KFIZ News Wednesday 10/5/16

Information Needed On Shooting Of Horse

Winnebago County Sheriff’s investigators are trying to determine if a horse was accidentally or deliberately shot late Friday night in the Town of Black Wolf. Deputies got a call to the 4400 block of Oregon Street after the horse was found. It was treated for its injuries. Anyone with information that could assist in the investigation is asked to call the Sheriff’s Department at (920) 236-7300 or Detective Timm at (920) 236-7369.

Middle School Student Brings Pocket Knife To School

A Woodworth Middle School student has been referred to juvenile authorities after he brought a pocket knife to school Monday. Fond du Lac Assistant Police Chief Steve Klein says their school resource officer at Woodworth handled the case. The incident was reported at 3:19 Monday afternoon. 

West Bend Man Puts Minivan In Lake

Washington County authorities say a 41-year-old West Bend man fell asleep at the wheel last Friday night and his minivan ended up in Big Cedar Lake. He suffered minor injuries after his vehicle went through an intersection on County K and came to rest fifty feet off shore in about two feet of water. The man was not under the influence of any type of intoxicant. He was ticketed for the incident.

County K At Hwy 23 Closure

The state Department of Transportation tells us both the north and south legs of Fond du Lac County Road K at State Highway 23 will be closed this Thursday through Thursday, October 13th.  Drivers on Highway 23 will not be able to access County K, and motorists on County K will not be able to access State Highway 23 during this time. The seven-day closure is needed to construct right turn islands at the intersection. State Highway 23 will remain open. The intersection modification project is expected to be complete by next month. Following the completion of construction, right-in, left-in, and right-out movements will be available at each leg of County K. Left-out and through movements will no longer be possible at the intersection.

Reorganizational Changes To UW Extensions Services Will Be Complete By July

Dodge County Board Chairman Russ Kottke said UW officials hope to have changes in place to the UW-Extension by next July 1st.  The UW-System had $250 million trimmed and the UW-Extension Service $3.2 million cut in the two-year state budget. Each of Wisconsin’s 72 counties has its own Extension office, but counties will start sharing some services.  Dodge County will work with Columbia, Fond du Lac, and Sauk counties.  While high-priority services will be maintained, UW Colleges and Extension Chancellor Cathy Sandeen says other programs may be cut during the reorganization. 

Report On Possible FCEDC And FDLAAC Merger Out Around Thanksgiving

Fond du Lac County Executive Al Buechel says representatives of the McCarthy/Blansett Group talked to quite a few people when they were recently in the county. It is the firm chosen to conduct a feasibility study about the possibility of merging the Fond du Lac Area Association of Commerce and the Fond du Lac County Economic Development Corporation. The heads of both groups were talked to and also people in the community. Buechel says the firm was supplied with a list of 100 people in the county to talk to with a goal of speaking with at least 60. He says some of the people he included on the list were from Campbellsport, North Fond du Lac, Ripon and Waupun and members of the agriculture community. He says they will be getting a mid-term report from McCarthy/Blansett in about three weeks. The final report will come out around Thanksgiving.

NFDL Village Employees Get Different Option For Health Insurance Deductibles

Employees of the Village of North Fond du Lac would be able to gradually pay their health insurance deductible off as they use health services under an option being explored by the Village Board. Village Administrator Chuck Hornung says rather than pay a lump sump during a first health provider visit, village employees will pay for 10 percent of their bills until they reach that deductible limit. He says it would be hoped employees will take the opportunity to make wiser decisions about their health care choices. Hornung says if employees didn’t reach that full deductible amount there would be a savings to the employee and the village.

Scammers Target Seniors

Fond du Lac Senior Center Director Cathy Loomans says senior citizens have talked to her recently about scams people tried to make them fall for. Loomans says one man got a call from someone purporting to be a grandson, but the man didn’t fall for the so-called “Grandparents Scam.” The caller was fishing for a name to make it more real, but the man refused to give them a grandchild’s name. During the “Grandparents Scam” the caller pretends to be a grandchild who is in trouble and needs money or the caller poses as a law enforcement official. Loomans says a woman also got a call from someone posing as a bill collector. The caller told her she had an outstanding medical bill and they needed bank account numbers to collect. When she asked what the bill was for the caller told her they couldn’t say what. That person too was sharp enough not to give the caller what they wanted.

Pink Pumpkin Run/Walk Coming Up

Moraine Park Technical College will be hold its third annual Great Pink Pumpkin 5K Run/Walk on Saturday, October 15th. The event will be at the Fond du Lac campus that morning. Moraine Park President Bonnie Baerwald says last year they raised $6,000 for Breast Cancer Recovery. She says this year they will split the proceeds between two worthy efforts for Breast Cancer survivors. She says the first is a retreat for Breast Cancer survivors. They have also established a college scholarship for breast cancer survivors. Last year’s event featured 310 participants and 60 volunteers. Registration is from 8 to 9:30 that morning with the run/walk beginning at ten.

Blood Drive

The BloodCenter of Wisconsin has two upcoming blood drives in Fond du Lac this month. The first is Thursday morning from 7 a.m. to noon at Mercury Marine. The second will be on Saturday, October 15th from 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. at Holy Family Community Church on Fourth Street Way. Donors can make an appointment by calling 1-877-232-4376. There is an especially great need for O negative donors.