Local News Briefs Monday 6/1/15

The executive director of the environment group that brought a lawsuit against the Highway 23 expansion project says a federal judge may have halted funding, but no injunction was issued. Steve Hiniker of the 1000 Friends of Wisconsin says there’s nothing to prevent the state from continuing the effort to expand the road to four lanes between Plymouth and Fond du Lac. He says the state could forge ahead, but likely doesn’t have the funding to do it. He says if safety is a consideration there are things that could be done along the 19 mile route to make it safer without doing a four-lane expansion. He says statistically it does not stand out as a poor performing road. A status conference in the federal case is scheduled for today. Hiniker says if the State Department of Transportation can prove the methodology for its traffic projections to justify the project then federal funding could be restored.

Funding Approved For Highway 151 Ducharme Parkway Intersection Improvements

Governor Scott Walker last Friday approved Highway 151 improvements in Fond du Lac County. Specifically the $625,000 in funding is to improve two-tenths of a mile the Highway 151/Ducharme Parkway intersection. Construction begins Thursday and will finish in August. Michels Corporation of Brownsville is the prime contractor. There will be no detour during the project, but there will be lane closures on Highway 151.  During construction, traffic on Ducharme Parkway will not have direct access to Highway 151 and traffic on Highway 151 will not have access to Ducharme Parkway.

SB Lane Of Military Road Closed In FDL

Fond du Lac’s Public Works Departments warns residents that the southbound lane on Military Road between Grove Street and 9th Street will be closed this week.  The closure begins this morning and is expected to re-open at the end of the day Friday.  Southbound traffic on Military Road will be detoured at Grove Street and south on Superior Street to Military Road. The southbound lane closure on Military Road is due to utility work in the intersection of Military Road and Walker Street. Northbound traffic on Military Road will not be affected.

FDL Acuity Fund Grant Recipients Announced

The Fond du Lac School District Board of Education recently reviewed and authorized the first annual Fond du Lac School District Acuity Fund grant recipients. The fund supports new and innovative programs and projects proposed by staff members for their students. The District Acuity Fund became possible via interest earned on funds paid to the District by Acuity for naming rights of the Fond du Lac High School Fieldhouse. For the current school year, $21,284 was available via the fund which is held for the District by the Fond du Lac Area Foundation. A total of seven projects were funded in technology and non-technology categories. Winning recipients came from Sabish, Theisen and Woodworth Middle Schools, Pier Elementary School and the Fond du Lac High School. For more about the winners click here.

West Nile Season

The public health officer for Fond du Lac County says it’s not too early to start thinking about West Nile Virus. Kim Mueller says they’ve already tested two birds for the mosquito borne illness, but they came back negative. She says there is the potential to get very sick from the mosquito bite it the mosquito is carrying it. She says 80 percent of the people who get bitten by mosquitoes with the virus will never show any symptoms. She says it’s the 20 percent who get sick and the 1 percent who really get ill that they are concerned about. She says there are a few simple steps you can take to try and avoid getting West Nile. She says dump any standing water in your yard, make sure screens in your doors and your windows don’t have any holes in them and use mosquito repellant. She says if you see a dead crow, blackbird or blue jay report it to the health department at (920) 929-3085 or call the dead bird hotline at 1-800-433-1610.

NFDL Summer School Program

Summer school in North Fond du Lac is just a couple weeks away. District Superintendent Aaron Sadoff says this year high school freshmen will have a chance to take a course during summer school that will count for credit. He says the history course will be taken by about 20 to 25 kids. He says for other students the 6-week summer school program is a time for enrichment, to make up some classes, and keep their mind fresh. He says any kids living in the North Fond du Lac School District can also eat breakfast or lunch through a national program whether they are in summer school or not.

Tickets Available For Military Veterans Day At Milwaukee County Zoo

The date for the Military/Veterans Family Day at the Milwaukee County Zoo this year is Sunday, July 5, 2015 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Military service members and veterans who reside in Wisconsin can pick up tickets at their local County Veteran Service Office. Tickets are required and will be available for immediate family only, which includes military service member/veteran, their spouse/significant other, their dependent children and grandchildren.  There is a limit of 10 tickets per family.  If you travel with multiple vehicles, only the vehicle the military service member/veteran is traveling in will get free parking. Be prepared to show proof of military service when picking up tickets and entering the zoo. There will be a Veterans Benefits Expo at the US Bank Gathering Place from 9 to 4. As has been the case for the past few years, there will not be any picnic lunch free rides or program.  Tickets only include entry into the zoo and parking. Tickets will be available through Thursday, July 2nd. For more information, please call the Fond du Lac County Veterans Service Officer at 920-929-3117, Monday through Friday, 8am to 4:30 pm.

College For Kids Celebrates 25^th Year

It’s a big year for the UW-Fond du Lac’s College for Kids and LEAPS program. Dean John Short says they will mark the 25th anniversary of the two programs when they are held next month. College for Kids for 5th through 8th graders is July 20th through 23rd, and LEAPS. for 2nd through 4th graders is July 27th through the 30th. He says it’s great to see the excitement kids have for the programs. Dr. Short says they pick the types of things they want to learn about. He says there’s everything from Art to Chemistry, Physics, Archaelogy, Robotics and more. He says registration for the programs is through June 12th so those who would like to register can go to the UW-Fond du Lac website and look for continuing education.