Local News Briefs Monday 2/1/16

Courtroom Warned Prior To Verdict In FDL Murder Case

Fond du Lac County Judge Gary Sharpe warned those attending the jury’s verdict in a Fond du Lac murder trial Friday not to disrupt the courtroom or it could mean contempt charges. The defendant, Eve Nance, registered no emotion when the jury announced they had found her guilty of murdering her husband Tim and of hiding his corpse. The jury only deliberated the case for a couple of hours. District Attorney Eric Toney says the jury did pay very close attention to the testimony and evidence and rendered what he believed to be a fair and just verdict. He says they had a tremendous jury. Tim Nance’s best friend Brandon Johnson says no one really won anything with the verdict. He says in the end its “bittersweet” because the only winners were the state or prosecution. He says he didn’t win, Tim’s other friend’s didn’t win and Tim’s daughter didn’t win because she lost both of her parents when Tim was shot. A status conference will be scheduled to decide on a pre-sentence investigation.

Jury Finds Inmate Guilty Of Expelling Bodily Substances On Guards

A Dodge County jury this past week found a 27-year-old Waupun Correctional inmate guilty of expelling bodily substances on five correctional officers. Cody Cromwell claimed he was suffering from a mental disease, but a court appointed psychiatrist said he was feigning symptoms. The jury agreed and found Cromwell guilty after a two-day trial. District Attorney Kurt Klomberg successfully prosecuted Cromwell for similar assaults in 2014 and 2015.

Mercury And Brunswick Earnings Up

Mercury Marine and its parent company the Brunswick Corporation finished 2015 strong with its fourth quarter earnings report. Net sales for the Marine Engine segment, primarily Mercury Marine, were up by 2 percent for the fourth quarter to nearly $475 million. Meanwhile Brunswick officials say for the full year the corporation’s revenues increased by 7 percent. For the full year Brunswick reported net sales of $4.1 billion, which was up $267 million from 2014. 

Absentee Voting Beginning

Starting today you can vote absentee in person at municipal clerks’ offices for the February 16th election. Fond du Lac County Clerk Lisa Freiberg says if you request an absentee ballot by mail you will need to provide a copy of a photo ID such as your driver’s license. She says a copy of a passport photo will also work. To vote absentee in person you need to contact your municipal clerk first and find out what hours you can do that, but you can’t vote any earlier than eight in the morning. There won’t be much on the February 16th ballot just a statewide race for the Supreme Court and for those represented in the 7th Supervisory District for the County Board a primary election. But Freiberg says you can apply for an absentee ballot for the November election already. She says you can make a request to your municipal clerk and download an application at the state’s Government Accountability Board website.

Radon Testing A Good Idea

Fond du Lac County residents are encouraged to get their homes tested for radon if they’ve never done that. It’s a colorless, odorless, radioactive gas that occurs with the breakdown of uranium underground. Diana Tscheschlok of the Fond du Lac County UW-Extension Service says the kits are about the size of two card decks and cost $10. She recommends testing spaces you are in a lot. She says an acceptable level of radon is about 4 pico Curies, but levels vary across the County. She says Fairwater and Waupun both had levels of 16 pico Curies or above, but in Fond du Lac the level was only 2.3. Radon test kits are available through the Fond du Lac County Health Department.

Thiesfeldt Bill Would Encourage High School Robotics Programs

State Representative Jeremy Thiesfeldt is the co-author of a bill that would provide some funding for High School robotics programs. Thiesfeldt says he’s impressed with some of the competitions he was asked to attend in the Fond du Lac area. He says it’s an interest you can develop outside their regular classes that should be encouraged. He says it helps youth develop skills that employers are looking for. He says the bill would set aside funding for high school robotics programs. He says a $500,000 grant would be administered through the state’s Department of Public Instruction, which would award $5,000 grants to eligible programs. He says a lot of the current programs get funding help from corporate sponsors, but those types of sponsorships aren’t as readily available in rural areas of the state.

Office Hours For LeMahieu And Katsma Today

State Senator Devin LeMahieu and State Representative Terry Katsma will hold listening sessions in Oostburg and Sheboygan today. The will be at the Oostburg Public Library from 3:30 to 4:15 this afternoon and at the Sheboygan Public Library from 5 to 5:45 p.m.

MPTC Test Drive

Those considering a change in their career are invited to take a “Test Drive” workshop to find out if Moraine Park Technical College’s welding or computerized numerical control machining are something they would be interested in. The “Test Drive” workshops will be offered this week at MPTC’s Fond du Lac campus. MPTC Vice President of Academic Affairs says it’s a practical way of finding out if this is something you might be interested in. He says you will actually be able to come in and work with the machines. He says they do ask that you register for the workshops at the Moraine Park website. He says there will be a boot camp icon or type boot camp in the search engine. The CNC machining workshops are Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. and 4:45 a.m. and Thursday at 4:45 p.m. The welding workshop is Tuesday and Thursday at 4:45 p.m.