Hometown Broadcasting News Friday 4/24/20
24 April 2020 News
FDL Duplex Fire
(Fond du Lac Fire/Rescue photo)
A passing motorist is being praised for alerting the occupant of a Fond du Lac home that was on fire early Thursday afternoon. Fire Department officials say the driver stopped and banged on the first floor doors of the duplex at 22 East 7th Street waking the resident inside. The fire heavily damaged the second floor of the home and a pet dog found inside perished despite efforts to revive it. No other injuries were reported. The cause of the blaze is being determined. The time of the fire call was shortly after 12:30 p.m.
Milwaukee Man Denied Condition Release For 1972 Horicon Murder
Conditional release was denied Wednesday for a 69-year-old Milwaukee man involved in a murder in Horicon nearly 50 years ago. After reviewing doctors reports and hearing from attorneys Dodge County Judge Joseph Sciascia denied the petition feeling Gregory Kozlowski still posed a significant risk. Kozlowski was found “Not Guilty By Reason of Insanity” for the June 1972 murder of 21-year-old Kenneth Glasse of Milwaukee. The killing happened in Horicon. Kozlowski is incarcerated at the Mendota Mental Health Institute in Madison. He was last denied conditional release in 2011.
Schools Closed Virtual Learning Continues
The extension of Governor Ever’s Safer at Home order closed down schools for the remainder of the school year, but virtual classes are continuing. Ripon Area School District Superintendent Mary Whitrock says the order essentially closed the physical facilities of school districts. “Really what that means is our school buildings are closed. We can’t have large groups of individuals in our buildings to be educated so yes everything is on line everything is virtual. We will continue to do that through the end of the school year and we just aren’t able to do that face-to-face with our students.” She says students will be assessed and graded, but at the upper levels there is more project based learning while at the elementary levels they are stressing more reading, writing and math.
Getting The Word Out
The Ripon Community COVID-19 Task Force is getting the word out about available resources and services through every means possible. Task Force member Jeff Puhlmann-Becker says they are using flyers to stuff in people’s grocery and drugstore bags to reach those who aren’t on the internet. (“We’ve got flyers that were donated that will go in bags at Walgreen’s, so far Walgreen’s, Ripon Drug, Webster’s. We’re trying to get the word out to people that aren’t online and aren’t connected well in the community think of senior citizens that aren’t getting out of their house anymore.” He says 15 percent of the population isn’t online. They are also asking churches to include a PDF version of their flyer in their electronic newsletters.
Prosecuting Safer At Home Violations
Fond du Lac County District Attorney Eric Toney says they would like to avoid having to prosecute anyone that violates the Safer at Home order or public health orders stemming from it. Violation of a public health order is a misdemeanor which carries penalties of up to 30 days in jail, $500 in fines, court costs or probation. He says they would like to see people comply with orders rather than prosecute them. “You know having law enforcement respond, having a criminal referral, having a person charged and ultimately convicted is realistically the last thing we want to see happen.” The lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the extension of Governor Tony Ever’s Safer at Home order is before the State’s Supreme Court.
Libraries Offering Curbside Pick Up Services
The Ripon Public Library is offering curbside pick-up of materials starting today. Details are available at the Library website, but consist of three steps which include requesting the material, arranging a pick up time, and picking up the material. The Library has an online catalog of its materials and you can call (920) 748-6160 for more information. Libraries across the state are offering similar services over the next few days including today at libraries in Berlin, Green Lake, and Markesan. Libraries in Fond du Lac and Wautoma start their curb side pick-ups on Monday.
OASD Changes Schedule For Grab And Go Meal Program
The Oshkosh Area School District will be going to a Monday, Wednesday, and Friday meal distribution schedule with extended times starting Monday. Students, families, and those in need will be able to collect two days’ worth of meals on Mondays and Wednesdays, and three days’ worth of food will continue to be provided on Friday for the weekend. The latest menu for the Free Grab-and-Go Meal Program, as well as current district meal sites and new times are available on the district website.
Work Zone Awareness Week
Dodge County Highway Commissioner Brian Field is urging people to drive carefully in road construction and maintenance zones. Field says they want to make sure their road workers make it home safely to their families at night. He says residents can help by staying alert and patient, and by giving workers the additional space they need to do their jobs. There were more than 2,400 work zone crashes throughout the state last year. Work zone crashes in Wisconsin in 2019 caused 899 injuries and 18 deaths. This week is National Work Zone Awareness Week.
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