KFIZ News Monday 10/3/16

Highway 45 Closure And New Interchange Opening Delayed

State Department of Transportation officials say weather has delayed the closing of Highway 45 ramps to Highway 151 and the opening of the Fond du Lac County Highway V/Highway 151 Interchange. Both will now occur at 12 a.m. on Monday, October 10th. A frontage road is being built from Highway 45 to the new interchange, but until it is complete there will be signed detours. 

United Way Releases ALICE Report

The United Way recently commissioned a report to find out how many people are barely making enough money to see to their basic needs. Fond du Lac Area United Way Executive Director Amber Kilawee say it is called ALICE, which stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. She says they are families who aren’t necessarily in poverty, but are struggling to afford basic needs. She says 42 percent of people in Wisconsin fall into that category and 33 percent in Fond du Lac County. She says fortunately there are resources in the County that can help people who don’t qualify for housing subsidies, child care subsidies and other needs. She says on a scale of 1 to 100 the County scored a 75 in available resources, which put the County in the top six of Wisconsin’s 72 counties. Kilawee says the United Way is looking at more ways to help people who fall into the ALICE category.

Democrats Also Targeting 14^th State Senate Seat

The 18th State Senate seat isn’t the only local senate seat Democrats are targeting in the November 8th election. State Senate Minority Leader Jennifer Shilling says they also feel they have a chance to unseat State Senator Luther Olsen of Ripon in the 14th District. She says Olsen was aware of problems at the Veterans Home in King, but did nothing about it. She says care of veterans was mismanaged and there have been staffing shortages. She says some complaints about that were made to Olsen years ago. Democrats are hoping Waupaca Mayor Brian Smith can beat Olsen in the election. Shilling says Smith is a small town mayor who understands local control, and small business because he is an accountant and he and his brothers own a sports bar. In the 18th State Senate District Democrat Mark Harris faces Republican Dan Feyen.

Gudex Says He Would Have Loved Being Challenged By Mark Harris

State Senator Rick Gudex says there was a combination of factors, which made him decide not to seek another term in the State Senate. He says he was frustrated in part by a state budget he worked on. He says they passed a budget he wasn’t happy with. He says they could have done better and they could have done more. He also says the political landscape changed in the Senate. He says he was uneasy about that and he got a job offer in private industry that was too good to pass up. Gudex says contrary to rumors he was not afraid to face a challenge from Winnebago County Executive Mark Harris for the Senate seat. He says it would have been fun to face Harris in a reelection bid.

Walleye Weekend Non Profits Hit Milestone

Fond du Lac Festivals Executive Director Leanne Doyle says they were very proud to recently announce that non-profits have netted over $1 million in the last five years in concession sales. She says it is quite the milestone, but one that could not have been reached without all the people sponsoring and working those booths and displays. She says there are so many unsung heroes that helped them reach that mark and the nearly $231,000 non-profits made this past June. She says they didn’t start keeping tabs until a sponsor asked her shortly after she started working for Fond du Lac Festivals in August of 2012 where the money was going. She says concessions did well this year, but they are also building on activities at Lakeside Park for the festival. Wallleye Weekend will be held June 9th through the 11th in 2017.

NFDL Will Not Use Village Funds To Add To Veterans Memorial

The North Fond du Lac Village Board recently decided against using any more Village funds to add to the Veterans Memorial. Village Administrator Chuck Hornung says the board considered using the fund balance pay for adding another stone with veterans, names on it. He says the initial fundraising effort exhausted all the funds that they had. He says instead they will consider trying other sources suggested by County Executive Al Buechel and Fond du Lac County Economic Development Corporation President Steve Jenkins. Hornung says they need about $20,000 to add to the memorial.

MPTC Career Showcase

Moraine Park Technical College will be hosting Career Showcase, an event for anyone interested in learning about programs and services offered at the College. The event will be held on Tuesday, October 11, from 4:00 to 6:30 p.m. at Moraine Park’s West Bend campus; Wednesday, October 12, at Moraine Park’s Fond du Lac campus; and Thursday, Oct 13, at Moraine Park’s Beaver Dam campus. Attendees can stop in anytime. Instructors and staff will be on hand to answer questions.  A $30 application fee waiver will be offered to attendees – some restrictions apply.  Those who are interested can register at the Moraine Park website.