News 01.18.18
18 January 2018 News
The Fond du lac County executive says he’s confident a renovation project at the downtown Fond du Lac Retlaw Hotel will begin soon. After gutting the interior of the building last summer and fall, there has been little activity over the last several months. But Fond du Lac County executive Al Buechel says it appears that will change in the next several weeks following a conference call call last week with the financing partners. Buechel says he’s optimistic that after February 15 everything should be in place to get the project going. Meanwhile, Buechel says a new expansion project at Midstates Aluminum will create dozens of new jobs. Buechel updated the county finance committee on both projects this week.
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Waupun police have recognized several officers for their outstanding service. Three officers have received commendation awards. Deputy Chief Jeremy Rasch says officer Jason Hraban was recognized for his work as a school liason officer and work to prepare for active shooter incidents. Officer Mike Navis is credited for helping save the life of an elderly woman who had fallen in her home. Officer Robert Williams helped a young woman who was attacked by a man while walking home at night. Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s sergeant Jeff Bonack and police officer Brett Gerritsen received the Life Saving Award for saving the life of a man who had suffered a heart attack while driving his car.
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Wisconsin’s education department says the state’s required school improvement plan has won federal approval, despite objections from Gov. Scott Walker and conservatives that it wasn’t innovative enough. Wisconsin state Superintendent Tony Evers issued a statement Wednesday praising approval of the plan by the U.S. Department of Education. Evers says the state’s plan “is an opportunity to focus on local strategies to close opportunity and achievement gaps for all kids.” All 50 states were required to submit accountability plans under the Every Student Succeeds Act, which replaced No Child Left Behind. Walker had refused to sign off on the state report, saying more revisions were needed, but didn’t offer any specific suggestions for improvement. The conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty has threatened to sue over the process used to implement the plan.
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The first case of chronic wasting disease is found in Milwaukee County. The Department of Natural Resources says the disease was found in a 4-year-old deer in West Allis. The discovery in the state’s most populous county comes 16 years after the fatal wildlife disease was first found in Wisconsin. The DNR says it will survey other deer within a 10-mile radius to determine if others have been infected. A three-year ban against baiting or feeding deer in Milwaukee County takes effect Feb 1. CWD has affected 46 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties, meaning there have been reported cases of the disease or infected deer have been found close to their borders.
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