Local News Briefs Thursday 12/11/14

The 30-year-old Milwaukee woman suspected of killing a 43-year-old Randolph man has been ruled competent to stand trial. Kriscilla McHenry appeared in Dodge County Court this week for a hearing. McHenry was the last person seen with Michael Soeller. She allegedly took his car after leaving his apartment. His landlord discovered his body in his apartment on August 24th. Right now she’s only charged with car theft. A homicide charge hasn’t been filed yet. She will be back in court on Thursday, December 18th for a preliminary hearing on the vehicle theft charge.

Dodge County Stabbings Investigated

The Dodge County Sheriff’s Department is investigating two stabbings that were reported Tuesday.  Both victims arrived went to the Beaver Dam Community Hospital’s emergency room with stab wounds.  A twenty-six year old Reeseville man reported that the incident occurred on Saturday night.  In an unrelated case, a sixteen-year-old Waupun teen said that a wound was from an incident that occurred on a bus earlier on Tuesday.  The sheriff’s office says they have a suspect identified in both of the cases.

Large Liquid Manure Spill In Calumet County

The DNR says up to 100,000 gallons of liquid manure was spilled at a Calumet County dairy farm Monday. It happened at the Meyer Farms Dairy while maintenance was being done to an above-ground storage tank for liquid manure. DNR officials are terming it a medium to large-scale spill. They say because of shallow bedrock in the area it could impact groundwater. Containment and clean up are underway. The Meyer Farms Dairy is located at the corner of St. Charles Road and County Highway G near the Town of Brothertown. Fond du Lac County had a large manure spill of its own last Memorial Day weekend at the Lake Breeze Dairy in Malone. That spill was 50,000 gallons and some of that made its way into pipe creek a tributary to Lake Winnebago.

Oshkosh Police Need Help In Credit Card Fraud Case

Police in Oshkosh are investigating a theft by fraud incident which occurred on November 15^th at about 8:05 p.m. They need help identifying a suspect.  A photo of the suspect has been released. It shows a man who illegally used a credit card to purchase items at a Fleet Farm in Oshkosh.  If you recognize the man you are asked to contact the Oshkosh Police Department at (920) 236-5700. If you have information and would like to remain anonymous, please contact Winnebago County Wide Crime Stoppers at (920) 231-8477 or text IGOTYA and you crime tip to 274637 or go to www.winnebagocrimestoppers.org and submit your text via the web.  You may be eligible for up to a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.

Ribbon Cutting Noted At FDL City Council Meeting

Fond du Lac City Manager Joe Moore and City Council President Sam Meyer attended the ribbon cutting for the new Love’s Travel Stop and Country Store yesterday. The two talked about it at the end of last night’s Council meeting. Moore says it would be unfair to pigeon hole it as a gas station. He says it’s employment for 30 people in the City. He says it will also help promote commerce in the Fond du Lac area. He says that’s in part due to the overnight parking or housing for truckers in the area. He says it was great to be at the ribbon cutting to see what a great company it is. Meyer says he was impressed by the size of the facility. He says the two buildings are 37,000 square feet in size. He says he’s also pleased with the number of jobs it’s created and the company’s investment in Fond du Lac. The company is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

FDL City Council Notes

The Fond du Lac City Council unanimously approved a resolution designating spot blight for the Nielsen Building in downtown Fond du Lac. The designation will help Marian University secure $4.2 million in Redevelopment Revenue Bonds to convert the building for its nursing school and a couple of tenants; Agnesian HealthCare’s IT Department and Nielsen. City Manager Joe Moore informed the Council that Brian Kolstad was resigning from the Lakeside Park Exploratory Committee. He said Kolstad has decided to run for City Council and didn’t want to have any conflicts of interest. He says Kolstad made some nice contributions to the committee while he served on it. Also last night the Council approved a couple of liquor licenses including one for Tuffy’s Outpost. Appointments were also made to the Alcohol Licensing Committee and Business Improvement District.

KFIZ Thanked For Hosting Christmas Parade

News-Talk 1450 KFIZ earned a little recognition at the Fond du Lac City Council meeting last night. Just before the end of the meeting City Manager Joe Moore passed along a few notes including thanking KFIZ for hosting the Christmas Parade of Lights. He said it was a great parade, the weather was good. He said it brought out a lot of people and it was well done and well attended. KFIZ and K107.1 hosted the parade presented by Commonwealth Companies, but the parade wouldn’t have been possible with out the floats and all the individuals who helped make the event happen.

Marian Project Will Contribute To Need For Downtown Apartments

Downtown Fond du Lac Partnership Director Amy Hansen says Marian University’s conversion of the Nielsen Building will add to the need for downtown apartments. She says Commonwealth Companies inclusion of new apartments in the former Retlaw Theater property and another project will add about 30 apartments, but she says a study earlier this year showed a need for about 69 more units. She says Marian will be leasing space to Agnesian and Nielsen and will have hundreds of nursing school students of its own, which could contribute to the need for downtown apartments. She says the Marian and Commonwealth projects are also having an impact about businesses inquiring about the downtown.

Ambulance Calls Keep FDL Fire Dept Busy

The Division Chief of Fire Prevention for the Fond du Lac Fire Department says they handle about 5,000 to 6,000 ambulance calls a year. Troy Haase says people have no idea how busy the ambulance service is. He says last month alone they had 370 calls. He says not all of their calls are emergency calls. He says there are a fair number of emergency calls. He says they do a good number of transports from nursing homes to the hospital and back and from hospital to hospital. He says they also get quite a few calls about older people who have fallen in their homes. Haase says that’s why a fall prevention coalition was formed to try and prevent falls and allow people to live in their homes longer.

Area Trucking Firms Receive Funding For Truck Idling Reduction Technologies

Several trucking and transportation firms in the area were among the 53 Wisconsin motor carriers to receive nearly $1 million to help fund diesel truck idling reduction technologies. Among the larger fleets to receive the funding was Ottery Transportation of Campbellsport (($23,530) and Wiedmeyer Express of Kewaskum ($9,300). Among the smaller fleets was J & J Trucking of Brandon (($9,322), AJ Trucking of Fond du Lac ($4,661), Service One Transportation of Plymouth ($10,607), and Olm Trucking of Ripon ($5,304). The equipment will provide an alternate source of power to heat, cool or provide electricity to the cab and parts of the truck instead of operating the truck’s main drive engine equipment. The state’s Department of Administration’s State Energy Office awarded the funding.

Ripon Lights Of Love Tree Lighting Ceremony Scheduled

The Ripon Medical Center Auxiliary is finalizing preparation for its Lights of Love tree lighting ceremony. It will be held next Thursday evening at 7 p.m. at the new Ripon Medical Center at 845 Parkside Street. The public is invited to a brief program with holiday carols sung by a choir followed by the Lights of Love raffle drawing. Refreshments will be served. The lights are available for a suggested donation of $5 per designation. Proceeds will help to purchase an enclosed water wall to enhance the new healing environment at the new Ripon Medical Center.