Local News Briefs Wednesday 1/6/16

Dodge County prosecutors have charged a 22-year-old Horicon man for allegedly molesting his sister’s dog. Nicholas Bradley faces two misdemeanor charges for the incident that happened last September. He allegedly confessed to trying to molest the dog. He was released on a $500 signature bond and will be back in court February 1st.

Oostburg Man Hurt In Sheboygan County Accident

Sheboygan County Sheriff’s officials say a 75-year-old Oostburg man in a two-vehicle crash at Middle Road and Wilson-Lima Road Monday afternoon.  Robert Jakubiak failed to stop for a stop sign at the intersection and his truck was hit by another pickup truck driven by 19-year-old Joshua Moreau of Sheboygan. Jakubiak was taken to St. Nicholas Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. He was also cited for failing to stop.

Third Mill Lake Victim Identified

Walworth County authorities have now identified three of the young men from Illinois who drowned in Mill Lake in East Troy early Sunday morning when their canoe overturned. The third to be identified is 21-year-old Mori Weinstein whose body was recovered Monday afternoon. The bodies of 20-year-old Lani Patrick Sack and 21-year-old Christopher McQuillen were recovered Sunday. The body of a fourth man is still missing.

West Bend Woman Facing Embezzlement Charge

A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for later this month in Washington County Court for a 50-year-old West Bend woman accused of embezzling more than $73,000 from a local charity. Ann Stubbe is suspected of taking the money from the Light of Hope Center between 2008 and last June. Court documents say she became addicted to internet gambling.  She made her initial appearance Monday. Light of Hope helps poor people in Bangladesh.

Mills Fleet Farm Being Purchased

A New York-based investment farm is purchasing the family-owned Mills Fleet Farm chain. KKR holdings is acquiring majority stock of the company with the Mills Family maintaining a small ownership. Mills operates 35 stores in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and North Dakota. In the area Mills Fleet Farm stores are located in Fond du Lac, Plymouth, Oshkosh, Appleton and Beaver Dam.

Ice Safety

Fond du Lac Fire and Rescue Chief Peter O’Leary says the tragic deaths of four men from Illinois on a Walworth County lake is a reminder about how safe ice conditions can be. A canoe the four men were in capsized. Alcohol may have been a factor and the men weren’t dressed for the weather. Plus the water temperature of Mill Lake was only 34 degrees. O’Leary says there a couple of reasons that wasn’t a good idea. He says they should have been sober and were familiar with the lake, which wasn’t well lit when they went out. He says people should not be in a rush to go out on Lake Winnebago with mild temperatures to kick off the winter and our first real snowfall last week. He says we need more cold weather and learn from the experts when the ice is safe. He says taking precautions in case you go through the ice, which could include wearing a life jacket, could save your life. He says it’s best to have someone with you and if not let someone know where you are going to be.

NFDL Looks At Sex Offender Ordinance

Given what the Town of Eldorado went through at the end of the year with the possible placement of a violent sex offender, North Fond du Lac is considering its own ordinance. But Village Administrator Chuck Hornung says if they do create a village residency ordinance regarding sex offenders they want to do it right. He says Police Chief Darren Pautsch says otherwise they could still end up with sex offenders in the community, but wouldn’t be aware of it. The chief says the sex offenders could simply go underground getting off a bus in the community and simply not registering. He says they will get as much input from state officials and legislators as they can before they consider an ordinance. He says State Representative Michael Schraa will be one of those asked to address the village board. Hornung says local ordinances aren’t really improving on state statutes when it comes to the placement of sex offenders who are usually placed in the community where they committed the crime.

Who Is Running For City Government In Ripon

In Ripon the mayor and common council members from all four districts are up for election this spring. Mayor Gary Will is seeking reelection as are District 1 Councilman Todd Elliott, District 2 Councilman Roland Peabody and District 3 Councilwoman Annette Klein. Aaron Becker will be challenging Klein for her seat. District 4 incumbent Councilman Dennis Miller is not seeking reelection and no one had filed papers for the seat earlier this week.

Mercurys Sutton Serving on WSC Advisory Board

The Director of Safety and Occupational Health at Mercury Marine in Fond du Lac is serving on the Wisconsin Safety Council Advisory Board. Jim Sutton’s term as an at-large member began January 1st.  Prior to his employment at Mercury Marine, Sutton spent 16 years in the pulp and paper industry in various safety roles including air and water quality, process safety, and fire protection. He is a Wisconsin Certified Safety Professional and a Professional Engineer and has served as a WSC conference moderator and judge for the Wisconsin Corporate Safety Awards.

Free Investment Classes Offered

Financial educator Jeff Kemp of Oshkosh will be offering free investment classes in the area over the next several months. This is a unique opportunity to get non-biased information on personal investing. You do not need to attend all seven sessions – attend as few or as many as you like. Classes will be held at Moraine Park Technical College on Thursday evenings at 6:00 p.m. in rooms O-103 and 104 beginning this Thursday and running through February 18th.  The same program will be repeated again at a new venue – the North Fond du Lac Community Center on Monday afternoons from 2:30 – 4:00 p.m. on March 7, 14, 21, 28, and April 4, 11, and 18. Pre-registration is not needed for the January/February MPTC classes but is requested for the classes held at the North Fond du Lac Community Center starting in March. Call 929-3765 to register for the Community Center classes in March/April.

Lemonade Day

It may seem quite a while away, but children participating in the annual Lemonade Day in Fond du Lac this May will soon begin preparing for that experience. Fond du Lac Area Association of Commerce President Joe Reitemeier says those students start getting engaged much earlier. He says they go through a very defined curriculum on starting a company, marketing, budgets and inventory. He says those kids also have to report details on finances for their operation. He says they are also encouraged to donate a portion of any money they make to the charity of their choice. He says last year’s Lemonade Day was a success. He says kids raised over $20,000 in sales.