What started out a caring and compassionate way of helping the homeless in Fond du Lac is generating some controversy. A proposal to use the basement at St. Joseph’s Church as an overnight shelter during the winter months has some parents of children attending the neighboring St. Mary’s Academy concerned about safety. Parent Maggie Rose says there’s the potential for some of the homeless to be dangerous. “There are no background checks being performed,” Rose says. “Our number one concern is the location.” Rose says parents are not against having a homeless shelter, but not at that particular location.

Solutions Center Executive Director Lindee Kimball says those seeking shelter overnight would be leaving before most of the kids arrive at school. She says an adjacent shelter hasn’t cause any problems in the last two decades. “We have that same concern, but Solutions Center has a mens shelter right across the street from St. Joe’s, and we haven’t had a problem in over 20 years.” The warming shelter needs a zoning variance. The request will go before the City’s Planning Commission Monday night, but would eventually need City Council approval.

KFIZ’s Bob Nelson submitted this report

Maybe it was a combination of sheer luck or the fact that he was really drunk, but a man in Fond du Lac has a story to tell about being run over by a train. Fire Battalion Chief Larry Wunsch says normally when they get a call about someone being run over by a train they arrive to a gruesome scene. “Usually when we come on those scenes, I mean, there’s not much there,” says Wunsch, adding that the man “decided to take a little nap between the rails.”

The 30 to 40-year-old man was sleeping on tracks at the 9th Street crossing Thursday night when the train went through. Police say the engineer swears he ran over the man, but Wunsch says the sleeper came through the incident no worse for wear. “There wasn’t a scratch on him,” says Wunch, adding that the man stood up on the side of the stopped engine looking like he’d just gotten out of bed.

By sleeping on the tracks the man was technically trespassing on railroad property. In this case however, officers took him into custody so he could be evaluated at a hospital.

KFIZ’s Bob Nelson submitted this report