Local News Briefs Wednesday 2/25/15

North Fond du Lac School District officials learned after an instructional aide at the high school resigned that he may have had inappropriate contact with a student. Forty-five-year-old Dominic Carmona was recently charged for allegedly having a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old girl. North Fond du Lac Schools Superintendent Aaron Sadoff says they took the allegations against Carmona seriously. Sadoff says he’s proud of the way students and staff is handling themselves given the situation. He says they will continue efforts to make their schools safe for their students and staff. Carmona resigned on February 3rd. He was with the district for about five years.

NFDL Man Charged In Connection With Overdose

The 23-year-old North Fond du Lac man who overdosed on heroin in a restroom at the Stretch Truck Stop last week has been charged. Bond was set at $5,000 cash for Adam Giebel when he made his initial court appearance in Fond du Lac County Court. He was charged with possessing narcotic drugs, drug paraphernalia possession and two misdemeanor counts of bail jumping. EMS had to use Narcan to revive him when he was found in the restroom on Tuesday, February 17th. He was then taken to St. Agnes Hospital where he was treated and released. After that he was arrested and was taken to the County Jail.

Prison Inmate Charged For Attacking Another Inmate

A 28-year-old inmate at the Dodge County Detention Facility is facing felony charges for allegedly attacking another inmate. According to the criminal complaint Donald Lucas Jones of Madison allegedly punched the other inmate in the face twice following a disagreement over a fan. Racial remarks were apparently made just before the attack. The victim suffered non-life-threatening injuries. A preliminary hearing is scheduled in April. 

Senator Johnson On Keystone Veto

U.S. Senator Ron Johnson expressed disappointment Tuesday in President Barack Obama’s vetoing of the Keystone XL pipeline legislation. The federal lawmaker from Oshkosh says, “The president’s veto is very unfortunate. However you evaluate the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, it makes sense to build it.” He went on to say it creates thousands of construction jobs and  the State Department’s own studies showed that it would produce less carbon dioxide to move oil from Canada by Keystone than by any other method.” He says it would also help lower energy prices.   Johnson says the veto doesn’t make any sense and is the result of a president beholden to environmental extremists in his party.

FDL City Council Preview

Lakeside Park Exploratory Committee Chairperson Dr. John Short will give the Fond du Lac City Council an update on the committee’s work when the Council meets tonight. At the end of the Council’s last meeting City Councilman Gary Miller called into question the results of a survey on park use, which the committee extended to get results from more youth and young adults. Miller accused the committee of farming for data. Also during the Council’s meeting there will be public hearings for curb and gutter construction on several streets with consideration later in the meeting to authorize that work. The Council will also consider borrowing for the 2015 Capital Improvements program and to refinance some debt. The Council meets at 6 p.m. at the City-County Government Center.

UW FDL Student Housing Getting It Right

The Dean of the UW-Fond du Lac says they are disappointed that construction of student housing on the campus has been delayed, but they and Fond du Lac County remain committed to student housing. Dr. John Short says Bluffstone LLC has had some delays in other projects and they wouldn’t be able to have the 84 bed housing at the UW-Fond du Lac ready by start of the fall semester this year. Short says they will consider now when they want to open the housing on the campus. He says it could be next January or they may wait until the fall of 2016. Short says while they are committed to student housing on campus they also want to make sure they get it right.

Students Data Request Unusual

Fond du Lac Schools Superintendent Jim Sebert says a request by a school choice group for student data was a bit unusual. He says they complied with School Choice of Wisconsin’s open records request for marketing purposes. He says what made it so unusual was the request for data on all of the students. He says it’s the first time he remembers that type of request for marketing purposes for school choice. He says how they handle that type of request in subsequent school years for student data depends on changes the state legislature may make. He says in the end School Choice Wisconsin amended their request for data on student addresses and grade levels. Sebert says they did keep parents informed about the request.

Walleye Weekend Will Feature Wine Bar

Those who enjoy wine should like a new addition to Walleye Weekend offerings at Fond du Lac’s Lakeside Park. Fond du Lac Festivals Executive Director Leanne Doyle says they are adding a wine bar. She says River Bend Wines of Chippewa Falls will be sponsoring the wine bar and featuring their wines. She believes they have a great location for the Wine Bar, which will be on Fountain Island where the VIP Tent is and it’s close to Family Land. She says they have volunteers for a group that will benefit from running the Wine Bar. Doyle says Marian University’s Working Family Grant and Scholarship program will benefit from it and have the opportunity to raise awareness about their program.

MPTC West Bend Campus Host WHY IT

Moraine Park Technical College’s West Bend campus will host a special event focusing on information technology careers tonight. MPTC Interim President Bonnie Baerwald says WHY IT? will be from 4 to 7 p.m. and is also sponsored by Waukesha County Technical College. She says it will feature a keynote speaker, workshops and more. Matthew Moran will give a presentation on “The Value Added Technologist.” Jeff Lang of Omni Resources will also give a presentation.  Staff from both colleges will be on hand to discuss IT career path options. The event is free and you can register for it at the MPTC website. Refreshments will be served.