Thursday 1/31/19
31 January 2019 News
Power Outage In Brandon
The cold weather is being blamed for a power outage in Brandon Wednesday morning. It started just before 6 am and power was restored within about an hour. About 500 electric customers were affected at the height of the outage. The fire station in Brandon was opened as a precaution for those that might be affected by the outage.
Escaped Inmate Caught
A 32-year-old Huber inmate from the Dodge County Jail who walked away from a work release job is back in custody. Paul Digangi of Watertown was arrested in Mayville shortly before 2 am Wednesday morning. Digangi was serving a year in the County Jail on domestic abuse related intimidation of a victim. He had failed to return from a job he was allowed to be released for and officials found out he had lost that job.
Bitter Cold Weather Advice
Fond du Lac County Communications and Emergency Management Director Bobbi Hicken says during temperatures like this, it is not safe to be outside and any prolonged exposure can be life-threatening for everyone, including pets. She says many of the roads throughout the county are still snow covered and slippery due to the extremely cold temperatures making the salt ineffective. Travel is not recommended unless it is absolutely necessary. She urges those whose vehicle stalls on road or goes into the ditch to call 911 right away.
Black Ice A Concern
The state’s Department of Transportation says with sub-zero temperatures black ice is a concern for drivers. Black ice is a thin layer of highly transparent and hazardous ice that forms as melting snow refreezes on roads and bridges. The road may appear wet, or look as if there’s no hazard at all. Black ice tends to occur most commonly overnight and in the early morning as pavement temperatures drop, but the Wisconsin forecast through Friday morning makes black ice a daytime possibility as well. This is because of blowing snow and the potential for shorter-term freeze-thaw cycles as vehicle exhaust or sunlight heat driving surfaces before bitter winds freeze the moisture.
Frozen Pipes
Ripon Water and Wastewater Utility Manager Chris Liveris says they are keeping an eye on the city’s water system to make sure things don’t freeze up during these bitterly cold temperatures. He says there are steps you can take in your own home to make sure pipes don’t freeze up. “Simply as opening up the cabinets and the vanities in your home to let the air in the room get into that space underneath because a lot of those fixtures sometimes are on the outside walls of our homes and those are the first ones that will usually get affected by the cold temperatures.” He says if your pipes do freeze up give them a call at 920-748-4900 and they will do what they can to help. Liveris says if it is just affecting one fixture using a hair dryer to sweep the pipe may thaw it out. Liveris says you shouldn’t run your tap to keep pipes from freezing unless the city issues a declaration because it does affect their water supply.
Plow Woes
The snow and bitter cold temperatures take their toll on everyone and everything including snow plows. Fond du Lac County Highway Commissioner Tom Janke says when he went into the highway garage Tuesday morning five plows had some type of maintenance that needed to be done on them. “Just the equipment freezing up whether it’s the hydraulics running slower or the belts and those types of things freezing up. The weather really is becoming an issue. The temperatures now we’re battling that as much as we are battling the snow and the ice.”
Waupun A Safe City
Waupun was recently recognized as the ninth safest city in Wisconsin. The rankings released by the National Council for Home Safety and Security reviewed over 7,600 Wisconsin communities. They studied the most recent FBI Uniform Crime Report statistics and the total number of violent and property crimes reported by each city to compile their list. Waupun finished in the top ten after ranking fourteenth last year. Police Chief Scott Louden says being proactive has allowed the city to jump up in the rankings. Waupun was ranked the fifth fewest for property crimes with 81 and sixth in property crime rate.
Narcan Training Meeting Rescheduled
The community Narcan training scheduled for Tuesday night at the Forest Mall in Fond du Lac was cancelled due to inclement weather. The free community Narcan training has been rescheduled for Tuesday, February 26th from 6:00-7:00pm also at Forest Mall, Fond du Lac. There is another free community Narcan training scheduled for Monday, March 11th at the Campbellsport Public Library. Additional trainings will be announced later this year. Reservations are not required to attend the Narcan trainings and community members can remain anonymous. For additional information and to RSVP if desired, please call the Fond du Lac County Health Department at (920) 929-3085.
Sturgeon Meeting Still On
The state Department of Natural Resources will hold a scheduled meeting tonight to update residents about the status of the Lake Winnebago System sturgeon population. Results of a survey conducted with 2,000 sturgeon spearing license holders will be released and information shared on how those results will be used to draft a rule proposal for sturgeon spearing. The meeting scheduled at the Menasha High School auditorium will begin at 6:30 this evening and run about two hours. The DNR held similar meetings in North Fond du Lac and Chilton over the past two weeks.
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