Hometown Broadcasting News Friday 10/2/20
2 October 2020 News
Protected While Serving
Ripon Police Chief Bill Wallner says they’ve had protocols in place for months to protect their officers, staff and the public from COVID-19, but with an uptick in the number of cases in the community they are being even more vigilant. “We’ve instituted a couple of things you’ll be noticing that our officers will be wearing masks on every call that they are on just to protect themselves and the people they are dealing with. In addition to that we have closed the police department to non-essential visitors.” He stresses that those people they do have to bring in to the police station are being equipped with masks. A cleaning crew cleans their offices several times a week. Chief Wallner notes the County Health Department and County Communications Center also let them know if they are dealing with someone that has tested positive for COVID or are in quarantine. Ripon’s dispatchers also let officers know if they are dealing with someone with the coronavirus or suspected of having it.
Trial Rescheduled Again For Murder Suspect
The Winnebago County jury trial for a 37-year-old Menasha man accused of a fatal shooting at the Short Branch Saloon in Neenah last October has been rescheduled again. The trial for Casey Cameron was originally scheduled for mid-March of next year, but was rescheduled to start March 1st after one of his attorneys left the case. Now due to a conflict on the court’s calendar it will start on February 22nd. The trial is set for five days. Cameron is suspected of killing 59-year-old Kevin “Hollywood” Hein when Cameron allegedly robbed the tavern. Hein had followed Cameron out of the bar. Cameron is charged with first degree intentional homicide, armed robbery, and five counts of first degree recklessly endangering safety.
Former Waupun Inmate Bound Over For Trial On Attempted Murder Charges
A former inmate at Waupun Correctional Institution has been bound over for trial on attempted first degree intentional homicide charges for stabbing a corrections officer at the prison last Christmas Eve. Forty-year-old Greg Phillips was in Dodge County court for a preliminary hearing Thursday and probable cause was found for charges. Phillips is now being housed at Green Bay Correctional. He allegedly stabbed the guard with a shank in the recreational area at Waupun Correctional. The officer was stabbed 13 times. Phillips will be arraigned on November 4th.
Sex Offender Notification Meeting Will Be Virtual
Oshkosh Police say a community notification meeting about the release of a sexually violent offender has been switched to a virtual meeting. Forty-one-year-old Christopher Goetsch will be living at 851 W County Road Y in Oshkosh starting next Thursday. The meeting is being done in conjunction with the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Department and is at 6 pm next Wednesday. There is a log in site and also a phone number (510) 338-9438, meeting number 126 072 6437 and password. Goetsch’s victims were 13 to 16-year-old girls.
COVID Politics
Ripon Community COVID-19 Task Force member Jeff Puhlmann-Becker says politics is one of the reasons we haven’t been able to get a handle on controlling the COVID-19 virus. He says it was obvious during the Presidential Debate Tuesday night how political an issue the coronavirus has become. “We want to fight over masks we want to fight over mandates and it is all political. If you watched the debate everything is political now there is nothing we can talk about that is not which is really sad because this is a public health emergency not politics.” He notes in May 72 percent of people polled said they would be vaccinated against the virus when a vaccine becomes available, but because that has become political only 50 percent now say they would be vaccinated.
Some Green And Gold Support
Did Sunday’s Green Bay Packers game unwittingly play a role in helping to identify a suspect in a robbery in Markesan? That might be a bit of a stretch, but the robbery at Ted’s Piggly Wiggly occurred right around half-time and there may have been more people out and about because of the later game time. Markesan Police Chief Will Pflum says they did get tips when they posted surveillance photos from the robbery, but they were getting tips before that as well. “Obviously the Packers game has a big impact on what people do, but there were a lot of people out and about at that time either because of the game or they were someone else. So again it did play a role in the fact that people were up later maybe than usual on a Sunday evening.” Pflum says one thing is certain when things like this happen the community rallies and supports each other.
WLA In FDL Purchases Land For New School
Winnebago Lutheran Academy in Fond du Lac has purchased land outside of the city to build a new school. School officials announced the purchase Wednesday of 120 acres of land west of Fond du Lac between State Highway 23 and County Highway OOO. Kevin Ehlke, WLA Director of Mission Advancement, says they are in the planning stages of a capital campaign. They hope to move from their current campus on Merrill Avenue to the new school in the next seven to 10 years. The school has been located at its current campus since 1954.
Foundation For Ripon Medical Center Raffle
The Foundation for Ripon Medical Center is hosting a raffle with a virtual drawing on Wednesday, November 4th at noon. The drawing will be shown live on Agnesian HealthCare’s Facebook page. Proceeds benefit respiratory equipment at Ripon Medical Center. Funds will be used to purchase machines to help patients with medical concerns that make it hard to breathe, like COVID-19. Tickets are $5 each or $20 for five. Prizes range from $100 in cash to a 14 karat gold-diamond pendant. For a list of locations selling tickets call (920) 926-4971 or visit agnesian.com/giving.
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