4/25/22 Hometown Broadcasting News Monday
25 April 2022 News
Major Fire In FDL
Fire destroyed a two and a half story home at 23 West Bank Street and caused moderate to major damage to two neighboring homes in Fond du Lac early Sunday morning. Interim Fire Chief Erick Gerritson says the fire was difficult to extinguish due to the advanced progress and high winds that were driving the fire. The neighboring homes caught on fire due to the extreme radiant heat and punishing winds. Occupants of all three homes were able to escape, but were displaced by the fire. The Red Cross aided them with temporary shelter. One person was treated at the hospital for smoke inhalation and two firefighters suffered minor injuries but were able to return to work. A number of neighboring fire departments provided mutual aid.
Fox Lake Recovery Effort
Efforts continue to recover the body of a rural Fox Lake man who went missing after the canoe he was in capsized on Fox Lake Thursday afternoon. A woman he was with was rescued from the water, but he disappeared in the water. The Dodge County Sheriff’s Office did not release an update Sunday, but Saturday evening said efforts had been discontinued at 4:30 that afternoon due to high winds that were making it difficult for dive teams. The identity of the missing man is being withheld at the request of the immediate family.
COVID 19 Report
For a third straight day last Friday state health officials reported more than 1,000 new COVID-19 cases. Friday’s 1,245 new cases was less that what was reported Wednesday and Thursday but continued the pattern of more than 1,000 new cases a day. The positivity rate also increased to 7.2 percent the highest rate in about two months. One death was reported and 15 hospitalizations. The Wisconsin Hospital Association reported 162 COVID-19 patients in hospitals across the state with 33 of them in intensive care units.
Winnebago County reported 34 new COVID-19 cases Friday. Thirteen new cases were recorded in Fond du Lac County and 10 new cases in Dodge County. Green Lake County had 9 new cases, Waupaca County had 1 new case and 3 new cases of the coronavirus were reported in Waushara County.
Road Restrictions Ended
The state’s Department of Transportation today ended Spring Thaw and Class II road restrictions for Zones 3, 4 and 5. Those zones are mostly in the southern half of state extending as far north as Waupaca County which also is in a portion of Zone 2. The restrictions remain in place for Zones 1 and 2 in northern Wisconsin until meltwater drains sufficiently. Class II roads include about 1,400 miles of state highways susceptible to damage from heavy trucks during the spring thaw period as frost leaves the ground. County highways, town roads, city and village streets may also be posted or limited to legal load limits or less. Decisions to place or lift weight restrictions on those roads are up to local units of government.
FDL Area Foundation Executive Director Resigns
After 20 years with the Fond du Lac Area Foundation Joe Braun has announced his resignation. Joe has served as the Executive Director for the past four years, in which he has led the organization through record growth. Braun’s resignation is effective this Saturday, but he will provide direction through the search and transition to a new director. He says it has been an honor to serve the Fond du Lac community for the past 20 years and he is proud of what they have accomplished. He has another career opportunity that will allow him to spend more time with family. Incoming Board of Directors Chair David Hornung will take over as interim Director while the Board conducts a search for the next Executive Director.
Alice In Dairyland Talks About Sustainability
Alice in Dairyland Julia Nunes stopped by the Hometown Broadcasting studios Friday or Earth Day to share information about how farmers practice sustainability. She says farmers don’t want to waste any land or resources and use what’s available to them. She says some will use the spent grains from breweries and distiller’s grains from the making of ethanol to feed their cows. She says otherwise those grains would go into a landfill. Ninety percent of what cattle eat is grass or leftovers that we as humans can’t eat. Nunes also points out that dairy farmers hate wasting water and reuse it to wash their equipment and run through their milk coolers. She says farmers are working with companies to make sure they are efficient as possible while using the resources that the environment provides us.
Walsworth Celebrating Anniversary
Walsworth Printing in Ripon is celebrating the company’s 85th year in business this year. Walsworth purchased Ripon Printers from the Lyke family at the end of 2019. The Lykes had owned it since 1962. Kelly Mundell is the Human Resources Manager for Walsworth. She says the company is family-owned and its six locations are in small towns in the Midwest. She says their anniversary will feature weekly employee spotlights on their website and social media. Walsworth also promotes literacy and reading and is encouraging their employees to give a few hours working with a literacy program or to volunteer to read. In Ripon they help sponsor the Summer Concert Series. They also donated to the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation for upgrades to the football field in Ripon used by the high school and Ripon College. Walsworth also sponsors a scholarship program for the children and grandchildren of employees which awarded 210 scholarships worth over $2.38 million.
Blood Drives
An official with the Community Blood Center says the blood supply hasn’t been this low in decades that’s why they are urging people to donate blood if they can. Tina Ferron says given COVID-19 precautions they will be wearing masks, but if a donor isn’t comfortable they need not do so. She says they would love to have some first time donors at the blood drives that are coming up in the area. Today there are blood drives from 12:30 to 5:30 pm at the Ripon Community Church and from 10 am to 5 pm at the Wautoma WW II Memorial Building. There is a blood drive tomorrow at the Berlin Community Church from 10:30 am to 5:30 pm and another on Sunday at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Princeton from 8 am to 12:30 pm. Walk-ins are welcome; you can call 1-800-280-4102 or visit Community Blood.org to schedule an appointment to donate.
US Presidential Scholar Semifinalists Announced
Seventeen Wisconsin high school seniors have been named 2022 U.S. Presidential Scholar semifinalists by the U.S. Department of Education, one of the nation’s highest honors for high school students. The program established in 1964 recognizes and honors the nation’s most distinguished graduating high school seniors. Each year, up to 161 students are named as Presidential Scholars. From a pool of nearly 3.7 million students from across the country, 5,345 were identified as candidates for the program. Among that number, 620 semifinalists were selected. One of the 17 from Wisconsin is Cameron Pokorny of Waupun who attends the Waupun Senior High School. The seniors selected to be 2022 U.S. Presidential Scholars will be announced next month.
Share |