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News 12.28.17

28 December 2017 News


A Ripon High School student faces explusion after threatening to harm eight students at Ripon High School. The Ripon High School principal says the student threatened to shoot eight students in an online conversation with another student. The other student then reported the threat to school officials.The district says an investigation determined the student made threatening comments but found no evidence the student had means to harm anyone. The student was released to parents, and school officials contacted juvenile court authorities.

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Nearly 60 Waupun children got Christmas presents thanks to the Waupun Christmas Club. The Club was formed 62 years ago by a group of local business leaders. This year the Club shopped, wrapped, and delivered the gifts to 20 families and a total of 59 kids. Meanwhile the Club is making a plea for more members. Incoming president Rohn Bishop says membership has been slowly falling over the years, while the number of kids in need has continued to grow. Membership to the Waupun Christmas Club is $75 or $100 per couple. For more information you can check out their Facebook page, or contact any of the board members. In addition to Bishop the Christmas Club board includes vice president, Marla Werner, director, Dr. Jared Homan, and treasurer Ben Buteyn.

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Foxconn, a fatal explosion, a late state budget and sexual misconduct in the Legislature made up some of Wisconsin’s top stories of 2017. The biggest was the announcement in July that Foxconn Technology Group was looking to build a massive plant in southeastern Wisconsin. Republican lawmakers passed an unprecedented $3 billion incentives package in September to seal the deal. A Didion Milling Co. corn processing plant in Cambria exploded in May, killing five workers. Meanwhile in Madison, Republican infighting over how to pay for road work delayed passage of the state budget until September, two months late. Lawmakers in December called for Democratic Rep. Josh Zepnick to resign after two women anonymously accused him of sexual misconduct. Word surfaced that month that then-state Sen. Spencer Coggs was accused of sexual harassment eight years ago. Coggs denied it.

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Harley-Davidson is placing a renewed emphasis on teaching people to ride as part of its efforts to attract more customers. The Milwaukee-based company’s decision to expand the number of dealerships with a Harley “Riding Academy” comes as the industry grapples with years of declining sales and an aging customer base. The program launched in 2000 with about 50 locations and now 245 dealerships in the U.S. offer the three- or four-day course. The company says about a quarter of those launched since 2014. Harley sold 124,777 new motorcycles through nine months in 2017, down from 135,581 during the same period the previous year, according to the company’s most recent earnings report. The Motorcycle Industry Council says the median age of motorcycle owners increased from 32 to 47 since 1990.

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