Hometown Broadcasting News Monday 11/1/21
1 November 2021 News
FDL Homicide Suspect In Custody
Fond du Lac Police have a person of interest in custody for the murder of a 26-year-old Fond du Lac man last month. Benzel T. Rose was found dead of gunshot wounds at a residence in the 300 block of 8th Street on Sunday, October 17th. The person of interest was taken into custody on an outstanding warrant. The Fond du Lac Police Department is asking that anyone who has information related to the incident or that believes they do contact Lieutenant Matthew Bobo at (920) 322-3722 or call the Crime Alert line at (920)322-3740. Callers can remain anonymous.
Laundry Room Fire In FDL
Fond du Lac firefighters responded to a laundry room fire on the third floor of an apartment building Sunday night. The fire at the Glacier Valley Estates at 50 North Prairie Road was confined to a clothes dryer. It was extinguished and no one was hurt or displaced from the 12-unit apartment building. Fire Chief Peter O’Leary says the cause of the fire was dryer ductwork that was full of lint. He says it’s a good reminder to clean out lint traps and dryer ductwork. The time of the fire call was 7:52 pm.
Ripon Common Council Approves Vehicle Lease Agreement
The Ripon Common Council recently approved working with Enterprise Fleet Management to implement an overhaul of the city’s vehicle fleet. The city owns 26 vehicles, but under the partnership with Enterprise would lease its vehicles. With the vehicles it owns the city spends about $207,000 a year on buying and maintaining its vehicles including $108,000 a year on new squad cars for the police department. The police department and department of public works run most of the vehicles in the city’s fleet. The agreement with Enterprise would start next year and it is estimated it would save the city from $300,000 to $500,000 over the first 10 years. Under the agreement the city would only be responsible for oil changes and replacing tires on the leased vehicles. City Administrator Adam Sonntag says because the city would be going with newer vehicles it would see an increase in its vehicle insurance. The Council unanimously approved the agreement.
Dispatch Transfer Reflected In Budgets
The transfer of Ripon’s Dispatching services to Fond du Lac County will show up in both the city and county’s budgets for 2022. County Executive Al Buechel says under state law the county can levy for those services so the county will levy $200,000 in taxes for that, while the same amount will be removed from what the city usually levies for those services. He says the actual cost to the county will be over $300,000 but Ripon wanted to keep one dispatcher to handle administrative functions at the police station. Buechel says under the agreement with the city of Ripon the county assumes all costs for dispatching.
Vaccine Mandate Options
Some employers who mandated employees be vaccinated for COVID-19 or be fired are offering to rehire those employees once they get vaccinated. Jeff Puhlmann-Becker of the Ripon Community COVID-19 Task Force says that makes sense for the employer and employees. He says that would give those employees more time to do the research on the vaccine if they need convincing that it would benefit them and their loved ones. He says it also benefits employers who would be getting back employees who are already trained for the job and know what is expected of them. Puhlmann-Becker says company mandates about receiving the vaccine are to protect both their workforces and customers.
Markesan Cemetery Request
Every year before winter people go through cemeteries removing flowers and decorations from the graves of loved ones. Markesan Police Chief Will Plfum says they would like to ask people to hold off on doing that in the Markesan Cemetery until after the funeral services for Navy Petty Officer First Class Keefe Connolly on November 8th. He says in fact people are welcome to enhance or add to those decorations if they would like to in Connolly’s memory and to honor other veterans. Connolly was killed at Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941 when his ship the USS Oklahoma was torpedoed by the Japanese. His body was finally accounted for this past February and the remains are being returned to Markesan for burial. He was only 19 at the time of his death. Pflum says they want to make sure they do it right when they honor Connolly.
Ripon Blood Drive
SSM Health Ripon Community Hospital will be hosting a community blood drive from 12 to 3 pm on Tuesday November 16th. The drive-through ImpactLife-is open to the public. Masks and appointments are required. Donors get their choice of a long sleeve T-shirt or gift card. To sign up you can visit bloodcenter.org, or call Sharee at 800-747-5401, extension 4128. Participants are asked to bring a picture ID. Donors should make sure to eat a healthy meal and drink plenty of water before donating.
Share |