Local News Briefs Tuesday 7/15/14

A 22-year-old Fond du Lac man was seriously injured after falling from an aerial lift platform last Thursday afternoon. Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Captain Rick Olig says it happened at N7870 Sandy Beach Road in the Town of Taycheedah. Thomas Dutton fell between 25 to 30 feet from the sky lift while doing some masonry work. Olig says the worker at the bottom of the lift was backing it up when a rear tire hit a pile of gravel and it lost its center of gravity causing the lift to over turn. A landing zone was set up in the park and ride at Highway 151 and County Highway WH and a Flight for Life helicopter flew Dutton to Theda Clark Regional Medical Center.  He is in fair condition.

Dumpster Fire

Fond du Lac firefighters put out a dumpster fire at the Maplewood Commons Apartments at 9:30 Sunday morning. Fire Department officials says the dumpster was in a concrete enclosure and wasn’t near any building. The small fire was put out quickly. No one was hurt during the incident.

Kids Take Car For Ride In Washington County Again

For the second time in a month two young West Bend children took a car for a ride in Washington County. On June 14th the 9 and 4-year-old children took a car from a boat dealership parking lot in West Bend. This past Sunday a 911 caller reported a car traveling in the wrong lane of traffic on Neward Drive in the Town of Farmington. A deputy caught up with the car about 3 miles from the initial call location, but the vehicle went into a ditch. The children were not hurt and the vehicle wasn’t damaged. The 9-year-old was driving it. No traffic charges will be brought by the Sheriff’s Department, but the stolen vehicle complaint and circumstances regarding the missing vehicle were turned over to West Bend Police and the County’s Human Services Department.

Adell Man Sentenced For Role In Meth Lab

A former Adell man will spend 18 months on probation for his role in a meth lab. Thirty-five-year-old Michael Lynn faced charges stemming from a June 2012 investigation that led to the search of his residence and discovery of a meth lab in his garage. Sheboygan County Judge James Bolgert recently sentenced Lynn to probation for that case and another involving illegal possession of prescription drugs and controlled substances. Two others involved in the meth lab had already been sentenced to prison and extended supervision.

Second Stage Of Hwy 23 Project In Green Lake County Will Begin July 28^th

State Department of Transportation officials say stage two of construction on State Highway 23 in Green Lake County will begin on Monday, July 28th. The works is being done between County Highway A west and State Highway 49 or County Highway A east. Stage two includes reconstruction of the Puchyan River Bridge. Stage one is still underway from State Highway 49 or County Highway A east to Arcade Glen Road in Ripon and should be completed by July 28th. The entire project has a targeted completion date in November.

FDL SB Approves New Principal And Employees Pay Increase

The Fond du Lac School Board Monday approved the hiring of a new assistant principal at the high school. Tim Scottberg was one of 67 applicants for the job. He had been employed by the Ripon Area School District since 2009, most recently serving as lead teacher for the Catalyst Charter Middle School. Fond du Lac Schools Superintendent Jim Sebert says the interview committee was impressed with Scottberg. He says they liked his energy, background, and desire to get into administration. He says the people in Ripon couldn’t say enough good things about him too. The school board also approved a one percent increase in total base wages for employees with the district’s custodial and maintenance union. Sebert says they are just a joy to work with. The cost of the increase is $32,325.13 and is for this school year.

Manufacturing Job Growth Good But…

A recent national ranking put Fond du Lac in the top 10 for metropolitan statistical areas in terms of manufacturing growth. That was out of 357 metropolitan areas. Fond du Lac County Economic Development Corporation President Steve Jenkins says that’s a good number and signs are that there will continue to be growth in the manufacturing sector at least for the near future. He says the downside is that the manufacturing sector makes up 26 percent of the jobs in the County. He says we need to diversify to protect our selves from being too dependant on manufacturing for jobs. He says one thing the County needs to do is create more jobs in information technology, which is showing job growth potential.

Manure Spill Program At FDL Public Library Wednesday Night

Area residents can find out more about the Memorial Day manure spill at Lake Breeze Dairy and how it impacted Lake Winnebago during a free program at the Fond du Lac Public Library Wednesday night. Library Community Information Coordinator Terri Fleming says there will be a couple of speakers during the 6 p.m. program County Executive Al Buechel and DNR spills coordinator Beth Erdman will talk about the spill and other runoff issues. She says it’s a good way to answer questions people may have. Registration is not required. The program is presented by Lake Winnebago Quality Improvement Association of Fond du Lac County, the Lake Winnebago Clean Waters Project and the library.

NFDL National Night Out

North Fond du Lac Police Chief Darren Pautsch says they’ve seen adult participation in their National Night Out program grow over the years. This year’s program is from 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday August 5th at the community pool. He says it’s one of the big events the police department has coming up next month. He says kids usually attend, but over the last couple of years they are seeing more adults attend as well. He says there will be plenty of activities for kids and adults and a chance to get to know their officers and take a stand against crime. There will be music, games, refreshments and prizes. Also next month the North Fond du Lac Police Benevolent Association will hold their 15th annual golf shootout on Friday, August 8th at Rolling Meadows Golf Course.

Birthing Center Returns To FDL County Fair

The Agromatic Agriculture Birthing Center will return again this year to the Fond du Lac County Fair. The popular attraction will be open each day of the fair and will feature live cattle births as well as baby chicks, piglets, ducklings, lambs and baby goats (kids). The area will also highlight the sheep, goat and equine births.  The Birthing Center itself will have a new location at the 2014 Fair, namely the tent will be located between the livestock and poultry barns. The Fair will also again feature an Ag Venture Center which will include educational exhibits on the exciting agriculture industry here in Wisconsin. Subjects featured in the Ag Venture Center are dairy cattle, goats, swine, honey, maple syrup, cranberries, wheat, apples and cherries among other commodities from Wisconsin’s agriculture industry.  This year, the Ag Venture Center will be showcased in the Agromatic Ag Birthing Center.  The Fair kicks off tomorrow and runs through Sunday.