2/4/22 Hometown Broadcasting News Friday
4 February 2022 News
Fire Displaces Seven In Oshkosh
Seven people in an Oshkosh duplex were displaced by a fire Wednesday evening. Firefighters were dispatched to the 1000 block of Greenwood Court. They encountered heavy fire in a kitchen and dining area. The blaze caused extensive damage and claimed the lives of two cats. Oshkosh Fire Department officials say the cause of the fire was unattended cooking and there were no working smoke detectors in the home. The American Red Cross assisted the displaced residents. Fire departments from the Town of Algoma, Town of Oshkosh, and Fox Crossing helped out the Oshkosh Fire Department. The fire call was just before 5:30 Wednesday night. (Oshkosh Fire Department photo)
Basement Fire In FDL
Firefighters and police responded to a fire in the basement of a home in Fond du Lac Thursday afternoon. No one was hurt in the blaze at 303 10th Street and the fire was quickly put out. Fire department officials say the fire did cause significant damage to the basement and heavy smoke damage throughout the home. The home was deemed uninhabitable and the Red Cross was called to assist the displaced residents. The cause of the fire is being determined.
Amity School Lockdown
The Rosendale-Brandon School District’s Amity School went into lockdown when two students became violent. At 12:24 Thursday afternoonm the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Communication Center was notified that two 8th grade students were throwing items at a teacher. According to Sheriff’s logs the two boys were roaming the halls while the rest of the school went into lockdown. No injuries were reported and no weapons were displayed, but the two do have a history of getting violent with teachers. The matter remains under investigation.
Pay Set For FDL County Sheriff And Clerk Of Courts
The Fond du Lac County Board this week unanimously approved salary increases for the elected positions of Clerk of Courts and Sheriff. By state law those salaries have to be established prior to an election for the position. Both officers come up for election in November. The Clerk of Courts will make nearly $79,000 next year with raises in subsequent years of the term. The Sheriff will get a nearly $8,000 raise next year to $110,500 with a 3 percent increase in each of the following three years. That bump in salary the first year brought up questions because it was substantially more than the following years. County Board Chairman Marty Farrell has been on the Finance Committee since 2002. He says they are trying to be fair because otherwise some employees being supervised by the sheriff will be making more. The pay would put the Fond du Lac County Sheriff at a pay level about the middle of the pack compared to what counties of similar size pay their sheriff.
Rosendale-Brandon School District Referendum
Voters in the Rosendale-Brandon School District will be asked to approve a $30 million referendum in the spring election for a school building and facility improvement project. If approved the referendum would pay for additions and renovations at the Laconia High School that would accommodate middle school and high school students. There would also be renovations at the Brandon Elementary School and Rosendale Intermediate School. District Superintendent Wayne Weber says the base amount for the referendum was $29 million but a survey of residents found there was a desire to improve their agricultural and technical education area which comes to $770,000. If the Referendum is approved the district would be able to reduce its buildings from four to three resulting in grades six through 12 at Laconia High School and 4K through 5 in Rosendale and Brandon. Information meetings are scheduled next month at Rosendale Intermediate School (March 10th), Brandon Elementary School (March 14th), and the Laconia High School (March 22nd). Each of the meetings is at 6:30 pm with a tour of the school offered at 7:30.
COVID Vaccine For Five And Under Children Being Considered
Pfizer and its partner BioNTech have asked the Food and Drug Administration for emergency authorization for the use of their COVID-19 vaccine for children over six months and under five years of age. If the FDA gives the two-shot regimen authorization it will become the first COVID vaccine available to the youngest age group in the U.S. The shots may require a booster, but that is still being evaluated. Ripon Community COVID-19 Task Force member Jeff Puhlmann-Becker says he knows parents of young children who are looking forward to the approval of the vaccine. Puhlmann-Becker says the biggest issue with the virus is the respiratory problems it can cause, which young children aren’t really equipped to fight off if they get the worst complications from the disease. The FDA is expected to meet on February 15th to consider Pfizer’s request.
State Highway 26 Improvements Slated For Dodge County
The state’s Department of Transportation is asking the public to review and give feedback on two highway projects along State Highway 26 between Juneau and Waupun in Dodge County. That includes an 11-mile stretch of State Highway 26 from State Highway 33 to south of Milligan Road near the Highway 151 interchange. Construction on that project is slated for 2024.
The other section of State Highway 26 is from County Highway S or Center Street to State Highway 33. That construction is scheduled for 2027, but could be moved up to 2024 depending on the funding situation.
WIS 26 Dodge County (wisconsindot.gov)
The DOT has project webpages for both projects, which include comment forms. Comments will be taken through February 25th.
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