Wednesday News 6/26/19
26 June 2019 News
Increased Enforcement For Traffic Crash Hotspots
To enhance public safety, the Wisconsin State Patrol and local law enforcement agencies plan stepped-up enforcement in several communities in Brown, Fond du Lac, Outagamie and Winnebago counties where data analysis has identified crash “hotspots.” During the summer months of June, July and August over the last three years, there were 422 injury crashes in Fond du Lac County resulting in 596 injuries and 10 fatalities. During that same time span there were 899 injury crashes in Winnebago County resulting in 1,221 injuries and nine fatalities. Hot spots in Fond du Lac County include a couple of city streets in Fond du Lac and Highway 45. In Winnebago County hotspots includes a few spots in the cities of Menasha, Neenah and Oshkosh. State Patrol Captain Ryan Chaffee says, “These high-visibility patrols, like all of our enforcement efforts, are focused on gaining voluntary compliance with traffic laws and making our highways and communities as safe as possible.”
Police Shooting In Menasha Investigated
The state’s Department of Justice says a man shot and killed by a Neenah police officer Tuesday was armed with a knife. Neenah and Menasha Police were serving a search warrant at the Butte des Morts View Apartments in the 900 block of Tayco Street in Menasha. The warrant and investigation had to do with internet crimes against children and the man who was the subject of that investigation confronted police. After he was shot officers used life saving measures, but the man died at a hospital he was taken to. The state’s Division of Criminal Investigation is handling the investigation.
Beaver Dam Woman Charged With Homicide By Intoxicated Use Of A Vehicle
A 23-year-old Beaver Dam woman charged with homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle is free after posting a $2,500 cash bond during her initial hearing this week. Cindy Lara Esparza made that appearance in Dodge County court Monday. She’s suspected of driving drunk on April 2nd and driving off the Madison Street Bridge in Beaver Dam. She suffered non-life threatening injuries when her vehicle ended up upside down in the river, but her 23-year-old boyfriend Jared Frakes died in the crash. According to the criminal complaint she agreed to a blood test that showed her blood alcohol level was more than 2 ½ times the legal limit for intoxication. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for August 22nd.
Third Person Charged In Homemade Cannon Explosion Death Bound Over For Trial
All three of the men charged with negligent homicide in connection with a deadly explosion in Waupaca County over the Memorial Day weekend have gotten past the preliminary hearing phase of their court cases. Sixty-year-old Scott Mattes of Marion waived his hearing Tuesday and was bound over for trial. His 37-year-old son Robert Mattes of New London waived his preliminary hearing last week and will be arraigned on July 2nd. Scott Mattes will be arraigned July 16th. The third person charged in Paul Casperson’s death, 42-year-old Kenneth Niemer of Clintonville pleaded not guilty when he was previously arraigned. Casperson, of Belvidere, Illinois, was struck and killed by a piece from a homemade cannon at a Town of Dupont home on May 26th.
Sex Offender Being Released In Oshkosh
A 49-year-old sex offender will be released from prison this Thursday and will be living at 1105 Jefferson Street in Oshkosh. Jerry Prager was convicted in September of 2016 of causing a child to view or listen to sexual activity and child enticement. The victim was a 14-year-old girl. He will be on electronic monitoring. He’s currently incarcerated at Redgranite Correctional Institution.
State Budget
State Senate Minority Leader Jennifer Shilling is expecting the state budget to have more of a difficult time in the State Senate. She says Governor Tony Evers had three priorities when the budget process began. They included more money for public education especially special education programs, expanding the Medicaid program, and finding a longer term fix to funding transportation. Shilling says initial indications were that even some Republican Senators are opposed to the version of the state budget the Joint Finance Committee came up with. “Already two Senate Republicans have indicated that they are a no on the budget , which means there really are some cracks within that Caucus and the Republicans then need to support and vote for this and I think there is some wrangling going on that they are not quite there yet with the vote yet.”
Lightning Awareness
Fond du Lac County Communications and Emergency Management Director Bobbi Hicken says yesterday’s Lightning Awareness Day was an opportunity to remind everyone of the dangers of lightning and the importance of ensuring you are safe when thunder roars. According to the National Weather Service lightning strikes kill an average of 47 people a year in the United States. Hicken says, if you can hear thunder, you are close enough to be struck by lightning. “Sometimes people do get struck by lightning and they survive, but it is not always a very good survival they have chronic pain and neurological issues. Lightning is very dangerous and it does a lot of damage to the body.” Lightning can strike as far away as 10 miles from any rainfall. To ensure you are safe, you should remain inside a safe building or vehicle for at least 30 minutes after you hear the last thunder.
Ripon Health Services Expo A Success
(Bruce Link photo)
The first annual Health Services Expo held at the Ripon Senior Activity Center was a success. It was held this past Thursday. More than 20 vendors attended. Center Director Noreen Johnson says the expo showcased a variety of affordable and dependable services for people over 50. “We had 84 people sign in for the door prizes and I’m not sure everybody signed in that attended. It was really great, everybody had positive feedback.” Johnson says today in fact she will be meeting with others to discuss way to improve the next Health Services Expo. No date has been set for that event yet.
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