3/24/22 Hometown Broadcasting News Thursday
24 March 2022 News
Oshkosh Sex Offender Indicted
A Federal Grand Jury has returned a two-count indictment against a 49-year-old sex offender from Oshkosh for allegedly attempting the sexual exploitation of a minor. Scott Meyer (pictured) was previously convicted of causing a child to view or listen to sexual activity in Shawano County in 2018. He spent time in prison for that crime and was required to register as a sex offender. According to U.S. Attorney Richard Frohling Meyer is facing a second charge for the commission of a felony sex offense by an individual required to register as a sexual offender. Meyer faces a minimum of 25 years in federal prison if convicted. The Fox Valley Metro Police Department investigated the case.
FDL County Chase Suspect Charged
A 28-year-old Fond du Lac man who allegedly led Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s deputies on a 12 mile chase on Highway 151, County Highway D and through the Village of Oakfield Monday night made his initial court appearance yesterday. Charles Moore Jr. is charged with second degree recklessly endangering safety and fleeing an officer, both felonies. He posted a $2,500 cash bond and has a preliminary hearing on April 1st. As a result of the pursuit a deputy was treated at a hospital for minor injuries and released and there was minor damage to two squad cars. Moore was also cited for speeding and operating a motor vehicle while under the influence.
Downed Power Pole Interrupts Traffic On Interstate 41
The flow of traffic on I-41 near Church Road in Fond du Lac County’s Town of Byron was interrupted by a burning power pole that was down on the highway Tuesday afternoon. Sheriff’s officials say the power pole snapped into two pieces and the fire caused multiple live electrical wires to hang overhead on the Interstate near Church Road. Because the electrical wires presented safety concerns in the high winds both north and southbound I-41 had to be closed. A detour was set up on Highway 175. We Energies worked well into the night to replace the damaged pole and make the power lines safe. The Interstate was closed for approximately 8 hours.
COVID 19 Report Wednesday
Wisconsin’s 7-day rolling average for new COVID-19 cases continued to decline Wednesday dropping to 326 daily cases. The positivity rate remained steady at 2.7 percent. The state’s Department of Health Services also updated its records on the number of deaths reported during the epidemic to 12,622 lives lost. The Wisconsin Hospital Association reported 233 COVID-19 patients in hospitals across the state with 41 of them in intensive care units. The DHS is also urging those planning to travel for spring break to take precautions before, during and after their trip which should include being vaccinated and if you are traveling to an area with high COVID activity to be tested on your return.
The Winnebago County Health Department reported 10 new cases of COVID-19 Wednesday. Six new cases were reported in Fond du Lac County and Dodge County had 10 new cases.
Ripon Mayor Gets Challenger
Ripon Mayor Ted Grant will have opposition for the April 5th election, but you won’t find his challenger’s name on the ballot. Andrew Dowling, a Ripon College student, filed paperwork Monday as a registered write-in candidate. As such his name won’t be on the ballot. Dowling told the Ripon Commonwealth Press he’s running because Grant was unopposed and he also didn’t like the way Grant handled things with the city’s face mask policy during the pandemic. City voters will also vote on seats for all four districts on the Common Council including contested races in Districts 3 and 4.
Ballweg Bill Signed Into Law On Agriculture Day
On Agriculture Day Tuesday Governor Toney Evers signed legislation into law authored by Senator Joan Ballweg and State Representative Tony Kurtz that supplements previous Ag legislation signed into law. The original law provides an export initiative aimed at achieving certain export initiatives by June 30th of 2026. The supplemental legislation directs unused funding from the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection to help promote Wisconsin dairy exports. One of the original legislation’s key initiatives was to increase the export of milk and dairy products. The bill signing was hosted by Sartori Cheese. The Wisconsin Cheesemakers Association and the Dairy Business Association backed the legislation.
COVID Attitudes Changing
A member of the now disbanding Ripon Community COVID-19 Task Force says it is interesting to see attitudes toward protecting ourselves from the coronavirus flip as the pandemic slows down. Jeff Puhlmann-Becker says CDC guidelines have changed as the spread slows and more people have been fully vaccinated. He recently returned from a trip to Florida where no one seems to be wearing face masks and you’re the odd man out if you are. He hopes that Wisconsin will be able to follow suit as we gear up for summertime activities. Puhlmann-Becker says the approach in Florida is a world of difference from when he traveled to Boston about a month ago and he was asked to show his COVID vaccination card before he could dine in a restaurant.
Rural Funding Disparity
State Representative Alex Dallman says legislators representing more rural areas of the state would like to see more funding headed their way. The state lawmaker from Green Lake says he was really pleased to see rural areas targeted for funding in the last state budget. He says the same can’t be said about the American Rescue Plan Act funding controlled by the Governor which Dallman feels went mostly to cities and urban communities. Dallman says legislation that would help out more rural communities also has a tough time getting the Governor’s signature into law.
Cursive Writing
Generations of students had to learn about cursive writing growing up and surprisingly that’s still something today’s students learn about in the Ripon Area School District. District Superintendent Mary Whitrock says students are learning a lot of different things that prepares them for life after their schooling. She says that includes cursive writing, albeit typed on a computer, and even how to make change which is becoming a lost art with debit cards and smart phones. She says it is fair to say that today’s kids actually have more learned skills, but some of them may not be as refined as used to be.
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