Local News Tuesday 6/25/13

Bicyclist In Stable Condition

 

Officials at Theda Clark Regional Medical Center say a 47-year-old Fond du Lac man struck by a car while bicycling on Saturday morning is in serious, but stable condition. Steven Kuphal collided with a car at the intersection of County Highway WH and Lake View Road when 20-year-old Adam Blackman of Fond du Lac turned his car in front of him. Kuphal was flown to Theda Clark with serious injuries.

 

Riddle Waives Prelim In Kohler Theft Case

 

(WHBL-Sheboygan)-A former employee of the Kohler Company has been bound over for trial for allegedly using company money to try to start an escort service. Forty-six- year-old Kirk Riddle of Sheboygan recently waived his preliminary hearing in Sheboygan County Court.  That allowed Judge Timothy Van Akkeren to accept not guilty pleas for ten counts of theft from a business setting, along with reducing bond to $25,000 cash. Riddle is alleged to have used over $100,000 in Kohler money to try to start an escort service in Las Vegas.  Most of the money went to advertising the business, but some was used to fly in six women from Las Vegas to the Milwaukee area in April and May. A plea hearing has been set for August 26 and, if necessary, a two day jury trial to start on September 3.

 

Second Arrest In Sheboygan Credit Union Robbery

 

Sheboygan Police say a second suspect in the May 16th armed robbery of United One Credit Union has been arrested. Police and the FBI developed information that led to the arrest of an 18-year-old Milwaukee man last Thursday. The man is expected to be charged with armed robbery. Last week 20-year-old Sean McCarthy of Milwaukee was arrested and charged for his involvement in the robbery.  He has a preliminary hearing on Thursday.

 

Drive-Thru Arrest

 

A 23-year-old man put the term drive-through to the test at a McDonald’s in Lomira early Saturday morning. Jonithan Crist drove up to the drive-thru window and then refused to leave. Dodge County Sheriff’s deputies arrested him for his first drunken driving offense and dropped his passenger off at a hotel room.

 

FDL School Board Approves New Business Services Director

 

The Fond du Lac School Board last night approved the hiring of Wendy Brockert as the school district’s new business services director. She will succeed Sue Schnorr who is leaving for a similar position with the Oshkosh Area School District. Brockert was one of 14 who applied for the Fond du Lac position. District Superintendent Jim Sebert says Brockert will become very involved in the community like she was in Lake Mills where she has been the school district’s business manager since 1991. He says she also is well known in education circles in the state. She was the president of the School Business Officials Association. Brockert got a two-year contract that pays just under $105,000 the first year. The Board also approved a 1% increase in total base wages for members of the Educational Support Professionals Association for the 2012-13 School Year.

 

Eleven FDL Schools Earn Recognition For PBIS Programs

 

A program that rewards Fond du Lac schools’ students for positive behavior has earned some recognition in state circles. District Superintendent Jim Sebert informed the school board last night that the Wisconsin Positive Behavior Intervention and Support Network had awarded Riverside Elementary and Woodworth Middle Schools their highest honor naming them Schools of Distinction. Named Schools of Merit for a second year were Chegwin, Evans, Parkside and Roberts Elementary, the Fond du Lac High School and Sabish and Theisen Middle Schools. Pire, Rosenow and Waters Elementary were named Schools of Merit for the first year.

 

Voucher Accountability

 

(Wisconsin Radio Network)-A Republican leader in the Legislature says lawmakers will deal with concerns about the accountability of voucher schools in the fall. Senate President Mike Ellis of Neenah says those schools should be measured and treated the same as public schools. Ellis says State Senator Luther Olsen of Ripon is working on another bill that will bring parity in terms of accountability. The state budget includes a statewide expansion of school vouchers and Governor Walker is expected to sign it in the coming days. There is a cap on the number of students in the program.

 

Schraa Experiences First State Budget

 

State Representative Michael Schraa says overall he was pleased with his first state budget experience in the state legislature. The state lawmaker from Oshkosh says he even got to make his first floor speech during debate last week. He says he was pleased to see about $1 billion in tax cuts, something he campaigned for when he ran for the 53rd State Assembly seat.  He says the expansion of the school choice voucher program isn’t in his opinion that far reaching with the caps in place. Schraa says there were things included in the budget that he didn’t particularly care for and that he thought should have been stand alone bills, but he had to consider the budget as a whole when he voted for it.

 

Self-Neglect Most Common Form Of Elder Abuse

 

Officials with Fond du Lac County’s Aging and Disability Resource Center says the most common form of elder abuse they run into is self-neglect. Social worker Sue Ellen Miller says it’s usually reported by a relative, police or another agency. She says it can come in a number of forms including hoarding or not keeping up with housework or not taking the proper amount of medications. She says making the financial adjustment after retirement can also be difficult and could result in bad decisions about medication or proper diet. Aging and Disability Resource Center Supervisor Sandy Tryon says they can do outreach with that elder if they are made aware of the problem. To contact the center call 929-3466.

 

Car Fit Training

 

The Fond du Lac Senior Center is hosting Car Fit Training for older drivers during three sessions. The first is today and Senior Center Director Dottie Winkelmann says if you can’t make that there will be subsequent sessions on Wednesday, July 17th and Thursday August 8th. All three sessions runs from 10 a.m. to Noon. Each appointment takes about 15 minutes. Ray Lapierre says qualified inspectors will be available to make sure that your car fits you. He says properly fitting safety belts, properly-adjusted seats and knowing where controls are in your car all come into play in your driving safety. To make an appointment for the Car Fit Training call the Senior Center at 322-3630. 

 

Keeping The Kringle

 

(Wisconsin Radio Network)-A group of state lawmakers is urging the governor to keep the Kringle in the state budget. As Governor Walker reviews the state budget passed by the Legislature and ponders possible vetoes, several lawmakers are asking him not to touch a provision that would designate the Kringle as Wisconsin’s Official State Pastry. The Kringle is a large, flat, oval-shaped pastry with heavy ties to the Danish community in Racine. The item was a last minute addition to the budget by the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee. In a letter to Walker, a group of bipartisan lawmakers argue the designation for the iconic pastry would be a source of great pride for communities in Southeast Wisconsin. The governor has until June 30th to make any vetoes to the budget and to sign the bill.