and address and the collection of trees will be on Saturdays in the later half of January. You can also call 921-0143 to purchase a sticker. She says the sticker can be placed on the tree when it’s ready for disposal. She says the money made from the fundraiser will help with upkeep for the Club’s building at 295 Ruggles Street. The Gratitude Club is a nonprofit recovery organization that hosts AA meetings and similar programs.

RMC Foundation Supporting Training For Ripon Ambulance Technicians

The Foundation for Ripon Medical Center Board of Directors is supporting paramedic training for members of the Ripon Guardian Ambulance Service. The funding for $225,000 was approved in mid-November by the board, according to Rita Meidam, executive director for The Foundation for Ripon Medical Center. Efforts have been underway for several months as the ambulance service has sought approval from City of Ripon leaders to train the existing nine City advanced emergency medical technicians to become paramedics. Proceeds from next February’s Denim & Pearls event at the new Ripon Medical Center Journeys Commons will help support the training costs associated with upgrading the services to paramedics.

Feed The Cat Effort

The Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Benevolent Association will be collecting non-perishable foods for Fond du Lac County area food pantries and the Salvation Army. The goal is to fill the Sheriff’s Command And Tactical Support van or C.A.T. Van!!  Donations will be accepted starting Monday, December 8th at the Sheriff’s Office Lobby or can be dropped off at Wal-Mart on Thursday, December 11th from 10 am to 6:00 pm.  

FDL Public Library Giving Trees

The Fond du Lac Public Library has set up Giving Trees at the downtown library and at their Express branch to collect donations of hats, scarves, mittens, gloves and socks. Donated items will be given to the Fond du Lac Salvation Army before Christmas for distribution to local children.