Local News Briefs Wednesday 6/17/15

A 75-year-old Town of West Bend man suffered critical injuries when he ran into the back of an antique automobile on State Highway 83 Tuesday afternoon. Washington County Sheriff’s officials say it happened in the Town of Erin. A 61-year-old Sussex man was heading north and started a right hand turn into a private driveway when the motorcycle rear ended the car. The West Bend man was ejected from his bike. He was not wearing a helmet. Flight for Life took him to Aurora Summit Hospital. The driver of the car was not injured.

FDL County Board Approves Pay Increase

The Fond du Lac County Board Tuesday night unanimously approved a 1.57 percent increase in supplemental pay for select employees in the Social Services Department. County Human Resources Director Michael Marx says the rest of County employees got two percent increases at the beginning of the year, but they had to wait for these employees to decide whether to recertify as a union. He says they decided at the end of April to maintain their union status. County Board Chairman Marty Farrell says under Act 10 they could only give the group the 1.57 percent increase or the rate of inflation. The increase will affect 62 full and regular part-time employees, and 18 part-time employees and averages out to about a $130 lump sum payment per employee.

Fondy Man Suspected Of Sexual Assault

Sexual assault of a child and exposure charges have been brought against a 55-year-old Fond du Lac man. William Thomas allegedly had inappropriate contact with two young girls in 1996. He’s charged with two counts of sexually assaulting a child under 13 and one count of exposing his genitals. According to the criminal complaint the two victims were 8 to 10 years old when the contact occurred.

BD Clarifies Ordinance No Kangaroos

People will no longer be able to take a kangaroo into a local business in Beaver Dam and claim it’s a service animal. You may recall a woman pulling that at a McDonald’s restaurant in Beaver Dam this past February. Monday night the Beaver Dam Common Council changed an ordinance governing the use of service animals. It clarified that only trained dogs and ponies could be considered service animals. The woman had the kangaroo wrapped in a blanket and in a car seat.

FDL Police Forums Scheduled

The Fond du Lac Police Department’s East District command will be hosting a series of public forums to discuss crime and neighborhood issues within the East District. The first is tonight from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the American Legion Hall. The second is next Tuesday also at the American Legion Hall from 5 to 7 p.m. That will also be the site for the third and final meeting from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, June 25th. Current trends in crimes and statistics will be discussed along with any issues or concerns.

Traffic Enforcement Task Force Begins Work This Week

The Highway Safety Coordinator for Fond du Lac County says a task force will begin its work to cut down on speeding, distracted driving, impaired driving and reckless driving this week. County Sheriff’s Captain Rick Olig says in addition to the Sheriff’s Department, police departments from Fond du Lac, North Fond du Lac and Ripon will be participating. He says the Waupun Police Department will be participating in a similar effort with the Dodge County Sheriff’s Department. He says they will be patrolling I-41, U.S. Highway 151 and State Highway 23. He says the effort begins with the new 70 mile per hour speed limit signs going up on 1-41 in the county this week. He says peak patrol times will be 3 to 7 p.m. weekdays and some morning hours from 7 to 11 a.m. He says the Fond du Lac and Ripon Police Departments will concentrate on stretches of Highway 23 that have been problem areas; Johnson Street in Fond du Lac and Fond du Lac Street in Ripon.

NFDL Village Board Approves Splash Pad For Village Pool

The North Fond du Lac Village Board this week approved a contract to build a splash pad at the village pool. Village Administrator Chuck Hornung says their pool committee several years ago put together a five phase plan to enhance the pool. He says it was decided something should be done while they are still raising money for those enhancements. He says over the past four or five years they’ve raised about $40,000 thanks to the efforts of village organizations and the school district. He says the Optimists donate from can donations, there’s a brat fry every spring, and the school district contributes money from the Oriole Open golf tournament. He says the village is also kicking in some money and there’s money from the Park Fund. It will cost about $100,000 to $125,000 for the splash pad depending on what type of features the pool committee things it should have. Work will begin on the splash pad after the current pool season.

Walleye Weekend Attendance Up

Attendance figures are in for Walleye Weekend and despite rainy weather the annual festival at Lakeside Park in Fond du Lac drew an estimated 65,000 people last weekend. That’s compared to 63,000 over the three days of Walleye Weekend last year. Fond du Lac Festivals officials say 15,000 attended Friday, 34,000 on Saturday and 16,000 on Sunday. Only Sunday’s total attendance was down from last year.

Ohio Group Aids Washington Dodge Counties Habitat Build

More than 30 volunteers from Plymouth Church in Shaker Heights, Ohio, are in Jackson this week working on the newest home being built by Habitat for Humanity of Washington and Dodge Counties. Eighteen-year-old Natalie Martin says they worked on the base of the home Monday. Along with Martin, 19-year-old Hudson Hamilton has been on several mission trips working on Habitat projects. He says it’s his third trip and he likes meeting new people every year. The Ohio volunteers range in age from 14 to 69. They are staying at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Slinger for the week.

Golf Outing Supports The Foundation For RMC Effort

More than $27,000 was raised for The Foundation for Ripon Medical Center through the recent Charity Golf Outing at the Woodlands course at the Golf Courses of Lawsonia. The money will be used to support the future development of healing gardens at the new Ripon Medical Center. Golfers enjoyed a day of fun and fellowship, as well as dinner, raffles and a silent auction.  “The proceeds from this successful event will help The Foundation for Ripon Medical Center support opportunities at the new hospital for people to have places of healing to step back and reflect as they are visiting patients or seeking care,” says Rita Meidam, The Foundation for Ripon Medical Center executive director.