Local News Briefs Tuesday 4/15/14

While on the way to a domestic disturbance in Winneconne Monday morning a Winnebago County Sheriff’s deputy came across a single vehicle rollover accident in the Town of Oshkosh. The accident occurred in the median of Highway 45 near County Highway T. A 55-year-old Oshkosh man was pinned inside the vehicle, had no pulse and wasn’t breathing. He was extricated from the vehicle, but died.  His name hasn’t been released. The accident was reported just after 6:30 a.m.

Also early Monday morning a semi-truck jack knifed on Highway 41 near Winchester Road shortly before 4 a.m. The driver suffered minor injuries. The truck took out 30 feet of guardrail and blocked northbound traffic for several hours.

FDL County Flooding Situation

River banks in Fond du Lac County were near their tops or in some cases exceeding them Monday morning. County Communications and Emergency Management Director James McNabb says there was no significant flooding reported that wasn’t being managed by municipalities. There were reports of flooded basements and some street flooding in Fond du Lac, North Fond du Lac, Waupun and elsewhere in the County. In Fond du Lac the Fond du Lac River had exceeded its banks on 9th Street and there was some flooding of the Aquatic Center parking lot.

Leibham Mulls Run For Congress

(WHBL-Sheboygan)-State Senator Joe Leibham, of Sheboygan, is continuing to mull a possible run for the 6th District Congressional seat to be vacated by Tom Petri.  Petri officially announced Monday he will not seek re-election in November.  When word leaked out last Friday, Leibham said he was considering entering the race.  He issued a statement Monday night, saying that he received a tremendous outpouring of support and encouragement over the weekend and expects to announce a decision in the next couple of days.  State Senator Glenn Grothman, of West Bend, who also represents a portion of Sheboygan County, announced earlier this month he will run for the post.

Richfield Man Not Guilty Of Father’s Murder By Reason Of Insanity

A Washington County judge recently found a 38-year-old Richfield man not guilty by reason of insanity in the December 2012 murder of his father. The judge ruled Beau Musial committed the crime, but agreed with Musial’s attorneys that he mentally ill and not responsible for his actions. Musial beat his 76-year-old father then cut his throat. The two had gotten into an argument over Musial’s purchase of a tractor-trailer. A hearing on May 19^th will decide whether he will be committed to a mental health institution.

DFP Officials Excited About Recent Announcements

Downtown Fond du Lac Partnership officials are excited about a pair of recent announcements regarding two longtime properties in the downtown. The recent announcement that Marian University is purchasing the A.C. Nielsen Building being one of the opportunities they are excited about. Nielsen will be leasing the first floor, Marian will use the second to house their Nursing and Health Professions School and Agnesian HealthCare will be locating their information technology department to the third floor. Downtown Fond du Lac Partnership Marketing Director Sadie Parafiniuk says hundreds of people will be located in the building. Partnership Director Amy Hansen says it will be nice to have that influx of students in the downtown. They are also excited about Commonwealth Development’s plans for the former Retlaw Theater. 

Grendel Adjusting To Retirement

Fond du Lac Police Officer Ryan Williams says he and his former K-9 partner Grendel are both adjusting to his partner’s retirement. Williams says when Grendel sees him putting on his uniform he gets excited about going to work and so he’s tried not to get clothed in front of the dog until he gets used to not going to work with him. Williams was given ownership of Grendel when he was retired last week, but he says a lot of people offered to take over ownership of the popular police dog. He says after 8 years of living and working together with Grendel he wanted to keep him. Williams says Grendel was always keen about learning and experiencing new things because he had been a kennel dog in Hungary when he got him. Grendel was honored last week by both the police department and City Council for his retirement.

National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week

Fond du Lac County’s Communications Center is one of many across the nation celebrating “National Public Safety Telecommunicator Week” this week. County Communications and Emergency Management Director James McNabb says dispatchers do much more these days then just dispatch police, fire and ambulance departments to an emergency scene. He says their training allows them to help out the caller before law enforcement or emergency responders get to the scene. He says the call volume has picked up over the years as well. Fond du Lac County has 23 trained and dedicated full time dispatchers. Some of them were honored during an open house Monday for 15 years of service and a life saving award was also handed out.

FDL City Council Organizational Meeting

The Fond du Lac City Council will hold its organizational meeting today at 11:30 a.m. in Rooms D & E at the City-County Government Center. Council members Brian Foster, Lee Ann Lorrigan, Karyn Merkel and Gary Miller will be sworn into new terms of office. The Council President and Vice-President will be elected. Council members will also be appointed to boards, commissions and committees.

FDL County Board Organizational Meeting

The Fond du Lac County Board will hold its organizational meeting at 7 p.m. tonight at the City-County Government Center in Fond du Lac. Oath of office will be administered to all 25 county supervisors. The board will also elect a chair, vice chair and second vice chair. The board will also consider several proclamations, hear several reports and consider four resolutions allowing the blocking off of traffic for racing and bicycling events this summer.

School Library Funding Going Out

School districts throughout the state are sharing in $30.2 million through the Common School Fund. According to the state’s Department of Public Instruction the Fond du Lac School District will receive $227,192. The Waupun School District will receive nearly $68,000 ($67,863), the Ripon Area School District gets just over $51,000 ($51,197), the Campbellsport School District will receive $62,000, the North Fond du Lac School District will get $43,388 and the Rosendale-Brandon School District $28,817, and the Oakfield School District will get $16,442. The money will be paid out on April 28th. Aid is based on the number of children between the ages of 4 and 20 living in each school district.

FDL County Offices Closed At Noon Friday

In observance of the Friday before Easter County offices in the Fond du Lac City-County Government Center, the Portland Street Annex including the Veteran’s Service Office and the Department of Social Services will close at noon this Friday. The Sheriff’s Office Lobby Window will be open from 8 to 11:30 a.m. and the Highway Department office will be closed all day. The City offices will be operating normal business hours.