KFIZ News Thursday 1/19/17

Schraa On UWO Lawsuit

State Representative Michael Schraa is showing his support for the UW-Oshkosh in light of news of a civil lawsuit filed against two former high ranking officials who allegedly improperly managed university funds for five projects. Schraa says he has confidence in UW-Oshkosh Chancellor Andrew Leavitt and his wisdom in navigating the situation. Former UW-Oshkosh Chancellor Richard Wells and Chief Business Officer Tom Sonnleiter are accused of mismanaging $11.3 million in funds. The money was illegally transferred to the UW-Oshkosh Foundation to pay for the projects. The UW System regents filed a civil lawsuit against them Wednesday.

Teens Charged For Oshkosh School Threats

Winnebago County prosecutors have charged two teens for making threats against Oshkosh North and West High Schools last week. Eighteen-year-old Andrew Monroe and 17-year-old Dylan Bird, both of Waupaca, are each charged with two counts of making terrorist threats. Both threats were called in to Waupaca County 911.  One threat mentioned “We’re going to shoot up Oshkosh North and West tomorrow.” The two made their initial court appearances Wednesday.

Fox Lake Man Charged For Driving Drunk On Fox Lake

The 55-year-old Fox Lake man whose pickup truck went through the ice on Fox Lake last Sunday has been charged with his fifth drunken driving offense. Bond was set at $1,000 cash when Timothy McMahon appeared in Dodge County Court this week. McMahon and his dog were able to get out of the truck and make it to shore. McMahon’s blood alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit. He will be back in court for a preliminary hearing on March 2nd.

Arrest Warrant Issued For Oshkosh Woman

A Dodge County judge has issued an arrest warrant for a 34-year-old Oshkosh woman who failed to appear in court this week on drugged driving causing injury charges. Amy Galica allegedly caused a two-vehicle accident on Highway 151 in July of 2015 that led to injuries for herself, her three-and-a-half-year-old child and a 30-year-old Middleton man. Blood tests confirmed she had controlled substances in her system. The impact of the two vehicles caused the child, who was in a car seat, to be ejected from Galica’s vehicle.

Transportation Funding Debate

One of the big battles this state legislative session will be over how to fund future transportation projects. State Senate Minority Leader Jennifer Shilling says everything should be on the table, but representing an area that borders Minnesota and Iowa, toll roads is not something she favors. She says a waiver would have to be granted by Congress and it would take years for revenues to build up from that. State Representative Michael Schraa would like to wait until they know more about an audit of the Department of Transportation. He says they know there is waste that can be trimmed. Schraa says he knows the Republican Caucus won’t support a hike in the gas tax. Schraa says some rural roads are in need of repair, but state roads are generally in good shape.

Constant Educational Effort To Prevent Cooking Fires

The Division Chief of Fire Prevention for Fond du Lac Fire and Rescue says it’s frustrating to see how many unattended cooking fires they have to respond to. Troy Haase says it is something they constantly try to educate people about. During a recent fire someone left cooking oil unattended on a stove and it started a fire. He says you need a pot with a lid and if something goes wrong you put the lid on top and turn the burner down. That fire was at the River’s Edge apartment building at 478 West Scott Street last week. The fire was contained to the kitchen and damaged several cabinets. Haase says if the fire hadn’t been put out so quickly it would have displaced eight families. He says if you live in an apartment complex your negligent decisions can affect others.

Grandparents Scam Resurfacing

Fond du Lac Senior Center Director Cathy Loomans says she has heard from several people who say the “Grandparents” scam is resurfacing. She says the scam involves a scammer pretending to be a grandchild calling seniors to say they are in trouble and need financial help. She says the caller waits for you to identify the name of a grandchild then passes the phone off to someone pretending to be a lawyer or law enforcement official. She says the scam usually involves sending money to get that grandchild out of hot water. She says they can ask for a lot of money in some cases as much as $2,000. She says in one case she knows of a person who fell for the scam went to Walmart to send some cash and when they got home received a second call asking for more money.

Masters Gallery Foods Expansion Project Gets State Help

Masters Gallery Foods is getting some state assistance in an expansion project in Oostburg. The State Senate passed a bill this week creating a tax incremental financing district to help out the Plymouth-based cheese distributor. Masters plans to build a $30 million cheese packaging and distribution plant in Oostburg. It will create 120 jobs over a three year period. The bill has been sent on to the State Assembly. The main sponsor is Senator Dan LeMahieu of Oostburg.