Local News Briefs Wednesday 7/23/14

It took a few days after last Friday’s fire to reopen the Comfort Inn in Fond du Lac, but things are getting back to normal. Division Chief of Fire Prevention Troy Haase says it’s fortunate that a member of the housekeeping crew Tina Fugate had training as a member of the Campbellsport Fire Department that allowed her to recognize there was a fire. He says the damage could have been much more extensive. The fire began on the outside in a garbage can near a door to a walkway to the pool. Haase says some people questioned why they had so many fire departments respond to the fire, but he says it’s a 78-room hotel that was at capacity and it was better to have a full response just in case. Two people were taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation.

Medical Condition Leads To Accident Near Menasha

Winnebago County Sheriff’s officials say a medical condition suffered by a 72-year-old Grand Chute man led to an accident on Highway 41 southbound just north of Highway 10 near Menasha Tuesday morning. The man was in the middle lane when he stopped and began traveling in reverse. His car struck a commercial truck hauling feed. The 41-year-old Chilton man driving the truck wasn’t injured. The Grand Chute man was taken by ambulance to Theda Clark Regional Medical Center and his condition isn’t known. The accident was reported at 6:25 a.m.

Berlin Man Charged For Stabbing

The 26-year-old Berlin man suspected of stabbing another man in the stomach Sunday afternoon made his initial appearance in Green Lake County Court Tuesday. Bobby Ray Lewis was charged with aggravated battery, 2nd degree recklessly endangering safety and disorderly conduct with a dangerous weapon. He posted a $1,000 cash bond and has another hearing on August 4th. The incident happened on a sidewalk in the 100 block of South Adams Avenue. The victim was taken to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

AirVenture Air Traffic Control Staffing Set For Nine Years

EAA AirVenture officials in Oshkosh have reached an agreement on terms with the FAA to staff the tower at the annual air show for the next nine years. The deal through 2022 covers the cost of 80 air traffic controllers and support staff. The EAA will also have to pay the government nearly half a million dollars. EAA spokesman Dick Knapinski says as part of the agreement if the EAA finds another way of doing it they can opt out of the agreement with the FAA.

UW-FDL Housing

An official with the UW-Fond du Lac says they are excited about the student housing that will be built on campus. Bethany Rusch is the Assistant Dean for Administration and Finance. She says it took a lot of meetings and information gathering to make the 84-bed facility possible. Bluffstone II LLC will be building and running the housing. Rusch says right now they are getting financing for the three-story building. She says it will be interesting to see what kind of an impact it will have on campus activities with students living on campus. The student housing should be ready in time for the fall 2015 semester at the UW-Fond du Lac.

Ripon Mulls Downtown Sidewalk Replacement Costs

Officials in Ripon will be making some decisions about replacing sidewalk in the 100, 200 and 300 blocks of Watson Street. City Administrator Lori Rich says some of the sidewalks are potential trip hazards. She says their public works director estimates it will cost $40,000 just to put in standard concrete, but they are discussing it with downtown business owners and Ripon Main Street because some of the sidewalk includes decorative pavers. She says there’s been some inconsistency in the material used to replace the sidewalk and pavers over the years. She says there are sections that are red brick, concrete and plain sidewalks. She says they also have to replace some sections that bump out further around some grass and decide who should foot the cost for that. The City normally assesses property owners for half of the sidewalk maintenance cost.

Waupun Woman Happy To Have Little Free Library

A Waupun woman is among those who have a library in their yard. The free standing libraries, which kind look like a birdhouse, are popping up everywhere. Tera Rhodes says her father saw some in Hudson, Wisconsin on his way to Minnesota. He ended up building little libraries for himself, her and her sister. She says she registered her library with littlefreelibrary.org for $35 and got signage for it. She says it kind of works like a regular library, but on the honor system. She says even though they are small in comparison to a real library they still can offer nice choices for their readers. She says her little free library has been up for about a month and a half. Her father has one in Fox Lake and her sister is still trying to get permission to put up her library in Beaver Dam. Rhodes says there is a worry about vandalism, but that’s something little free library addresses on its website. As for how prevalent the little free libraries are, Rhodes says the number she was assigned for her library is in the 15-thousands. 

Finding A Home For Sheboygan’s Alligator

(WHBL-Sheboygan)-What do you do with an alligator that someone abandoned in the area? Mike Clutter, DNR Conservation Warden stationed in Plymouth, said the reptile found near the Sheboygan River Sunday is still at a wildlife rehab center.  He is working to find someplace that will take it, and there is a current lead with a zoo in the Upper Peninsula.  However, if it goes to a place like that, the transfer will need to be able to be done in a healthy manner for all involved. Clutter said if no place can be found, the alligator will have to be euthanized.  No set deadline is in place for finding a new home, and the main goal now is to get it someplace where it can be cared for.  He said state statute makes it legal for anyone to own an alligator, but it is illegal to let one out into the wild. Clutter also hopes all the attention to this situation will force the alligator’s previous owner to come forward.

Blood Drive In FDL Today

The BloodCenter of Wisconsin invites residents to give blood during a blood drive at the Forest Mall in Fond du Lac today. The drive is from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m.  Summer is typically a time when blood donations tend to drop, but it is also a time when first responders need blood the most. Drop-ins are welcome.

Coffee With A Cop In Reeseville Today

The Coffee with a Cop program moves to Reeseville today. Area residents are invited to have coffee and conversation with Reeseville Police officers and Dodge County Sheriff’s deputies at The Gathering in Reeseville from 10 a.m. to Noon.