Local News Briefs Tuesday 9/8/14

Winnebago County Sheriff’s officials say a man was rescued after spending about eight hours in Lake Winnebago after his boat capsized Saturday afternoon. He called his wife who contacted sheriff’s officials. Rescuers located him about six miles east of Menominee Park floating on the capsized catamaran. He was not injured.

Fire Destroys Two Homes In Washington County

Fire damaged two homes in Washington County over the weekend. The latest occurred early Sunday morning on Peninsula Drive in the Town of West Bend. No one was inside the home at the time of the fire. Nine fire departments battled the blaze, which caused severe damage to the home.. Last Friday afternoon a garage fire on County Highway A in the Town of Farmington spread to the attached home making it a complete loss. One firefighter suffered minor injuries during the blaze. The cause is still being determined in both fires.

Sheboygan County House Fire

(WHBL-Sheboygan) Fire Friday night damaged a home in Sheboygan County’s Scott Township.  Sheriff’s officials say that the 911 call came in around 9:30, reporting a fire on the roof of the Daniel Morin home.  The Batavia Fire Department was dispatched along with 11 other volunteer departments.  No one was injured and the Red Cross is assisting the family.  Batavia firefighters were back on the scene early Saturday morning to extinguish a flare up.

Health Survey Continues

The Fond du Lac County Health Department should be wrapping up a community health survey soon. Public Health Officer Kim Mueller says just shy of 100 questions will be asked of those who get agree to take the phone survey. She says it’s information they can use in meeting the needs of County residents. She says the information from the survey will supplement previous surveys they did in 2008 and 2011. The survey focuses on issues such as access to health care, tobacco use, alcohol use, diet, physical activity, heart health, injury prevention, immunizations, mental health and chronic disease. About 100 of the 400 calls will be to cell phones. The Health Department, Agnesian HealthCare, the Fond du Lac School District, United Way, YMCA and several others are partnering on the survey.

United Way Drive

The Fond du Lac Area United Way officially kicks off their 2014 campaign this week.  Tina Potter of the United Way says the bar has been set at $745,000 for this year’s campaign.  This fund drive will kickoff with an event on Thursday morning at Marian University.  Kevin Lichetenberg of Fives is this year’s honorary chair

Don’t Get Burned In Kitchen

The Fond du Lac Fire Department reminds you to be safe while cooking.  They recently went to a fire call because of a stove fire caused by cooking oil.  Troy Haase Deputy Chief of Fire Prevention with the Fond du Lac Fire Department says that when cooking with oils use common sense and don’t leave the stove. If you’re cooking with oil, and you have to walk away, move the pot or pan off the burner and turn the burner off because it still holds heat and could start a fire.  Haase adds that if an oil fire does start on the stove, water is not an option.  Put a lid on the fire or use a fire extinguisher.  He says people don’t realize how hot things can get on the stove and how fast a situation can get out of control. 

Deadly August

Preliminary data shows 69 people lost their lives in traffic crashes in August, making it the deadliest month on Wisconsin roadways so far this year. Through the end of last month, a total of 320 people died in Wisconsin traffic crashes, including 56 motorcyclists, 22 pedestrians and three bicyclists. Traffic deaths through August were 28 fewer compared to the same eight-month period last year. Crashes resulted in six deaths over the Labor Day holiday, compared with 10 deaths last year.

Safe School Bus

If your children ride a school bus, they’re aboard the safest mode of transportation for getting kids to and from school. That commendable safety record has to do with how buses are engineered and built, along with the skilled and careful drivers behind the wheel. To help maintain this outstanding safety record, the Wisconsin State Patrol inspects every school bus in the state once per year. Inspectors examine bus brakes, steering, tires, electrical systems and other safety equipment. Each year, the State Patrol conducts about 10-thousand school bus inspections including annual reviews, spot checks and pre-sale inspections

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