Local News Briefs Tuesday 3/10/15

A Fond du Lac County Judge recently sentenced a 54-year-old Kenosha man to prison for the repeated sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl. Judge Peter Grimm sentenced Joseph Doehler to 20 years in prison and 15 years of extended supervision. Doehler was found guilty of the sexual assault charge during a jury trial last November. 

Dodge County Scams

Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt is warning residents about a couple phone scams. One uses the Publisher’s Clearing House name and the other the Department of Legal Affairs. He says typically those types of scams play on the victim’s emotions. He says if you’re unsure give the Sheriff’s Department a call or do an Internet search to see if it’s a scam. He says he did a search for the Department of Legal Affairs and information popped up that it’s a scam. He says often the caller is from overseas or using a burner phone and are bold to the point that they’ve even challenged his officers who’ve called checking on a possible scam. In the Publisher’s Clearing House scam the caller tries to get the victim to pay a percentage of taxes on a huge prize they’ve supposedly won. The Department of Legal Affairs scam threatens jail time if you don’t pay money you supposedly owe. 

DFP Head Excited About Possible Expansion Of The Library

The executive director of the Downtown Fond du Lac Partnership says she’s excited to hear the City may be purchasing a vacant building to expand the library. Amy Hansen says the building at 52 Sheboygan Street has sat idle for some time. She says Commonwealth Companies had purchased it, but their idea for developing the building didn’t materialize. The Library would move their BookCellar program to the building and would transform the space the BookCellar currently uses into an Idea Studio. The Children’s Room would also be expanded to include more room for a Teen Center.

FDL School Board Adopts Policy For New Tech Ed Scholarship Program

The Fond du Lac School Board Monday night passed a new policy that will allow students in the school district to apply for a state scholarship program for students who will be attending technical college. District Superintendent Jim Sebert says the scholarship was created through legislation authored by State Senator Rick Gudex of Fond du Lac. Eligible students will have a chance to get a $2,250 a year scholarship while they attend technical college. Sebert says they already have a great relationship with Moraine Park Technical College. But the scholarships would be for any technical college in Wisconsin. Sebert says through a current program students taking specific courses at the high school can get college credit for them if they attend Moraine Park. He says it also helps develop skilled workers needed by area employers.

Congressman Grothman On US Supreme Court And Obamacare Subsidies

Congressman Glenn Grothman believes the U.S. Supreme Court will strike down some of the subsidies for Obamacare. He says it was a poorly written law that took over so much of the American economy. He says it will cause some problems if the Court rules against Obamacare deciding that part of it is unconstitutional. He says Congress is working on what the alternatives will be. The federal lawmaker from Campbellsport says there are still things about the Affordable Care Act that we are still learning about that are creating problems. The Supreme Court Monday struck down a U.S. Appeals Court ruling, which denied the University of Notre Dame’s religious objections to Obamacare’s contraception requirement.

Millions Of SS Numbers Being Used By People Who Are Likely Dead

Senator Ron Johnson says according to a new report 6.5 million Americans who have active social security numbers are more than 112 years of age, but are likely deceased. The Inspector General’s report outlined preventable errors. Only 35 people worldwide were know to be 112 years or older as of October 2013. The Inspector General’s report found one individual opened bank accounts with Social Security numbers for people born in 1869 and 1893 making them 145 and 121 years-old respectively. Senator Johnson says, “It is incredible that the Social Security Administration in 2015 does not have the technical sophistication to ensure that people they know to be deceased are actually noted as dead.” Johnson says the errors could lead to identity theft. For more click here.

State Budget Process Gears Up

Now that Right to Work is off the State Legislature’s plate they can get back to work on the State Budget. State Representative Michael Schraa of Oshkosh is a member of the Joint Finance Committee, which has scheduled four hearings on the budget around the state. He had hoped one of them would be in Oshkosh. The meetings will be held in Brillion, Milwaukee, Rice Lake and Reedsburg over the next few weeks. He says after that the Joint Finance Committee will begin executive sessions on the budget. He says Republican members of the JFC also hold meetings each week with members of the caucus to keep them updated on the budget process. Schraa says they should be putting the final touches on the budget by early June. By law the State Budget has to be signed into law by the Governor by July 1st.

FDL School Superintendent On Passing Of New Holstein School District Administrator

Fond du Lac Schools Superintendent Jim Sebert says he knew the New Holstein School Administrator who passed away unexpectedly last Thursday at his home. Sebert says a couple times a year he attended the same state functions that New Holstein School District Administrator Bill Van Meer went to and the news of Van Meer’s death came as a surprise. Van Meer was 49-years-old. Van Meer’s wife Tina is the Superintendent of the Gibraltar School District. Sebert says Van Meer had a positive outlook and was excited about education. He says it has to be a tremendous loss for Van Meer’s family and the New Holstein community.

CitizensFirst Rebrands With New Name Verve A Credit Union

As part of a comprehensive rebranding initiative, CitizensFirst Credit Union will adopt the name Verve, a Credit Union, which was approved by its Board of Directors. Kevin J. Ralofsky, President and CEO of CitizensFirst, says Verve captures the unique personality of the credit union. “Our research was showing name confusion with other area financials, so we knew it was time to choose one to reflect the passionate, innovative work that sets us apart. We believe this new name speaks to our commitment to serving the community and our members.” A new spokesperson, Merv, will accompany the name change. According to Karrie Drobnick, Chief Marketing Officer at CitizensFirst and director of the rebranding effort, Merv will bring a refreshing new tone to the credit union.  Members can expect to see Verve branding online and on building signage and advertisements beginning this week. Verve, a Credit Union, is a member-owned, not-for-profit financial cooperative serving nearly 47,000 members at ten locations. Membership is open to anyone who lives, works or worships in 15 Wisconsin counties from Brillion to Fond du Lac.