7/27/23 Hometown Broadcasting News Thursday
27 July 2023 News
FDL MAN FOUND GUILTY OF BEING PARTY TO MURDER
A Fond du Lac County jury has found one of the two Fond du Lac men suspected of robbing and killing Benzel Rose of Fond du Lac guilty of first-degree intentional homicide and armed robbery, both as a party to a crime. The verdict Wednesday capped a 7-day trial for 23-year-old Julius Freeman, Jr. He will be sentenced on October 11th. Late the night of October 17th, 2021, Fond du Lac Police responded to a 9-1-1 call for assistance at a residence in the 300 block of 8th Street. Officers found the 26-year-old Rose dead from a gunshot wound to the head. A gun and some money were stolen from Rose. Twenty-nine-year-old Eric Perry and Freeman were picked up on probation warrants in the fall of 2021 and have been incarcerated since. Perry’s case is still making its way through the court system. Perry is allegedly the person who shot Rose. District Attorney Eric Toney says, “We want those involved in a shooting or homicide to know that they will be aggressively prosecuted and held accountable.”
FDL HOUSE FIRE
Fond du Lac Fire and Rescue responded to a fire at 605 County Road K Tuesday night. The home owner saw and smelled smoke on the first floor and coming from the basement. Firefighters encountered heavy smoke in the basement and light to moderate smoke on the first and second floors. The blaze was quickly put out. There was extensive damage to the basement. Family members were alerted by the odor of smoke and smoke detectors going off in the basement. The Red Cross is helping out the family that was displaced by the fire. No one was injured. The cause of the fire is being determined.
MISSING RIPON BOY FOUND SAFE
Late Wednesday morning the Ripon Police Department posted information on its Facebook page about a missing 13-year-old boy from Ripon. Tryson Treptow had last been seen on Tuesday evening. Police posted a picture and gave a description of what he was wearing and said he was riding a black and white BMX style bicycle. About four hours later they updated that post saying he had been found safe. Ripon Police thanked the community for their assistance.
HIGHWAY MAINTENANCE IN WINNEBAGO COUNTY TODAY
The state’s Department of Transportation tells us about some highway maintenance that will be occurring in Winnebago County today. The work will be performed on the westbound U.S. Highway 10 to southbound U.S. Highway 45 ramp and on the southbound U.S. Highway 45 ramp to westbound U.S. Highway 10 today from 7 am to 4 pm. Various lanes will be closed during repairs.
RIPON COMMON COUNCIL DISCUSSES COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
The Ripon Common Council this week discussed creating a Community Development Authority. City Administrator Adam Sonntag gave the Council a presentation on what would be needed to create a CDA and talked about the benefits of having one. He told them the city had a CDA 10 years ago but it did not have full statutory powers that CDA’s usually enjoy. The first step would be to approve an ordinance to create a Community Development Authority with 7 members, two of them coming from the Common Council. The CDA would have power to do things about blight, housing development, and economic development. It would also have access to funding the city doesn’t. Sonntag says the county has a revolving loan program for development, and Main Street for façade improvement, and Envision Greater Fond du Lac does some work on the city’s behalf. However the city doesn’t have an entity that can take a lead in economic development, which the CDA could. He also said to start the CDA would have access to more than $150,000 in funds including housing funding the city isn’t currently using. Sonntag says most cities in the state have CDAs to promote economic development.
59 AND COUNTING
The Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office is celebrating its 175th Anniversary this year and it has some interesting history. Sheriff Ryan Waldschmidt says he learned he is the 59th person to serve as a Sheriff for the county. When the department began it had a handful of employees compared to the 150 or so serving it corrections, patrol and specialized teams. Waldschmidt says in those days the Sheriff’s term of office was only two years and the person serving as Sheriff wasn’t usually an employee of the department when they began. In fact those Sheriffs usually came out of another job or field altogether and returned to it when their two-year term was over. Nowadays the Sheriff’s term is four years and the job usually requires background and training in corrections and law enforcement.
DODGE COUNTY SHERIFFS CITIZENS ACADEMY
The Dodge County Sheriff’s Office is accepting applications now for the Citizen’s Academy it will hold this fall. The program is meant to give community members the opportunity to learn about the daily operations of the sheriff’s office and to interact with sheriff’s office employees. Topics will include the detention facility, OWI enforcement, recreation patrol, crash investigations, firearms/active shooters, communications and more. Classes will be held from 6 to 9 pm Wednesdays September 13th through December 20th. Applications are available at the Sheriff’s website under the community programs tab and should be returned not later than August 25th.
COOL NIGHTS ARE IMPORTANT
As difficult as it may sound during times of extreme heat it is important for our bodies to cool down at night. Fond du Lac County Public Health Officer Kim Mueller says that becomes even more difficult when you have a string of hot days during which it doesn’t cool off at night. She says if you can’t find cool comfort at night you run the risk of suffering heat exhaustion. She says it would begin with cramps or muscle spasms and move on to heat exhaustion which could require medical attention. Mueller says the next phase would be heat stroke which can be deadly. She says at that point your body temperature would be over 104 degrees, you would have a fast strong pulse, headaches, dizziness, nausea, confusion, and you could pass out. She says when that happens 911 would have to be called. She encourages taking steps to cool down at night.
FROM SELLING TVS TO SELLING THE AIR FORCE
For some attending EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh this week it may be an opportunity for a career change. The U.S. Air Force has some recruiters at its Warfare Tent including Technical Sergeant Vanzel. He says there are four different career fields in special warfare and two in combat support, but overall there are 140 different career fields in the Air Force. He says the amount of time it takes from signing on and training until you wear the special beret depends on the field you choose. It could be from two to two and a half years. He says it is a great opportunity and one he took 12 years ago when he wanted to make a career change from selling TV sets. He says it helped him pay for college and the training counted as college credit. He notes those who would like to know more can visit their tent at EAA or the Air Force.com website.
WAUSHARA COUNTY TRANSPORTATION SURVEY
The Waushara County Aging Department is asking senior citizens to help them develop a 5-year coordinated transportation plan. Here’s how anyone 60 or older can help. Take a ride on one of the county’s coordinated transportation vans or buses. Locations on August 2nd are at the Plainfield Community Center at 11 am or at the Coloma Community Center at 12:30 pm. On August 8th there is an opportunity at the Hancock Community Center at 1 pm or on August 17th at the Wild Rose Community Center at 12:30 pm. Those who take the vehicle tour and fill out a transportation survey will be registered to win transportation to a county meal site and lunch for two. The drawing takes place on August 18th and there will be ten winners who will be notified by August 22nd.
FDL COMMUNITY THEATRE PRESENTS NEWSIES JR
Fond du Lac Community Theatre will be hosting the family-friendly production of Disney’s “Newsie Jr” this weekend. The 60-minute musical is based on the 1992 motion picture and 2012 Broadway musical. Inspired by true events, Newsies Jr. tells the story of the newsboys who rallied across New York City to strike against unfair working conditions. Together, the newsies learn that they are stronger united and create a movement to fight for what’s right. The musical will be at the Goodrich Little Theatre in Fond du Lac. It is appropriate for ages 5 and up. Show times are tonight through Saturday night at 7 pm with a 2pm matinee on Sunday. Tickets are available online or in person at the Thelma Sadoff Center for the Arts in Fond du Lac. You can also purchase tickets at the box office one hour before each show for an additional $3.
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