Local News
Local News Briefs Thursday 7/4/13
Winnebago County Sheriff’s officials say a 31-year-old Larsen man was critically injured last night when his vehicle went off of Grandview Road in the Town of Clayton. A passerby came across the crash and phoned it in. The victim had gone into a ditch and struck a culvert, which caused severe structural damage to vehicle. He was taken to Theda Clark Regional Medical Center with critical, but non-life threatening injuries. He was cited for his 2nd drunken driving offense. The accident was reported at 10:41 p.m.
Two Hurt In Sheboygan County Accident
Two men suffered injuries in a two-vehicle crash in the Town of Sheboygan Falls late yesterday morning. Sheboygan County Sheriff’s officials say the accident happened on State Highway 23 just east of Willow Road. Twenty-year-old Alexander Bohn of Newton was driving his car on Highway 23 when 79-year-old Robert Dezwarte of rural Sheboygan Falls pulled his pickup truck out from a stop sign on Willow Road. Both men were taken to Aurora Medical Center in Sheboygan with minor injuries. Dezwarte was cited for failing to yield the right of way from a stop sign.
Mayville Woman Injured In Dodge County Accident
Dodge County Sheriff’s officials believe a 44-year-old Mayville woman suffered a medical problem causing her to lost control of her vehicle and go into a ditch Tuesday afternoon. The woman’s vehicle then hit an embankment and became airborne before it came to rest in a ditch. She was pulled from the burning vehicle near the intersection of County Highway P and Illinois Road. A Flight for Life helicopter flew her to a hospital.
Former Oostburg Clerk Treasurer Found Guilty Of Theft
A Sheboygan County judge this week found a former Oostburg clerk/treasurer guilty of 26 counts of theft from a business setting. Fifty-six-year-old Kim Simmelink will be sentenced next month for stealing over $300,000 of money from the village over a two-year period. The case was set to go to a jury trial, but an agreement between the prosecution and defense turned the decision over to Judge Terrence Bourke who ruled on the evidence that was submitted. Simmelink will be sentenced on August 15th.
MIS Surplus Property Sold Online
Some of the surplus equipment used by Fond du Lac’s former Management Information Systems Department was recently sold on line. According to Director of Administration Hal Wortman the equipment was sold through public auction through the GovDeals online site. The surplus equipment netted just over $5,200. The proceeds after fees will be subtracted from any insurance proceeds the City was eligible for in the MIS false billing embezzlement cases.
Fireworks Testing
The Fond du Lac Fire Department will be checking today to make sure everything is safe to set off fireworks for the display at Lakeside Park tonight. Division Chief of Fire Prevention Troy Haase says he and Fire Chief Peter O’Leary will be on hand this afternoon for a test to get directional information and to see where the fireworks will be traveling with the wind. The fireworks display sponsored by Festival Foods will begin about 9:45 p.m. at the Park.
No Trash Collection Today
Fond du Lac City and County offices are closed today for the 4th of July. The City is reminding residents that there will be no refuse collection today. Refuse normally collected on Thursday will be collected on Friday along with the normal Friday collection. The Recycling contractor may not be able to complete the collection of both days’ stops on Friday. If that is the case, stops on Friday’s route that are not done, will be completed first thing on Saturday.
Celebrate Waupun Underway
Waupun residents are Celebrating Waupun along with the 4th of July this year. Steve Lenz of Celebrate Waupun says they combined that festival along with events for the 4th of July this year. One of the more unique aspects is the Celebrate Louisiana stage featuring 5 bands that play Cajun and other music. There’s also another music stage featuring a variety of music, carnival rides, a Kids zone, the Agnesian HealthCare Wellness Challenge, the Prison City Pull-Off and more. Events at Tanner Park run through Saturday. For more information click here.
Hometown Deputy
One of the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s newest deputies is returning home after working as a deputy with the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Department for two years. Josh McCormack was a star quarterback at Winnebago Lutheran Academy who also played college ball. He says after college he went to work as a Sheriff’s deputy in Winnebago County, but jumped at the chance when he saw an opening in Fond du Lac County. He says procedurally some things are different and he also has to get used to the geography of the County even though he grew up here. McCormack is currently spending time with a training officer before he will be able to go out on his own as a deputy.
Three Hundred Get HS Equivalency Degree Through MPTC
A group of graduates recently received the High School Equivalency Degree at Moraine Park Technical College in Fond du Lac. MPTC President Sheila Ruhland says not everyone has the chance to go through the normal high school process to get a degree. She says MPTC offers courses that allow them to get the equivalent of a high school diploma and they hold ceremonies for those who do. She says 300 people got the equivalency degrees through MPTC and 56 participated in the ceremonies. She says it’s a proud moment for those graduates.
Food Prices Reasonable For 4th Of July Picnic
The price for an average Fourth of July picnic is still very affordable, at a cost of less than six bucks a person. Casey Langen with The Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation says the most expensive items on the list are typically the meat. In addition to the meat of choice, the food on the list includes potato salad, baked beans, watermelon, chocolate milk, and lemonade. The average cost for a summer picnic for 10 hungry mouths is $57.20 or $5.72 per person, according to American Farm Bureau Federation’s national survey of 14 food items. In Wisconsin that same food averaged $55.92 or $5.59 per person — a total of $1.28 less than the national survey. While retail grocery prices have gradually increased over the last three decades, the farmer’s share of the food dollar has steadily declined over the last couple of decades, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. At 16 cents per dollar, the farmer’s share of the $55.92 grocery bill in Wisconsin would be just $8.95.