2/11/22 Hometown Broadcasting News Friday
11 February 2022 News
Five Charged With Election Fraud
Fond du Lac County District Attorney Eric Toney Thursday announced election fraud charges against five people. According to the criminal complaint the five registered for voting with the same address, the address is for the UPS Store in Fond du Lac which has no attached apartments. The five were identified as Markeis Carter, Jamie and Sam Wells, Jeffrey Testroete, and Lawrence Klug. Lawrence Klug, Jamie Wells, and Sam Wells voted in the November 3rd, 2020 election all using the same address. Jamie Wells told a detective she and her husband, Sam Wells, have a travel trailer and when they stay in Wisconsin usually stay in New London or a campground outside of Fond du Lac. During a press conference in Fond du Lac Toney said, “Elections are the cornerstone of democracy and must be safeguarded at every turn.” Toney is running for Wisconsin Attorney General. The investigation was conducted by the Fond du Lac Police Department.
Lomira Man Sentenced To Prison On Child Porn Charge
A Dodge County judge Thursday sentenced a 57-year-old Lomira man to 3 years in prison and 3 years of extended supervision for possession of child pornography. According to prosecutors on January 12th of last year an agent with the DOJ’s Division of Criminal Investigation started an investigation into photos that had been uploaded to various platforms by Peter Braun that contained child pornography. During the investigation, the agent received information from the Lomira Police Department that Braun had been observed chatting with very young girls online. A search warrant was executed where agents found various pornographic images and vides of girls as young as five years old. Braun claimed that he first sent the pictures as a joke stating the he didn’t know that the children were underage.
Mansmith Moving On From The Ripon Chamber To The Thrasher
Ripon Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jason Mansmith is moving on quite literally just up the road. He will become the marketing director for the Thrasher Opera House in Green Lake. Mansmith has been with the Chamber since May of 2013 and became Executive Director in January of 2014. He says the job with the Thrasher will allow him to continue to promote the area and indulge his passion for music and live performance. He’s excited about the change. He says he’s leaving the Chamber when they are in a good position. He says his time with the Chamber has been “incredibly enjoyable” and he’s been blessed to have worked with incredible boards and staff. Mansmith also appreciates that his new role is flexible and will allow him to continue in radio and to help out with the Drama Department at the Ripon High School. His last day with the Chamber is March 4th.
County Highway E Public Involvement Meeting
A public meeting will be held at the Metomen Town Hall from 5 to 7 pm on Wednesday, March 30th to present the preliminary engineering design concepts and project timeline for improvements to Fond du Lac County Highway E between State Highway 44 and Radio Road in the Towns of Metomen and Ripon. The proposed project consists of culvert replacement, excavation, base aggregate, pavement and shoulder widening, and hot mix asphalt paving. The project isn’t scheduled yet but will be done sometime between 2024 and 2028. During the meeting at the Metomen Town Hall there will be a brief presentation on the project at 5:15 pm. Representatives from Fond du Lac County will be available to explain the proposed improvements and listen to residents’ thoughts.
Cash Card Scam
The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office is sharing information about a phone scam in which the caller posed as a U.S. Marshal. Employees from the Subway restaurant in Poynette reported the call Wednesday. The caller told a restaurant employee the owner was in legal trouble and the employee needed to take money from the register and purchase a cash card to prevent the business owner from going to jail. They were then told to give the caller the number from the back of the cash card and if they told anyone or other employees what was happening they too would be in trouble. The Sheriff’s Office says if anyone ever calls or contacts you via phone or electronic communication requesting you send them money or asks you to buy a cash or gift card, it is a scam. They point out no law enforcement agency would request money in the form of a gift card or cash card.
Pandemic Impacting Kids Mental Health
The U.S. Surgeon General recently said the pandemic’s impact on youth mental health has been “devastating.” Ripon Community COVID-19 Task Force member Jeff Puhlmann-Becker is not surprised by that statement. He says kids take their cues from their parents. He says if their parents are overwhelmed by debates over wearing masks and images of truckers blocking the border their kids may be too. He says kids may be discouraged by the way adults are treating each other. He says inflation is impacting food prices and not all families are food or financially secure, which also is worrisome for kids. Puhlmann-Becker also feels social media doesn’t help when children can see that their friends or classmates may be better off than they are. He suggests having kids take a break from social media if it is stressing them out.
Sturgeon Season A Day Away
The 2022 Sturgeon Spearing season on Lake Winnebago and the Upriver Lakes gets started tomorrow and if it runs the entire 16 days on the big lake will run through February 27th. In fact DNR Winnebago System Sturgeon Biologist Aaron O’Connell expects it to go the full length given the water clarity. But O’Connell says the sturgeon season is quite unique in Wisconsin and similar to the gun-deer hunt during the opening weekend when it comes to the camaraderie. He says generally they will see more spearers on the opening weekend and then the following weekend. They get a good idea of how many are participating with aerial shanty counts during those weekends. The system-wide harvest caps for the season are 400 juvenile females, 875 adult females, and 1,200 males.
Downtown Ripon Sweet Stroll Tonight
Ripon’s 1st Annual Sweet Stroll takes place from 5:30 to 8:30 tonight. During the event, downtown businesses will become “sampling rooms” where attendees may try different dessert items whipped up by some of the area’s best chefs. Ripon Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jason Mansmith says for $20 bucks you can sample up to 10 different desserts and you will be a given a container just in case that’s too much for you to handle over those three hours. Tickets may still be available on the Eventbrite website under the Downtown Ripon Sweet Stroll heading. A list of the desserts is available on the downtown Ripon Facebook page. Numerous businesses will be open late. Participating businesses are within a short walk of each other and the event will be held regardless of the weather so you are asked to dress appropriately. Proceeds will benefit downtown Ripon’s festivals and beautification projects.
EAA Skiplane Fly In Postponed
EAA Winter Flight Fest indoor activities at the EAA Aviation Museum in Oshkosh on Saturday will continue as scheduled, but the skiplane fly-in portion of the event will be postponed one week because of a lack of snow. The museum will be open from 8 am until 5 pm with a variety of family-friendly activities through the facility. All activities are included with regular admission.
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