Local News Briefs Monday 1/4/16

Fond du Lac Fire and Rescue got a call to WG & R Furniture at 50 North Main Street Friday evening. Fire Captain Larry Wunsch says the manager of the store called to report two people who were stuck on an elevator. it took about 30 minutes to get those people off the elevator. The call came in at 5:45 p.m. as the store was getting ready to close.

Four Drown In Walworth County Lake

Police in Walworth County say four men died when their canoe overturned on Mill Lake early Sunday morning. Officials say the men weren’t dressed for the weather and alcohol is believed to be a factor in the incident. Two of the bodies were recovered, but recovery efforts were called off about 7 p.m. last night. All four men are believed to be in their early 20s and from Illinois. The DNR is handling the investigation.

Red Cross Help Out With Oshkosh Fire

Officials with the Red Cross say they helped out two Oshkosh residents following a fire last Thursday in the 1700 block of Beech Street. Financial assistance was provided to meet basic emergency needs. Alternative housing arrangements were also made.

UW FDL Student Housing Will Have 120 Beds

Fond du Lac County Executive Al Buechel says it’s still possible that student housing for the UW-Fond du Lac campus can be open in time for the fall semester. He says Keller Construction and Xcel Engineering have been working on the design and Best Management Onward Campus or BMOC will manage and operate the building. He says the holdup is over who will own it. He says they are still negotiating over who the responsible party will be for maintenance. He says the County will also have to work up a development agreement and if that can be approved by the County Board in the next two months the building could be ready for use by the fall. Buechel says rather than go with an 84-bed facility they will now be building a facility with 120 beds, which its felt the community can accommodate. He says to meet that need the building will be increased to four stories instead of three.

State Senator Says Legislation Limits Voting

The minority leader in the State Senate feels Republican legislators have passed legislation in the last few sessions that are keeping voters away from the polls. Senator Jennifer Shilling cited several examples. She says they include Photo ID and narrowing hours for early voting. She also feels some voters are intimidated by how close poll observers are allowed to stand from people registering to vote. Shilling says she’s worked on legislation guaranteeing people have the right to vote if you are of the right age and have lived in the state long enough. 2016 will have a number of key elections including a vote this fall for the presidential election.

Dairy Bowl Time

The most important Bowl game for some Fond du Lac County youth has nothing to do with football. Denise Retzlaff is the 4-H Youth Development Educator for the County’s UW-Extension Service. She says during the better part of the fall some youth studied up on the dairy industry to compete in this month’s Dairy Bowl in Madison. She says they will represent the County against teams from other counties for the state title with a chance to go on to the national competition. She says for the participants it is hard work, but fun and they learn a lot about the dairy industry in the process. Retzlaff says in the past Fond du Lac County teams have go on to the national competition.

ATV Trail Open

The ATV trail along the Wild Goose State Trail in Dodge County is now open. Colder temperatures along with recent snowfall created suitable riding conditions to open the trail Saturday. The entire Dodge County Snowmobile Trail system remains closed. Snowmobile trails in Fond du Lac County are also closed.

First Baby Born At Oshkosh Hospital Announced

A baby boy was the first baby born at Aurora Medical Center in Oshkosh New Year’s Day. Sullivan “Sully” Sawyer Webb was born at 1:42 p.m. to Brittany and Joshua Webb of Oshkosh. He weighed 7 pounds, 7 ounces and was 19 ½ inches long. He has two siblings, Leland Crane and Jayden Webb. His mother is a caregiver at Aurora Medical Center.