2/3/23 Hometown Broadcasting News Friday
3 February 2023 News
Oshkosh West High School Stabbing Suspect Decides Not To Testify
The 20-year-old Oshkosh man charged with attempted first degree intentional homicide for allegedly stabbing a school resource officer decided not to testify on his own behalf during the ninth day of his jury trial. Grant Fuhrman is accused of stabbing Oshkosh Police Officer Michael Wissink with a serving fork at Oshkosh West High School in December of 2019. At the time Fuhrman was a student at the school. During yesterday’s proceedings in Winnebago County court Fuhrman’s attorney Corey Mehlos told the court his client decided not to testify. Mehlos said Fuhrman felt good about his defense, confident, and didn’t see the need to add anything with his testimony. Closing arguments will be given today.
Powerboat Hit and Run Suspect Bound Over For Trial
The 52-year-old Oshkosh man suspected of driving a powerboat that crashed into a paddlewheel cruise boat has been bound over for trial. Jason Lindemann was in Winnebago County court for a preliminary hearing Thursday. During the hearing he pled not guilty to the 21 different charges he faces for the hit-and-run accident. The crash between the 38-foot powerboat and the paddlewheel boat on the Fox River occurred last July 9th. There were 44 people on the paddlewheel boat at the time. Last August Winnebago County District Attorney Eric Sparr turned the prosecution over to the state’s Department of Justice. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for March 13th.
Increasing Shared Revenue
State Representative Jon Plumer says he found a few things he could agree with during Governor Tony Evers State of the State Address last month. Evers talked about sending more shared revenue back to counties and municipalities to help them cope with inflation and resulting higher operation costs. Plumer says the key is to find a sustainable way of doing that because there isn’t always going to be a huge budget surplus. He says one thing they are considering is giving municipalities and counties a slice of the sales tax pie. The state lawmaker from Lodi says that would incentivize them to be proactive in their own growth. Plumer represents the 42nd State Assembly District.
Tough Talks To Have
Fond du Lac County Sheriff Ryan Waldschmidt says it’s difficult to find anything good coming out of a traffic crash that claimed the lives of two young men last month and injured a third teen. But he says it does give parents the opportunity to talk about the consequences of poor decision-making to their children who are just learning how to drive or approaching that age. He says parents need to have those tough conversations about speeding, drinking while driving, and underage drinking and the real-life consequences that can occur. Waldschmidt says the Sheriff’s Department has three School Resource Deputies who work in the Campbellsport, Oakfield, and Rosendale Brandon School Districts. He says those deputies can also use such incidents as a life-lesson for students they engage with.
Who What Where When and Why
The Ripon Area Chamber of Commerce this week has been inviting people to get to know them and why becoming a member is a good investment. Through Social Media they have been using the 5 W’s; Who, What, Where, When, and Why. Chamber Executive Director Mandy Kimes says as the chamber grows it also helps the community to thrive through their services. She says they see a lot of growth happening in Ripon. She says you don’t have to be a business or be located in Ripon to become a Chamber member. She says they would be happy to do a presentation to anyone considering membership, whether they are a business, individual, school, church, or club. For more information about the Ripon Area Chamber of Commerce visit their website or their pages on Facebook or Instagram.
Wautoma Solar Energy Project
Work continues on Alliant Energy’s construction of a 99-megawatt solar project in the Waushara County town of Dakota and city of Wautoma that would generate enough electricity to power nearly 26,000 homes. The construction crews are roughly 30 percent finished installing electrical cable. They’ve finished installing piles, the metal columns that anchor solar array structures to the ground. They are also installing the racking systems that will support the solar panels and allow them to rotate in the sun. In late December the first solar panels were installed. Fencing was constructed around the project site that will provide a natural-looking aesthetic. Work has also begun on the utility substation that will connect the solar arrays to the main electric grid. The Wautoma Solar Project will be operational by the end of the year.
FDL County Law Enforcement Executives Association Annual Awards
The Fond du Lac County Law Enforcement Executive Association this week presented awards at their annual luncheon. Lanna Beloungy was presented with the Citizen of the Year Award. She was fishing at Harris Mill Park in Waupun when she spotted a young autistic child in distress in the water. She called 911 and two police officers and a Sheriff’s deputy responded to rescue the small child before he drowned. Waupun Police Officers Trevor Kreitzman, AJ Halverson, Lieutenant Joe Pfalzgraf, and Sheriff’s Deputy Lucas Olson received life-saving awards for saving a young woman’s life when she was having a mental health crisis. Sheriff’s Sergeant Brennan Wagner was presented with the President’s Award for his steadfast and ongoing work on the county’s new Computer Aided Dispatch and Records Management System that went live last year.
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