Local News Briefs Friday 11/8/13

An arrest warrant has been issued for a 32-year-old Ripon man who led police on a high speed chase at the end of July. Manuel Baraza Jr. was supposed to make an initial appearance Tuesday in Fond du Lac County Court on 1st degree recklessly endangering safety and fleeing an officer charges. A Ripon Police officer pulled Baraza over on July 27th after checking the license plate and finding the driver had an expired license. The officer also learned Baraza was wanted on two warrants from the Wisconsin Rapids Police Department. When he was asked to get out of the vehicle Baraza took off. Officers pursued his vehicle north of Ripon into Winnebago County, but cut off the pursuit because they were able to identify him from the warrant. Speeds during the pursuit exceeded 90 miles per hour. Baraza’s father, who was a passenger in the car, turned himself in later in the day at the Ripon Police Department.

Sheboygan Man Allegedly Pockets Refunds At Restaurant

(WHBL-Sheboygan)-A Sheboygan man faces theft charges for stealing nearly $26,000 from a downtown Sheboygan restaurant. According to the criminal complaint, the owner of Eighth Street Ale House found in their records that 31-year-old Brian Glynn had conducted 1,045 refunds of cash sales since early February, allegedly pocketing the money. They also had video of him stealing $120 from a cash register and computer records showing him using another person’s log-in code to conduct a refund. When Sheboygan Police interviewed Glynn on the matter, he provided a written statement that he knew he did wrong and has been dealing with a heroin addiction for a couple of years.

Mid-November Start For Dredging Of Lakeside Park Channels

Pipe is being laid for the dredging project at Lakeside Park and the actual dredging of sediments from the channels will begin soon. Fond du Lac Parks Superintendent John Kiefer says the silt has gotten so bad in some channels it’s nearly impossible to navigate a boat. He says the last full dredging of the channels occurred more than 50 years ago. He says the $1 million project will improve the water quality and habitat in the channels, which will benefit many user groups. Kiefer says the actual dredging will begin in the middle of this month. 

Dane County DA Enters Attorney General Race

(Wisconsin Radio Network)-There’s another candidate for attorney general in Wisconsin. Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne has entered the race for state attorney general. He joins fellow Democrat, Milwaukee state Representative Jon Richards, and Republian Waukesha County District Attorney Brad Schimel, as the only declared candidates to succeed two-term incumbent J.B. Van Hollen, a Republican who is not seeking reelection. Ozanne, a Madison native who graduated from West High School and UW Law School, was appointed by Democratic Governor Jim Doyle as Dane County district attorney in August 2010. He served in political apponitments within state Department of Corrections between 2008 and 2010, and prior to that was assistant district attorney in Dane County, beginning in 1998. He ran unopposed for DA last year.

Governor Signs Crowd Funding Bill

(Wisconsin Radio Network)-Governor Scott Walker has signed a bill that helps start-up companies access more investment capital. The new law makes it easier for companies to turn to a process known as crowd-funding to help find financing for their operations. Governor Walker says the change will help bring the state into the 21st Century. The law creates a state securities exemption for businesses, allowing them to raise up to two-million-dollars by selling equity in the company. Walker says that will help start-ups find potential investors. Wisconsin is one of the first states in the country to pass a law aimed at crowd-funding, which has gained popularity through websites such as ‘Kickstarter.’

Two Grants For Ripon College Total Over $1 Million

Ripon College recently received news about two grants that together will exceed $1 million. A $500,000 grant from the Mead Witter Foundation, Inc., of Wisconsin Rapids will boost the Mead Witter Foundation Endowed Scholarship Fund to a total of $1 million. The Scholarship Fund was established at the College in 2010 with an initial gift of $500,000 to provide perpetual scholarship support for traditional, full-time undergraduate students. The college also received a two-year, $565,000 grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to support four new faculty appointments in the Humanities and incorporate non-Western subject matter into the curriculum. The grant was made by the foundation’s Liberal Arts Colleges Program. The Mellon funds will be used over two academic years, 2014-15 and 2015-16.

