Local News Briefs Friday 4/18/14

Fox Lake Police say a student at the SAGES charter school in Fox Lake was hit by a pickup truck after school Wednesday. The 7-year-old boy darted out into the street from between two buses. He suffered a broken leg and was taken to Beaver Dam Community Hospital by his mother. Police say the driver wasn’t speeding and didn’t have time to react. Police and school officials are looking into changing the drop-off and pick-up location at the school. 

Newburg Man Injured In Washington County Accident

A 26-year-old Newburg man is in critical condition at Froedtert Hospital following a single vehicle roll over accident in Washington County Thursday afternoon. A passerby reported the accident on Jay Road in the Town of Farmington shortly after 1:30 p.m. About an inch of water was covering the road from recent flooding and the man lost control with his vehicle ending up in a ditch and was partially submerged in the North Branch of the Milwaukee River for a short time. High water signs were posted. The man was returning from work in Random Lake. Sheriff’s officials say he was taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital in West Bend and later flown by Flight for Life to Froedtert where he remains in critical condition.

Arrest In Omro Heroin Overdose Death

Winnebago County authorities say a man is in custody they believe sold heroin to an Omro man who died from an overdose last month. More details were released yesterday about the arrest.  Twenty-three-year-old Matthew Martinez of Omro died at his apartment on March 12th. His mother Dawn Christiansen says she didn’t know her son was on drugs. Police found heroin and other evidence in his apartment. Sheriff’s officials say the man who was arrested may be a major dealer in the area. He’s facing a possible 1st degree reckless homicide charge when he’s charged next week. Another suspect could also be charged in the case.

MPTC Building New Entrance To FDL Campus

Moraine Park Technical College will be building an addition at its Fond du Lac campus that will include a more defined front entrance area. MPTC President Sheila Ruhland says it still needs state board approval next month, but it would be a 5,212 square foot addition. She says there’s no firm cost yet because they will have to wait until they have bids for the project, but it will exceed $1.5 million. She says it’s just the start of a two-phase project that will centralize their student affair services for existing and new students and will also accommodate space for their student veterans. She says they may have a groundbreaking ceremony for the project and hope to begin construction in June.

Caution Urged Around Rushing Water

With water still at higher levels and rushing through area rivers, an official with the Fond du Lac Fire Department is urging residents to be cautious. Division Chief of Fire Prevention Troy Haase says there’s a lot of debris caught up in those cold waters that could drag down even the most experienced swimmer who fell in. He says it takes quite a few people to do a cold water rescue on a river. Haase also urge residents to be careful around river banks, which can have unstable ground and wet surfaces. During the flood in Fond du Lac in June of 2008 a man who was curious about the Fond du Lac River lost his footing and fell in, which required a rescue effort that was ultimately successful.

Samaritan Clinic Cash Raffle Tickets Available

Rather than give away a new home, this year organizers of a benefit for the Samaritan Clinic in Fond du Lac are raffling off a top prize of $100,000 cash. Raffle co-chair Dr. Joe Kemp says they wanted to go in a different direction and the house raffle had kind of run its course. He says top prize in the raffle will be $100,000, but there will be 24 other cash prize winners. Rita Meidam is the executive director of the Agnesian HealthCare Foundation. She says the raffle helps pay for the healthcare services they provide to the needy in the community. She says that care can include healthcare, dental or eye care. Over the years the house raffle raised nearly $2 million for the clinic. The cash raffle drawing is on May 13th. Tickets are available by calling 926-4959 and through the Agnesian HealthCare lobby on East Division Street in Fond du Lac. Tickets are $50 each or 4 for $150. 

New Church In Downtown FDL

A new church has a home on Fond du Lac’s North Main Street. Pastor John Slotten says the Essential Rock Church moved to 46 N. Main in the spot where the old Pawn Shop and Dedicated Fitness used to be located. They started in November and are an offshoot of Christ the Rock Community Church of Menasha. He says they met with stakeholders in a number of communities and Fond du Lac was the only community where everyone they talked with said they needed another good church. He says a presence was also needed downtown with several churches moving to the outskirts of the City. In addition to their 10:30 service on Sunday morning they have a drop-in soup and sandwich dinner at 5:15 Thursday evenings. Pastor Slotten says they also have a 12-step recovery program Thursday nights following that meal. They have a website where you can get information about their Good Friday service and Easter Pancake Breakfast.

Friday Before Easter Hours Observed

County offices in the Fond du Lac City-County Government Center, the Portland Street Annex including the Veteran’s Service Office and the Department of Social Services will close at noon today. The Sheriff’s Office Lobby Window will be open from 8 to 11:30 a.m. and the Highway Department office will be closed all day. The City offices will be operating normal business hours.

Solutions Center Bunny Hop Saturday

The Solutions Center in Fond du Lac will host their 3rd annual Bunny Hop 5K Run/Walk Saturday at the Lakeside Park Pavilion. Registration begins at 8 a.m. with the 5K starting at 9 a.m. A half-mile fun dash for children and an Easter egg hunt will follow. The community event is being held during Child Abuse Prevention Month and seeks to raise awareness of child abuse in our community. The entry fee for the Bunny Hop is $20 per adult and $10 per child 12 and under. The fee for children 12 and under running with an adult is $5. Childcare will be provided. Younger children can participate in a color contest and meet the Easter Bunny. Everyone is welcome to participate in the Easter Egg Hunt.

“Hop” Featured At FDL Public Library This Morning

Kids are invited to pop on in to the Fond du Lac Public Library today to watch the movie “Hop” and enjoy snacks at 10 a.m. The program is free and no registration is required. The film is for children ages 12 and younger. It’s a tale about the teen-aged son of the real Easter Bunny. He has no interest in following in his father’s footsteps, but rather dreams of becoming a rock drummer. The film is rated PG.

Oshkosh Easter Egg Hunt

The Oshkosh Jaycees will host their 15th annual Oshkosh Easter Egg Hunt Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m. at South Park. From 9 to 10 a.m. children can meet the Easter Bunny and participate in a coloring contest and face painting activities. At 10 a.m. children will hunt for an egg and return it for a goodie bag. The event is free for children 12 and under.