Local News Briefs Monday 4-20-15

Washington County Sheriff’s officials say a 75-year-old Cedarburg woman was killed in a two-vehicle crash at the intersection of  Pioneer Road and County Highway G early Sunday morning. She was a passenger in a vehicle driven by an 80-year-old Cedarburg man. That driver and the 42-year-old Town of Jackson man driving the other vehicle both ended up at Froedtert Hospital. The Town of Jackson man failed to stop for a stop sign and struck the Cedarburg man’s vehicle. Alcohol may have been a factor in the accident.

Child Serious Injured In Home Accident In Sheboygan County

Sheboygan County Sheriff’s officials are investigating a home-related accident that left a 4-year-old child with a serious injury. A 911 call last Friday notified authorities of the accident in the 8500 block of County Highway W in the Town of Mitchell. The child was taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital in West Bend and then flown by Flight for Life to Children’s Hospital in Milwaukee.

Fire Destroys Iron Ridge Home

No one was hurt in a fire that destroyed a home and garage in Iron Ridge early Sunday morning. The fire on Main Street began shortly after 2 a.m. No one was hurt in the blaze that spread to adjacent garage and home. Firefighters prevented it from seriously damaging that second home. The fire destroyed one home, both garages and three cars. About a dozen fire departments battled the fire in the Dodge County community.

Ledge Purpose Could Take Time

Fond du Lac County Executive Al Buechel says there’s been no commitment made on an offer to purchase 1,000 feet on the Ledge for preservation for a possible County Park site. He says the purpose of setting aside funding for the purchase was to acquire an unobstructed view from the Ledge or Niagara Escarpment that future generations could enjoy. He says there is no real hurry in acquiring the land. He says the family is still considering whether it wants to sell the property, but they don’t want to see it developed. He says it may take some time, but that’s okay as long as the property isn’t developed and the County has an opportunity to purchase it.

West Division Street Closure

Fond du Lac’s Public Works Department tells us that West Division Street will be closed between Macy Street and Brooke Street. The closure starts today and will be in effect for a majority of the summer. This section of Division Street is being reconstructed under the City’s Annual Utility and Street Reconstruction Project. Businesses located within the area will be open to customer traffic. The public is asked to plan an alternate route during this time as there will not be a marked detour.

Texting Ability Will Be Part Of Dodge County Sheriff 911 Upgrade

The Dodge County Sheriff’s Department is in the process of upgrading its 911 equipment. Sheriff Dale Schmidt says they will have it in place by this fall, but one of the newer features won’t be ready until later in the year. He says a new program allows them to get and respond to text messages. He says they recently had a call where a woman was hiding inside a residence from her husband during a domestic dispute. She wasn’t able to talk for fear of giving herself away, so she sent emails to them. She says if she had been able to text the dispatchers could have texted her back. He says when they have that program in place they will be one of only 3 or 4 departments in the state to have that feature.

Weather Spotter Training

If you have interest in severe weather or becoming a trained weather spotter,  you’re invited to an event on Tuesday night.  Fond du Lac County Director of Communications and Emergency Management Jim McNabb says that Marian University’s Stayer Center is hosting a Weather Spotter Training course at 6:30 pm. McNabb says that the session is open to those who want to become a qualified weather spotter or just want to learn about severe weather.  McNabb says that many public safety officials also will go through the training if they are going to be put into a situation to report on potential severe weather.  The training on Tuesday night is free and open to the public. 

K-9 Influenza

Dog owners need to pay extra attention to their pets if they appear to be under the weather.  An outbreak of canine influenza is sweeping across the Chicago and northern Illinois area. Dr. Marty Greer of Veterinary Village in Lomira says if your dog appears to have the so called “kennel cough” you may need to visit the vet.  She says K-9 Influenza can be fatal to your pet if its not treated. Dr. Greer adds that if you are taking your dog to the Chicago area or if your dog interacts with other animals at places such as dog parks, you might want to get them vaccinated.

Johnsonville President To Get Safety Award

The Wisconsin Safety Council and the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development will honor Johnsonville President Bill Morgan as their 14th inductee into the Wisconsin Safety Hall of Fame.  Officials say that Johnsonville’s injury and illness data are well below the industry average and two of their facilities achieved zero injuries in 2014.  The award will be presented at the 73rd annual Wisconsin Safety & Health Conference Wednesday in the Wisconsin Dells.

Marian Named Top 10 Online Masters School

Marian University has been named as one of the top 10 Catholic colleges with online programs by onlinemastersprograms.org.  The organization ranked Marian #8 and the only school in Wisconsin selected.  Marian is among more than 1,000 colleges and universities across the nation who offer online special education master’s degree programs.

Cheeseheads The Musical

The Beaver Dam Area Community Theatre’s spring musical is loosely based on a story you heard during our local newscasts on this station nearly a decade ago. Cheeseheads the Musical is a play that puts the Badger State in the spotlight. Billed as a Gouda luck fable, Director Ron Wilkie says the story was inspired by a group of employees at the Sargento Cheese Factory in Plymouth who won the $208-million dollar lottery in 2006. Cheeseheads The Musical runs through April 26 with evening performances at 7:30pm and the Sunday matinee at 2pm. More information is available at www.bdact.org