Hometown Broadcasting News Tuesday 9/14/21
14 September 2021 News
Hearing Scheduled For Reckless Homicide Suspect
A 30-year-old Hartford man will be back in a Dodge County courtroom for a plea and sentencing hearing October 5th on a first -degree reckless homicide charge. Mitchell McDonald is suspected of supplying the drugs that led to the overdose death of a 28-year-old woman in Ashippun in April of 2019. According to the criminal complaint a family member of the victim told investigators McDonald had given her heroin. While McDonald was being questioned he allegedly said “I screwed up” and he said would work with law enforcement but wanted to contact an attorney.
Waupun Man Pleads To Child Porn Possession Charges
A 36-year-old Waupun man was convicted last Friday in Dodge County court of possessing child pornography. Through a plea agreement Wade Carrier pled guilty to three of the 15 felony counts with the remainder read into the record and dismissed. According to the criminal complaint a cyber tip generated by a computer program implicated Carrier. Sheriff’s deputies got a search warrant for an online account which showed multiple files that contained suggestive content involving minors. Several devices were seized at Carrier’s address last November during the execution of a search warrant. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for December 13th.
AG Warns Of Increase In Ransomware
State Attorney General Josh Kaul is advising state residents to be aware of the ever-evolving ransomware threats. The COVID-19 health crisis has increased online dependence, which has increased the chance of residents’ exposure to cybersecurity crimes. To date, the FBI has received 41 ransomware reports in Wisconsin this year compared to 30 reports total in 2020. Kaul says there are simple steps that can be taken to help combat the threat of ransomware. Among those steps are not clicking on links or attachments from unverified sources, using unique, complex passwords, and installing computer updates regularly. Ransomware is a type of malicious software hackers use to deny access to systems or data. The hacker holds the systems or data hostage until the ransom is paid.
Ripon Common Council Meets Tonight
The Ripon Common Council tonight will consider whether to implement a masking policy for the public as they enter the city hall and other city buildings. A request was made to consider it given the rising levels of COVID-19 in the community and the region. The Council will also consider interim financing for the sewer and water work being done in conjunction with Vermont/Parkway project. The Council meets tonight at 7 pm in the Council Chambers of the Ripon City Hall.
COVID Testing Site Delayed
The Fond du Lac County Health Department and Accelerated Clinical Laboratories’ free COVID-19 testing opportunity in the county will be delayed by one week. The testing site will begin next Tuesday at the Village of Rosendale Community Center from 12 to 5 pm. All county residents ages 2 and older can then be tested. Testing will be Tuesdays from noon to 5 pm at the Village of Rosendale Community Center and Thursdays from noon to 5 pm at the Fond du Lac County Fairgrounds in Fond du Lac. Residents do not need to be experiencing symptoms to be tested.
Visitor Policy
The Director of Inpatient Services and the Emergency Department at the Ripon Medical Center says with the surge in the number of cases due to the Delta variant of COVID-19 they’ve had to tighten visitor restrictions once again. Jenifer Bunker says they are not currently allowing visitors in the emergency department and if you bring someone in you will be asked to wait while that person is being treated. She says patients in the hospital are only allowed to have one visitor per day. Visitors to the hospital, physical therapy, and Wellness Center are also being asked to wear masks and their patience is appreciated while they go through a screening process.
COVID And Kids
A member of the Ripon Community COVID-19 Task Force says we’ve had to shift our thinking about how children contract the virus over the past year. Jeff Puhlmann-Becker says at first it was believed that children just weren’t getting COVID, but they weren’t being tested for the disease and might not have been showing symptoms. He says that thinking has changed especially with the Delta variant of the disease infecting more people. He says until a vaccine can be approved for children 5 to 11-years-of-age adults in the lives of those children need to be vaccinated to keep themselves and those kids protected. COVID-19 vaccine for children 12 to 18-years-old is currently approved and available, but nothing for younger children yet.
Talking To Kids About Disasters
An official with Ready Wisconsin says kids need to be prepared in the event of a natural disaster or emergency too. Andrew Beckett says disasters can be scary for kids to. He says parents can help them feel more in control by talking to them about what they should do in an emergency. He points out Emergency Wisconsin has a program called STEP or Students Tools for Emergency Planning they can offer fourth and fifth grade students in the classroom. More information is available at the Ready Wisconsin website. September is Preparedness Month in Wisconsin.
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