Charges Filed In West Bend Man's Death

The catalyst for a fatal shooting in Washington County's Town of Newburg was apparently an argument over who should mow a lawn. Sixty-three-year-old George Trinka has been charged in the shooting death of 39-year-old Steve Szerbowski of West Bend. According to the criminal complaint Trinka is a tenant at Szerbowski's mother-in-law's in the 400 block of Main Street in the Village of Newburg. The two apparently got into an argument last Saturday over whether Szerbowski's son should mow the lawn. The argument escalated and Szerbowski's wife called 9-1-1 after hearing a pop and seeing the two struggling over a gun. Szerbowksi managed to wrestle the gun away from Trinka, but had been shot in the chest. Trinka allegedly told a police officer he was tired of Szerbowski bullying him and the gun went off when Szerbowski grabbed it from him. Authorities say Trinka had been drinking and there was history of conflict between him and Szerbowski's family.

Berlin Man Hits House With Pickup

A 49-year-old Berlin man was arrested for drunken driving after hitting a house with his pickup truck in the Town of Algoma yesterday afternoon. Winnebago County Sheriff's officials say the man lost control of the truck on Witzel Avenue and crossed the centerline. The truck went into a field and struck a tree before hitting the home at 21 Thackery Street causing some damage to it. He was treated for minor injuries at the scene. Alcohol and inattentive driving were factors in the crash, which occurred shortly after 3:30 p.m.

Fire Destroys Lakeshore Pallet Company

Fire destroyed a structure owned by the Lakeshore Pallet Company last night in the Town of Wilson. Sheboygan County Sheriff's officials say 15 fire departments battled the blaze at 5504 County Highway V. The company produces wood pallets and wood pellets used in wood burning stoves. The structure was made up of four conjoined buildings. A firefighter suffered a back injury and was taken to St. Nicholas Hospital in Sheboygan, but no one else was hurt. The cause of the fire is under investigation. A 911 cellular call just before 10:30 last night alerted authorities to the fire. When a deputy arrived the entire structure was fully engulfed in flames.

Juveniles Responsible For Shed Fire In Columbus

Columbus Police say two juveniles walked to the downtown area Tuesday night watching emergency vehicles pass by to put out the fire they started at a storage shed on North Ludington Street. The shed, which contained construction related equipment, building supplies, and 2 antique vehicles was a total loss. A resident told police about seeing two juveniles at the property a short time before the fire and gave a specific description of a 13-year-old that led them to the juvenile. A 10-year-old was involved in the fire. The two told investigators they were playing with matches and lighting Styrofoam insulation and plastic wrap on fire when a blaze started they couldn't put out. Both are being referred to the Columbia County Juvenile Court on negligent handling of burning materials and criminal trespassing charges.

Waupun Man Found Guilty Of Felony Child Abuse

A Dodge County jury found a Waupun man guilty Tuesday of burning a young child with a lit cigarette. After six hours of deliberation, the two-day trial ended with Daniel Bryan convicted of felony Child Abuse.  The 8-year-old was burned last July as punishment for kicking Bryan during horseplay. The boy first told his mother that he got the injury from a fall out of a wagon, but later said the defendant blew on the end of his lit cigarette until it got "cherry red" then extinguished it on the boy's right elbow. At trial, the boy switched his story back to a wagon fall, but testimony for a child abuse expert from the U-W Children's Hospital was used to counter it. The 34-year-old Bryan is free on bail pending a sentencing hearing which will be held within 90 days.  He faces up to eight years in prison. 

Child Abductor's Competency Questioned

(Associated Press)-An Appleton man accused of sexually assaulting a 3 1/2-year-old boy last week has been ordered to undergo a mental-competency hearing. Twenty-eight-year old Joseph Skenandore faces three felony charges. Prosecutors say he lives in a home for developmentally disabled people. The judge ordered the evaluation Wednesday at the request of Skenandore's attorney. Police say Skenandore snatched the boy from his front yard on July 20. Investigators say he touched the boy inappropriately, and then took him to a park where he planned to molest and possibly kill the child.  Skenandore faced charges of sexually assaulting a child in 2003 but was found mentally incompetent for trial.

FDL Woman Attacks Boyfriend Over Photo On Cell Phone

A 33-year old Fond du Lac woman has been charged with domestic abuse-related battery for allegedly attacking her boyfriend Saturday afternoon. According to the criminal complaint police responded to Elizabeth Nelson's residence at 471 Morris Street where they met with a man dressed in only his boxer shorts. He told them Nelson had attacked him after he asked her to explain a sexually explicit photo of herself on her phone that she had sent to his best friend. She allegedly bit and choked him before he was able to make it outside the home. The incident followed a night out at the bars and Nelson told police she remembered going after her boyfriend, but not all of the details. She was released on a $1,000 signature bond. The charges against her are misdemeanors.

