Local News Briefs Wednesday 11/20/13

Four or five people were hurt in a van rollover accident on Rose-Eld Road in the Town of Rosendale Tuesday morning. Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Sergeant Paul Rottscholl says eight people were in the van on their way to work at the Alto Dairy when they came across a skid loader that was scrapping a mess off the road near the Rosendale Dairy. The van went off the road trying to avoid a collision with the skid loader and rolled over. Rottscholl says four to five of the van’s occupants suffered non-life threatening injuries and were taken to the Ripon Medical Center. The accident was reported at 5:16 a.m.

Fire Damages Dodge County Home

Windy conditions hampered a firefighting effort in the Town of Rubicon Monday morning. Hartford Fire and Rescue and the Dodge County Sheriff’s Department responded to a call of a house fire in the 2800 block of County Highway P. Fire department officials say a dog and cat were rescued during the blaze. The lone occupant of the home safely escaped, but she was taken to a hospital as a precaution. It’s estimated the fire cause $100,000 in damage. Six fire departments battled the fire.

Ripon Man Suspected Of Making Bomb Threats

Green Lake County authorities have arrested a 29-year-old Ripon man for making two bomb threats. Anthony Peterson allegedly admitted to making call about bombs that were going to go off in Berlin factories. Berlin Police say the bomb scares affected 18 businesses. The first happened on October 31st and the second occurred on November 11th. He’s being held in the Green Lake County Jail on felony bomb scare and misdemeanor disorderly conduct charges.

Sheboygan Man Sentenced For Stealing From Roommate

(WHBL-Sheboygan)-A Sheboygan man will spend 27 months in prison for stealing a handgun and gaming equipment from his roommate.  Thirty-three-year-old Joseph Servio was sentenced recently in Sheboygan County Court.  He stole the 9 millimeter handgun and the equipment last July then sold it for $200 and one Adderall pill.  The gun was later recovered.  In addition to the prison time, Servio will spend 3 years on extended supervision when he gets out.

Mayors Race In Waupun

There will be a race for mayor in Waupun next spring. City Administrator Kyle Clark will be challenging incumbent mayor Jodi Steger. Both have announced their intention to run for the seat. Nomination papers can’t be circulated until December 1st. Also up for election in the spring are seats representing the City’s 2nd, 4th and 6th Aldermanic Districts.

Fee Increase For Lakeside Municipal Court Takes Effect December 1^st

The Village of North Fond du Lac is wasting little time making use of a new law. The Village Board Monday night approved raising the maximum fee for those found guilty of municipal ordinance violations in Lakeside Municipal Court to $38. Village Administrator Chuck Hornung says the $10 increase will be added the fee at the beginning of next month. The law is based on legislation authored by State Representative Jeremy Thiesfeldt and co-sponsored by State Senator Rick Gudex. Hornung and Lakeside Municipal Court Judge Jerry Jaye were among those who testified on the merits of the bill during legislative hearings. Hornung says the fee increase will help tremendously towards the costs of operating the municipal court, which processes about 11,000 to 12,000 ordinance citations a year. He says that could equate to as much as $70,000 to $80,000 a year in additional revenue.

Special Session Gives More Time For BadgerCare Participants Switch

The Wisconsin State Legislature will be going back into session in a few weeks. State Senator Rick Gudex says thousands of people who were supposed to make the conversion from BadgerCare to the Affordable Care Act insurance can’t do that yet and the state has to extend the deadline until April. He says about 77,000 people who will be removed from the BadgerCare Medicaid system are affected. The state lawmaker from Fond du Lac expects it to be a contentious session. He says there will be discussion on why the state has to do it, but they need to focus on what’s needed for those state residents. Gudex says that means injecting more state dollars into the BadgerCare system, but it is the right thing to do.

Late Start For The Deer Season

(Wisconsin Radio Network)-There’s something different about the upcoming gun-deer hunt in Wisconsin. It’s the latest on the calendar that the deer season can open. Department of Natural Resources big game specialist Kevin Wallenfang says it’s closer to the end of the rutting season, so that might reduce deer “activity.” But he says most of the corn is harvested so deer have fewer places to hide. The season opens this Saturday morning.

Bart In A Box Raises Awareness For Homelessness

On a typical night in Fond du Lac, it’s estimated that at least 50 people spend the night homeless. Without the Solutions Center and their warming shelter, you would see these people left to find shelter on the streets. In order to help fund the Solutions Center and their efforts, our sister station K107.1 has once again teamed up with them for Homelessness Awareness Week. Mornings with Bart host Bart Winkler will be broadcasting live from 6 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Wednesday at the corner of Main and Sheboygan Streets, in front of the AC Nielsen building Downtown Fond du Lac. He says he will be representing what it might be like if there was no Solutions Center warming shelter in Fond du Lac. He says you can help out by driving by and donating several items including cash, canned goods and other non perishable food items, and toiletries. The Solutions Center is also looking for paper products such as napkins, towel, plates, and toilet paper as well as cleaning supplies for their shelter.

Forest Mall Holiday Hours Begin Thanksgiving Night

The Forest Mall in Fond du Lac will have extended holiday hours starting at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving evening to greet shoppers and families eager to begin their holiday shopping for the 2013 season. The Forest Mall will have special shopping events and activities during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.  “Heading to Forest Mall with family and friends is the perfect way to wrap up a holiday about gratitude and togetherness,” said Karen Rausch, director of marketing and business development at Forest Mall. She adds, “We are excited to meet our customers’ different schedules and needs with the variety of retail and entertainment experiences they enjoy at Forest Mall, plus extended opportunities for holiday ‘doorbusters’ and deals to be discovered.”