Local News Briefs Wednesday 12/3/14

A request to reduce the $100,000 cash bond for a 43-year-old Campbellsport man suspected of sexually assaulting one of his martial arts students has been denied. Fond du Lac County Judge Peter Grimm denied the request to lower the bond for William Schellinger to $10,000. Schellinger is charged with two counts of 2nd degree sexual assault of a child and one count of repeated sexual assault of the same child. According to the criminal complaint he allegedly had sex with a 15 year old girl.

Sheboygan Man Suspected Of Touching Young Girls

(WHBL-Sheboygan)-A 27-year-old Sheboygan man faces charges for inappropriately touching two girls, ages seven and ten. Sheboygan County prosecutors say Juan Flores touched his girlfriend’s seven-year-old daughter multiple times in September and October.  The ten-year-old told Sheboygan Police Flores touched her only once, but she tried to hide and he followed her both inside and outside where she lived. Flores was taken into custody last week and a cavity search found a bag of meth. 

Waupun City Budget Approved

The Waupun Common Council unanimously approved the 2015 City Budget at this week’s meeting. The tax levy will be $2.5 million and the tax rate $6.51 per thousand dollars of value on a property. Waupun residents living on the Dodge County side of the City will see no increase in the tax rate while those living on the Fond du Lac County side will see a decrease of 8 cents in their tax rate.

FDL Senior Center Director Winkelmann Leaving

Fond du Lac Senior Center Director Dottie Winkelmann will be leaving her position at the end of January. City Manager Joe Moore says during Winkelmann’s time as director the Senior Center and Friends of the Senior Center’s membership has grown. He says the Friends and Senior Center staff have also done a wonderful job on completing renovations to the interior of the Senior Center. Moore says they are looking for the right person to become director when Winkelmann leaves on January 30th. Moore says people interested in the job can find the posting at the City’s website under the employment tab or can call the City’s Human Resources Office at 322-3624. 

Uncertain Ice Conditions

An officials with the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s office says you can never be sure about ice conditions on Lake Winnebago and other water bodies during the winter, but especially now this early in the winter. Sheriff’s Captain Rick Olig says some people have been out on the lake already, but there haven’t been any issues yet. He says their rescue craft is ready to go if there is an incident. Olig has a few tips if you are going out on the ice. He recommends taking a cell phone so they can pinpoint your GPS coordinates if there is a problem, be careful and let someone know where you are going. A snowmobile did go through the ice on the Fond du Lac River on Thanksgiving, but no one was hurt during the incident. 

Rep. Stroebel Making A Run For State Senate

State Representative Duey Stroebel hopes to continue in the state legislature as his time representing the 60th State Assembly District comes to a close. Stroebel decided not to run for re-election to the Assembly concentrating on a run for Congress. He lost in the Republican primary in August, but says running for Congress was a good experience because it allowed him to meet even more people and find out what’s important to them. He says they want even more efficient and effective government and less taxes.  Now he’s one of several Republican candidates who will seek the seat State Senator Glenn Grothman is giving up to take a seat in Congress. Stroebel says running for the 20th State Senate seat isn’t about having a job, it’s about doing the right thing. The special election for the Senate seat will likely run during the regular election cycle with a primary in February and the general election in April.

Financial Aid Program At FDL High School PAC Tonight

Local colleges and high schools will try to demystify the financial aid process during a program at the Fond du Lac High School Performing Arts Center tonight. It’s from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. and you do not have to register ahead of time, but will be asked to register when you get there. Ben Soman is the Assistant Director of Admissions and Financial Aid Liaison at Marian University. He says the program is a joint venture with Marian, UW-Fond du Lac, Moraine Park Technical College, Fond du Lac High School, St. Mary’s Springs Academy and Fond du Lac Christian School participating. He says financial aid representatives will be on hand to answer questions from students, potential students and parents. All of those attending will be entered into a prize drawing. T-shirts, sweat shirts and water bottles are some of the things that will be given away.

Nursing And Health Graduates At MPTC Do Well On Licensing Exams

Graduates in Moraine Park Technical College’s nursing and health programs test among the best in the nation on licensing exams. Kristen Finnel is the Dean of Health and Human Services at MPTC. She says nursing graduates have to take a licensing exam and MPTC students typically pass the test on the first try. In fact 100 percent of the spring 2014 graduates passed. She says graduates in their other health offerings also did well on the licensing exams. Health Information Technology and Medical Lab Technology graduates at MPTC also passed at a 100 percent rate over the past few years compared to a typical rate of 65 to 70 percent nationally. Meanwhile Finnel says there’s a high demand for people with medical coding experience, which MPTC students get in the first year of their Health Information Technology program. A grant is helping to fund that program.

Mercury Marine Named Green Master For Fourth Straight Year

Mercury Marine of Fond du Lac is one of 34 companies named Green Masters of 2014. The Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council judges applicants on nine sustainability issues, from energy to water use to educational outreach and governance. Over 170 companies participate in the program with Green Masters representing the top twenty percent of those companies. It’s the fourth straight year Mercury Marine has earned the “Green Master” designation.

Santa Visit At FDL Public Library Tonight

Santa and Mrs. Claus will be at the Fond du Lac Public Library from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. tonight. Every family will receive a free, new holiday book to take home. Parents can take photos of their kids with Santa, and the whole family can enjoy making a holiday craft. Santa’s visit is free and open to the public; no registration required. The free holiday books, “Mouse’s First Christmas,” by Lauren Thompson, were made possible by a donation from the Fond du Lac Evening Optimist Club.