Local News Briefs Saturday 6/21/14

Fond du Lac Police cautioned a 17-year-old girl this week about giving people rides in the trunk of her car. Assistant Chief Steve Klein says they took a complaint Wednesday afternoon from someone who was waiting for a train to cross the railroad tracks on Western Avenue and saw kids jump into the back of a car’s trunk. The car then drove off. Officers caught up to the vehicle in the area of Main and 7th Street and stopped the car. He says there was no one inside the trunk of the car. The teenage girl driving it admitted to giving rides home to some friends and that a couple of them jumped into her trunk. Klein says she was counseled on the danger of doing that and her parents took the car away from her. 

Work Zone Safety Underscored By Increased Patrols

Fond du Lac County’s Highway Safety Coordinator reminds drivers to be on the lookout for highway work zones this summer. Captain Rick Olig says there’s usually sufficient signage and construction barrels to give motorists more than a subtle hint they are in a construction zone. But just to make sure the point is driven home Sheriff’s deputies will be patrolling some of those work zones this summer to make sure drivers are slowing down and driving responsibly. Fond du Lac County Highway worker Dennis Roeseler was hit and killed by a van while working on Highway 41 in December of 2003.

Waupun Police Chief Will Retire This Fall

Waupun Police Chief Dale Heeringa says he will be retiring sometime this fall. He says he’s been contemplating it for a while, but also wanted to make sure that Deputy Chief Scott Louden is ready to take over. Heeringa says who the City hires as Chief isn’t his decision, but he would like to see someone within the department be promoted to Chief and preferably Louden. He says out of those 38 years he’s been with the police department the last 11 have been as Chief. Heeringa is 61-years-old and says he has no immediate plans for what he will do when he retires.

Ripon School Board Will Meet With Common Council About Referendum

Ripon Schools Superintendent Mary Whitrock says they won’t leave anyone out when it comes to informing school district residents about a possible referendum this November. The district is considering a $28.9 million referendum to build a new middle through high school facility where the current high school stands. She says they’ve held seven community information sessions leading up to picking Plan C out of four options. Whitrock says they will meet with the Ripon Common Council to keep them up to date as well. She says the school board will meet with the common council to tell what Plan C would look like and what effect it would have on the City. A second question on the referendum would ask to exceed revenue caps by $500,000 a year for six years for operational expenses.

MPTC Camps For Younger Students

Moraine Park Technical College campuses offer some learning experiences during the summer for younger students. MPTC President Sheila Ruhland says they offer programs for middle through high school students during what they refer to as camps. She says recently they held their Engineering for Girls camp at the Fond du Lac campus. She says there West Bend campus just wrapped up their Tooling It Manufacturing camp for 13 to 16-year-olds Friday. She says it introduced the students to electrical to computer-aided design and machining. She says the camps are a wonderful way to get early information to middle school students about careers and introduce them to the great facilities MPTC has. 

Mercury Marine Introduces New Outboards And Sterndrive

Mercury Marine in Fond du Lac is making the most of it world class research and development center unveiling a new line of four stroke outboards and a new MerCruiser sterndrive. The new 75, 90 and 115 horsepower four stroke outboards are designed for bass, deep-vee, runabout and offshore boats as well as pontoons and saltwater skiffs. The new MerCruiser is a 4.5L 250 horsepower sterndrive. Mercury Marine President John Pfeifer says the new Mercury MerCruiser is a groundbreaking new engine. He says it was purpose built for marine use.

Breakfast Parking

Those attending Sunday’s Breakfast on the Farm in Van Dyne are being reminded about the alternative parking and shuttle service. Officials with the Fond du Lac Area Association of Commerce say parking will be along a three-mile stretch of Townline Road, from Highway N to Lincoln Road. Traffic will be one-way. Shuttle service will pick up those parking along the route and take them to the Ruedinger Farm entrance. Shuttle service will also be from the Friendship Learning Center parking lot in North Fond du Lac.