Local News Briefs Wednesday 1/22/14

Police in Beaver Dam do not believe foul play was involved in the death of a man who was found dead on a frozen retention pond Tuesday. The man’s body was found on the pond in the 1600 block of North Spring Street. The Dodge County Medical Examiner pronounced him dead. An autopsy is scheduled for today to determine the cause of death. The man’s identity is also being confirmed. Police did find a running vehicle parked on a street near the pond and are determining whether it is connected to the incident.

West Bend Man Killed At Purdue University

The victim of a fatal shooting at Purdue University was a 21-year-old man from West Bend. Andrew Boldt was killed Tuesday in an electrical engineering building on the University’s main campus in West Lafayette, Indiana. Police arrested 23-year-old Cody Cousins, a fellow student, and have tentatively charged him with murder. Boldt was a teaching assistant who planned to graduate in May. Both men were engineering students.

FDL Woman Gets Probation For Burglary Participation

The 22-year-old Fond du Lac woman accused of participating in burglaries in the Fond du Lac area and trashing a Ripon hotel room last September has been sentenced to probation. Allison Weber was sentenced yesterday in Fond du Lac County Court on two counts of receiving stolen property and one count each of narcotics trafficking and criminal damage to property. She got 5 years of probation on the drug charge and one year of probation for each of the other three charges. She and her boyfriend 23-year-old Edward Uttendorfer of Fond du Lac were suspected of stealing jewelry and money from relatives and breaking a window and floor lamp at the Boarder’s Inn in Ripon. Uttendorfer’s cases are still making their way through court with a plea and sentencing hearing in May on burglary and theft charges. He’s also facing criminal damage to property and bail jumping charges. 

FDL City Council Considers Opening Up Sidewalks To Bicycle Use

The Fond du Lac City Council tonight will consider amending an ordinance to allow the use of bicycles on sidewalks. Public Works Director Jordan Skiff says the caveat is that they would have to be operated safely. He says the Police Department is generally supportive of the change, but they would have the discretion to judge whether a bicycle is being operated in a safe manner. Skiff says the Public Works Department deals with transportation avenues and bicycling is one mode of transportation. Skiff says opening up sidewalks to bicycles compliments the City’s efforts for a bike loop around the City and hosting events like a leg of the Tour of America’s Dairyland in June.

Governor Sets Stage For Re-election Campaign With Tonight’s Speech

(Wisconsin Radio Network)-Governor Walker is putting the finishing touches on a major pre-election speech that he’ll deliver later tonight. Governor Walker will certainly have some good news to talk about in his State of the State speech tonight, thanks to a growing budget surplus. That from Marquette political scientist Charles Franklin. The projected surplus totals more than $900 million, and Walker is expected to outline a plan that includes income and property tax cuts. Franklin says the governor will also be setting the stage for his formal re-election announcement later this spring.

Congressman Petri Town Meeting In Oshkosh Moved

Congressman Tom Petri’s Wednesday town meeting in Oshkosh has been moved from the City Hall to Christ Lutheran Church. The church is located at 222 Church Street, across Church Street from the Oshkosh City Hall. The meeting will be held from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. in the church sanctuary. The town meeting location was changed due to a problem with the City Hall elevator. Town meeting attendees may use the back parking lot of the church on East Parkway Avenue and enter the church through the east doors off the parking lot. The church may also be accessed through the front door on Church Street. For a complete schedule click here.

Change In Dodge County Emergency Management Approved

(WBEV-Beaver Dam)-The Dodge County Board last night approved a shifting of titles in the Emergency Management Department. Deputy Director Amy Nehls will assume the top post at the request of current-Director Joe Meagher who, come Saturday, is the Deputy Director. Meagher approached Nehls about the change. It comes following the recent birth of his son, who was born pre-mature but otherwise perfectly healthy. Nehls says the change in titles will not be noticeable to local residents or agency partners and will essentially boil down to her attending a few more evening meetings.

Home Sales Up In 2013

The Wisconsin Realtors Association says existing home sales were up 10.8-percent in 2013, while median prices also jumped by 7.2-percent to about $143,000. Association President Mike Theo says each sector of the state saw improvement. Theo says prices were helped quite a bit from a continued drop in foreclosures, which reduced the number of low-priced homes on the market. In Fond du Lac County the median price of a home in 2013 was up 6.3 percent and home sales were up nearly 12 percent (11.9%). For more click here. 

Chocolate Fantasy Sunday

Whiskey bacon truffle! If it sounds appealing it’s one of the unique offerings at the 18th annual Chocolate Fantasy this Sunday at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Fond du Lac. The annual event put on by Soroptimist International of Fond du Lac will feature over 20 different vendors offering all kinds of chocolate indulgence. Robyn King of the Soroptimists says new this year they will have a Gourmet Pairings Room with a selection of chocolates from Indulgence Chocolatiers of Milwaukee paired with win selections from Festival Foods. You have to pay an additional $10 to enter the age-21-and-over room and that’s where you will also find the whiskey bacon truffles. Money from the annual event is used to help local organizations that benefit women and girls and in particular this year the Solutions Center. Hours for the event is from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door. You can purchase them at Bank Mutual, BMO Harris, C.W. Smith Jewelers, EP-Direct Printing, the Fond du Lac Convention & Visitor’s Bureau, Fox Valley Savings Bank, The Solutions Center, Wegner Office Supply and from Soroptimist members. There will be raffles and a chance to win a chocolate diamond necklace from C.W. Smith Jewelers with the purchase of a half-pound box of chocolates from The Candy Tree.