10/27/22 Hometown Broadcasting News Thursday
27 October 2022 News
Gas Leak Reported In Waupun
A gas leak in Waupun Wednesday afternoon led to the evacuation of a business attached to Waupun Memorial Hospital and six nearby homes. Waupun Fire Chief B.J. DeMaa tells us a one-inch gas main was struck by a piece of construction equipment at 10 Beaver Dam Street. Fire crews helped relocate occupants within the Waupun Dialysis Center to the emergency department at the hospital. With unsafe gas levels detected six homes on the street that were downwind of the leak were also evacuated. Alliant Energy arrived on the scene and the leak was under control within 40 minutes. Fire crews worked with hospital staff to ensure the safety of staff and patients who were in the hospital during the incident. Operations at the hospital returned to normal after approximately one hour. Crews spent an additional 30 minutes ventilating gas from the Dialysis Center. No injuries were reported. Waupun Police, Waupun Utilities, and Alliant Energy assisted at the scene.
Milwaukee Man Bound Over For Trial on Dodge County Child Neglect Charges
A 35-year-old Milwaukee man facing child neglect charges in Dodge County has been bound over for trial. A preliminary hearing was held Wednesday during which probable cause was found to bind Frank Pleester over for trial on three child neglect charges and one count of obstructing an officer. Frank Pleester allegedly knew about the mother’s neglect of the child and her drug use. In July of last year 35-year-old Jamie Hildebrandt of Lomira was sentenced to 10 years in prison on a charge stemming from her three-year-old son’s death in March of 2020. Pleester will be back in court to be arraigned on January 4th.
Charity Fund Set Up For Beaver Dam Hit and Run Victim
Beaver Dam Police Charities has set up a fund at the American Bank for a young girl who was stabbed and intentionally run over by a vehicle near Walmart in Beaver Dam. Police Charities will be matching the first $1,000 raised. Donations can be made by visiting any American Bank location or clicking on a link or scanning a QR code in a post on the Beaver Dam Police Department Facebook page. Donations will be accepted through the end of November. Seventeen-year-old Dylan Lenz of Fall River has been charged with attempted first-degree intentional homicide for the October 15th incident. He has a preliminary hearing on November 17th in Dodge County court. The victim was taken to the UW Children’s Hospital in Madison with life-threatening injuries.
Ripon Common Council Hires Firm For Public Works Director Search
The Ripon Common Council this week approved the hiring of Public Administration Associates to find its next Public Works Director. Current Director Mike Ehrenberg will be retiring on December 9th. Public Works Associates was one of two firms that submitted proposals to the City, the other being GovHR which is based in Illinois. The GovHR proposal was cheaper at $6,000 but City Administrator Adam Sonntag told the Council their effort could be considered a “light recruitment.” Public Administration Associates, based in Wisconsin, submitted two options for $9,900 and $12,900 in costs. The more expensive option carries a one-year guarantee that the successful applicant works out. Both firms have done recruitments for the City. Alderperson Howard Hansen said PPA headed up the search for the City Administrator that ended up in Sonntag’s hiring. Council members also liked the one-year guarantee and went with the $12,900 option.
Air Patrol In Winnebago County Today
Interstate 41 in Winnebago County has been targeted for aerial patrol enforcement by the State Patrol today. State Patrol pilots will team up with law enforcement on the ground looking for drivers who are speeding or driving aggressively. The Air Patrol Unit is one way to enhance public safety efforts. The Air Patrol will also be used on State Highway 93 in Trempealeau County today.
Drug Take Back Day
The Wisconsin Department of Justice reminds state residents that a number of law enforcement agencies will be participating in the National Drug Take Back Day this Saturday. One-hundred and forty (140) events are planned across the state where residents are encouraged to dispose of unwanted and unused medications. Drug Take Back Day provides a safe, convenient and responsible means of disposal, while also educating the community about potential abuse and consequences of improper storage and disposal of the medications. The state’s Department of Health Services has more information about Drug Take Back Day and a map of participating collection sites on its website. A number of law enforcement agencies and health care providers across the state provide drug drop box locations throughout the year as well.
Dose of Reality: Drug Take Back Day | Wisconsin Department of Health Services
Radon Test Kit Offer
The Fond du Lac County Health Department will be offering a free short-term radon test kit per household in exchange for a non-perishable, non-expired food item in the month of November. Food donations will be distributed between the Fondy Food Pantry and Waupun Food Pantry. The Health Department encourages residents to take advantage of this opportunity to test your home for radon and support local food pantries. Radon is an odorless, naturally occurring gas that is the nation’s second leading cause of lung cancer, accounting for roughly 21,000 deaths each year. The free short-term radon test kit offer is available Monday through Friday 8 am to 4 pm at the Health Department on the third floor of the City-County Government Center in Fond du Lac. Short term Radon kits are available all year-round for $10.
Record Number Of Illegal Immigrants Cross Our Southwestern Border
Congressman Glenn Grothman says the illegal immigrants crossing our southwestern border are impacting Wisconsin. Last Friday the Department of Homeland Security revealed more than 227,500 illegal immigrants were encountered by Border Patrol on the border in September. Nearly 2.4 million illegal crossings were recorded in the fiscal year that ended in June, marking an all-time high. Grothman says here in Wisconsin the illegal immigration problem is impacting our schools and our free health clinics. The federal lawmaker from Glenbeulah says those border crossings have also added to our illegal drug problems and in particular fentanyl which is causing more overdoses and deaths. He says during the first nine months of the year 38 people in Winnebago County died of drug overdoses.
Bug Tussel Wireless Investing In Fiber Optic Internet Accessibility
Lack of Broadband access in rural areas was one of the topics at an “Internet for All” conference in Wausau this week. It was sponsored in part by the state’s Public Service Commission. Kristin Lambrecht of Bug Tussel Wireless says providing Internet service in rural areas is something the company has specialized in since its start in 2003. She says they are currently working on providing fiber optic Internet connectivity in addition to their wireless options in seven counties. She says Iowa County, where the company got its start, has gone live with the fiber optic Internet option. She says by the second quarter of 2023 Fond du Lac, Marathon, and Waushara counties will also go live with that option. She says fiber optic can provide faster speeds and more reliable service than the wireless option.
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