Local News Briefs Thursday 9/11/14

Bond was set at $10,000 cash when a 31-year-old Ripon man was charged Wednesday with substantial battery and five others charges for allegedly breaking a woman’s jaw during a domestic incident in Ripon last weekend. Ricardo Flores was charged in Fond du Lac County Court for the incident Sunday in the 200 Block of Scott Street. Ripon Police say officers were called there after a neighbor heard a woman screaming for help in an upper apartment building. Officers also heard her when they arrived and had to force entry into the apartment. They found Flores holding the woman in a room. Police say she was beaten after asking Flores for money to get groceries.  Flores is facing up to six years in prison if he is convicted of the charges he’s facing. He has a preliminary hearing next Thursday.

Sheboygan Murderer Loses Second Appeal

(WHBL-Sheboygan)-A Milwaukee man who is serving life without parole for a drug-related murder in the city of Sheboygan in March of 2009 has lost his second appeal of that conviction.  This time, 29-year-old Michael Moffett was contending that his post-conviction counsel was ineffective and that security measures kept him from getting a fair trial.  The 2nd District Court of Appeals Wednesday rejected both arguments.  Sheboygan County Judge Timothy Van Akkeren had sentenced Moffett to life without parole in March of 2010, calling the murder an execution.  Both Moffett and the man he shot, Luis DeLeon, were known drug dealers.  

Johnson Street Bridge Lane Restrictions Today

City of Fond du Lac officials say due to changing weather conditions the Johnson Street Bridge will have temporary lane restrictions between Military Road and Hickory Street during daytime hours today.  The south lane for eastbound traffic will be closed at 8:00 a.m. and will reopen to regular traffic in the afternoon.  At 6:00 p.m. the north lane for westbound traffic will be closed until the early morning hours on Friday.  Three lanes will remain open to traffic while the single lane closures are set up to allow completion of concrete roadway and sidewalk sealing work.

FDL City Council Vote On Residency Requirement For Ethics Board Postponed

The Fond du Lac City Council last night postponed voting on a change to a City ordinance that would have changed a residency requirement for serving on the City’s Ethics Board. The change would have allowed an attorney living outside of the City to serve on the board. Currently to serve on the board an attorney has to live in the City and be a member of the Fond du Lac County Bar. Councilman Gary Miller made several motions to avoid removing the residency requirement before Council President Sam Meyer suggested putting off the vote until the Council’s next meeting and sending the proposed change back to City Attorney Deb Hoffmann for more work. Miller said removing the residency requirement would set a bad precedent for other City boards and committees. Councilwoman Catherine Block, who is an attorney, said she previously served on the ethics committee. She said the Fond du Lac County Bar only has 83 members and other restrictions for serving on the Ethics Board reduce the number of people who can serve on it to just a few. The Council also approved the operating plan and budget for the 2015 Business Improvement District.

EV-D68 Not In Wisconsin Yet

Fond du Lac County Public Health Officer Kim Mueller says the EV-D68 virus isn’t that far away from Wisconsin. The upper respiratory illness has affected hundreds of young children in a dozen states. She says health officials are dealing with cases in Chicago, Illinois which is in our backyard. She says enteroviruses are nothing new. She says there are hundreds of types of EV viruses and they usually pop up in September. She says what makes this strain different is the number of hospitalizations associated with it. Mueller says Missouri is dealing with about 300 cases. She says the best preventative measure is washing hands and surfaces kids touch. She also recommends avoiding touching your nose, mouth or eyes. The Center for Disease Control also recommends avoiding kissing, hugging and sharing cups or eating utensils. For more click here.

Waupun Common Council Deals With Loans For AmericInn

The Waupun Common Council approved two different resolutions this week dealing with the loans to help the owners of the new AmericInn with financing for the $4.5 million project. One resolution dealt with a $700,000 state trust fund loan awarded for the project and the other resolution was to refinance a previous loan. The 3-story hotel on Shaler Drive recently opened. It has 61 rooms. Before the hotel opened the City had a total of 100 hotel rooms.

State Rep Thiesfeldt Says Too Much Being Made Of Budget Deficit Projection

State Representative Jeremy Thiesfeldt of Fond du Lac is asking residents to take a good look at the facts of the matter when it comes to a recent figure released by the Legislative Fiscal Bureau. The bureau is predicting a $1.8 billion structural deficit for the next two-year state budget. Thiesfeldt says there are a lot of unknowns connected with that forecast. He says it’s from a proposed deficit, from a proposed budget and a proposed governor with none of it happening yet. He says it doesn’t take into effect information like the latest Manpower, Incorporated quarterly survey in which 25 percent of employers say they will be hiring in the next quarter. Thiesfeldt says too much is being made of the deficit figure, which at this point is just a prediction. He says Democrats and members of the media aligned with them are using it to try and impact the reelection efforts of Governor Scott Walker.

DAV Mobile Service Office In FDL And Sheboygan

The Disabled American Veterans Mobile Service Office is making a stop in Fond du Lac and Sheboygan over the next few days. It will be at the American Legion Post in Fond du Lac today and the UAW Local 833 Union Hall in Sheboygan Friday. Hours for both stops are from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Help from the DAV Mobile Service Office is free and representatives can provide counseling and claim filing assistance. 

Artist’s Reception Tonight At UW-FDL

The UW-Fond du Lac is hosting an artist reception this evening for a current art exhibit that runs through the end of the month. The exhibit features the work of Wendi Michelle Turchan. The reception is from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Oberreich Gallery in the University Center Commons. Artist remarks will be at 6 p.m. Light refreshments will be available. Unexpected Passages, a paper installation piece, will be in the Oberreich Gallery and also in the Visual Arts Gallery or Room A-127. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Run/Walk To Benefit NAMI Saturday

Early registration continues for Horicon Bank’s 5K Run/Walk for Wellness, which will be held this Saturday at the UW-Fond du Lac. Dale Hans is the President of the NAMI Board of Directors. He says it promotes the efforts of NAMI, which provides services to people dealing with mental illness. He says there is hope and recovery is possible and it does happen. Mary Ellen Means is the former NAMI Board President. She says there is help available for both those who suffer from mental illness and their families. Hans says you can register at Horicon Bank, online, at the UW-Fond du Lac or the day of the event. Register online at horiconbank.com and from 3 to 6 p.m. Friday afternoon at the UW-Fond du Lac’s Mary Kelly Gymnasium. Registration begins at 7:30 Saturday morning with the event kicking off at 8:30.

More Than 2.5 Million Minutes Spent Reading During FDL Public Library Summer Program

The Fond du Lac Public Library shattered records with participation in its summer reading program “Reading is Brain Food.” Community Information Coordinator Terri Fleming says the program ran into late August and people participating logged more than 2.5 million minutes of reading. She says they had strong participation in all their programs during the summer. She says kids in particular benefitted from the summer reading program, which helps to prevent the so-called “Summer Slide” in learning.