Local News Briefs Wednesday 4/9/14

A 24-year-old Milwaukee man was charged Tuesday in Fond du Lac County Court for his role in a robbery on Double D Road in the Town of Auburn last December. Danny Morris is charged with armed burglary, burglary while armed with a dangerous weapon and two theft counts all as a party to a crime. Two other men had already been charged for their roles in the robbery and attack on a man and woman living at the residence. Morris was accidentally shot by one of the other suspects during the robbery and is now confined to a wheelchair. A $10,000 signature bond was set. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 23rd. 

FDL City Council Preview

The Fond du Lac City Council tonight will be asked to approve a liquor license for an a “Classic English Pub” that will be opening in the former Oscar’s Sportmans Inn site at 156 Western Avenue. The Green Dragon Brew Pub would serve a number of different micro-brews and have a kitchen that caters to lunch and dinner crowds. The Council will also be asked to approve the City’s code of ordinances which have been updated. The last time the City recodified its municipal code was in 1993. Also during the meeting the Council will present proclamation’s honoring former City Clerk Sue Strands for her service and police dog Grendel on his retirement after 8 years with the police department. 

Another Gun Incident In Oshkosh

Oshkosh Police arrested a 27-year-old woman and 46-year-old man from the City after a disturbance in the 300 block of West Melvin Avenue during, which the woman pointed a handgun at someone. Police got a call to a residence about 9 p.m. Monday night. The two suspects confronted one of the victims about a past incident and the woman pointed the gun. A struggle followed and the handgun was knocked onto the ground. No shots were fired and police found the weapon in the back yard. Police also found a set of brass knuckles on the man and a machete in the man and woman’s car. The victims, a 27-year-old man and 28-year-old woman, were not injured. The suspects face a number of charges including disorderly conduct and endangering safety.

Elkhart Lake Man Pleads To Causing Freak Accident

(WHBL-Sheboygan)-An Elkhart Lake man pleaded guilty Tuesday to an OWI causing injury charge connected to a freak accident last July that injured a Manitowoc boy.  Sixty-five-year-old John Krizenesky changed his plea as part of a plea deal to avoid a trial later this month. The charge stems from an incident last July 11th when he lost control of a vehicle he was driving on Sheboygan County Highway EH northeast of Elkhart Lake.  He struck a power pole, which then fell on an 8-year-old boy nearby.  The boy was taken to Children’s Hospital in Milwaukee for treatment of non life-threatening injuries. Sentencing has been scheduled for next Tuesday in Sheboygan County Court.

AmeriCorp Project Helps FDL County Better Prepare For Disasters

Two AmeriCorps workers are working with Fond du Lac County Emergency Management officials on a Disaster Preparedness Project. Gabrielle Petersen and Thomas Jefferson are actively working on preparedness goals. County Communications and Emergency Management Director James McNabb says they are helping recruit local volunteers to support emergency readiness and preparedness should the need arise. Petersen says they are also delivering the word on emergency preparedness to civic groups, organizations and businesses. She says that includes a Power Point presentation. McNabb says the AmeriCorps effort will pay off if the County encounters a disaster such as it did during the flood of 2008. The project began last December and will run through August. To learn more call 920-279-1818 or email Gabrielle.petersen@fdlco.wi.gov

Work Zone Awareness

Fond du Lac County Highway Commissioner Tom Janke says although this is National Work Zone Awareness Week drivers should be aware of work zones on highways throughout the year. He says highway workers are working within feet of passing vehicles in some instances. He says typically motorists associate highway construction with projects that begin in the spring and run until about November, but highway workers are out working on roadways throughout the year. In fact Fond du Lac County Highway Worker Dennis Roeseler was killed while working on Highway 41 in December of 2003. A monument at the roundabout at Hickory and Pioneer Road in Fond du Lac was dedicated last November in honor of Roeseler and other highway workers killed throughout the state.

NFDL Village Board Approves Contract For Televising Of Sanitary Sewer System

The North Fond du Lac Village Board this week approved a contract to have a firm televise a portion of the Village sanitary sewer system. Village Administrator Chuck Hornung says they are supposed to be doing 10 percent of the system a year, but fell behind and last year did 40 percent with a similar amount scheduled for this year. He says the remaining 20 percent will be done next year and then they will go back to doing 10 percent a year. The process actually involves using a small camera fed through the system to make sure there are no obstructions or infiltration. He says they can also check for damage from winter heaves and spring, fall and winter thaw.

Mercury Marine Recycling Challenge

Public and private elementary school students in Fond du Lac are invited to compete in the Mercury Marine Recycling Challenge starting Earth Day on April 22nd.  Participating schools are challenged to paint a mural or design on a 55 gallon recyclable container that will be used to collect materials such as glass, plastic, aluminum, cardboard and paper at Walleye Weekend.  The recycling containers are limited in quantity and available first come-first serve at Fond du Lac Festivals’ offices at 650 North Main Street on Tuesday, April 22. The application form and containers must be completed and returned to Fond du Lac Festivals by May 19th. Judges will determine the winning container and that school will receive $500 in support of their environmental club. In the event the school doesn’t have an environmental club, the school’s PTA will determine fund allocation. At the end of the Walleye Weekend all recyclables collected in the containers will be weighed. Last year, 1.2 tons were collected! The Mercury Marine Recycling Challenge is a collaborative effort between Mercury Marine, Fond du Lac Festivals and the City of Fond du Lac.

Marian University Alumni Honored

Two Marian University alumni recently received state honors as they were recognized by the Wisconsin Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (WACTE). Jordan Williams, a middle school mathematics teacher in the Oostburg School District and a 2012 graduate of Marian University, received the Early Career Educator Award for being an outstanding educator within the first three years of his professional career. During his years at Marian as a student, Williams excelled in the math program, served on the Math Council and developed a cross country running experience for students at Marian, a sport which has now been sanctioned by the university. He continues to be involved in coaching cross country in Oostburg School District and was the 2012 winner of the Fox Cities Marathon. Donna Waldon, an elementary teacher at Waters Elementary School in the Fond du Lac School District and a 1995 graduate of Marian University, received the Pre-Service Educator Mentor Award. Waldon serves as a cooperating teacher for clinical and field experience students at Marian University. The award recognizes her commitment to education as she models the qualities of professional responsibility, caring and dedication. Both Williams and Waldon were recommended for the awards by the faculty of the Teacher Education Program at Marian University.