Local News Briefs Saturday 9/20/14

There will be a jury trial in Dodge County for a 41-year-old Mayville man the state Justice Department is seeking to commit under the state’s sexual predator law. The petition was filed last month alleging that David Dejanovich is a sexually violent person who should be committed indefinitely for treatment. The 41-year-old appeared for a probable cause hearing this week before Dodge County Judge Steven Bauer who ordered Dejanovich to proceed to trial. The trial is scheduled in December.

Solutions Center Director Says Rice Is Lucky

The interim executive director for the Solutions Center in Fond du Lac says former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice could have been charged for a much more serious crime given the video that was released of a domestic abuse incident. By now many people have seen the video taken by a security camera in an elevator showing him punching his fiancé in the face and knocking her out cold. Maggie McCullough says if that happened out on the street he’d be facing a more serious charge. She says on the street he would have been arrested for criminal assault, but instead is basically getting off with a slap on the wrist. She says the video has generated more talk about domestic violence and abuse, which could spur victims from other abuse incidents to step forward. 

National Walleye Tournament Will Be Moving Back To Oven Island

The completion of a dredging project in Lakeside Park will mean officials staging Mercury Marine’s National Walleye Tournament back to Oven Island next Walleye Weekend. Fond du Lac Festivals Executive Director Leanne Doyle says that will be nice for the tournament because it moves them back to the center of activities for the June festival in Fond du Lac. She says on the other hand it took a couple of years to figure out what to do with Oven Island during Walleye Weekend and they filled it up. She says they will have to relocate those other activities, which is still a nice problem to have.

United Way Helping The Community

How many people will the Fond du Lac Area United Way help out this year? United Way Executive Director Tina Potter says it’s a good question that people do ask them when they contribute to the United Way campaign. She says each year they try and serve more people in the community through their agencies, but that depends on the contributions they receive. She says more than 36,000 men, women and youth were helped out by United Way agencies last year and a lot of those were youth. Last year the United Way managed to raise $740,000 and they hope to boost that a little and pick up $745,000 in contributions this year.

Fond du Lac Area Foundation Celebration Of Giving

It was a memorable evening during the Fond du Lac Area Foundation 10th annual “Celebration of Giving” dinner. More than 175 people attended the September 10th dinner. Over 45 of them were recognized for establishing funds to benefit the community. Legacy Awards were presented to Ann & Richard Blamey and Paul Graham. They were recognized for their significant philanthropic contributions to the community.  Maureen Schreiner’s name from a hat and she was given $500 to donate to the local charity of her choice. The Foundation also announced the formation of its Legacy Society. Any current donor or future donor who has decided to remember the Foundation with a planned gift will become part of the Legacy Society.

Ripon Septemberfest Today

Ripon residents today will try and set a new world record for the number of people doing the Twist. Ripon Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jason Mansmith says as part of their Septemberfest celebration they will attempt to set a new world record. He says it’s a more daunting task that they first thought. Two weeks ago the world record was 1,707, but a town in Mississippi just established a new record with 3,040 people participating. Mansmith says if the Twist isn’t your thing they have a whole variety of other activities going on. For the complete list of activities for Septemberfest go to the Ripon Area Chamber of Commerce website or click here.

State Trust Fund Loan Awarded To Town Of Beaver Dam

A state trust fund lone will help the Town of Beaver Dam in Dodge County to purchase highway equipment. The state’s Board of Commissioner’s of Public Lands awarded $1.4 million in loans to four municipalities and one school district this past week. The loan to the Town of Beaver Dam is for $123,421.

Farm Report Now Featured On 17 Wisconsin Radio Stations Including KFIZ

Starting Monday Pam Jahnke and the Farm Report will be heard on a radio station in Prairie du Chien. Listeners there will be able to hear it on WQPC, which is a country music station. News-Talk 1450 KFIZ is one of 17 stations in Wisconsin that carries Pam and the Farm Report.