Local News Briefs Friday 5/8/15

Oshkosh Police have referred child neglect charges against a 48 year-old man and a 39 year-old female, both from Oshkosh, to the Winnebago County District Attorney Office. Charges stem from a welfare check Wednesday at a residence in the 600 block of Broad St. As a result of the investigation 12 and 13-year-old boys were placed in foster care. Also six dogs were taken out of the home and placed at the Oshkosh Humane Society.

Town Of Greenbush House Fire

Sheboygan County authorities are investigating a fire at a home on County Road T in the Town of Greenbush last night. A witness at the scene claims the fire started on a couch inside the home and a rear window was broken. Firefighters from over a half dozen fire departments responded to the blaze at 9:47 Thursday evening and had it under control within about a half hour. No one was at home when Sheriff’s deputies arrived at the scene and no injuries were reported. 

750 Attend Trestle Trail Prayer Service

Four days after a random shooting on the Trestle Trail in Menasha about 750 people got together to pray for the victims. Freedom Fellowship Church set up yesterday’s event at Fritse Park to mark the National Day of Prayer. Town of Menasha officer Jason Weber says a lot of people really needed to join together. About 750 people gathered around the pavilion in the park for a 15-minute prayer service. Many then walked onto the Trestle Trail….to see the memorial to the shooting victims.

Womens Fund Book Reception

The Women’s Fund of Fond du Lac celebrates its 10 year history of supporting girls and women with the release of a tabletop book “Women Who Inspire.” Valerie Graczyk of the Women’s Fund says it contains over 40 profiles of women from Fond du Lac and beyond. She says family and friends wrote the tributes telling about how the women made an impact on the community, their families and careers. She says it’s hoped the book will inspire women and girls now and into the future. Because it’s also a fund raiser for the Women’s Fund the book will be sold for $35. Rae Nell Halbur of the Women’s Fund says it goes on sale during a reception at the Fond du Lac Public Library next Wednesday night from 6 to 8 p.m.  She says you can also get one by calling the Women’s Fund Office at 322-8778.  For more click here. 

Tourism Big Business For Wisconsin

Wisconsin Tourism Secretary Stephanie Klett says the state has made some great strides in the 4 ½ years she has headed tourism efforts. She says last year visitors in Wisconsin spent $18.5 billion. She says that’s a $1 billion increase or 5.3 percent increase from 2013. She says since she has been Tourism Secretary tourism revenue has increased by 25 percent from $14.8 billion to $18.5 billion, which she says is a tribute to the tourism industry in the state and the product it promotes. She says tourism really is big business for the state. She says it’s about jobs, economic recovery and growth and is a $1 trillion industry in the U.S. Last year Fond du Lac County tourism generated $123 million about a $4 million increase. This week is National Travel and Tourism week.

Mothers Day Brunch In FDL Benefits Student Mission Trip

A Mother’s Day Brunch at the American Legion Post in Fond du Lac will help pay for a student mission trip to the Philippines next month. Julie Woznick is with Student Missionary Services in Fond du Lac. She says it’s their third trip abroad and this year they will return to the Philippines where they took a group two years ago. She says the city they are going to is very poor. She says they will be providing meals for students for four days do some maintenance work on a school and provide students from the school with some supplies. She says the students they take on the mission trips come back changed from the experience and end up doing quite a bit of volunteering as a result. The brunch at the American Legion is made to order. There will be waffles, pancakes, eggs, hash browns, beef tips, chicken from Philly’s and much more.Tickets are $10 in advance available at the American Legion or $12 at the door Sunday, $6 for kids. Hours for Brunch are from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Tickets Still Available For Samaritan Health Clinic Cash Raffle

There are only a few days remaining before the grand prize winner is drawn as part of the 2015 Samaritan Health Clinic $150,000 Cash Raffle. The drawing is scheduled at noon next Wednesday in the St. Agnes Hospital lobby. First prize will be $100,000, with second prize at $15,000. There are 23 other cash prizes.  Tickets are available for $50 each or four for $150 by calling (920) 926-4959 with a credit card, or for purchase at the following locations: Agnesian HealthCare Foundation office, St. Agnes Hospital or Fond du Lac Regional Clinic information desks, 430 E. Division Street, Fond du Lac. To help make last minute ticket sales easier, the Agnesian HealthCare Foundation is offering a ticket drive through at the main St. Agnes Hospital entrance from 4 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 12 and from 7:30 to 11 a.m. on Wednesday, May 13. Interested individuals can pull up to the St. Agnes Hospital main entrance and will be serviced without having to leave their vehicle. The Samaritan Health Clinic at Agnesian HealthCare provides nearly 90 healthcare services vouchers monthly for physician follow-up visits, vision or dental care, and medication assistance. 

Green Thumb Plant Sale Funds Scholarship

The Green Thumb Garden Club of Fond du Lac holds its annual plant sale this weekend. Sandy Smet of the Club says they will hold it at 552 Vermont Street in Fond du Lac both today and tomorrow. She says they will have perennials, which you have to be patient with. Other plants, vegetables, fruit and herbs will be for sale as well. Proceeds help fund a scholarship for local students going on to college. It’s the ninth year for the scholarship. She says this past year they funded scholarships for four students. Hours for the sale are from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day.

Student Art Show And Sale At UW FDL Tonight

The UW-Fond du Lac Art Students League will present the annual Art Momentum show and sale from 5-8 p.m. tonight in the University Center Commons. The event is free and open to the public. Art Momentum is a student-run, organized and juried art event. The evening will feature student art work on display and available for purchase. There will also be music and light refreshments. Students who participate in the Art Momentum show commit to donating half of the proceeds from each item sold to support a student art scholarship fund through the UW-Fond du Lac Foundation. For most of the students, this is their first experience showing work, having it judged and offering it for sale.

Leadership Topic Of FDL Women In Management Meeting

Lesley Manowske of the Leadership Fond du Lac program will talk about “The Building Blocks of Leadership” during the Fond du Lac Chapter of Women in Management meeting next Wednesday. The meeting will be at The Retlaw Plaza Hotel from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Manowske is the director for the Leadership Fond du Lac and Youth Leadership Fond du Lac programs.  Both programs are a division of the FDL Area Association of Commerce.  In addition to members, the public and businesswomen interested in joining are invited to attend. Reservations to attend are due by Friday (today) by contacting Vicki Woschnick at (920) 929-8271. Online registration can be done at www.wimiwi.org.  There is a fee to attend.     

Berlin Boat Club Works On Eureka Lock Saturday

The Berlin Boat Club will be preparing the Eureka Lock for the 2015 navigational season on the upper Fox River Saturday morning starting at 9:30 am. Club Officers and Members will on site to clean up the Lock grounds, install the electric motors on the Lock gates and get the Club buoy tender, the Fox River Runner ready to place buoys in the River. This will be the fourth season of Lock operation after a $300,000 renovation project. The Lock reopened on June 2, 2012 after having been closed for 9 years. The Berlin Boat Club has operated and maintained the Lock since 1958 without any State or Federal funding. The main source of revenue is the Clubs’ annual Corn Roast held at the Riverside Park North Shelter House in Berlin the second weekend of August. This year’s dates are August 7 and 8.