Local News Wednesday 5/1/13

Victim Identified In Fatal Sheboygan Fire

 

Authorities in Sheboygan have released the name of the 51-year-old man killed in an apartment fire early yesterday morning. Randi Hein died in the fire at the 16-unit apartment building in the 1700 block of Ashland Avenue. Meanwhile Sheboygan’s Fire Chief says firefighters had a hard time getting into the building. Sheboygan Fire Chief Jeff Hermann says firefighters were greeted with thick black smoke and temperatures that were too hot to enter the first floor hallways. As a result they ended up rescuing people from their second floor windows. One person was treated on the scene for smoke inhalation. Some amateur video that was taken made it look like there was an explosion in the apartment where the fire was concentrated. Hermann says the extreme heat inside that apartment made everything go up at once.Hermann says they got multiple 911 calls about the fire that was reported around 1:45 a.m.

 

Elderly Sheboygan Woman Will Be Sentenced Today For Infant Daughter’s Death

 

(WHBL-Sheboygan)-An elderly Sheboygan woman will be back in Sheboygan County Court today to be sentenced for the death of her infant daughter 56 years ago.  Seventy-six-year-old Ruby Klokow pled no contest in February to a charge of 2nd degree murder.  Under the plea bargain reached in the case, Klokow is expected to be placed on probation for 10 years.  District Attorney Joe DeCecco has recommended 45 days in the county jail, but that will be up to Judge Angela Sutkievicz who will hand down the sentence this afternoon.  Klokow’s 7-month old daughter died in 1957 and, at the time her death was ruled accidental.  However, the case was re-opened after Klokow’s adult son came forward in 2008, touching off a year-long investigation which ended when Klokow admitted to throwing the infant onto a couch, causing her to then fall to the floor. The baby later died of head injuries.

 

Fire Danger High In Area Counties

 

The state’s Department of Natural Resources says wildfire season has arrived and the fire danger is high in 29 of the state’s 72 counties and very high in 10. Fond du Lac, Dodge, Calumet, Sheboygan and Washington Counties are among those in the high category. Fire permits are suspended in some counties. DNR wildlife experts and conservation wardens say changing winds in a cold front could fuel erratic fire behavior. To see the risk of fire danger in a particular County or burning restrictions click here.

 

Petri On Fixing Sequester Cuts For Air Traffic Controllers

 

Congressman Tom Petri is back in his home district after Congress overwhelmingly voted on Friday to find the funding for air traffic controllers. Petri, who sits on the House Aviation Committee, says the across-the-board reduction in federal funds for domestic discretionary spending affected a number of different agencies, including the FAA and air-traffic controllers. He says the action the House took should alleviate the across the board reduction in air traffic controller personnel.

The federal lawmaker from Fond du Laci notes than many airports do not use air traffic controllers.

The president is expected to sign the air traffic measures but has criticized it as a band-aid fix.

 

Buyers For Underage Drinkers Could Be Sued Under State Assembly Bill

 

(Wisconsin Radio Network)-A proposal from a De Pere Republican aims to crack down on underage drinking. Representative Andre Jacque wants to give bars, liquor stores and other places the authority to sue anyone who buys alcohol illegally. The maximum penalty would be $1,000 and that doesn’t include the criminal penalties. Jacque says a similar rule is working in Alaska. He says a lot of communities in Wisconsin have a compliance rate at or below 50 percent. Now he says compliance rates are around 96 percent in Alaska. Jacque says he got the idea for the bill from a lieutenant for the Green Bay police department. An Assembly committee unanimously approved the bill Tuesday.

 

Grothman Introduces Private School Tax Credit Bill

 

(Wisconsin Radio Network)-A new bill in the state Legislature would give a tax break to parents of students in Wisconsin private schools. State Senator Glenn Grothman of West Bend introduced the bill in the Senate. He says anyone is eligible for the tax credit. The bill will be phased in beginning in 2014 starting at a $1,000 tax credit for parents of elementary students and a $1,500 tax credit for each child attending high school. The credit, when fully implemented, will be $1,500 for elementary children and $2,500 for high school students.