FDL City Council Approves Annexation Request

The Fond du Lac City Council last night approved annexation of a 39-acre parcel of land located on the Ledge just east of County Highway K. They also approved a zoning change from agriculture to residential. The land will be divided into six lots for single family homes. Robert and Sally Arthur, who own the land at N6633 Belle Terre Drive, at first met some opposition from the Friends of the Ledge Coalition because the property might hold some archeological significance, but Coalition member Mary Toriello told the Council they had since found out that is not the case. Community Development Director Wayne Rollin says annexation issues don't often revolve around archeological concerns, but the property is part of the Niagara Escarpment. Also last night the Council approved the purchase of a command vehicle for the Fire Department to replace the 1995 Suburban they've been using. Assistant Fire Chief Steve Beer told the Council it would cost more than $13,000 over the next two years to upgrade and keep their current command vehicle rolling.

Annexation And Streetscaping

Questions about the possible archeological significance of a 39 acre piece of land along the Ledge were clarified last night as the Fond du Lac City Council approves its annexation and rezoning for the property. Robert and Sally Arthur plan to divide the property at N6633 Belle Terre Drive into six lots for single family homes. The Friends of the Ledge Coalition were opposed to annexation at first because the property might hold some archeological resources, but a survey of it by one of their members found it didn't. Mary Toriello of the group says it's their goal to make sure they don't lose any archeological or historically significant properties inadvertently. Community Development Director Wayne Rollin says the Arthurs worked with the group and other residents to make sure concerns were addressed. In other business the Council authorized allowing the Downtown Fond du Lac Partnership to apply for a grant for streetscaping on Main Street between Merrill Avenue and Johnson Street. The DFP will pay the 20 percent local share of what could be a $200,000 project that would put in ornamental lighting and other fixtures common to the rest of the downtown area.

First Public Comment On Public Comment

Concerns about what might be said during the Fond du Lac City Council's new public comment section were washed away by a wave of laughter last night when they got their first speaker. Laura Degolier frequently attends the Council meetings and simply wanted to commend the Council for creating another opportunity for residents to express their thoughts and concerns to the Council. Council President Rick Gudex who fought for the new open comment section laughingly told the Council he did not put Degolier up to it. Hear what she said.

CWAG Conventions First Opportunity For US Senate And Governor's Forums

The 33^rd Annual Convention for the Coalition of Wisconsin Aging Groups will provide the venue for the first candidate forums for the U.S. Senate and for Governor. Friday afternoon at 2:30 Senator Russ Feingold and Republican candidates Ron Johnson and Dave Westlake will give opening and closing remarks and field questions from convention attendees. Governor's candidates; Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and former Congressman Mark Neumann will be speaking during a similar forum at 11:15 that morning. Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker is still arranging his schedule to be part of the forum. The two-day convention is being held at the Radisson Hotel and Convention Center in Green Bay and gets underway Thursday morning. The theme for this year's convention is: The Future of Health Care: Wisconsin's Campaign for Better Care.

From Reagan To Randy

One cog in the political machine at State Senator Randy Hopper's Capitol office has already accumulated quiet a bit of political experience. During a recent Capitol Connection program on KFIZ Hopper's Chief of Staff Rebecca Hogan talked about her experience and what she does. Hogan says her first taste of politics came when she was only 8 years old and was attending a Labor Day parade in Merrill, Wisconsin. It was 1984 and she was encouraged to hold up a Ronald Reagan sign while Democratic Presidential candidate Walter Mondale rode by. After graduating from the U-W Madison her resume includes working for a Tommy Thompson campaign, the Department of Financial Institutions, and State Senators Alberta Darling and Luther Olsen. Hogan says you won't see her run for office. She says now her job involves making sure Senator Hopper has information on all the bills he could be voting on. You can hear more of the Capitol Connections interview under the Morning Show option of the podcasts tab at KFIZ.com.

FDL County Air Quality Tip Of The Month

The Fond du Lac Healthy Air Coalition's Air Quality Tip of the Month has to do with limiting use of outdoors burning barrels. Diana Tscheschlok  of the Coalition says it's a tradition that has gone for years, but can have an impact on human health and the environment. She notes one burning barrel over time can produce as much pollutants as an energy-efficient industrial incinerator serving then of thousands of people. Recycling and composting are just a few of the alternatives to burning trash. It suggested you never burn plastic, rubber, treated wood or particleboard, and know your state and local burning laws. You can find out more at www.fdlhealthyair.com.

Furlough Day Friday For State Corrections Department

The state's Department of Corrections will operate on a limited basis this Friday due to an agency furlough day. Most DOC services to the general public will be unavailable on Friday. The DOC will resume regular business hours on Monday. Members of the public are encouraged to contact the appropriate DOC office or institution on alternate days or in advance of planning a trip to one of the DOC locations.

Application Deadline For Turkey And Grouse Seasons Looming

Department of Natural Resources officials are reminding hunters that the deadline to apply for the Fall turkey and sharp-tailed grouse permits is this coming Monday. There will be 95,700 wild turkey permits available for the 2010 season, the same number as last year. However only 330 sharp-tailed grouse hunting permits are available for the fall compared to 635 last year. New this fall hunters may use dogs to hunt wild turkeys throughout the state.

Pitchers And Politics

The Fond du Lac County Republican Party will hold their "Pitchers & Politics" Happy Hour Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m. at Pockets Bar & Grill in downtown Fond du Lac. Some local candidates will be there and possibly some statewide candidates as well. Pockets is located at 121 South Main Street.