Local News Briefs Wednesday 4/29/15

The State Patrol and Calumet County officials have released names from a fatal accident Monday afternoon. Twenty-eight-year-old Andrew Graverson of Appleton was killed when his car ran into the back of a County street sweeper. The County highway worker who was operating the street sweeper, 50-year-old Derrick Burkhalter of Hilbert, was flown to Theda Clark Medical Center with critical injuries. The sweeper was following two graders that were repairing the shoulder of the road. The accident on Highway 10 happened shortly before 2 p.m. Monday afternoon.

Man Arraigned For Disrupting Trooper Casper Burial Service

The 56-year-old Kiel man who tried to disrupt the burial service for State Trooper Trevor Casper in a Kiel cemetery has been arraigned. Michael Mangan recently waived his preliminary hearing and entered not guilty pleas when he was arraigned on charges in Manitowoc County Court. According to the criminal complaint he was seen carrying a brown paper bag in the cemetery with a black object protruding from the top. Police believed it might be a long barrel weapon. Mangan resisted officers’ efforts to escort him from the cemetery. One of the officers suffered neck and back injuries.  Trooper Casper was killed in an exchange of gunfire with bank robber Steven Snyder in Fond du Lac on March 24th. Snyder also died.

Dumpster Fire Reported

Fond du Lac firefighters responded to a dumpster fire at 343 North Peters Avenue early Tuesday morning. The blaze destroyed the dumpster, but was confined to the dumpster. A small shed and another dumpster were the only things near it. The time of the fire call was 4:03 a.m.

Germantown Teen Will Not Be On States Sex Offender Registry

The 18-year-old Germantown man who sexually assaulted two 13-year-old girls won’t have to be placed on the state’s list of registered sex offenders. Washington County Judge James Muehlbauer Tuesday ruled that public protection does not require Cody Marich to register. There are exemptions to the registry for teens that have had non-violent sexual contact. Earlier this month Marich was sentenced to 9 months in jail and 10 years of probation. He met the girls through Facebook.

Lt Governor Visiting FDL

Lt. Governor Rebecca Kleefisch will be making several stops in Fond du Lac today. Planned stops today include Mercury Marine, the STEM Academy, Marchant Schmidt, and Sadoff Iron and Metal. The Lt. Governor has made frequent stops in Fond du Lac over the past few years to tour businesses and schools.

Badger Exam Opt Out Causes Controversy

The superintendent of the Fond du Lac School District says there was a little controversy over the opt-out for the Badger Exam in the district. Jim Sebert says under State Statute they have to test 3rd through 8th graders in English Language Arts and Mathematics with the Badger Exam, but 4th, 8th and 9th through 11th graders can opt-out of taking the exam. He says they had seven students who opted out of the exam and five of them were 4th graders. He says the parent of a 7th grader was denied at first of the opt-out, but eventually worked with her and the student didn’t have to take the exam. He says, but they also have to test 95 percent of their kids for the school report cards. Sebert says they haven’t had any issues with actually administering the exam. He says its computer-based assessment and it will be exciting to see how students in the district do. He says because the Badger Exam is a Common Core assessment its stirred controversy. He says the Governor doesn’t support it and may be a one and done test. 

More Eyes Better During Arson Investigations

An arson investigator for Fond du Lac Fire and Rescue says sometimes you need a little help in investigating a fire especially if it looks like it was intentionally set. Division Chief of Fire Prevention Troy Haase says that was the case during an April 14th house fire at 410 Ellis Street. The fire department, Police Detective Lee Mikulec and a fire marshal from the State Justice Department’s Division of Criminal Investigation investigated the fire leading to arson charges for 28-year-old Colin Habram of Fond du Lac. Haase says the fire department can investigate a fire, but when it comes to holding someone responsible for it that’s when they need police investigators. He says he’s happy to get help from an experienced detective if he sees something suspicious. Habram is being held in the County Jail on a $50,000 cash bond. He has a preliminary hearing tomorrow afternoon. 

Long Range Facilities Planning Continues For NFDL School District

The North Fond du Lac School District is continuing its long range facilities planning. District Superintendent Aaron Sadoff says the planning began with an audit last year. He says they want to be proactive and look at their needs for now and for the next generation. He says next month they will take a tour of the facilities. He says that will be on May 18th with the committee starting at the Friendship Learning Center at 5 p.m.. He says those who would like to know more about the facilities planning can get information at the district website. He says to look for a tab near the top of the page.

Oshkosh Corporation Second Quarter Earnings Report Out

Decreased defense segment sales continue to have a fiscal impact on the Oshkosh Corporation as it reports its fiscal second quarter earnings. Company officials say net income was down about $17 million from the second quarter of last year to $54.6 million. Total sales for the quarter were $1.55 billion about a 7.4 percent decrease. The biggest drop was in the defense segment, which saw a decrease of 67 percent in sales to nearly $159 million. On the other hand the Fire and Emergency segment had over $202 million in sales an increase of 30 percent. Corporation officials say they are expecting a strong second half of the year. For more click here.