Hometown Broadcasting News Thursday 6/4/20
4 June 2020 News
Body Of Missing Fisherman Found
The body of a 61-year-old Oshkosh man missing since his boat capsized on Lake Butte des Morts during Tuesday night’s thunderstorm was found along the shoreline yesterday. Winnebago County Sheriff’s officials reported locating the man’s body about 1 o’clock Wednesday afternoon. He was fishing with a friend, a 55-year-old Town of Clayton man and that man’s dog, when their 18-foot boat capsized on the northeastern part of the lake. The other man and the dog spent about 3 hours in the water, but both made it to shore. Neither man was wearing a personal floatation device.
Columbia County Severe Weather Response
Columbia County Sheriff Roger Brandner says they were busy with weather-related calls over a three-hour period Tuesday night due to the storms that rolled through. Deputies responded to 57 reports of trees blocking the roadway, trees on homes, and downed power lines. No injuries were reported however there was extensive damage to some residences and buildings. Power outages were also reported.
National Guard Continues COVID-19 Specimen Collection
A Wisconsin National Guard team was able to collect just under 1,000 specimens for COVID-19 testing from inmates at Red Granite Correctional in Waushara County since the beginning of the week. Another team did site-based specimen collection near New London in Waupaca County yesterday. National Guard specimen collection teams have also collected thousands of specimens from inmates at Dodge Correctional, the John C. Burke Correctional Center, Waupun Correctional, Taycheedah Correctional, and Winnebago Correctional Center in previous efforts.
Fears Compounded
A member of the Ripon Community COVID-19 Task Force says the pandemic is just one of the things causing fear in our population. Jeff Puhlmann-Becker notes we’ve never had a time before in history where we’ve dealt with a recession, high job loss, global pandemic, and now riots caused by the police custody death of George Floyd. “Will our jobs ever come back? Will the pandemic ever go away? Will we ever have financial security again? Will I lose my house, they are talking about potentially 40 percent of the jobs where people have been laid off may never come back. That fear by itself is a problem.” Puhlmann-Becker says his fear is that those rioters who did not wear a mask will come down with COVID-19 and will cause it to spread or create a second wave of the pandemic.
Reminder About Dog Licensing
Ripon Police Chief Bill Wallner is urging dog owners in the city to take care of the licensing of their dog. It’s something that has to be renewed on an annual basis. Chief Wallner says when last he checked they were lagging behind last year on the renewal of those licenses. “We have more than 250 dogs that were registered in in 2019 in the city that haven’t yet been registered in 2020. So make sure that your dog doesn’t get caught without a license.” He says licensing is handled by the City Clerk and you will need to show proof of your dog’s vaccinations to get them registered. There is also a fee for the licensing.
Storm Shreds Acuity Flag
(Acuity Insurance photo)
Tuesday night’s storm claimed a large symbol of American Freedom in Sheboygan. The 70 by 140 foot flag, the world’s largest free-flying American Flag that flew at Acuity Insurance headquarters was shredded by fierce winds. The 9,800 square-foot flag weighs 340 pounds. Company officials say they have flags to replace damaged ones as needed. Sheboygan County saw a top wind gust of 66 miles an hour that evening.
Ripon Public Library Summer Reading Program
The Ripon Public Library’s summer program is being called “Imagine Your Story!” in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. It’s a combination of online and in-person options for registration, prizes, and programming. Online registration for all ages can be completed via the Beanstack app. Simply download to your device and start tracking reading activity to become eligible for prizes. To support local businesses, premium prizes include Chamber Dollars and gift cards. Continually updated prizes can be viewed using the Beanstack app. A host of online programming options for all ages will be posted periodically throughout the summer.
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