Local News Briefs Monday 3/31/14

A 40-year-old Fond du Lac man who nearly beat a man to death with a hammer goes on trial in Fond du Lac County Court this week. The jury trial for James Graham starts tomorrow. He faces 1st degree reckless injury and three other charges for the October 5th 2008 incident at his home. According to the criminal complaint Graham got into a fight with another man who showed up at his home looking for drugs. The man brought a hammer to Graham’s residence and hit Graham in the head with it, but Graham was able to wrestle it away from the man and struck him on the head a number of times. Graham believed he’d killed the man when the victim began convulsing and set fire to the house. The resulting blaze caused nearly $35,000 in damage. The victim required about 70 staples and stitches to close his wounds. In May of 2009 a warrant was issued for Graham’s arrest when he failed to show up for his preliminary hearing. Graham was taken into custody in January as a suspect in another case.

Business Wants To Operate Out Of Former Oscar’s Site

The Fond du Lac Alcohol Licensing Committee this afternoon will consider recommending a liquor license for a business that wants to model itself after the “Classic English Pub” at the former Oscar’s Sportsmans Inn site. The owner/manager David Koepke has formerly owned and operated McCarthy’s Pub and O’Davey’s in Fond du Lac. The Green Dragon Brew Pub would serve a number of different micro-brews and have a kitchen that caters to lunch and dinner crowds. The Police Department has no objections to approval of the license, which needs to the committee’s recommendation before it goes to the City Council for approval. The committee meets at 4 p.m. at the City-County Government Center.

Ice Conditions Uncertain

Ice conditions on Lake Winnebago are getting more uncertain. Two pickup trucks carrying four wheelers went through the ice off Roosevelt Park in Fond du Lac Sunday afternoon. The trucks went through the ice about 100 feet apart from each other. No injuries were reported.

FDL County Supervisors District 23 Race

Both candidates running for the Fond du Lac County Board’s 23rd supervisory district saw an opportunity with incumbent Supervisor Jim Kiser choosing not to run for reelection. Dr. Kay Miller is a newcomer to politics who wants to get more involved with the community and believes she can bring some fresh ideas to the board. She says she’d like to get involved in issues involving improvements to healthcare, education and tourism. Marty Ryan on the other hand is a former Fond du Lac City Council President who is familiar with both government and business budgets. He wants to put more people to work and cut government costs.  Other contested seats on the County Board Tuesday include the 1st, 8th and 21st Supervisory Districts.

Three Hurt In Sheboygan County Accident

Three people, including two children, were injured Friday morning when an SUV and a milk truck collided at an intersection a couple of miles west of Haven.  The Sheboygan County Sheriff’s Department says it happened shortly after 10 a.m. Thirty-year-old Tara Kutney, of Sheboygan Falls, was driving the SUV and was flown to Theda Clark in Neenah.  Her two children, ages 1 and 4, were taken to St. Nicholas Hospital in Sheboygan with minor injuries.  The driver of the milk truck, 42-year-old Richard Kappelman, of Manitowoc, wasn’t injured.

Former Assembly Majority Leader Charged With Sexual Assault

(Wisconsin Radio Network)-A disgraced Wisconsin lawmaker has been charged on allegations that he aggressively groped a female legislative staffer. Two felony counts of second-degree sexual assault have been filed against Representative Bill Kramer in connection to the incident, which took place three years ago in the parking lot of a Muskego bar. The charges come in the wake of accusations that the 49-year-old Waukesha Republican groped an aide and sexually harassed another woman during an incident at a Washington, D.C. fundraiser in late April. His Republican colleagues stripped Kramer of his title as Assembly majority leader earlier this month after those allegations surfaced, and Kramer filed paperwork this week indicating that he would not run for re-election. Kramer reportedly checked himself into a treatment facility in the wake of the revelations about the events in Washington. He has not been seen in public since then and his office has made no statements.

NFDL Superintendent On Rape Joke Controversy

North Fond du Lac Schools Superintendent Aaron Sadoff says it’s been interesting watching the controversy over a student article in the Cardinal Columns magazine at the Fond du Lac High School. He says student articles are supposed to be supervised and a topic like rape is a sensitive one. He says he’s proud of the way Fond du Lac Schools Superintendent Jim Sebert, High School Principal Jon Wiltzius, the Fond du Lac School Board, the Fond du Lac High School English staff and students have handled the situation. Sadoff says when you take the emotion out of it; it’s not really about censorship it’s about students taking a role in pushing the envelope.

Consider Getting Rid Of Flammable Clutter During Spring Cleaning

Fond du Lac Division Chief of Fire Prevention Troy Haase asks residents to keep a few things in mind while they are doing their spring cleaning. He asks that people try and get rid of stuff they don’t need that could be a real hazard in case of a fire. Haase says not to allow too much clutter in your home, which could be an issue if you are trying to escape during a fire or firefighters are trying to get into your home. Recently they were faced with a house fire where the people living in the home had too many personal items cluttering up the home. He says people who become hoarders feel the need for having all those items around them, so start small if you’re urging them to get rid of items.

MPTC Gourmet Dinner Raises Money For Student Scholarships

Mint juleps, fashionable floppy hats and horse racing are part of the appeal of Moraine Park Technical College’s annual Gourmet Dinner on the Fond du Lac campus May 2nd. Moraine Park Foundation and Alumni Director Dana Knebel says the annual fundraising dinner for the Foundation’s scholarship program will have a Kentucky Derby theme with simulated horse racing. The dinner prepared by Culinary Arts students will fit in with the theme as well. Last year the Foundation provided 190 students with over $185,000 in scholarship monies. In the past 10 years, the Moraine Park Foundation has awarded over $1 million in scholarships. For more on the dinner call 924-3225.

One Of Red Cross’s Many Offerings Babysitting Classes

One of the courses the American Red Cross offers is for kids who will be making some extra money babysitting for the first time. Kay Stanchfield of the Fond du Lac chapter says the classes are taught in several locations at their offices and also at the YMCA. She says babysitting is a business, but the welfare of children is also at stake. She says it’s about more than keeping kids entertained; there are also safety aspects to consider. Stanchfield says there’s a lot that goes into caring for kids such as feeding and diapering them, and they teach some basic first aid information and what to do if a child begins choking. March is Red Cross month.