Local News Briefs Tuesday 1/5/16

County Board Seats

Today is the deadline for candidates running for local government offices to file nominations papers to run for the office in the Spring. Several races are shaping up for Fond du Lac County Board. Two candidates have returned nomination papers for the seat that incumbent supervisor Richard Wetzel has chosen not to run for again in District 7. Jon Venhuizen and Sam Kaufman of Waupun are both running for that seat. District 8 supervisor Thomas Schumacher has also chosen not to seek reelection. Bob Simon and Jim Eckberg are running for that seat. Ted Eischeid will no longer be representing District 22. Running for that supervisor’s seat is Brian Kolstad and Cary McQuitty. District 24 supervisor Mary Jean Nicholson will face opposition from Mary Hayes. There are other possible County Board races, but nomination papers need to be returned for those seats. A primary election would be needed if there is three or more candidates vying for more than one seat.

FDL And NFDL Seats

Voters in Fond du Lac will be voting on four City Council seats this Spring. Incumbents Lee Ann Lorrigan and Karyn Merkel have returned nomination papers to seek reelection. Councilman Brian Foster, who resigned last October, and Councilman Gary Miller who has run into term limits are the other two whose seats are up for election. Three people have taken out papers for those seats Kay Miller, James Nagle and Derek TerBeest.

In North Fond du Lac Village Trustees Tammy Keller and Keith King are up for reelection and former School Board President John Duffy has filed nomination papers to run for one of those seats.

FDL School Board

The Fond du Lac School Board will have at least one new member this Spring. Kathy Nagle won’t seek reelection. Two other board members, Elizabeth Hayes and Mark Jurgella, are also up for reelection. Two others have taken out papers Peggy Breister and James Vogds. Candidates have through 5 p.m. this afternoon to return nomination papers.

Dog Missing After Dodge County Rollover Accident

Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt says they are looking for a dog whose owner was hurt in a traffic accident in the Town of Elba Sunday night. The rollover crash was reported shortly after 9:30 p.m. on Highway 151 and Bethel Road. Schmidt says his deputies couldn’t find a dog that was ejected from the vehicle during the crash. He says that’s probably a good thing meaning the dog survived the crash and is out running around. The 35-year-old man driving the vehicle was taken to a hospital. Meanwhile the search continues for a boxer named Titus. Schmidt says it happened in the Columbus area and they’d love to reunite the dog with its owner. He says to give his department a call if you’ve seen the stray.

Oshkosh Power Outage Planned

Officials in Oshkosh say there will be a planned power outage early Wednesday morning that will affect 15 different city streets. The outage is planned from 3 to 6 p.m. to complete a voltage conversion project. If there is inclement weather the outage would be staged at the same time Thursday morning.

Patience Key In Training New State Troopers

A new class of candidates for State Patrol Academy enters the academy this month. After graduation they will be assigned to posts and have 12 to 15 weeks of field training with experienced State Troopers before they are allowed to patrol alone. Inspector Scott Hlinak says they try to avoid assigning the same troopers to do the field training because it is a lot to ask of the troopers. Sergeant Luke Newman says the new troopers have to learn by doing things for themselves, which their field training officers have to have the patience to allow them to do. Newman says sometimes it can be a bit frustrating like a couple years ago when a plane made an emergency landing on Highway 41.

Tickets Available For FCEDC Annual Evening

There’s still time to register and get tickets for the Fond du Lac County Economic Development Corporation’s Annual Evening. It will be held at the UW-Fond du Lac Tuesday, January 26th. FCEDC President Steve Jenkins says it’s a great opportunity to network and hear about the programs they will be rolling out. He says one of those programs will be a county directory that lists businesses and what they do. He says there isn’t anything like that available right now. The keynote speaker will be Greg Tehven of Fargo, North Dakota who will talk about his passion for his community. Tickets are available through the Event Brite website by calling 929-2928 or at the door.

https://www.fcedc.com/events.html

UW FDL Foundation Annual Fund Campaign Underway

Donations are being taken for the UW-Fond du Lac Foundation’s Annual Fund Campaign. It provides scholarships to students and supports programs and resources that support students, faculty and staff. Kathy Strong Langolf of the UW-Fond du Lac says quite a few students received scholarship support through the fund last year. She says 41 students received more than $36,000 in scholarships. Proceeds from the signature fundraiser “Corks and Forks” also helps fund the scholarships. She says tickets are already for sale for that Wednesday, March 23rd dinner and event. To make reservations or purchase tickets call 929-1111 or 929-1337 to contribute to the fund.

Chili Cook Off Benefits Veterans

The Fond du Lac Navy Club will hold their 2nd Annual Chili Cook Off and Tasting this Saturday at the American Legion Hall. It will be from 3 to 7 p.m. Richard Feustel of the Club says they had a good turnout last year. He says there were 17 different Chilis and several hundred people attended the event. He says those attending will vote for the Chili they think is best. Proceeds will benefit Fond du Lac veterans. He says last year they raised over $1,000. Those interested in entering a chili can register in advance at FdlChiliCookoff2016@yahoo.com  The cost for the public to attend is $10 for adults, $4 for kids 6 to 17-years-old with 5 and under admitted free, and $8 for veterans.

Reception For Local Artist At Journeys Tonight

Local artist Lucy Mathers will be at Agnesian HealthCare’s Journeys: a health resource center for a reception to showcase her acrylic flower art paintings tonight. Mathers will share her talent with the Fond du Lac community from 6 to 7 p.m. at the center at 430 East Division Street. Individuals are invited to view Mathers’ work, learn about the resources available in Journeys and enjoy Starbucks specialty-brewed beverages at Café Coffee. Selected pieces of Mathers’ collection will be available for purchase tonight and through February. To register for the free reception or for more information, call the center at (920) 926-4960 or register online at agnesian.com/art.

Women In Management Meeting Will Feature Local Leaders

The status of city and county projects and area tourism will be the topic when three local leaders team up as guest speakers at the Women in Management meeting scheduled for Wednesday, January 13 from 11:30-1 p.m. at the Holiday Inn.  Members and guests are invited to attend. The panel of speakers includes Fond du Lac County Executive Al Buechel, Fond du Lac City Manager Joe Moore, and Fond du Lac Area Convention and Visitors Bureau President Craig Molitor.  To attend, reservations are required by noon on Friday by contacting

Vicki Woschnick at (920) 929-8271 or vicki.woschnick@usbank.com.  Online registration and payment through PayPal is available at www.wimiwi.org ahead of time. Payment is also accepted at the door.