News 05.16.18
16 May 2018 News
With prom and graduation season here Drug Free Communities and Fond du Lac police are encouraging parents to talk with their kids about the dangers of drinking and driving. Assistant police chief Steve Klein says parents should make it clear that they want to be a part of their child’s smart and safe decisions. Klein says parents should have a strict rule that no alcohol will be allowed to underage youth on their property and to monitor the gatherings their child attends. According to the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration more than one third of youth killed in alcohol-related traffic crashes occur during the months of April, May and June.
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A Fox Lake man accused of murdering his girlfriend, who was also his cousin, hires two new attorneys. But the new pair representing LaVerne Ware Jr in Dodge County Court will have to prepare for trial quickly. Ware has now had nine different lawyers represent him in the case, and has been accused by the prosecution of postponing the trial by any means necessary. A Dodge County judge had previously told Ware that he would be assigned representation or would have to represent himself if he continued the delay tactics. Ware says he was simply looking for attorneys, but that no one would take his case. He’s set for a telephone scheduling conference with his new attorneys this week, and his case is still set for mid-September.
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Transportation officials say Wisconsin is mirroring a national trend after increased pedestrian fatalities last year. The state saw almost 60 pedestrian deaths in 2017, compared with about 50 in 2016. David Pabst is the director of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s bureau of safety. He says there’s been an effort in recent years to reduce distracted driving, but that distracted pedestrians are also a problem. Pabst says running across a poorly lit street in the evening is also risky. The Transportation Department plans have task forces emphasizing pedestrian safety this summer. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reported last week that pedestrian deaths nationwide have increased by 46 percent since 2009. Nearly 6,000 pedestrians were killed in 2016.
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The application window is now open for Wisconsin taxpayers with children under age 18 to apply for a $100 tax rebate. Only those who successfully apply online with the state Department of Revenue will receive the money, which Gov. Scott Walker and the Republican-controlled Legislature approved earlier this year. Applications will be accepted through July 2, with all the money sent to qualified taxpayers by September. To qualify, children must have been under age 18 as of Dec. 31, 2017, and be a Wisconsin resident. The rebate can be direct deposited or sent as a check. The application website is childtaxrebate.wi.gov. Democrats have assailed the $122 million rebate, and a five-day sales tax holiday in August, as nothing more than election-year bribes.
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