Local News Briefs Tuesday 5/13/14

Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s officials say the 52-year-old Eden man critically injured in a traffic crash early Sunday morning is Wade Plautz. Plautz was driving on County Highway F when he went off the road and struck a tree. Flight for Life flew him to Theda Clark Regional Medical Center and he was later flown to the UW Hospital in Madison with life-threatening conditions. He was not wearing a seat belt when his truck hit the tree. Alcohol may have been a factor in the crash.

Inattentive Driving Leads To Two Car Crash In Sheboygan County

Two people were hurt when the vehicles they were driving collided on Sate Highway 28 in Sheboygan County’s Town of Lima. The accident just west of Humphery Road happened shortly before 6 a.m. Monday morning. County Sheriff’s officials say 55-year-old Michael Hendriske of Sheboygan crossed over the center line and hit a vehicle driven by 62-year-old Raylene Justinger. Both of them were taken to Sheboygan Aurora Medical Center. They were both wearing seat belts. Hendriske was cited for Inattentive Driving.

FDL School Board Approves Principal Resignations

The Fond du Lac School Board accepted the resignations of High School Principal Jon Wiltzius and Lakeshore Elementary School Principal Lori Loehr last night. Wiltzius is leaving at the end of June to run a campground. District Superintendent Jim Sebert says Wiltzius spent 16 years in the district first as the Dean of Students, then as an assistant principal and finally the last 6 years as High School Principal. He applauds Wiltzius’s decision to start a business. Loehr will be joining CESA 6. Sebert says she spent the last three years as principal at Lakeshore and she will do a good job for CESA 6. Sebert says the posting for the High School Principal position will be open through next Monday.

FDL School Board Approves Increase In Administrators Salaries

The Fond du Lac School Board last evening approved 1 percent increases for 28 administrators. The total cost for that increase comes to just over $26,000. District Superintendent Jim Sebert says the board doesn’t approve those increases until all the increases for other employee groups in the district have been approved first. He says there 28 administrators do a good job for the district. The increase is retroactive. With the increase five of the administrators will be receiving more than $100,000 a year including Sebert who has the top salary in the district at just under $158,000.

Samaritan Clinic Cash Raffle Today

The big day is here for the Samaritan Clinic Cash Raffle with a top prize of $100,000. Raffle co-chair Dr. Joe Kemp says rather than give away a new home this year organizers of the benefit for the Samaritan Clinic in Fond du Lac are raffling off 25 cash prizes. He says people seem to be more excited about receiving cash prizes. Once again the fund raiser helps to fund the clinic, which provides medical, dental and eye care for the uninsured and needy in the community. Over the years the house raffle raised nearly $2 million for the clinic. KFIZ’s Bob Hoffmaster will be doing the morning show at the St. Agnes Hospital lobby where the drawing will be held. The drawing will be live at noon on KFIZ. There is still the chance to purchase tickets with a drive through at the hospital. Tickets are $50 each or 4 for $150. 

New K9 Team Joins FDL Police Department Today, Public Invited

The public has a chance to meet the Fond du Lac Police Department’s new K9 Unit this afternoon at the police station on North Main Street. The introduction will be at 1:30 p.m. Officer Charles Beckford and K9 “Rony” have completed their 4 week training program and their first patrol shift as a K9 team is today. “Rony” is a 3-year-old German Shepard. He was trained in handler protection, to search for people, and to detect drugs.  Vince and Bekki Kuber will be joining the police department during the introduction. They donated $11,500 to purchase “Rony.” It’s the third K9 that the Kuber family has donated to the law enforcement community and the second for the Fond du Lac Police Department.  The late Marie Kuber had previously donated K9 “Addie” to the Lake Winnebago Area MEG – Drug Unit, and the recently retired K9 “Grendel” to the City of Fond du Lac Police Department. For more click here. 

State Appealing Voter I-D Decision

(Wisconsin Radio Network)-Wisconsin’s attorney general is asking a federal appeals court to reinstate Wisconsin’s Voter I-D law.  Attorney General J-B Van Hollen is asking the 7th U-S Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn federal Judge Lynn Adelman’s ruling, which found that Wisconsin’s stalled voter I-D law is unconstitutional. Van Hollen is also asking Adelman to stay his decision while the appeal is underway. Adelman blocked the law last month, finding that it puts an unfair burden on minority and poor voters…violating the Voting Rights Act and the U-S Constitution. Even if the federal decision was struck down, the state Supreme Court still has a pair of cases under review that have kept the law on hold as well.

FDL County Highway T Closed Starting Today

Fond du Lac County Highway T from State Highway 26 to County Highway C will be closed starting today for approximately 3 weeks.  Fond du Lac County Highway crews will be replacing culverts, pulverizing the existing pavement, repaving and shouldering. Access will be provided to local residents.  The posted detour route is County Highway C to State Highway 23 to State Highway 26.

NFDL Outdoor Recreation Dept Created

The North Fond du Lac Village Board recently created an Outdoor Recreation Department. Village Administrator Chuck Hornung says they’ve had an Outdoor Recreation Department running independent of the village offices for years. He says it will save money for the groups that go through the Outdoor Recreation Department. He says it will save thousands of dollars for organizations like Boy’s Baseball, Girl’s Softball and Youth Football. He says the games played in the Village Park are already covered by the Village’s liability insurance, which is where the savings will be realized by those organizations. Hornung says there is a volunteer fee for parents whose children are participating in those sports, but they do have an option to save that $40 fee by volunteering at a concession stand. He says the Outdoor Recreation Department will have to do some reporting back to the Village.

Johnson Says Increasing Minimum Wage A States’ Rights Issue

U.S. Senator Ron Johnson recently voted against a bill to increase the minimum wage. He says the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates the proposal would eliminate as many as 1 million jobs. The federal lawmaker from Oshkosh says it would cut off the first rung of the ladder of opportunity for working Americans. He says the federal government shouldn’t be involved in the marketplace. He believes it’s a states’ rights issue and has no problem with individual state’s increasing their minimum wage to a level higher than the national rate. He says the federal government is involved in way too many things it shouldn’t be and this is one of them.

Mercury, Oshkosh Corp Nominated For Environmental Award

Mercury Marine and the Oshkosh Corporation are among 26 state businesses nominated for the prestigious Business Friend of the Environment Awards, honoring leadership in sustainability, environmental innovation, and stewardship. The 2014 Business Friend of the Environment Awards are presented by Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, the state’s chamber of commerce and largest business association.  Winners will be honored during the 25th Annual Environmental Policy and Awards Conference on Wednesday at the Country Springs Conference Center in Pewaukee.

Neenah HS Student Gets Air Force Academy Appointment

Congressman Tom Petri will present a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition to Neenah High School Senior Emma Kiel during a visit to the high school this afternoon.  Kiel is being recognized for her appointment to the U.S. Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs, CO.  Petri nominated Kiel for the appointment earlier this year.  Petri’s service academy nominees are chosen in an annual nonpartisan competition, based on their high school records, and evaluated by a commission of 14 residents of the Sixth Congressional District.  Final selections are made by the service academies.