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  • 2/8/23 Hometown Broadcasting News Wednesday

2/8/23 Hometown Broadcasting News Wednesday

8 February 2023 News


Berlin Man Killed In Snowmobile Accident Identified

An obituary was recently published for a 53-year-old Berlin man who was killed in a snowmobile accident in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula on January 29th. According to the post in the Waushara Argus, William Shane Stimpfl loved snowmobiling with his friends. The accident occurred in Gogebic County’s Town of Wakefield early one Sunday morning. Stimpfl was traveling with a group of snowmobilers on a trail near Ramsey when the crash occurred. He died at the scene. A 54-year-old man operating a second snowmobile was taken to a hospital in Ironwood and was later flown to a hospital in Wausau where he was treated for a broken leg. Stimpfl’s life will be celebrated in a pair of events this weekend. The first is Friday night from 5 to 9 pm at Junction Pub in Milton, and the second is Saturday night from 5 to 9 pm at Bucky’s Bar in Berlin.

Name Released In Fatal Waushara County Crash

Waushara County Sheriff Wally Zuehlke has released the name of the driver killed in a two vehicle crash on State Highway 21 in the Town of Marion Sunday afternoon. It happened on Highway 21 at 22nd Avenue. Eighty-year-old Daniel Sterman of Redgranite died at the scene.  The driver and a passenger of the other vehicle were taken by ambulance to ThedaCare Regional Medical Center in Neenah. Investigators say it appears failure to stop at a stop sign and alcohol were contributing factors in the crash. It was Waushara County’s first fatal traffic accident of the year.

Milwaukee Police Officer Killed In Shootout With Robbery Suspect

Milwaukee Police Officer Peter Jerving

Milwaukee’s Police Chief has identified the police officer who was shot and killed chasing down a robbery suspect yesterday morning. Thirty-seven-year-old Peter Jerving was with the Milwaukee Police Department for four years. The robbery suspect, 19-year-old Terrell Thompson, was fatally shot during an exchange of gunfire and died at the scene. Officer Jerving was taken to a hospital where he died. Police Chief Jeffrey Norman says the suspect ignored officers’ commands and fled on foot when they arrived at the robbery scene. An officer caught up with him and a struggle ensued. Both men fired their weapons. Chief Norman says it was not immediately clear if the suspect died from the shot fired by the officer or a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Motion Made To Release Halloween Killer From Secure Treatment Facility

Gerald Turner

A motion filed in Fond du Lac County Tuesday argues the state has no evidence to keep the so-called Halloween Killer in a secure mental health facility since his prison term has been completed. Seventy-three-year-old Gerald Turner is being kept at the Sand Ridge Secure Treatment Center in Mauston. He was convicted of the Halloween 1973 rape and murder of 9-year-old Lisa Ann French in Fond du Lac. She was trick-or-treating that night in Turner’s neighborhood. Turner had been released from prison, but was sent back on a parole violation. The state’s Justice Department filed a petition in January of 2018 to have him declared a sexually violent person and have him committed to a state facility for the rest of his life. Turner’s attorney argues in the motion that three different experts have evaluated Turner and no expert in the field of sexual offender risk assessment has been able to offer an opinion that Turner meets the criteria for a violent sexual offender. The state has a few weeks to file its reply. A hearing is scheduled on March 3rd in Fond du Lac County court.

Wasteful Spending

The House Oversight Committee which Congressman Glenn Grothman sits on recently held a hearing focusing on federal COVID-19 spending and particularly the waste, fraud, and abuse of those funds. Grothman says too much money was thrown at the problem which was a waste of spending. American Rescue Plan Act funds were distributed to states, counties, and municipalities. A lot of those funds remain unspent as those who received them decide the best way to spend them. The federal lawmaker from Glenbeulah says with the COVID crisis basically being over too much money was sent out if it hasn’t already been spent. He also feels that some of that money made its way to foreign countries despite the fact it was meant to be spent domestically. 

Congressman Grothman Town Hall Meetings Scheduled

Congressman Glenn Grothman will be hold four town hall meetings this month on Thursday and Friday, February 23rd and 24th. On the 23rd he will be at the Wautoma World War II Memorial Building from 11 am to Noon and the Winneconne Town Office from 2:30 to 3:30 pm. On the 24th Congressman Grothman will be at the New Holstein Community Center from 10:15 to 11:15 am and at the Plymouth City Hall from 1:30 to 2:30 pm. Congressman Grothman represents the 6th Congressional District in the State of Wisconsin.

Sturgeon Spearing Season

Wisconsin DNR photo from Muche family.

Wisconsin’s Department of Natural Resources has released the harvest caps for the Sturgeon Spearing season that starts this Saturday. The caps for the Upriver Lakes are 70 juvenile females, 79 adult females, and 246 males. The caps for Lake Winnebago are 280 juvenile females, 714 adult females, and 985 males. The length of the season is also dictated by water clarity. The clearer the water the faster spearers will reach a harvest cap or a 90 percent trigger which closes the season the following day. There is an average of 13 feet of water clarity around Lake Winnebago with generally clearer water on the eastern shores as well as farther from shores along the west side of the lake. The maximum length of the sturgeon spearing season is 16 days, which would end the season on February 26th.

Josie Bielmeier Benefit

A Benefit will be held for the Bielmeier Family on Saturday, February 18th from 2 to 6 pm at the Redgranite Lions Club Hall. One-year-old Josie Bielmeier was born with a rare defect; abnormal billinary trees, pancreatic divisum, and duplicate bile ducts. It causes considerable pain and bloating in her stomach. Mary Kunash is the Publisher of The Argus in Wautoma and one of the organizers for the benefit. She says very few people in the world have this defect. For Josie it has meant 6 surgeries and 27 hours on the operating table. She spent three months in Children’s Hospital and got home just before Christmas. The benefit will include a silent auction, raffles, food, beverages, and activities for kids. Kunash says they want to help Trey and Jessica, Josie’s parents, and Josie’s brother and sister. She says it’s an opportunity for people to give back for the blessings they have in their lives. Donated items for the benefit will be accepted at The Argus office in Wautoma through February 15th.

Agriculture Showcase

The Envision Greater Fond du Lac Agri-business Council will host the 19th Annual Fond du Lac Area Agriculture Showcase on Saturday, March 4th. It will be from 9 am to 2 pm at the Fond du Lac County Fairgrounds Expo Building. The cost is $5 for adults with those 10 and under getting in free. Amy Ries is the Director of Agricultural Programs for Envision. She says that $5 will allow you to sample beer, wine, cheese and sausage, and enjoy the many educational activities that day. She says their educational area will have a petting zoo, face painting, coloring for the kids and they can even paint a pot and plant a seed. Ries says “Plant a Seed” is the theme for this year’s showcase. There will also be freezer meal cooking classes. For the $15 registration fee participants can pick from three meals to prepare. They will learn how to prepare the meal and be given the ingredients to do so. They will be able to take the meal home with them, enough to feed a family of four to six. If you would like to register for a freezer meal cooking class visit the Envision website and click on the “Events” tab.


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