Local News Briefs Saturday 9/13/14

Germantown Police say a 49-year-old Fond du Lac man was the victim of an armed robbery this week. He was in Germantown responding to a posting on Craigslist. The ad was selling cell phones. So he drove to a McDonald’s parking lot, but instead of buying cell phones he was robbed at gunpoint and had his car stolen. His car was recovered about two miles from the scene of the crime. He gave police a description of two black men who robbed him and the vehicle they arrived in.

Preventing Teen Suicide

A counselor for the Fond du Lac Area Y Screen program urges parents to ask their child if they are having a problem. The program screens ninth graders to see if they have emotional health problems. Counselor Sharon Stoffel says asking an adolescent if they are or have considered suicide is a delicate question, but according to a survey 16 percent of students at the Fond du Lac High School have seriously considered it. She says the reality is kids don’t always tell their parents what’s going on and are good at hiding a problem. She says if you find out there is a problem get as much help as you can by starting with a school counselor. This week is National Suicide Prevention Week.

Thiesfeldt Says Running Unopposed Is A Different Dynamic Than What He’s Used To

Unlike his first two terms for State Representative, Jeremy Thiesfeldt is running unopposed this fall to represent the 52nd State Assembly District. He says it’s a bit unusual because he had a Democratic opponent in his first two elections for state office. He says it gives him the luxury of helping out other Republicans running for state office who are opposed. He says it also gives him a chance to be at home more often with family instead being out campaigning for votes. Thiesfeldt served on the Fond du Lac City Council and as a teacher at Winnebago Lutheran Academy before being elected to the State Assembly. 

National Exchange Offers Downtown Improvement Loan Program

Downtown Partnership Executive Director Amy Hansen says it’s nice to see businesses willing to help other businesses grow in the downtown. She says each year they fund a number of improvements exhausting their loan funding program of $43,000 this year. It will be replenished, but in the meantime she says National Exchange Bank & Trust has stepped forward with a new loan program for downtown businesses. She says it has an attractive interest rate, quick approval and no contingencies. She says it’s National Exchange Bank wanting to do good things for the downtown.

FDL Area United Way Contributions Stay Local

One of the most frequently asked questions the Fond du Lac Area United Way receives is how much of the money that’s donated to them stays local.  United Way Executive Director Tina Potter says it’s about 88 cents on the dollar. She says they only have two staff members so not much goes to administrative costs. She says they do rely on a lot of volunteer help. She says they have about 100 volunteers and get a lot of in-kind contributions for some of their tasks. This year the United Way hopes to raise $745,000 during their fall campaign. It’s estimated that 36,643 people will be served by United Way funded agencies in the County this year, an increase of nearly 4,400 people over 2013.

Fill The Boot Effort In FDL Raises Over $13,000 For MDA

More than a dozen members of the Fond du Lac Fire Fighters Local 400 raised over $13,000 during the annual Fill the Boot drive last month for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. The $13,261 will be used to benefit children and adults affected by muscle disease throughout the Fond du Lac area. Funds raised through the effort support MDA’s programs of worldwide research, specialized health care services, and day-to-day support. Locally those efforts include sending children affected by muscular dystrophy and related muscle diseases to a weeklong, barrier-free MDA summer camp at Pilgrim Center in Green Lake.