4/27/22 Hometown Broadcasting News Wednesday
27 April 2022 News
Drug Dealer Sentenced In Dodge County
Dodge County prosecutors say a “high level” distributor of methamphetamine was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in prison and 10 years of extended supervision. Dodge County Judge Joseph Sciascia (SHA-SHA) pronounced the sentence for 40-year-old Tracy Christenson. She was one of two subjects the Lake Winnebago Area MEG Unit was investigating in September of 2020. Christenson was a passenger in a vehicle that stopped for gas in Lomira after a drug run to Milwaukee. Police located half a pound of methamphetamine or $7,000 worth of drugs the pair had just purchased in Milwaukee in the vehicle. The pair subsequently admitted to moving around 50 pounds of meth in the Appleton area in a matter of months. Christenson was later arrested in Outagamie County with another quarter pound of meth after prosecution began on the Dodge County case.
Eerie Reminder Of Eichstedt Case
Ripon Police Chief Bill Wallner says in his 30 years in law enforcement calls about children that are missing, injured or worse unnerve him the most. The murder of 10-year-old Lily Peters in Chippewa Falls strikes close to home for Wallner and Fond du Lac County. Like Peters, 10-year-old Ronnie Eichstedt of Ripon was riding her bicycle when she disappeared in August of 1992. Her body was found later about 100 miles away near Tower Hill State Park in Spring Green. Two years later 12-year-old Cora Jones of Waupaca was on her bicycle when she went missing. Both were murdered by David Spanbauer who also shot and killed a 21-year-old Appleton woman. Chief Wallner says things are a lot different now than they were when Ronnie Eichstedt was taken but parents still need to keep track of their kids and that includes who they may be talking to online. He recommends being involved with your kids and talking with them so you keep connected. Spanbauer died in prison in 2002.
COVID 19 Report
For a fifth straight day the number of new COVID-19 cases in Wisconsin topped 1,000. Tuesday Department of Health Services officials reported 1,183 new cases as the 7-day rolling average for new cases increased to 1,168 cases per day. The positivity rate is at 8.4 percent the highest percentage rate in two and a half months. Six deaths and 27 hospitalizations were also reported. The Wisconsin Hospital Association reported 202 COVID-19 patients in hospitals across the state with 38 in intensive care units.
Winnebago County reported 48 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday. Ten new cases were recorded in Fond du Lac County and Dodge and Waushara counties each had 3 new cases. Green Lake County had 7 new cases and Waupaca County reported 6 new cases of the coronavirus.
Ripon Streetscaping And Wayfinding Project Approved
The Ripon Common Council this week approved a proposal for the downtown streetscaping and wayfinding project. The City had received $51,333 from Fond du Lac County from sales taxes monies and in January committed the money to the project, but the Council wanted the project to be formalized and the proposal brought back for consideration. City Administrator Adam Sonntag says the total cost of the project is estimated to be $88,805.04 which will be paid for through the sales tax money, $20,000 from the City’s community project fund, and the remaining amount of more than $17,400 coming from Ripon Main Street and the Chamber of Commerce. Ripon Main Street Executive Director Craig Tebon says many of benches and trash containers downtown were purchased back in 1990 and need to be replaced. He says due to supply shortages it will be four to six months before they receive new benches, signage, custom bike racks and other things needed for the project. Sonntag says that will give the public works department time to work on other projects they have scheduled for the summer.
Porch Fire Reported In FDL
Fond du Lac firefighters responded to a porch fire at 201 East 1st Street Monday afternoon just before 3 pm. Fire crews encountered a smoldering fire in an open porch. The fire was extinguished. It caused some minor damage. Fire investigators determined the fire originated from improper discarding of smoking materials on the wooden porch. No injuries were reported and no one was displaced. Fire Department officials say the incident serves as an important reminder to properly dispose of discarded smoking materials in an appropriate fire-proof receptacle.
Job Shift
Envision Greater Fond du Lac President and CEO Sadie Vander Velder says businesses aren’t the only ones that pivoted during the pandemic. She says people got used to working remotely at home and didn’t return to the traditional job setting when it was safe to return to work. She notes some opted to become their own boss starting up their own business. “There has been record numbers of LLCs registered in the State of Wisconsin since the pandemic began.” She says on the other hand they’ve heard about people taking multiple part-time jobs to accommodate their life style. Even before the health crisis there was a labor shortage across Fond du Lac County.
Child Protection Board
They may only meet quarterly but the Wisconsin Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board has a role in prevention of child abuse and preserving families. State Senator Joan Ballweg of Markesan is a member of the board. She says they are about strengthening families but also protecting children in bad situations. Money from birth certificates and a specialty decal for license plates provide them with funds for grants to programs that help them with those goals. She says sometimes it is about providing people with the right tools and that is something the board can’t do on its own. She says the last thing they want to do is take a child out of a home, but sometimes it has to be done to provide the child with protection while the family is getting counseling, housing and food security. Only about 13 percent of all calls about child abuse or neglect result in a child being removed from a home.
Grant Helps Retrain Substance Abusers
The Fox Valley Workforce Development Board has received a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to provide workforce training, support and other benefits to individuals and their families impacted by substance misuse. The grant totals $1.1 million. The Support to Communities Grant is available to anyone residing in the counties of Calumet, Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Waupaca, Waushara and Winnebago. Following a brief enrollment and evaluation by a trained career planner, individuals impacted by substance misuse are eligible to have their treatment costs covered, if needed. The grant can cover tuition and books for training or retraining, mileage to and from the classroom as well as childcare costs for those with small children and other expenses. To learn more complete the information form at Fox Valley Jobcenters.com or call 920-594-3655.
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