KFIZ News Monday 8/22/16

Thefts For Vehicles Reported In FDL

A Fond du Lac Police officer urges residents not to tempt thieves by leaving valuables in your vehicle or leaving it unlocked. Officer Bethany Johnson says in less than two months they have had nearly 50 different incidents involving thieves and vehicles. She says during those 49 incidents they have had thefts from vehicles, stolen vehicles where keys were left in vehicles, and people have been seen pulling on car doors to see if they are open. She recommends taking your valuables with you. She also recommends never leaving change in sight and if you are going to store your valuables in your trunk do it before you get to your destination. Other tips include parking in well lit and highly traveled areas at night. Also at home install motion detectors or leave exterior lights on at night. 

FDL School Board Preview

The Fond du Lac School Board tonight will consider approving a preliminary budget for the 2016-17 School Year. For property tax payers there is good news in that the mill rate is expected to drop by 4.74 percent from $9.88 per thousand dollars of value on a property to $9.41. The budget won’t be finalized until October. State Representative Jeremy Thiesfeldt will also be on hand to update the board on how legislative matters will impact education. The board meets at 5 p.m. at the District Administration Center Board room.

Scott Street RR Crossing Will Close Later This Week

Fond du Lac’s Public Works Department tells us the Scott Street Railroad Crossing west of Lakeshore Drive will be closed later this week. The closure will begin Thursday, August 25th and is planned to reopen Friday, September 2nd. The railroad crossing will be closed to allow Canadian National to reconstruct the railroad crossing. Drivers will be able to detour by taking Brooke Street, Arndt Street and Hickory Street.  Bus service on Scott Street will be moved to Arndt Street from Brooke Street to Hickory Street.

Fox Lake Gets Public Facilities Grant

The City of Fox Lake will be receiving a community development block grant from the state for $500,000. The money will be used by the City for infrastructure and street improvements. The state’s Department of Administration recently announced the awarding of $8.2 million in public facility grants. 

Oshkosh Sex Offender Moving

Oshkosh Police say a 29-year-old sex offender will be moving to 644 Frederick Street Apartment #9 today. Aaron Hunt was convicted of 2nd degree sexual assault of a child in 2012. The victim was a teenage girl he met on line. He was also convicted of the same offense in 2007. That victim was also a teenage girl. Hunt will be on GPS monitoring.

Local Farmer Testifies About Regulatory Burdens On Agriculture

Senator Ron Johnson chaired a hearing in Iowa recently on the consequences regulations are having on farmers and businessmen in Iowa and Wisconsin. Johnson says regulatory burden amounts to over $2 trillion a year or about $14,800 per American household. He says people would rather have that money in their paycheck providing for their family. Jim Zimmerman is a Rosendale farmer who also sits on the board of the National Corn Growers Association. He testified that Federal regulators are drastically reducing the allowable level of atrazine that farmers can use and a new standard would in effect ban it. Johnson says that would be costly. He says it could have a $2.5 billion on the American economy. He says atrazine has been safely and effectively used for 50 years. 

Grande Cheese Celebrates 75 Years With New Facility

The president and chief executive officer for Grande Cheese says a lot went into their new home office and research center on Camelot Drive in Fond du Lac. Wayne Matzke says they had two different buildings in Lomira for those purposes, but they were separated by streets. He says it is more convenient to have both in the same location. He says it was a formidable challenge to make it happen. He says it took about 3 ½ years from planning to completion. He says at the facility you will see stone bottom and wooden tops on the building. Matzke says that actually goes back to the early farms in the state that were designed that way with courtyards in the middle to protect people from the elements. He says they also designed the facility with the comfort of their associates in mind including a health care clinic and fitness facility on site. Grande is celebrating its 75th year in business.

Salvation Army Food Pantry Needs Volunteers

The Fond du Lac Salvation Army needs volunteers for its food pantry. Social Services Director Ron Jacobson says their food pantry serves about 1,000 families a month. He says while they need the help for the pantry it really is a rewarding experience for volunteers. On KFIZ’s Morning Show Jacobson read a few letters from people who use their food pantry including one from a woman who lost over 100 pounds because she had nowhere to turn for food until she heard about the food pantry. Jacobson says no heavy lifting is required and you can pick shifts. For more information call 923-8220.