News 10.28.16
28 October 2016 News
The Fond du Lac County Clerk says there have been a number of inquiries from local residents who have voted absentee about changing their vote. Clerk Lisa Freiberg says the questions were first raised the week after a 2005 video surfaced showing Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump making crude remarks about women and allegations of sexual assault. Freiberg says she started getting emails from a few municipal clerks that they did get inquiries about whether a person could change their ballot. After contacting state election officials Freiberg says she learned that, yes, you can re-vote…up to three times. Freiberg says absentee voters have until next Thursday to change their ballot.
-30-
Fond du Lac parks and recreation officials say attendance increased significantly last summer at the Taylor Park outdoor swimming pool, but saw a slight decrease at the Fairgrounds pool. Fond du Lac parks director John Redmond says attendance at The Taylor Park pool jumped 25 percent compared to last year to over 16,000. Redmond says staff did a good job of marketing the pool, plus there were two swim meets that attracted people. Several years ago city officials had proposed closing the pool because it was losing money. The neighborhood banded together and began marketing the pool, and the city invested money to build an Olympic size pool which has attracted statewide swim meets. Attendance at the Fairgrounds pool was down about three thousand from the previous year. The Fairgrounds Waterpark offers strictly open swim for patrons while Taylor Park offers lap swims, special events and Fond du lac Swim Club practices.
-30-
A Neenah High School graduate who was shot and wounded at a rest stop near Columbus, Ohio, is expected to return to Wisconsin this week. A statement from the College of Wooster’s dean of students says Alex Melchert “will continue his rehabilitation from the comfort of his own home.” Melchert, a freshman at Wooster, was shot six times on the morning of Oct. 2. It happened at a rest stop along northbound I-71 in Delaware County, Ohio. Police says it appears to be a random shooting. The suspect in the shooting died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after a police chase.
-30-
Wisconsin’s Democratic members of Congress want the U.S. Justice Department to oversee the state’s monitoring of the election due to concerns with the new voter ID law. The four Democrats sent a letter Wednesday to U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch asking for the oversight. It was signed by Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Reps. Gwen Moore, Mark Pocan and Ron Kind. This is the first presidential election in Wisconsin where voters will be required to show photo IDs at the polls. The lawmakers say they believe the law is flawed and puts in jeopardy the ability of some people to vote. They say they are particularly concerned about protecting the voting rights of people of color. They also say they are worried about voter intimidation at polling places.
-30-
Nearly 328,000 voters have cast absentee ballots in Wisconsin so far. That total reported Wednesday by the state Elections Commission is about half of the 659,000 absentee ballots cast by Election Day in 2012. Many cities continue to expand locations where voters can cast absentee ballots in person. About 71 percent of the ballots returned so far were cast in person. Turnout continues to be strong in the heavily Democratic counties of Milwaukee and Dane. About 29 percent of the statewide total has been cast there. About 51,000 ballots have been returned in Milwaukee County compared with about 44,000 in Dane County. About 14 percent of all absentee ballots have been cast in the conservative Republican counties of Waukesha, Washington and Ozaukee that surround Milwaukee. Nearly 48,000 ballots have been returned there.
-30-
The Tomah VA Medical Center is ending a lease agreement for a shelter for homeless veterans, citing numerous problems. The Veterans Assistance Foundation has operated the shelter for nearly 20 years. Tomah VA spokesman Matthew Gowan says authorities recently have responded to more than 30 incidents involving shelter residents, including a suicide attempt, a drug overdose and criminal violations. The center has given the foundation notice that it will end the lease in January. Foundation President Christopher Hanson says he’s “flabbergasted” that Tomah officials didn’t share concerns about safety with him before making the decision. Gowan says VA officials reached out to other foundation staff because Hanson is currently serving in Afghanistan. Hanson says he’s available via email. About 40 veterans live at the shelter.
-30-
Share |