Local News Briefs Wednesday 9/18/13

Two vehicles were damaged by concrete chunks that fell from the Highway 10 Bridge overpass on Highway 41 in Winnebago County yesterday afternoon. Sheriff’s officials say one vehicle was damaged by running over the debris. Drivers in both vehicles suffered minor injuries. The northbound lane of Highway 41 at Highway 10 was closed down for about three hours while repairs were being made to the bridge. Sheriff’s deputies, the State Patrol and Town of Menasha Police responded to the scene. The incident was reported at 2:49 p.m.

 

Construction Worker Hurt In Dodge County Accident Released

 

(WBEV-Beaver Dam)-A 29-year-old construction worker injured last Friday morning in a three-vehicle accident near Clyman has been released from the hospital. That’s according to Dodge County Sheriff Pat Ninmann who says the crash is still under investigation and – while no citations have been issued as of yet – they are likely.  A minivan driven by a 67-year-old Cambria man slowed on Highway 26 and was struck from behind by a semi-truck. The minivan then ran into a van in the opposite lane of traffic and that van veered into a ditch in the construction zone where Kurt Zuelsdorf of Appleton was working. Zuelsdorf was flown from the scene.

 

Lakeside Park Dredging Bids Being Evaluated

 

City officials in Fond du Lac will decide by the end of the week which method to dredge the channels in Lakeside Park and who wins the bid for that work. Public Works Director Jordan Skiff says they received three bids for the project around the $1 million budgeted for it. He says it will take a few days to sort through the particulars before they reach a decision. He says they received two low bids, one for each method. One method involves the use of heavy equipment to remove the sediment from the bottom of the channels once the water is removed from them. The other method involves hydraulic dredging with barges that vacuum out the sediment and solids through long tubes depositing them on dry land where the water drains out and the solids remain. The dredging project will take place during the winter.

 

NFDL Will Buy Vacant Lots In Northgate Business Park

 

The North Fond du Lac Village Board this week approved applying for a State Trust Fund loan to buy the remaining vacant lots in the Northgate Business Park. Village Administrator Chuck Hornung says the owner of the park, MLG, is disposing of its properties and offered to sell the remaining lots in the business park along Highway 41 to the village for $600,000. Hornung says changing the park to village-owned should help them attract business to the park. The village wants to borrow just shy of $658,000 through the State Trust Fund loan. In addition to the purchase price and costs for the loan and administrative fees about $50,000 will be used to clean up the vacant lots. Hornung says they hope to close on the deal with MLG by the end of November. He says they will also be working with the Fond du Lac County Economic Development Corporation to market the park as village-owned.

 

Petri Supports Fort Hood Heroes Act

 

Congressman Tom Petri Tuesday joined Representative John Carter of Texas and over 100 other House members in introducing the Honoring the Fort Hood Heroes Act.  The bipartisan bill would declare that the attack at Fort Hood was an act of terrorism, require the Army to award Purple Hearts and Secretary of Defense Medals of Freedom (for civilians) to victims, and allow victims and their families to be eligible for appropriate combat-related benefits. Currently, the Fort Hood attack is classified as a “workplace violence” incident which precludes military awards and benefits to soldiers who were killed or wounded on November 5, 2009. Six soldiers from Wisconsin were among the service members killed or wounded at Fort Hood, three of whom are from Wisconsin’s 6th Congressional District: Sergeant Amy Krueger of Kiel, Captain Russel Seager from Mount Pleasant, Private First Class Amber Gadlin of Random Lake, Specialist Grant Moxon from Lodi, Sergeant John Pagel of Denzer, and Captain Dorrie Carskadon of Madison.  “This terrible tragedy still looms in the recent memory for many of us,” Petri said.  “It’s a shame these soldiers—who were attacked by a self-proclaimed enemy of the United States—cannot receive the medals and benefits they deserve because of the way the incident is classified.  

 

FDL County Residents Would Like To See Health Alternatives

 

Ninety percent of the Fond du Lac County residents who took a health-related poll say they think child obesity is a serious problem. That’s just one of the results in the statewide Transform Wisconsin Communities poll. Sandy Bernier is the Coordinator for 5-Counties for Tobacco Free Living. She says County residents are concerned about health risks like child obesity and tobacco use. Eighty-three percent of County residents would like to see more fresh fruits and vegetables in schools and 93 percent are in favor of taking steps to ensure kids can walk or bike to school. Bernier says some steps have been taken locally to address issues like that. She says for instance there’s been more outreach to get people to go to farmers markets and the Fond du Lac City Council recently approved a bike and pedestrian plan that would create a 17-mile loop in the City. She says they’ve also worked with landlords to provide smoke-free apartments. She says seven in the Fond du Lac area already provide them and a couple apartment building owners in Johnsburg have for about 20 years. To see results of the statewide poll click here.

 

Crossbow Hunting Bill Passes State Senate

 

 

(Wisconsin Radio Network)-Crossbow hunting would be allowed during a season that would run concurrently with the regular bow season, under a bill approved by a voice vote in the state Senate. Monona Democrat Mark Miller was the only member to address the measure. The crossbow is currently favored by disabled hunters and those over age 65, who currently are the only ones allowed to hunt with them. This bill lets anyone use them. The bill will now head back to the Assembly, which passed a slightly different version in June. In a related measure, the Senate passed a bill to limit the ability of local governments to restrict hunting with a crossbow or bow and arrow. That’s now ready for Governor Scott Walker to sign into law.

 

Thiesfeldt Bill Opens Up Public School Sports Opportunities To Non-Attending Students

 

A state lawmaker wants to open up extracurricular activities at public schools to all students living in a district. The bill from state Representative Jeremy Thiesfeldt of Fond du Lac would require schools to open up sports teams and other activities to any student in their community. He says that’s regardless of whether they attend a parochial school, virtual school or are home schooled.

Thiesfeldt says no child should be denied a chance to participate simply because they made a different choice for their education. Students would be exempt if they attend a school that already has one of those programs. The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association, a private organization, is actually the body that requires students to attend the school they compete for meaning the Legislature has no control over its policies. Thiesfeldt addresses that issue by prohibiting schools from making an agreement with an organization that bars non-enrolled students from teams.

 

Senator Gudex Will Testify On Bill’s Behalf

 

State Senator Rick Gudex will testify today about a bill that would give those doing historic preservation efforts a 20 percent tax credit. The state lawmaker from Fond du Lac says he originally proposed that, but the state budget only increased the credit from 5 percent to 10 percent. He says in the State of Ohio that tax credit is 30 percent. He says it would benefit projects across the state. He says it would create jobs, attract developers and aid historic preservation efforts.

 

Principal Recommended For Oshkosh School

 

Oshkosh Area Schools Superintendent Stan Mack is recommending that Trina Anderson be hired as principal at the Jacob Shapiro School. The Oshkosh School Board will consider the recommendation when they meet next Monday night. Anderson comes to Jacob Shapiro having recently served as the Instructional Support Teacher at Webster Stanley and Green Meadow Elementary Schools.  She received her Master’s Degree in Education with an emphasis in Curriculum and Instruction-Educational Technology and a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership-Principal Licensure from Marian University. Trina is National Board Certified and has taught for the UW-Oshkosh in the National Board Mentoring Program. Her undergraduate work was completed at UW-Oshkosh where she received her Bachelor of Science and Human Services.