Local News Briefs Saturday 1/3/15

Area residents are invited to the swearing in ceremonies for Fond du Lac County Sheriff Mick Fink and Clerk of Courts Ramona Geib (GUYB) Monday morning. Senior Judge Peter Grimm will swear in the pair during a ceremony at 8:30 a.m. in the judge’s courtroom on the 2nd floor of the City-County Government Center in Fond du Lac. Fink and Geib won new four year terms during this past fall’s elections. Meanwhile new Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt will be sworn in that same morning during a ceremony at the County Justice Facility in Juneau.

Trucks Will Be Able To Haul Greater Weights On Interstate 41

When Highway 41 becomes an interstate trucks carrying loads greater than 80,000 pounds will be able to transport them on the highway. State Patrol Inspector Scott Hlinak says when U.S. 151 became I-39 it had to get an exception as well for greater loads. Congressmen Tom Petri and Reid Ribble introduced a bill in 2013 to get the weight restriction lifted for Highway 41 when it became an interstate, but that first effort didn’t succeed. A similar provision included in an appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2015 was passed by Congress this past June.

New Waupun Police Department Website

The Waupun Police Department has a new website. Deputy Police Chief Scott Louden says it’s been up for a couple of weeks. He says they worked on it a long time and people will find it more user-friendly. He says it has links to other departments, their Facebook page and a variety of information. He says there is information on laws of the month, events at the police department and in the community. He invites those who might be interested to check out information about their upcoming Citizens Police Academy on the website. The Academy gets underway on Wednesday, January 21st.

Gathering Information On Winter Storms

Winter storms in Wisconsin can bring any combination of snow, sleet or ice, and highway crews use a variety of tools and information to help them respond. Mike Adams is with the state Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Highway Maintenance. He says the department oversees about 70 remote weather information stations located along the state highway system. Adams says the weather stations gather real-time information that’s used by their weather forecasters as well as the county highway departments in helping them respond to winter storms. The stations measure and transmit information on air and pavement temperatures, relative humidity, wind speed and direction — but they also do precipitation depths and they measure the salt concentration on the roads.” Adams says knowing the precise temperature of bridge decks and nearby pavements helps officials make decisions about how to help keep roadways clear of snow and ice.

Veteran Transportation To Appointments At VA Clinics Can Be An Issue

Fond du Lac County’s Veterans Service Officer says the number of vehicles they have to transport veterans to VA health clinics for appointments can be an issue. Rick Patton says they have two vehicles and six drivers to transport veterans who don’t have transportation to their appointments. He says the problem is they have rides scheduled three to four weeks out and can’t often accommodate those who only give them a couple days notice. Patton says they take veterans to appointments at VA clinics in Madison, Milwaukee, Cleveland, Appleton and Beaver Dam.

FDL Public Library Presents Lake Runoff Program

The Clean Waters Project and Lake Winnebago Quality Improvement Association will present “Rules and Recommendations for Preventing Polluted Runoff” at 6 p.m. Tuesday, January 13, at the Fond du Lac Public Library. The program is aimed at area farmers, shoreline owners and anyone living in the Lake Winnebago watershed. It will be an opportunity to learn about the current rules and upcoming regulatory changes governing runoff – what is and is not allowed. Paul Tollard, head of the Fond du Lac County Land and Water Conservation Dept.; Dan Hanks, assistant code enforcement officer for the county; and Jordan Skiff, director of the city’s Public Works Dept. will present information followed by a Question and Answer session.