 

Keeping Track Of UW Tuition Surplus Complicated

 

State Representative Jeremy Thiesfeldt says the UW System works with a complicated funding system, which still doesn’t excuse the large surplus that was recently reported. He says if it’s truly a rainy day fund they should have been using some of that surplus already. He says some of the $650 million that the Board of Regents has discretion over is for general purpose funds and some is tuition surplus. He says it’s hard to know, which is which but it appears the tuition surplus money is what was being spent. Thiesfeldt says he will support a 2-year tuition freeze if it’s proposed.

 

Oshkosh Corporation Second Quarter Report

 

Net income was up, but net sales were down for the Oshkosh Corporation in their second quarter. The company yesterday released its second quarter earnings report showing net income was $85.4 million compared to $42.8 million during the second quarter of 2012. Consolidated net sales were $1.98 billion, a decline of 3.8 percent compared to the second quarter last year. Company officials say higher sales in all non-defense segments were not sufficient to offset an expected decline in defense segment sales. For a more complete look at the Oshkosh Corporation second quarter report click here.

 

Vehicle Drives Into Pond At Beaver Dam Raceway

 

Fond du Lac isn’t the only city in the area that saw someone put a vehicle in a pond over the weekend. Dodge County Sheriff’s officials say a 35-year-old man and his 47-year-old male passenger were able to get out of their vehicle before it became completely submerged in a pond at the Beaver Dam Raceway Saturday night. That happened about 10:30 that evening. Early Sunday morning a 21-year-old Fond du Lac woman drove her vehicle into a retention pond near the Fond du Lac County Fairgrounds. She was cited for failing to stop at a stop sign and inattentive driving.

 

School Library Aid Paid Out

 

The Fond du Lac School District is receiving nearly $225,000 ($224,996) from the Common School Fund, the only state funding specifically designated for the purchase of materials for school libraries. The Waupun School District will receive just over $67,000 ($67,009) in library aid. The Campbellsport School District will get $61,771, the Ripon School District is getting $52,654, North Fond du Lac will receive $41,461, Rosendale-Brandon $28,909, and the Oakfield School District $16,308. Overall $30.1 million in library aid is being paid out to public school districts across the state.

 

MPTC Portfolio Day

 

Students in Moraine Park Technical College’s Interactive Media Design program will get to showcase their talents during Portfolio Day today at the school’s Fond du Lac campus. MPTC President Sheila Ruhland says more than 40 students will be participating during the event, which is from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the cafeteria. The event will include work from web design, graphics communications and interactive media design programs. She says the public and businesses are welcome to attend. She says the term portfolio refers to the body of work students do in the project-based learning program. There is no cost to attend the event.

 

Drug Drop A Success

 

Over 480 Fond du Lac County residents turned in expired or no longer needed medications during last Saturday’s drug drops. Officials with the Drug Free Communities of Fond du Lac County tell us 1,090 pounds of drugs were dropped off at locations in Fond du Lac, North Fond du Lac, Campbellsport, Ripon and Waupun. The medications collected were turned over to DEA authorities for destruction.   “Each year community members across the county respond to the need to secure and properly dispose of their medication. Thank you to the citizens of Fond du Lac County for participating and making the event a great success,” commented Karen Rucks from Lutheran Social Services and a Drug Free Communities chairperson. Residents are reminded that there is a permanent drug drop box located outside the Fond du Lac Police Department on North Main Street.  For more information about the “Prescription for a Safe Community” Campaign, contact Drug Free Communities of Fond du Lac County, at 906-6700 x4704 or go to http://www.drugfreefdl.com/.   

 

Small Gas Leak Reported At KFIZ Studios

 

It didn’t turn out to be serious, but the KFIZ and K107.1 studios had to be evacuated for a few minutes Tuesday morning for a smell of natural gas. The Fond du Lac Fire Department responded and determined there was a small leak around a furnace, which is being replaced. No one was harmed during the incident.