Local News Briefs Monday 1/5/15

Beaver Dam firefighters were called to the former Green Giant offices in the 1300 block of North Spring about 4:37 Sunday afternoon for a report of smoke coming from the building. Beaver Dam Police and Fire units responded and found heavy smoke and fire coming from the northwest corner of the building. Mutual aid was provided by fire departments from Burnett, Fox Lake, Horicon, Hustisford, Juneau, Lowell, Randolph, Reeseville, Watertown, and Waupun, Two firefighters were taken to Beaver Dam Community Hospital for treatment of minor injuries. Mutual aid units were released from the scene at 11:45 pm. Fire fighting efforts were hampered by the cold temperatures, high winds, and a frozen sprinkler system in the building that rendered it inoperable. The building is currently used for self-storage, but was the site of a number of canning companies over the years dating back to 1913.

County T Closure Delayed

The Fond du Lac County Highway Department tells us that County Road “T” or 4th Street Road will be closed between National Avenue and Mary Lee Drive on Tuesday, January 13th for sanitary sewer work. The closure is expected to last one day with a detour route of Mary Lee Drive, Rienzi Road to National Avenue. The detour will be posted.The closure was originally scheduled for tomorrow, but was delayed due to inclement weather. 

No Fatal Accidents Over Holiday Period In FDL County

Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Captain Rick Olig says over the 10-day holiday period there were no fatal or serious injury accidents in the County. He says they kept track of traffic and other incidents beginning December 23rd up through January 1st. He says the weather wasn’t that bad over the holidays. He says deputies did conduct several hundred, about 300 traffic stops over that period. He says they did have 18 vehicle versus deer crashes. He says given the holiday period the number of domestic incidents they responded to weren’t that many either. He says they had six domestic incidents, which says isn’t high but is higher than normal for a 10-day period. He says the County finished the year with 10 traffic fatalities, one more than in 2013.   

State Representative Thiefeldt Would Like To See School Choice Expanded

The chairman of the State Assembly’s Education Committee says he would like to take a long look at expanding school choice. State Representative Jeremy Thiesfeldt of Fond du Lac says originally the number of students in the program was capped at 1,000 students. He says it needs to be reauthorized in the state budget. He says he’d like to see the program expanded to include more students and he’s not the only Republican state legislator who feels that way. He says the public responded to that by voting for those legislators in the recent election. He says they would expand it in a responsible way. He says students coming from low income families for the most part don’t have the same opportunities when it comes to school choice and end up in public schools. He says that may work for some of those students, but not all.

New Election Equipment Will Be Purchased This Year

Fond du Lac County Clerk Lisa Freiberg says the County is moving forward on purchasing and using new election equipment this year. She says several things have to be accomplished first including state approval for the new equipment this spring. She says she will purchase the new software and equipment in August. Then there’s training for elections workers on the new equipment, which will be late this fall and voters will be using it for the first time in February or April of 2016. She says there will also be a change on the ballots. Instead of filling out an arrow, voters will have to fill in an oval. She says the current equipment is starting to show its age, but an audit conducted after the November election showed it still works and she’s still confident in it.

Senator Johnson Staff Holding Office Hours In FDL Tuesday

Senator Ron Johnson’s staff will be available for mobile office hours in Fond du Lac Tuesday. They will be at the City-County Government Center in Fond du Lac from 3 to 4 p.m. Tuesday afternoon. The office hours allow constituents to meet with the senator’s staff to request assistance with a federal agency or regarding other federal matters.

MPTC Students Learn About The Importance Of Community

Moraine Park Technical College’s vice president of academic affairs says service learning programs, trips abroad, and student clubs help round out a student’s education. Jim Eden says it gives students more perspective on life. Eden says it’s important for students to develop a sense of community. He says they hear stories during their Student Service Learning Breakfast in the spring about what those opportunities mean to students. He says one student related how they had been homeless and decided that it was important that they give back to the homeless shelter. One service learning opportunity in March is a study abroad program in Jamaica. Eden says nursing and health education students will participate in service-learning projects during that program.

Navy Club Chili Cook Off Coming Up In FDL

Area veterans and the public are invited to a Chili Cook-Off at the Fond du Lac American Legion Post on Saturday, January 17th from 4 to 7 p.m. It’s sponsored by the Navy Club with proceeds going to the Navy and Marine Corps local veteran families. Alex Louis the Executive Director of Salute the Troops of Fond du Lac a challenge has been issued by the Navy Club to the Marine Corp League and Salute the Troops to see who can make the best chili. She says veterans will get a break on the cost for a ticket to the event. It’s $10 for adults, $4 for kids 6 to 17-years-of-age, and $8 for veterans. For more information email FdlChiliCookoff2015@yahoo.com

EReader Classes Begin Tuesday At FDL Public Library

The Fond du Lac Public Library will be offering classes on downloading free e-books starting Tuesday. Throughout the month, library staff will offer three different classes: basic Kindle, basic Nook and a class for tablets, smartphones or Kindle Fire. Space is limited; registration is required. For more information on times and dates to register, visit the Calendar at www.fdlpl.org or call the Reference Desk at (920) 322-3930. Participants should bring their registered devices with them to class.

Blood Drive At Waupun Memorial Hospital

Area residents are invited to join Waupun Memorial Hospital associates, volunteers and physicians and donate an hour of time on Tuesday to give blood to the BloodCenter of Wisconsin. Blood donations will be accepted in the Lower Level Meeting Room from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. at Waupun Memorial Hospital. Blood that is donated remains local, as the BloodCenter of Wisconsin is the sole provider of blood to Waupun Memorial Hospital and St. Agnes Hospital, as well as 55 other Wisconsin hospitals in 27 counties. To schedule an appointment call (920) 324-6512.