Hometown Broadcasting News Monday 2/1/21
1 February 2021 News
Ripon College Chooses FDL County Health Dept For Founders Day Award
Ripon College has selected the Fond du Lac County Health Department as the recipient of its 2021 Founder’s Day Award. The announcement was made Friday morning on the 170th anniversary of the founding of the college. The award will be presented during the spring Commencement ceremony. Ripon College President Zach Messitte says, “The staff of the Fond du Lac County Health Department has gone above and beyond in their response to the COVID-19 pandemic.” He added they worked closely with the College and the community to develop safe and thoughtful ways to continue operations over the past year. Fond du Lac County Public Health Officer Kim Mueller says the award is significant because of the type of work her department does.
Fond du Lac County Health Department honored with Founders’ Day Award | Ripon College
Armed Robbery In Oshkosh
The Oshkosh Police Department is investigating a robbery that occurred at a convenience store in the 200 Block of Bowen Street Friday morning around 6:30. Police say a black man pointed a gun at an employee and demanded money. The suspect left with an undisclosed amount of money. He fled on foot and at one point he had been seen carrying a gray messenger bag. No one was injured during the incident. Police released a photo of the suspect, which can be seen on their Facebook page. Anyone who might have information about the robbery or suspect is asked to contact the Oshkosh Police Department at 920-236-5700.
Free Dump Day
During last week’s Ripon Common Council meeting the Council was informed about free dump days tickets, which will allow city residents to drop off larger items at the city’s Compost Center once a year. Tickets will be available at the Department of Public Works office. When a resident uses the ticket they will have to show their driver’s License or state ID and a recent Ripon water and sewer bill. Renters who have water and sewer included in their rent would have to show a copy of a signed lease agreement. A resident could use their free ticket to help a friend, as long as the resident accompanies the friend.
Inability To Field 911 Calls From Cell Phones An Issue
Ripon Police Chief Bill Wallner says the decision to switch to Fond du Lac County Dispatch has nothing to do with the quality of their employees. He says one of the major drivers was the inability of the dispatch center to field 9-1-1 calls from cell phones, which the county has to take for them then relay the information. “But really one of the main issues that came up was the desperate need to upgrade our emergency 9-1-1 system or 9-1-1to be able to take those 9-1-1 phone calls. Currently in our dispatch center we only take land line 9-1-1 calls.” He notes 80 percent of the calls for service in the county are made through cell phones. He says the cost of equipment of the upgrade and maintenance for that system was also an issue.
Real Concerns About School Closing
Rosendale-Brandon School District Superintendent Wayne Weber says there were some legitimate concerns expressed last month when the board heard from parent’s in Brandon about a proposal to close the middle school. He says about 25 speakers voiced their concerns during a school board meeting. “There is concern about what that does to the community of Brandon if moving the next year the four classrooms the year after it would be three classrooms, moving those three classrooms to Rosendale is that the first step in having that entire school close down.” Weber says it is not the school board’s intent to close down the entire school. He says they want to keep a strong elementary school presence in Brandon. The district projects a possible savings of $68,000 by combining the Brandon Middle School with the Rosendale Intermediate School and eliminating some positions. The school board will make a decision about closing the middle school at their February 15th meeting.
Signs COVID Spread Slowing Down
An official with the Ripon Community COVID-19 Task Force says at least according to indicators the coronavirus in the United State has been showing signs of slowing down. Jeff Puhlmann-Becker says Wisconsin seemed to reach its peak number of new positive cases last October of November. “When 17 of the Top 20 infected metro areas were in Wisconsin that was our depth of the problem in Wisconsin and this national map I look at on the New York Times Wisconsin was bright red and the rest of the country was yellow-orange.” He says indicators for much of the country show it slowing down. He notes there are still hot spots like Arizona, California, Texas and especially South Carolina. Officials are also worried about the spread of the newer strain of the coronavirus.
Project Design Website For I-41 Up
The state’s Department of Transportation tells us a project design website is now available to view proposed improvements on I-41 in Fond du Lac County between Highway 151 and the south county line, and at the I-41/Town Line Road overpass. The DOT is proposing improving 6.75 miles of I-41 between Highway 151 and the south county line. Improvements will be made to the existing pavement and cable guard system and to an existing bridge structure. Construction for both projects is scheduled for 2023.
https://wisconsindot.gov/Pages/projects/by-region/ne/i41fdl/default.aspx
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