Gudex Technical Education Bills Ready To Be Signed Into Law

Two bills State Senator Rick Gudex authored as part of the Governor’s Wisconsin Fast Forward initiative are ready to be signed into law. Gudex says both bills are tied to technical education and it is hoped will help to fill the skills gap for Wisconsin employers. He says it’s a problem in the Fond du Lac area that officials are addressing. One of the bills offers incentive grants to school districts to train students who will pursue a trade where there is a high demand for skilled workers. A $1,000 per pupil incentive would be paid to the school districts. The other bill establishes a scholarship for school districts that have students who will pursue a technical education beyond high school. Schools would get $2,250 scholarship for each student up to six students based on student enrollment. Gudex says he expects the Governor to sign the bills into law before the end of the year.

Thiesfeldt Municipal Court Fee Signed Into Law

A bill State Representative Jeremy Thiesfeldt co-authored that will add up to $10 to municipal court fees was signed into law by the Governor Thursday. Governor Scott Walker signed into law Assembly Bill 22, which will add up to $10 to court fees for those are found guilty of municipal ordinance violations. Thiesfeldt says he’s grateful to the Governor for signing the measure into law as local municipalities finalize their 2014 budgets. He says it will help those municipal courts with their operating budgets. North Fond du Lac Village Administrator Chuck Hornung initially brought the municipal court funding issue to Thiesfeldt’s attention. He says he’s extremely happy to see the legislation signed into law. The last increase in the permissible fee for municipal courts was in 2005.  There are approximately 350 municipalities served by 243 municipal courts in the state.

United Way At 43 Percent Of Goal

The Fond du Lac Area United Way’s fall fundraising campaign is inching closer to the half way point in its efforts to raise $740,000 this fall. Amber Kilawee of the United Way says they are at 43 percent of their goal or $318,620. She says one of the companies that recently wrapped up their campaign for the United Way is J.F. Ahern. Recent efforts included a soup luncheon at the Fond du Lac City-County Government Center and United Way Day at Buffalo Wild Wings in Fond du Lac that contributed to the campaign.

Hunt For The Hungry Offered Again This Year

The state’s Department of Natural Resources this gun-deer season will once again offer it’s “Hunt for the Hungry” venison donation program for hunter’s who would like to see the meat go to food pantries. Conservation Warden Ben Nadolski of Waupun says three food processors in Fond du Lac County will be participating Brandon Meats, Eden Meat Market and Loehr’s Meat Service in Campbellsport. He says many meat processors have participated in the program from year to year. The full list of participating meat processors.

NFDL Optimist Pancake Day Saturday

The North Fond du Lac Optimist Club will hold their 43rd annual Pancake Day at the Presentation School Gym tomorrow from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Last year nearly 1,800 people were served during the event, which raises funds that go back into the community. Bill Binner of the Club says they will also hold their Super Raffle, which has many nice prizes. Binner says proceeds do go back into the community. They’ve been used to make improvements at the parks and pay for many youth activities including the Tri-Star basketball program, an East Egg Hunt and much more. Tickets are $5 in advance and $6 at the door. Advance tickets can be purchased from optimist members and at Binner Pools in North Fond du Lac.

SMSA Invites Public To Veterans Day Ceremony

St. Mary’s Springs Academy will be hosting their 2nd annual Veterans Day Program at the St. Mary’s Campus at 63 East Merrill Avenue in Fond du Lac on Monday at 10:15 AM. The program will feature essays, poems, and remembrances from students in grades 3-8, as well as performances by the chorus and band. All parents, friends, and families are invited to attend the event. All veterans are also encouraged to reach out to the academy to participate in the program. Please contact Aimee Grissmeyer at (920) 924-0993 or agrissmeyer@smsacademy.org for more information on how to become involved.