KFIZ News Tuesday 12/6/16

Motorists Need Assistance On Snow Covered Roads

Snowy weather Sunday impacted drivers in Fond du Lac and Winnebago County. Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Captain Ryan Waldschmidt says deputies responded to 24 calls about accidents or runoffs during the first two shifts Sunday. He says the first snowfall of the winter seems to throw some motorists.  County Highway Commissioner Tom Janke says they had about 30 people removing snow Sunday. He says those snow plow drivers were out from about 2 a.m. until 9 p.m.  Winnebago County Sheriff’s deputies responded to 28 motor vehicle crashes and 19 calls for motorist assistance from 10 a.m. Sunday morning to 1 a.m. Monday.

Washington County Accident

Washington County Sheriff’s officials say two people were hurt in a four-vehicle accident on I-41 at Cedar Creek Road in the Town of Polk Sunday morning. Slippery road conditions contributed to the accident. Two of the drivers were taken to area hospitals with non-life threatening injuries. The accident was reported just before 10 a.m.  Driving too fast for conditions was the main contributor to the accident.

Motion Denied Regarding Sex Offender Placement In Dodge County

A Dodge County judge recently denied a motion to disregard a newly-enacted state law in the case of a convicted violent sex offender.  Judge Brian Pfitzinger rejected Jonathan Miller’s motion to remove a stipulation that prohibits him from living within 1,500 feet of any adjoining property that houses minors.  The judge says the Department of Human Services’ criteria and not the new law is was is preventing Miller’s release from Sandridge Secure Detention Facility in Mauston.

John Deere Horicon Works Expansion Ribbon Cutting

John Deere’s Horicon Works held a ribbon-cutting ceremony last Friday for its $46 million expansion. Ground was broken for the 388,000 square foot facility in October of 2015. Production began at the new facility last month. Officials say the expansion will create 80 new full-time jobs at Deere’s Horicon location.

Presidential Recount

Fond du Lac County Clerk Lisa Freiberg says the recount of the Presidential vote in the County is going well and may be completed by mid-week. She says quite a bit was accomplished by last Saturday with more than 30,000 of the over 52,000 votes cast in the election counted. Even more was accomplished Monday. They finished the count on 10 villages and most of the 21 towns. She also says they are about a third of the way through the City of Fond du Lac wards. Today they expect to wrap up the count on the City of Ripon. She says the one thing they have found is that the County’s voting machines are very accurate. She says the only errors they encountered were human in nature. She says they should finish Wednesday or at the latest wrap up on Thursday morning. According to the Wisconsin Elections Commission 13 absentee envelopes were missing Election Night from Fond du Lac County and one absentee ballot counted that night was rejected during canvassing. The net change is seven fewer votes apiece for both Trump and Clinton.

Christmas Shopping Tips

A Fond du Lac Police officer recommends keeping purses; wallets and smart phones out of temptations way while Christmas Shopping. Erik Foster says like most crimes those thefts are crimes of opportunity. He says purses should be kept close to your person and wallets in front pants or coat pocket. He also says if you give your smart phone to a young child to keep them occupied while your shopping it is not a good idea. He says little hands are easy targets for a thief. Other tips include keeping your gifts in a trunk or out of sight in your car. It is also recommended to park in a well-lit area if you are shopping during hours of darkness.

Best Floats Announced For Christmas Parade

Winning floats have been announced for the KFIZ/107.1 The Bull Christmas Parade. St. Peter’s Lutheran Church and School received the prize for the Best Use of Theme. This year’s theme was “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” a salute to our men and women in uniform. Fond du Lac 4H Horse and Pony Projects had the Best Children’s Float. Life Enforcement won for the Most Creative Float. The winning groups each received $75. Our special thanks to this year’s sponsor Attitude Sports and judges Greg Giles, Dusty Krikau and Attitude Sports.