Local News Briefs Monday 4/21/14

Statements a Hubertus man made to investigators won’t be suppressed during his Washington County murder trial this August. A judge recently ruled that statements Daniel Bartelt made to investigators concerning the July 15th death of 19-year-old Jesse Blodgett will not be suppressed. Blodgett’s mother found her dead at her home. An autopsy found she had been bound and strangled. Blodgett has been acting in a performance of the musical Fiddler on the Roof and was last seen at a cast party. Bartelt is also accused of attacking a woman in Richfield Historical Park last July 12th. He is pleading “not guilty by reason of insanity” in Blodgett’s murder.

Congressman Petri In Pardeeville, Waupun And On KFIZ Today

Congressman Tom Petri will hold town meetings in Pardeeville and Waupun this afternoon. He will be at the Pardeeville Village Hall from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. and the Waupun Public Library from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Last week the federal lawmaker from Fond du Lac officially announced he would not seek another term after 35 years in Congress. Petri will be a guest on KFIZ’s Morning Show at 11:30 this morning.

Good Samaritan Catches Sheboygan Purse Snatcher

(WHBL-Sheboygan)-A Sheboygan man took matters into his own hands last Friday afternoon after witnessing a purse snatching. Police said it happened shortly after 4 as a 54-year-old Sheboygan woman returned to her car after shopping and was putting the items into the vehicle.  Lt. Scott Mittelstadt said that’s when a man came up behind her, grabbed her purse and pulled her to the ground and fled on foot.  The woman suffered an arm injury.  Mittelstadt said a 55-year-old Sheboygan man who was driving by witnessed the incident and followed the thief to a yard in the 900 block of Lincoln Avenue where he spotted the suspect going through the purse.  The Good Samaritan then tackled the man and held him until officers arrived on the scene.  Mittelstadt said thanks to the citizen’s decisive and courageous actions, the 28-year-old suspect was taken into custody.  Mittelstadt said he has had previous convictions for robbery, battery and other charges and may be the person responsible for a couple of previous purse snatchings in recent weeks.

Highway 23 Closure West Of Ripon

The Highway 23 reconstruction project between Ripon and Green Lake gets started today. Those traveling in the Ripon area are reminded that Highway 23 from Arcade Glen Road west to Highway 49 in Green Lake County will be closed. Detours are posted. The road will be closed most of the summer.

New Law Allowed Landlords Discretion To Keep Property In Evictions

Land lord now have the discretion of doing with your property what they see fit if you’re evicted. The new law went into effect March 1st and affects anyone who has signed a lease agreement with a landlord since then. Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Captain Rick Olig says in the past landlords had to give you thirty days to claim the property if it wasn’t moved up when you were evicted. He says with the new law the landlord has the discretion to do with the property what they want if you haven’t moved it out before the eviction notice is served. He says Sheriff’s deputies are only responsible for evicting you. Olig says they recently held a meeting with landlords to get them all on the same page about the new law. He says over 100 people were at the meeting. He says another change is coming with the County courts in June moving small claims cases to Mondays, which could move up the day of the week eviction notices, are served.

Tornado And Severe Weather Awareness Week

Wisconsin has 23 tornadoes annually, one of the facts you might come across during this Tornado and Severe Weather Awareness Week. Fond du Lac County Communications and Emergency Management Director Jim McNabb says the week will include a mock tornado watch at 1 p.m. this Thursday afternoon followed by a mock tornado warning at 1:45 p.m. during which sirens will be activated. Last year the state actually had severe weather during the drill so the statewide drill was postponed for a day, but Fond du Lac County went ahead with the drill. He says it’s a good time to test out your disaster plan.  Over the last 170 years only Dane (76), Grant (61), Dodge (61) and Marathon (56) Counties have had more tornadoes than Fond du Lac County, which has had 47 tornadoes in that time.

EAB Response

Fond du Lac Public Works Director Jordan Skiff says they were pleased with recent response to a call to the community to adopt an ash tree in efforts to stave off an emerald ash borer infestation. He says they did get quite a few people who called about getting trees in their street terrace chemically treated. Those who are interested can call skiff at 322-3472. He says if you’re unsure whether it’s an ash tree or not they can help you with that. He says they have an inventory of the kinds of trees that are in street terraces and if it’s in your yard they can provide you with information or have the City arborist visit you.

Students Contribute To Habitat Cause

Habitat for Humanity of Fond du Lac County is teaming up with Ripon College students to benefit the community. Habitat Executive Director Paul Osterholm says last year they had students leaving at the end of the school year donate items they didn’t want to their ReStore. He says they collected about a truck and a half of items like furniture, appliances and household items. He says this year they will be collecting for the Ripon Thrift Store and Community Food Pantry. Osterholm says in the past they’ve teamed up with UW-Fond du Lac and Marian University students and more recently Moraine Park Technical College held a fundraiser to benefit this year’s Habitat family.

MPTC Multicultural Day Wednesday At FDL Campus

Moraine Park Technical College will be hosting a Multicultural Day at its Fond du Lac campus this Wednesday. MPTC President Sheila Ruhland says a number of countries will be represented. She says there will be booths and exhibitors. As mentioned the parade is at 11 a.m. and the German Band Die Speil Meisters will be performing. The exhibitors’ booths run from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. outside the cafeteria and the Die Speil Meisters perform at noon in the cafeteria. She says lunch will feature cuisine from a number of lands. Lunch will be served from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and there is a $5 cost for the public, but the event itself is free. There are sponsors for the event the Multicultural Club, Diversity Relations office, Fond du Lac Student Senate and Human Resources office. The event is to raise awareness and appreciation for cultural diversity.

Nominations Sought For UW-FDL Distinguished Alumni Award

The UW-Fond du Lac is seeking nominations for its annual Distinguished Alumni Award. Nominations must be submitted by Tuesday, April 29th. A nomination form is available online at the UW-Fond du Lac website. The award has been established to honor and recognize UW-Fond du Lac alumni who have attained notable achievement in their career field, demonstrated philanthropic or public service activity in support of the community or provided inspiration to others. Nominees must have attended UW-Fond du Lac at any time since the campus opened in 1968 for at least two semesters. The award will be presented at the annual donor and scholarship recognition reception on October 1st. The recipient of the award will also be honored with a personalized brick in the UW-Fond du Lac Foundation Celebration Walk. Last year’s winner was Scott Wittchow. To receive a nomination form by mail or fax, call Laurie Krasin at (920) 929-1108.