Hometown Broadcasting News Thursday 9/9/21
9 September 2021 News
Convicted Murder’s Drug Sentence Could Be Revisited
The Wisconsin Court of Appeals Wednesday ruled convicted murder Mark Price deserves a new hearing on his sentence for selling drugs to hire someone to kill former Winnebago County District Attorney Joe Paulus. The 62-year-old Price is serving a life sentence for the 1989 kidnapping and murder of Michael Fitzgibbon. In 1994 Price was charged with drug distribution and solicitation of first degree intentional homicide. He was going to use proceeds from marijuana sales to pay others to kill Paulus, who had prosecuted him. He was sentenced to 14 years to be served consecutively with his other sentences. The solicitation charge was eventually changed to threatening to injure a public official and was dismissed altogether in 2007. Price argued the drug charge should have been addressed then, which he got 9 years in prison for. The Appeals Court says he now has the right to ask the circuit court to modify that sentence. In 2004 Paulus was convicted of bribery, tax evasion, and other crimes in federal court for taking money to reduce or dismiss cases.
Waupun Man Charged In Connection With Drug Overdose
A 38-year-old Waupun man is facing 2nd degree recklessly endangering safety, felony cocaine possession, heroin possession, and other charges related to an overdose in Waupun late Monday night. Waupun Deputy Police Chief Jeremy Rasch says police officers administered Naloxone to a 46-year-old Portage woman who overdosed at a residence in the 400 block of Carrington Street. The woman was treated by EMS and released. The man was taken to the Dodge County Jail and charges against him were referred to the District Attorney’s Office.
Online And Phishing Scams
The Better Business Bureau serving Wisconsin says residents lost $93,000 to scammers from May 1st to August 31st. More than $29,000 of that or 40 percent was lost to online purchasing scams. Another 12 percent was lost in phishing scams with scammers posing as companies like Amazon, FedEx, UPS and PayPal, as well as government agencies like the Social Security Administration. The BBB suggests researching a company through an independent source before making an online purchase, use a protected payment method, and in the URL for the company make sure it starts https because the ‘s’ stands for a secure sight. As for phishing scams they recommend not opening emails or texts from unknown sources.
COVID Holiday Numbers Deceiving
A member of the Ripon Community COVID-19 Task Force says on the surface numbers from the Labor Day holiday weekend would seem to indicate that the number of new COVID-19 cases is decreasing. But Jeff Puhlmann-Becker says fewer people are being tested around the holidays and health departments aren’t all reporting the increases they are seeing. He says if numbers are slowing down we could see them pick up in the weeks to come as temperatures turn colder and more people spend time indoors where the air circulation is restricted.
September Is Preparedness Month
An official with Ready Wisconsin says September is a good month to hold Preparedness Month. Andrew Beckett says September is a month when we transition to fall with winter not far behind it and as we spend more time indoors it’s an opportunity to review any plans we have for emergencies and natural disasters. He says we know from experience that a tornado can happen just about any month of the year. He says there are some basic actions you can take such as making a disaster plan, putting together disaster kits that will help sustain you for at least 72-hours until help can arrive. He also recommends knowing your risk for instance if you have a creek running through your property how likely is it to flood. You can get more tips at the Ready Wisconsin website.
Septemberfest Coming Up In Ripon
Septemberfest helps kick off the fall season in Ripon on Saturday, September 18th from 9 am to 3 pm. Agnesian HealthCare, a member of SSM Health, and Alliance Laundry Systems are presenting this year’s festival. Ripon Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jason Mansmith says it will feature the Watson Street Car Show and Classic Motorcycle Show, service groups and restaurants will have food available and there’s a Cornhole tournament. Plus there will be music throughout the day on the Village Green with the Tuba Dan Band and The President’s performing and a visit by the Wisconsin Spudmobile at 1 pm. The Ripon Rotary will also hold the Historic Home Tour featuring five historic homes. Tickets for that are available for $10 at the homes, Webster’s Marketplace, BMO Harris Bank, Horicon Bank and the Chamber Office.
Grand Oshkosh Welcomes Back Audiences
The Grand Oshkosh Theatre is welcoming back audience members but with restrictions to keep people protected from the COVID-19 virus. Those attending performances must wear a mask keeping their mouth and nose covered at all times, regardless of their vaccination status. Grand Oshkosh Director Joe Ferlo says the theatre is committed to providing a safe and entertaining environment that protects both the audience and performers during the pandemic. Twenty-one performances are currently on sale and five virtual and free performances available through the Amcor Student Discovery Series. Protection policies went into effect Tuesday.
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