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News 12.12.17

12 December 2017 News


The family of a young girl killed on Halloween night in Fond du Lac more than four decades ago is trying to block the release of her killer. Lisa Ann French was just 9 years old when she kissed her parents goodbye and ran out of the house to trick-or-treat in the neighborhood. Her third stop that night was at the home of Gerald Turner, the man who would later be convicted of killing her. The girl’s naked body was later found in a garbage bag, tossed in a farm field. Her mother, Maryann Gehring, has created an online petition to keep the 68-year-old Turner behind bars. Turner is due to be released Feb 7. Turner has been released twice, but sent back to prison in 2003 for parole violations.

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Authorities have arrested a Menasha man for dragging an Appleton police officer alongside his car over the weekend. The officer was on foot patrol when authorities say he noticed the 46-year-old man driving recklessly and speeding inside a parking ramp Saturday evening. Police say the officer tried to get the driver to stop, but he kept going. When the man stopped his car and was told to shut it off, police say he refused. When the officer reached in, police say the man accelerated and dragged the officer. The officer freed himself and was treated for minor injuries. Officers arrested the man when he parked in the ramp and tried to run away. He was treated at a hospital for an injury and released to police.

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A Wisconsin milling company will challenge at least some of the citations federal regulators filed against it following a fatal plant explosion earlier this year. The Didion Milling Co. corn processing plant in Cambria blew up on May 31, killing five workers and injuring 12 more. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued 19 citations for safety violations against the company last month and have proposed a $1.8 million fine. Didion officials issued a three-sentence statement saying they will contest “some” of the citations before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. The statement says the appeal process could take up to a year. The statement didn’t say which citations the company would contest.

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A bill circulating in the Legislature would create a new state-certified Wisconsin beer label. To get the special designation, the beer would have to include a certain percentage of hops grown in Wisconsin. The measure comes from Republican Rep. Scott Krug, of Nekoosa. He says in a memo seeking co-sponsors that the bill is in recognition of the state’s growing hops industry. Initially, to get the special label at least 20 percent of the hops would have to be from Wisconsin. After 2020 it would increase to 60 percent and then 80 percent after 2024. The certification would come from the state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. The recipes would be kept confidential. Krug is seeking co-sponsors through Friday.

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