KFIZ News Thursday 11/17/16

Ripon Police Report Insurance Scam

Ripon Police say they got a call from a local insurance company advising them of a scam. Company officials told them one or more of their clients got calls from people saying they needed to pay for their auto insurance as soon as possible or their policy would be cancelled. The caller may then ask for banking or personal identification information. Police suggest not giving out that information and recommend calling you local insurance agent to verify the call.

January Jury Trial Scheduled For FDL Man

A jury trial is scheduled in January for a 42-year-old Fond du Lac man suspected of sexually assaulting a babysitter. The three-day jury trial in Fond du Lac County Court for Jose Veliz will begin on January 24th. But Veliz has two plea hearings prior to that in which he could plead to the charges he faces. The victim was 11 years old when the assaults allegedly began. She told investigators he threatened to hurt her, her mother, or the child she was babysitting if she told anyone about the assaults. Veliz denied having any sexual contact with the girl. He’s being held in the County Jail on a $50,000 cash bond.

Grant Will Fund Extra Patrols For Seat Belt Enforcement And Highway 23

Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Captain Ryan Waldschmidt says the County has received a $110,000 grant to spearhead enforcement campaigns for seat belt use and to provide extra patrols for Highway 23 east of Fond du Lac. Waldschmidt is the Highway Safety Coordinator for the County. He says the seat belt enforcement campaign will also involve police departments from Fond du Lac, North Fond du Lac, Rosendale, the Town of Ripon, Oakfield, Waupun, and Brandon-Fairwater. He says it isn’t just about issuing citations and raising revenue. He says people slow down when they see a squad car and check their seat belt. He says they will also be looking for speeders and drunken drivers during those efforts.

Groundbreaking Today For UW FDL Student Housing Facility

A groundbreaking ceremony will be held today for the new UW-Fond du Lac student housing facility. Fond du Lac County Executive Al Buechel says it has been a long time coming and something he has been looking forward to. In addition to Buechel speakers at the ceremony will include UW Colleges and UW-Extension Chancellor Cathy Sandeen and UW Colleges Northeast Regional Executive Officer and Dean Martin Rudd. The 121-bed apartment style building will be open for students in the fall of next year.  The ceremony is at 10 a.m. near the Physical Education Building on Campus Drive.

FDL Humane Society Shelter Expansion Nearing

Shelter Manager Renee Webb says there was a very practical demonstration this week of how close the Fond du Lac Humane Society’s shelter expansion project is to beginning. A home and garage the Humane Society owns next to the shelter was demolished.  She says that will give them the space they need to expand. She says architectural plans are being finalized and then they will let bids for the project. Webb says if the money they raised through a capital campaign isn’t enough, they will have to raise more money for the project.

Dodge County Budget Adopted

Dodge County supervisors approved the 2017 County Budget this week. The tax levy accommodating that budget is $33 million, up about $300,000 from this year. The mill rate will be $5.63 per thousand dollars of assessed value, which is four cents lower than what property owners saw on their tax bills last December. Overall expenses for the budget were nearly $112 million. 

Waupun City Budget Approved

The Waupun Common Council had a change of heart this week adopting the City’s 2017 Budget with a much lower tax increase. Last month the Council adopted a budget for publication that carried an 11.6 percent tax levy increase. But Tuesday night they approved the budget with a 3.6 percent tax levy increase. The tax levy was increased by about $93,000 to $2.7 million, which will allow the City to do some needed street improvements.