Hometown Broadcasting News Thursday 8/22/19
22 August 2019 News
Ixonia Woman Allegedly Helped Hide The Body Of A Dodge County Murder Victim
A 21-year-old Ixonia woman has been charged with helping cover-up a Dodge County murder. Dakota Schlesner is charged with being party to the crime of hiding a corpse, which is a felony. Last week Nigel Schultz of Fond du Lac was found guilty of first degree intentional homicide in the October 2018 shooting death of 36-year-old Bradlee Gerke of Beaver Dam. According to the criminal complaint Schlesner allegedly told authorities she helped hide the body. She will make her initial court appearance on September 3rd. The charge carries a maximum penalty of up to 12 ½ years in prison.
Ripon School Board Approves Hiring Of Two Special Education Teachers
The Ripon Area School Board this week approved the hiring of two special education teachers. The anticipated cost is approximately $140,000, but the district had savings from the previous school year and is getting more revenue from the state. District Superintendent Mary Whitrock says they anticipated that. “We did receive about an additional $200,000 of revenue and our plan all along was to increase Special Ed staff and then to do some retrofitting of some our light fixtures, which will allow us to get a rebate on those costs and then have energy savings every year moving forward.” She says the hiring of the Special Ed teachers will bring down the caseload of their teachers. The Board unanimously approved the hiring by a 9 to nothing vote.
FDL County Board Approves Two Grants For Health Department Programs
The Fond du Lac County Board this week approved a couple of grants for County Health Department programs. A grant for nearly $117,000 will help fund the 5 Counties for Tobacco Free Living Program that the county administers and is part of along with Green Lake, Marquette, Washington, and Waushara Counties. Before the board approved the grant a question was asked about whether the vaping concerns were being addressed by the program. Marty Ryan who sits on the Board of Health answered. “It is come up the discussions specific that it is part of the program. Obviously those of us who are aware of it the population of young people vaping is significantly increasing.” A $7,500 grant from the Fond du Lac Area Foundation was also approved that will help fund the Save a Smile Dental Health program. Both resolutions were approved by 24 to nothing votes.
Be Leery Of Storm Chasing Contractors
An official with the state’s Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection says there are some kinds of storm chasers you would just as soon avoid. Lara Sutherlin is the Administrator for the Division of Trade and Consumer Protection. She says after storms there are transient contractors that will come in to hard hit areas looking to do repair work. She says they aren’t always registered with your local municipality, some use sub-standard materials, and sometimes you pay out the money and don’t receive any work in kind. She recommends checking with your insurance company first to see what they can pay for, document your damage, and if you know of any go with a local contractor. “Do what you would always do contact your community, your friends, your family. You can also contact our hotline to find out if there are any complaints about the contractor you want to use.” The Department’s hotline number is 1-800-422-7128. It’s also recommended you get lien waivers, get a written contract, and get a copy of the contractor’s certificate of liability insurance.
FDL County Cost Of Living Index Below National Average
The 2019 second quarter Cost of Living Index for Fond du Lac County has decreased slightly from first quarter and has remained below the national average. The after-tax cost for a professional/managerial standard of living is 96.0 or 4.0% below the national average of 100.0. The county continues to be a very affordable place to live, work, and raise a family. Five locations in Wisconsin collected cost of living data in the second quarter of 2019 including Eau Claire, Fond du Lac, Green Bay, Madison, and Wisconsin Rapids-Marshfield. The Green Bay area is the least expensive at 90.7 (9.3% below average) with Madison the most expensive in the state at 105.9 or 5.9% above average.
Audit Of Dodge County Sheriff’s Office Complete
Dodge County supervisors Tuesday night got their look at the final draft report of an operational analysis of the sheriff’s office. The audit found the jail has inadequate supervision and recommends adding four sergeant positions. Sheriff Dale Schmidt was aware of the issue, but said he had not brought the matter to the county board because of opposition to increase staffing levels in the jail. The County Board’s External Audit Committee will now review the report. The sheriff’s office has final say on any operational decisions while the county board will be able to vote on any fiscal recommendations.
Green Lake County Seeking Requests For Proposal On Highway Storage Building
The Green Lake County Highway Department at 570 South Street in Green Lake will be accepting and opening bids for construction of a highway storage building on Thursday, September 19th. Bids will be received and opened at nine that morning. The 50 by 80 foot storage building will be located at N1906 State Highway 73 in Manchester. The completion date for the project is December 1st. Details on the project and bidding can be found at the county’s website.
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