Hometown Broadcasting News Monday 9/27/21
27 September 2021 News
No Charge In School Board Threat
Oshkosh Police and the Winnebago County District Attorney’s Office are satisfied that threatening comments made by a person at an Oshkosh Area School District Board meeting this past week didn’t reach a level where the person needed to be charged. Police in cooperation with the school district investigated the comments made during a virtual meeting of the board Wednesday night. The board has been holding virtual meetings since opposition to a school face masking policy resulted in a shouting match at a board meeting leading to postponement of that meeting. During the board’s last meeting a man told the board, “We’re coming for you alright.” He added that the board was not protected.
COVID Claiming Younger Lives
Hospitals across Wisconsin have seen lives lost to the COVID-19 pandemic including the Ripon Medical Center and Waupun Memorial Hospital. DeAnn Thurmer is the president of those two SSM Health facilities. She says they have seen the pandemic take lives at their facilities, but it’s tougher now because that has included younger patients who had their whole lives ahead of them. Thurmer says some of those deaths could have been avoided if they had been vaccinated, which is why she urges people to get the shots and wear face masks as well. As the state entered the weekend it was nearing 8,000 COVID-19 deaths.
Vaccination Incentives
A member of the Ripon Community COVID-19 Task Force says employers are in a tough situation when they require employees to be vaccinated against the coronavirus if they want to keep their jobs. Jeff Puhlmann-Becker says no one wants to lose their job over a mandatory vaccination policy, but businesses are trying to protect their employees and the public. He says because there are those who are opposed to being vaccinated because of their personal philosophy, religious beliefs or other reasons employers might consider offering incentives rather than threaten an employee’s job. Puhlmann-Becker says employers could require regular testing of employees who do not chose to be vaccinated.
Operation Phones Down
Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt says they have kicked off “Operation Phones Down” to encourage the public to put down their phones while they are driving. He says some people pay more attention to their cell phones then their driving, which has resulted in traffic crashes and unfortunately for some the loss of life. Schmidt says they and local police departments do enforce inattentive driving laws, but that is not enough to affect the culture change needed to make highways safer. He says they need people to make a conscious effort to always put down their phones, not just when a squad car is around. They also need passengers in cars to raise concerns with the driver if they won’t put down their phone.
Chamber Roles
Envision Greater Fond du Lac President and CEO Sadie Parafiniuk says one of their roles as a Chamber of Commerce is to do some outreach to their member businesses. She says for small businesses in particular they have to wear many hats in making their business work, but sometimes they may need a resource they don’t know about or have connections to, which is where Envision comes in. She says no one could have known what kind of impact COVID-19 would have on businesses but Envision stepped up and played a big role in helping out Fond du Lac County businesses. Parafiniuk says among their roles are advocacy, economic development, helping entrepreneurs, young professionals, the workforce, and promoting community events.
First Responder Nominations Sought
State Representative Alex Dallman is seeking nominations for the upcoming 2021-22 First Responder of the Year Award for the 41st Assembly District. He says if you know a distinguished first responder, whether it be an EMS worker, police officer, or firefighter who has shown heroism, professional achievement, or has a dedicated length of service take a minute to nominate them. That can be done by visiting Dallman’s website or by sending him an email to Rep.Dallman@legis.wisconsin.gov. The winner from the 41st district will be invited to a Hometown Heroes recognition ceremony in the State Assembly chambers during the week of October 26th. The deadline for nominations is October 8th. October is First Responders Appreciation Month.
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