Local News Briefs Tuesday 12/29/15

Illinois Man Hurt In Plane Crash Near Watertown

Jefferson County Sheriff’s officials say a 67-year-old Lake Forest, Illinois man piloting a small plane crashed near Watertown Sunday afternoon. The plane went down in a cornfield. The aircraft experienced engine troubles shortly after taking off from the Watertown airport heading to Kenosha. The pilot managed to get out of the plane and was taken to Aurora Hospital in Waukesha with non-life threatening injuries.

Manufacturer Of The Year Nominees Announced

Some area manufacturers are among the 38 companies nominated for the 28th Annual Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year awards. Advanced Tooling, Inc. of Mt. Calvary is among the nominees in the Small category for companies with 1 to 99 employees. Masters Gallery Foods, Inc. of Plymouth is among the nominees for the large category for companies with 300 to 799 employees. In the Mega Category, for companies with 800 or more employees, Mayville Engineering Company is among the nominees. Winners will be announced at a ceremony on February 25th at the Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee. To read the press release click here. 

Fire Prevention Efforts Successful

With a few days left in 2015 the City of Fond du Lac could make it through the year without any fatal fires. Fire Chief Peter O’Leary says just before he started 7 years ago next month, there were a couple of fatal fires in the City. He says there were two deaths in one day. He says reducing deaths and injuries due to fires are reasons they spend so much time doing fire prevention. He says part of that effort includes a canvas of neighbors after a fire to make sure people have working smoke detectors, which the fire department can provide if necessary. He says landlords need to buy them for their tenants. He says they install smoke detectors for those in need and replace batteries. He says grants help pay for that effort. He says it is quite an accomplishment if the City makes it through another year without a fire.

Tasers Purchased For State Patrol

The state budget included money to purchase new tasers for all Wisconsin State Patrol troopers and inspectors. Inspector Scott Hlinak says its costly equipment that was needed for hundreds of State Patrol personnel. He says about 500 tasers were needed and each taser costs more than a sidearm. Training is required for those using a taser. Some volunteer to have the tasers tested on them. Sergeant Luke Newman says he volunteered because he wanted to lead by example and if he expected other people to do it he had to do it himself. Hlinak says the tasers are good deterrents especially if the people who they are being used on are stunned for five seconds. He says it creates a pain or pressure across the body. He says the person being stunned is able to function afterwards, but need to catch their breath and its time enough for them to consider what they are doing.

Shards Reclaims The Broken Pieces Of Life

Once again Lindee Kimball is involved in an effort designed to help people put the pieces of their lives back together again. Over the years she’s worked with the Salvation Army, Solutions Center, not to mention serving on the Fond du Lac City Council. Now she is the Executive Director of Shards, Inc. She says it has to do with mental health and people who might be looking for a counselor. Kimball says Shards is able to get people who need counseling in within a week. She says they also help with costs for counseling by basing costs on a person’s income if insurance does not pick up the costs or the deductible is too high. She says if people go to the Shards website they can choose their own counselor or they can get help by calling Shards at 204-6570. She says they also have a financial fitness program for those who are worried about their finances. 

No Names Arts Festival Next Month In FDL

Fond du Lac County 4-H will be sponsoring a first of its kind event for youth at the end of next month that has yet to find its name. Denise Retzlaff is the 4-H Youth Development Educator for the Fond du Lac County UW-Extension. She says the No Name Arts Festival will be held at the UW-Fond du Lac Prairie Theater and Commons at 9 a.m. on Saturday, January 30th. She says it combines all the arts into one big arts festival. She says a couple of different arts skills are being added to the festival. She says photography and arts or drawing are now included.  She says they will even have a contest to name the festival. She says you can enter as an individual or as a member of a group. Rules, registration and entry forms are available at the UW-Extension website.  

Human Trafficking Awareness Program Will Be Presented In FDL

Recent arrests in Fond du Lac have brought awareness of the monstrous crime of human trafficking and the issues that surround it. A program that will focus on the problem and solutions, “Human Trafficking Awareness” will be presented at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, January 11th, at the Fond du Lac Public Library. The program is free; no registration is required. Presenter Nancy Irizarry will focus on the issue in our area and explain how anyone can be targeted for slavery. She’ll discuss what the community can do to be aware, be educated and to help. She also will discuss how a global emphasis on fair trade plays a role in trafficking prevention. January is national Human Trafficking Awareness Month. Irizarry is chair of the Wisconsin Anti-Human Trafficking Consortium and a member of the statewide Human Trafficking Task Force. The program is sponsored by Fond du Lac Fair Trade Town, Just Fare Market and the Fond du Lac Public Library.