News 01.11.17
11 January 2017 News
Area businesses in Ripon are being targeted by a utility scam. Ripon Police say they have received information from business owners that calls are coming in – reportedly from Alliant Energy. The caller states the company has an outstanding balance due and if the bill is not paid, their power will be shut off. The caller also asks for banking account information. Many of the businesses contacted Alliant Energy directly and found out they were current on their bills and the calls were a scam. Police say anyone who receives calls of this nature should check with Alliant Energy first before agreeing to pay any bill over the phone.
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An Appleton man will go to prison after being convicted in connection with a drunk driving crash in the Winnebago County town of Algoma. 19-year-old Drew T. Johnson, formerly of Oshkosh, will serve two years in prison and three years of extended supervision for the crash that seriously injured four people. Charges of hit and run, driving a vehicle without the owners consent and three more counts of drunk driving causing injury were dismissed and read into the record. According to the criminal complaint, Johnson was traveling west on State Highway 21, near Sand Pit Road, when his vehicle crossed the center line and collided head-on with an eastbound vehicle. Three people in Johnson’s vehicle and the driver of the other vehicle were seriously injured. Johnson admitted to police he had been drinking and was on anti-anxiety medication. The accident took place September 20th.
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A Fond du Lac city council representative on the Historic Preservation Commission says he wants to see the historic Octagon House saved. A Fond du Lac judge last week ordered foreclosure of the house which dates back to the mid 1800s. Councilmember Brian Kolstad says he hopes the house is purchased and renovated. Kolstad says he wants the Historic Preservation Commission and City Council to discuss potential options for the property. Kolstad says another option is for the city to purchase the property, renovate it and sell it.
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One of four national finalists for Teacher of the Year hails from Wisconsin, the first time that’s happened since 1967. Sun Prairie Area School District middle school music teacher and band director Chris Gleason is one of the four finalists. He was announced as Wisconsin’s middle school teacher of the year in September and the Council of Chief State School Officers announced Monday that he was a finalist for the 2017 National Teacher of the Year award. The winner will be announced sometime in the spring. Gleason was chosen as a finalist from among the 56 teachers of the year from the 50 states and territories. Gleason teaches at Patrick Marsh Middle School in Sun Prairie and has been a teacher for 19 years.
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As the Green Bay Packers work on building Titletown District adjacent to Lambeau Field, plans are being laid for developing the other side of the stadium. Businesses in the 90-acre area have been working with city planners over the last several months to come up with the district’s new master plan for the project, which is being called the Legends District. It outlines a vision of converting a once industrial area to heavy commercial and mixed-use development, including residential. The city’s economic development director, Kevin Vonck, says that housing, such as town houses and apartments, have the potential to compliment the neighborhood. The plans also call for three public plazas.
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Wisconsin election officials say last month’s presidential recount cost a little more than $2 million, about $1.5 million less than originally projected. Green Party candidate Jill Stein requested the recount. The state Elections Commission estimated the effort would cost $3.5 million. Stein paid that amount upfront with money from donors. The recount confirmed that Republican Donald Trump defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton in the state. The Elections Commission says all 72 counties have submitted their actual costs and they total $2,005,603. The commission will refund Stein the difference. She has said she may use the money to fund Count My Vote, an organization she’s launching to ensure every Wisconsin vote counts.
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