Local News Briefs Wednesday 11/18/14

The Fond du Lac County Board approved a 5-year capital improvements plan last evening. The only real question that came up had to do with a $500,000 earmarked for purchase of 22 acres along the Ledge for conservancy. County Supervisor Dennis Stenz had questions about the purchase. County Executive Al Buechel told the board the $500,000 was probably more than would be needed, but the actual purchase would be much less. He said the County had set aside $60,000 it got for 30 acres of the Calvary Marsh it sold and the County would be able to get a state stewardship grant that would pay for half of the purchase costs. The board approved the capital improvements plan by a 22 to 1 vote with Stenz voting against.

Oshkosh Woman Charged For Role In Drug House

Bond was set at $25,000 cash for a 30-year-old Oshkosh woman suspected of allegedly helping run a meth lab at a home in the 800 block of Franklin Street. Shanon Nowak was charged in Winnebago County Court Tuesday. Police executed a search warrant at the residence last week. She and 34-year-old Werner Roggenbuck were arrested after leaving the home. Roggenbuck was charged Monday for his role in methamphetamine manufacturing and trafficking. Both will have preliminary hearings next Monday. 

Deferred Prosecution For Waukesha Man

A 20-year-old Waukesha man can avoid a felony charge while he’s on probation for sending a lewd photo to a 12-year-old girl in Dodge County. Prosecutors reached an agreement with Brandon Schallock this week on a lesser misdemeanor charge. He was placed on probation for a year. Schallock used the “Snapchat” smart phone application to send the lewd photo of himself to the girl last December. He told investigators he knew how old she was. 

Marian Project Will Help Downtown

Fond du Lac Community Development Director Dyann Benson says Marian University’s $5 million project that will convert the Nielsen Building for its nursing school students and other tenants will be good for the downtown. She says it will add about 500 people to the foot traffic stores and restaurants see which builds word of mouth about the community. She says you have to have people first to justify new business and the use of the Nielsen Building and former Retlaw Theater will provide some of that justification. Benson says talk about the project will build as it gets closer to fruition.

Home Sales Up In FDL County

Sales of existing homes in Fond du Lac County were up by 50 percent last month compared to October of 2013. According to the Wisconsin Realtors Association the median price of a home was also up by 26 percent. Statewide home sales increased by 9.6 percent in October compared to the same month last year and the median price of a home increased by 4.2 percent. For more click here

Winter Awareness

This year state residents didn’t need a week to become Winter Aware as winter type weather arrived about a month early. Still Fond du Lac County Communications and Emergency Management Director Jim McNabb there are a few things you should keep in mind such as keeping a survival kit in your car. He says you should also have a survival kit for your home. He says do a little weather research before a long trip finding out if a winter storm or conditions make travel hazardous. He says with today’s technology dispatchers can pin point your location through GPS in your cell phone so having one on a trip is also a matter of safety. For more about Winter Awareness click here.

FDL City Closings For Thanksgiving Holiday

City offices in the Fond du Lac City-County Government Center will be closed Thursday and Friday, November 27th and 28th to observe the Thanksgiving holiday. There will be no refuse or recycling collection those days. The Municipal Service Center will be closed. Refuse and recycling normally picked on Thursday will be collected next Wednesday, November 26th and collections for Friday will be picked up on Monday, December 1st along with the regular collections. Yard waste and brush may still be dropped off during the holiday hours. The Senior Center will be closed both days and City Transit buses will not run. The library will be closed Thanksgiving Day, but will be open on Friday, November 28th.

History Class Preview Tonight At FDL Public Library

Those who have enjoyed the popular history classes offered through Marian University at the Fond du Lac Public Library can get a “Big History Preview” of the upcoming classes tonight at 6 p.m. Community Information Coordinator Terri Fleming says it’s called the “Big History Preview” because of the long title of the overall spring semester series. Once again Marian University’s Rick Whaley and local author Herman Bender will run the popular class. Bender is known for his artifacts, but Fleming says there might not be many in the first class, which starts out during the time of the Big Bang. She says the history classes, which are free and require no registration have proven to be very popular.