Hometown Broadcasting News Friday 6/18/21
18 June 2021 News
Fugitive Oshkosh Sex Offender Caught In Las Vegas
An Oshkosh sex offender who fled the state was taken into custody by U.S. Marshals in Las Vegas Nevada last Friday. Lloyd Pitzen (pictured) cut off his GPS monitoring bracelet on December 7th of 2019 and fled from the home on Jefferson Street in Oshkosh he was temporarily being house in. The 71-year-old Pitzen is being held at the Clark County Detention facility in Las Vegas awaiting extradition to Wisconsin. He was convicted in 1982 of 4 counts of 2nd Degree Sexual Assault. One victim was a 15-year-old girl. The other three victims were women. He would enter the victims’ bedrooms while they were sleeping. He was convicted of other sexually related offenses.
Storms Move Through Area Overnight
Thunderstorms moved through the area late last night and early this morning bringing heavy rain, hail and gusty winds up to 70 miles an hour in some areas. A severe thunderstorm watch was in effect for most of the area until 4 am this morning. Drivers should be cautious on more rural roads and city streets where the high winds brought down some trees and tree branches.
Fireworks And Fires Should Be Monitored During Dry Conditions
The Ripon Police and Fire Departments are urging residents to watch where they are discharging their fireworks. Even with some brief rain showers in the past day conditions remain very dry. Police say the Ripon Area Fire District this week responded to two separate small grass fires that were started by careless use of fireworks. With the 4th of July just a couple weeks away the use of fireworks by residents will increase. Police also request that residents carefully monitor their use of recreational fires.
Dallman Backs Vaccine Passport Prohibition
State Representative Alex Dallman joined his Assembly colleagues this week in passing a bill that prohibits the use of “vaccine passports” for the COVID-19 vaccine by any public or private business. “Vaccine passports” are considered a physical or digital copy of your medical record showing that you have or have not taken the full doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. The state lawmaker from Green Lake says people should not be forced to reveal their private medical decisions to the public. He adds the passports trespass on a person’s individual freedom and could also lead to unlawful discrimination. Any individual that violates this prohibition could be fined $500 or jailed for 30 days.
Compliance The Goal Of Code Enforcement
Ripon Police now have a code enforcement officer to enforce city ordinances that address issues like lawns that have been allowed to grow too long or junk automobiles that have been on a property for more than a month. Ripon Police Chief Bill Wallner says as part of her duties Officer Lindsey Michels will be enforcing those types of code violations. He says with the dry period we are going through now keeping lawns in check isn’t just a matter of aesthetics, it could also be a safety issue. Chief Wallner says they want to work with those property owners, so the goal is compliance. He notes 90 to 95 percent of residents will self-comply if they are reminded to do so.
Restrictions Still In Place For Hospital Visits
The Chief Nursing Officer for the Ripon Medical Center and Waupun Memorial Hospital says visitors are welcome, but there are some restrictions in place per the CDC and federal mandates. Nicole Gill says because there is still a risk of a substantial spread of COVID-19 in Green Lake County they are limiting visitors to one at a time at Ripon Medical Center. You will also encounter screening at the front reception area and face masks are also required during a visit to Agnesian HealthCare hospitals and clinics. Agnesian HealthCare is a member of SSM Health.
Vaccine Authorization
Ripon Community COVID-19 Task Force member Jeff Puhlmann-Becker feels full federal authorization for two of the major vaccines may go a long way in getting some people hesitant to get the shots to come forward. He says right now the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines only have emergency authorization, but their makers have submitted applications to get full authorization. He says the vaccines have proven to be effective against the coronavirus, but for instance there’s a lawsuit in Texas brought by someone who claims because the vaccine only has emergency authorization they shouldn’t be required to get it.
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