Local News Thursday 4/25/13

FDL City Council Notes

 

In other Fond du Lac City Council notes the Council approved an ordinance allowing the City Council to adopt a change in City Council salaries by resolution. During the budget process last year the Council voted to reduce Council salaries by $500 each. However, by state statute salaries for elected officials can only be changed for upcoming openings and not those already in office. As a result new Council members; Sam Meyer, Catherine Block and Dan Manning will be receiving $500 less this year than the three sitting Council members and the seat vacated by Jim Sabel. The Council also adopted an ordinance that allows the Council to change the order of business on their agendas to move up the public comment section to just after the audience comment section at their meetings.

 

Wanted Man Spotted In Washington County

 

Washington County Sheriff’s officials say the 38-year-old sex offender they’ve been looking for was spotted after breaking into a home in the Town of Kewaskum. A resident living in the 2700 block of E. Moraine Drive called yesterday afternoon to report a man fitting Larry Arnold’s description had broken into his home and may have been living inside the residence for several days. The man told the homeowner “don’t call he cops.” Arnold is a convicted sex offender, drug user and petty criminal. Residents and hunters in the area also spotted him yesterday, but a search couldn’t locate him. Arnold has not made a threat to harm himself or others, but authorities say he should be considered potentially dangerous. Arnold is not known to be armed. He is wanted in connection with felony warrants from Wood County for bail jumping and contempt of court. Anyone who may have seen him is asked to call the Washington County Sheriff’s Department at 262-335-4411.

 

Former Sheboygan Mayor Pleads Not Guilty To OWI

(WHBL-Sheboygan)-Former Sheboygan Mayor Bob Ryan appeared Tuesday in Kiel Municipal Court on a charge of drunk driving.  Ryan pleaded not guilty to the charge.  Ryan, whose troubles with alcohol led to his recall as mayor just over a year ago, was arrested on March 3 after a Kiel police officer spotted him making a wide turn and weaving in his lane of traffic in the city of Kiel.  Ryan was stopped around midnight and told officers he was on his way to his home at Cedar Lake after having 3 or 4 beers at three Kiel area taverns.  No trial date has yet been set.

 

Hartford Man Charged For Impersonating Deputy

 

A 39-year-old Harford man is in trouble for posing as a Washington County Sheriff’s deputies. It happened last week in a dispute over the sale of a car. Two witnesses told authorities they were arguing with a man who was wearing a gun on his hip. They asked him if he was a police officer and the man said he was a former Navy Seal and was an off-duty employee of the Sheriff’s Department. When talking with investigators the man denied the incident, but the two witnesses had filmed the exchange on cell phone. He’s facing several charges. The gun was found at his home.

 

Reliable Internet Service A Necessary Infrastructure

 

Fond du Lac County Executive Al Buechel says the Internet’s information super highway is becoming as important a piece of infrastructure as real roads and highways. He says that’s why the County has pushed for the expansion of Internet service in rural areas of the County. He says school children, businesses and homes rely on good Internet services for their everyday information needs. He says the agreement with Bug Tussel Wireless will bring Internet service to areas of the County where service was poor or inadequate. The County Board recently approved leasing space on the County’s Public Safety Communications towers, but the company will also be building up to 12 towers of its own to improve rural access to the Internet.

 

NFDL Computing Initiative

 

The North Fond du Lac School District continues its efforts to make 1 to 1 computing available to its students. District Superintendent Aaron Sadoff says they will make devices available to all 5K and 4th through 12th grade students next year and have a blended technology for 1st through 3rd graders. He says they want to make sure their students become digital citizens. He says teachers will have an important role in that as well. The North Fond du Lac School Board was updated this week on the district’s 1 to 1 computing initiative.

 

FDL Fire Chief Impressed With Boston Marathon Bombing Response

 

Fond du Lac Fire Chief Peter O’Leary says watching from afar he was impressed with the response to the bombings at the Boston Marathon last week. He says so many did what they could at the scene. He says you have to make the best use of your resources and was impressed to see former Green Bay Packer and New England Patriot Joe Andruzzi chipped in by carrying and injured woman to safety. He says for firefighters it’s different if you’re working with people you don’t know in a large city like Boston. O’Leary says in Fond du Lac it would be different because everyone seems to know someone. Coincidentally O’Leary does know a member of the Boston Fire Department, but didn’t know if he was working at the scene of the explosions.

 

Weather Radios Available Through Sheboygan County Emergency Management

 

Sheboygan County Emergency Management Director Steve Steinhardt says donations from area corporations have allowed them to purchase a bulk supply of NOAA weather radios, which are being resold at cost to anyone for $26. The radios are available at the Sheboygan County Chamber Office at 621 South 8^th Street in Sheboygan. A NOAA weather radio is your “smoke alarm” for severe weather. The radios alert you of any potential life threatening warning issued in your area. 

 

Mercury Announces Promotion For McEathron

 

Mercury Marine in Fond du Lac announced that Bill McEathron has been promoted to the position of General Manager, Mercury Marine Asia. McEathron will be responsible for the overall Mercury Marine business in Asia including sales and operations in addition to providing leadership oversight of the company’s manufacturing operations in Asia. He will remain based in Suzhou, China, but will travel extensively in markets throughout Asia. McEathron has nearly 28 years working experience at Mercury Marine, including 15 years in engineering and product development, 7 years in program and product management, and the last 5 years in Asia as General Manager, Asia Operations.

 

UW FDL Green Lake Info Sessions

 

UW Fond du Lac admissions advisors will be available to meet with prospective students during two information sessions at the Green Lake Town Square at 2 and 6 p.m. on Tuesday, May 7th. Beginning with the fall 2013 semester, UW Fond du Lac will be offering credit courses on site at the Green Lake Town Square. The Green Lake Express degree program will be structured to offer five classes per year allowing a student to complete up to 15 credits per year at the site. Classes will meet for just seven weeks in an accelerated format. Classes in the Green Lake program will meet two nights a week. The first courses offered for fall 2013 will be Critical Writing, Reading and Research and Personnel Finance, both three credit courses. For more information click here.