Local News Briefs Tuesday 3/8/16

Fatal Traffic Accident In Washington County

One person was killed and another injured in a 3-vehicle accident on Highway 33 in the Town of Addison Sunday afternoon. Washington County Sheriff’s officials say the accident happened just east of County Highway WW. One driver was killed, another driver injured. There was minor damage to the third vehicle and the two people inside were not harmed. Investigators say an eastbound vehicle crossed over the centerline and hit a westbound vehicle head-on. The eastbound vehicle then made minor contact with a second westbound vehicle. The eastbound driver suffered a non-life threatening injury. The first westbound driver was killed. Alcohol is a factor in the crash. It’s the third traffic death in the County this year.

Washington County House Fire

Fire damaged the attic of a Town of Barton home late Sunday night. Washington County Sheriff’s officials say the people living at 8090 Highland Drive notified their office at 11:50 p.m. that smoke detectors were going off. When deputies arrived smoke was coming from the attic and roof area of the house. An adult, child and dog were evacuated from the home. Four fire departments battled the blaze. There was about $100,000 worth of damage to the home. A lightning strike caused the fire.

Search For Missing ATV On Lake Puckaway Turns Up Nothing

Efforts to find an ATV that a witness says sank in open water on Lake Puckaway Sunday evening proved fruitless. Green Lake County Sheriff’s officials say a witness saw what looked like an ATV heading towards the open water of the Fox River channel; and then the headlights disappeared. That area was searched along with public access points, boat landings and other locations. The search was suspended when rain, hail and intense lightning moved in Sunday night. As of Monday morning no one had been reported missing.

Homeland Security Budget Hearing Today

The Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will hold a public hearing on the nation’s Homeland Security Budget today. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh  Johnson will be the only witness at the hearing in Washington, D.C. Senator Ron Johnson is the chairman of the committee. He says border security, cyber security, protecting critical infrastructure, and identifying Islamic and violent terrorists are all part of their mission. The federal lawmaker from Oshkosh says it’s important to exercise financial constraint, but keeping America safe by supporting the Homeland Security budget is also important. Border Security has also become an issue in the presidential campaign and Senator Johnson agrees it should be. He says his committee has held 14 hearings about it and he can tell you the border is not secure.

Phone Scams Persist

A Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s detective says phone scammers are getting more sophisticated in the methods they use. Lieutenant Cameron McGee says they will use spoofing to make it look like you’re receiving a call from the area code. He says lately some scam artists are using the 979 prefix so when it comes up on your caller ID it may appear that the call is coming from a cell phone in the area. He says if your caller ID identifies the call as coming from the IRS, don’t believe it. He says the IRS doesn’t call you, they send a letter and they will give you a phone number to call. He says they may have put a chink in the jury duty scam calls. He says callers were calling and saying they were with the Sheriff’s Department and you missed jury duty. They would then instruct you to get a pre-paid card and mail it to them. He says they were able to ping those calls and found out the calls were coming from a prison in Georgia. That scam has since been shut down.

Preventing Madness On The Roads

State officials want to prevent any March Madness from occurring along our roadways. To promote responsible driving—especially among teens—the state DOT and Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association are teaming up to emphasize highway safety. Randi Romanski is with the state’s Bureau of Transportation Safety. He says people going to the state basketball tournaments will hear and see highway safety messages in tournament programs, on electronic message boards, on social media and via PA announcements during athletic events. He says the message is buckle up, turn off the cell phone, and stay focused on safe driving. He says the goal is zero preventable traffic deaths, which can be obtained if there isn’t a cooperative effort. Romanski notes motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers in the United States.

Oshkosh Corporation Makes Prestigious List For Ethical Practices

Oshkosh Corporation has been named to the 2016 World’s Most Ethical Company® list by the Ethisphere Institute. Oshkosh is one of only 131 companies, representing 54 industry sectors in 21 countries on five continents named to this prestigious list. Oshkosh Corporation was the only company selected in the “Trucks and Other Vehicles” category.

For more click here.

Tax Help Available At MPTC

Students from Moraine Park Technical College’s Accounting program are offering free tax preparation before the April 15 deadline for individuals who meet IRS guidelines. This Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) is offered each Thursday, from 12:30 to 3 p.m. at Moraine Park’s Fond du Lac campus in Room O-204 and its West Bend campus in Room L-102. The IRS has several requirements to be eligible for tax return help through the VITA program, including generally making $54,000 or less or having a disability. For those that qualify, students in the program’s Applied Income Tax course have been trained and are approved by the IRS to complete tax returns at no cost.  This includes preparing the federal and state tax returns and e-file for free.