(Waupun) The fire that completely destroyed a barn near Waupun yesterday (Wednesday) morning is not considered suspicious. Crews responded to County Road AW around 2:30am after a passer-by noticed the flames and called 9-1-1. Upon arrival, the barn was fully engulfed and there had been significant structural collapse. It took crews around seven hours to put out the blaze. The building is owned by the State of Wisconsin and was primarily used for the storage of equipment and goods used for the raising of dairy animals. No injuries were reported.
(Horicon) City workers in Horicon are getting a pay bump in 2020. The common council this week approved a 2.25-percent wage increase for all employees and officials that was made retroactive to the first of the year. Mayor Jim Grigg says the reason for the increase was due to a longtime department head stepping down. He says when the city was looking for the replacement for former public works director Dave Magnussen, their consulting firm was surprised at the current pay scale for department heads. Grigg says the firm told them that they would have a difficult time finding people to apply due to the competitive rates for similar size communities.
(Mayville) An online survey is available for Mayville residents to provide feedback on the city’s current housing climate. Mayville is currently in the process of preparing a housing study to better understand existing and future housing needs in the community and how to best meet those needs. Those who complete the survey can enter to win a drawing for one of four gift cards for local Mayville businesses. Results are confidential and the survey will be open to the public until February 29th. A link to the survey is available with this news story at DailyDodge.com.
(Beaver Dam) A Madison man accused of burglarizing a Beaver dam business entered a not guilty plea during his arraignment hearing yesterday. Drops of blood allegedly connected Momodou Jammeh to a break-in at Forefront Dermatology Clinic in July. The 20-year-old was also arrested in September for reportedly burglarizing the Thirsty Beaver. If convicted, Jammeh could face no more than 26 years in prison. He is already facing 28 years behind bars for his allegedly breaking into the Beaver Dam tavern.
(Beaver Dam) A Beaver Dam man charged in connection to a string of burglaries in Beaver Dam was arraigned yesterday (Wednesday). Melvin Lueck entered a not guilty plea to a felony charge of Burglary. The 57-year-old Lueck is charged alongside 26-year-old Christopher Young and 22-year-old Clayton Cartwright. All three reportedly admitted to burglarizing several storage units and a warehouse on Bill McCollum Way in July. If convicted, Young, Lueck and Cartwright face up to 12-and-a-half years in prison. Young and Cartwright will be arraigned in February.
(Fond du Lac) Both Romanian immigrants suspected of forging and cloning 137 credit cards in Fond du Lac in June of 2018 have been sentenced. Twenty-eight-year-old Mihai Alexandru Preda is the latest. Last Friday in Fond du Lac County court he was sentenced to four years in prison and four years of extended supervision. Last October his partner 37-year-old Catalin Capanu was sentenced to 6 years in prison and 6 years of probation. Both men were convicted of seven felony charges. A tip from a resident that saw some suspicious activity at a credit union ATM machine in Fond du Lac led to the investigation.
(Fond du Lac) The Fond du Lac Area Foundation has hired Kayla Schumacher as donor relations manager. She will be responsible for grant and gift follow-up, providing support to executive leadership, and increasing donor outreach. Foundation Executive Director Joe Braun says it is a new position created to support growth and expansion of their development and donation relations efforts. Prior to working for the Fond du Lac Area Foundation Schumacher was the director of annual giving at Lawrence University. The new Beaver Dam Area Community Foundation is an affiliate of the Fond du Lac organization.
