8/10/23 Hometown Broadcasting News Thursday
10 August 2023 News
SUSPECTED RED FENTANYL DEALER CHARGED
Bond has been set at $150,000 cash for a 58-year-old Fond du Lac man suspected of dealing crack cocaine and red fentanyl. John Morgano was arrested last Friday by a Sheriff’s deputy during a traffic stop in Fond du Lac when crack cocaine and red fentanyl was found in his vehicle. A subsequent search of his home turned up 27 grams of crack and 12 grams of red fentanyl. Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s officials say the fentanyl quantity was enough to provide 6,000 lethal doses. Dealers dye fentanyl red to make it more attractive to buyers. Morgano made his initial court appearance on Tuesday. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for August 18th.
ST CLOUD MAN FACING CHARGES FOR HIGH SPEED CHASE
Multiple charges are being brought against a 59-year-old St. Cloud man involved in a 10-mile high speed chase with Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s deputies last night. Just before 7 pm the County Communications Center got a 911 call from a man in St. Cloud who said his father was drunk, had struck him, and was leaving the residence in a gold minivan. While the minivan was leaving the driveway it almost struck a deputy’s squad car, the deputy was patrolling the area. The pursuit concluded when the St. Cloud man tried to enter a farm driveway on County Highway A to avoid spike strips a second deputy had put down. The minivan lost control striking a road sign and became disabled in a ditch. The driver has four open cases in Fond du Lac County and is on probation. Three of those cases require absolute sobriety. He is being charged with his third OWI, felony fleeing, four misdemeanor bail-jumping charges, and received a number of traffic citations. There was damage to the minivan and road sign. There was no other damage or injuries. The Sheboygan County Sheriff’s Office assisted with the pursuit.
WINNECONNE POLICE WARN PARENTS ABOUT PILLS THAT LOOK LIKE CANDY
Winneconne Police are warning parents about deadly pills that look like candy after a traffic stop that netted suspected ecstasy which actually contained methamphetamine and fentanyl. The stop was part of a drug interdiction effort and the subject who had the pills wasn’t from the area and was on parole for a violent felony conviction. In addition to the pills, police seized a digital scale, several pre-packaged baggies of marijuana, cash, a cell phone, and other contraband items. Winneconne Police warn parents pills like those seized in the traffic stop can look like candy. They come in many shapes and colors, with a variety of different markings from Pokémon to Mickey Mouse, even social media emblems. The pills seized in the traffic stop were imprinted with what looks like a Facebook logo. Charges against the suspect in the traffic stop are being referred to the Winnebago County District Attorney’s Office. The suspect was taken to the county jail.
STATE REACHES SETTLEMENT WITH DIDION
State Attorney General Josh Kaul Wednesday announced a $940,000 settlement with Didion Milling and Didion Ethanol to settle a lawsuit alleging 31 environmental violations at a plant in Columbia County where there was a deadly explosion in May of 2017. Five Didion employees were killed in a grain dust explosion at the corn mill in Cambria. The settlement was sent to the Joint Finance Committee for approval. A federal grand jury last year charged the company with fraud and conspiracy in connection with the explosion. They allege the company failed to keep up with cleanings at the plant and falsified records to make it appear as if the cleanings were completed. Company officials insist the explosion was an accident. The case goes to trial in October.
RIPON COMMON COUNCIL APPROVES POLICE BARGAINING AGREEMENT
The Ripon Common Council this week approved a contract with the Ripon Professional Police Association that runs through the end of next year. City Administrator Adam Sonntag said it will help with recruitment and retention efforts paying their officers more. Sonntag says with the increase in shared revenue you will see more cities significantly increasing pay for their police officers. He added that when it comes to new officers and retaining the officers they have they are competing with other departments in Fond du Lac County and the Fox Valley. Sonntag says approval of the agreement will impact this year’s budget by about $6,000 to $7,000 and now they have an idea of what they will need for the 2024 city budget. The collective bargaining agreement becomes effective with the city’s next payroll period.
STATE HIGHWAY 44 PROJECT IN FDL COUNTY
Governor Evers recently signed a $1.5 million contract to resurface four miles of State Highway 44 in Fond du Lac County from the west county line to State Highway 49 in the village of Fairwater. The project begins next Monday and is expected to finish at the beginning of October. State Highway 44 will be open to traffic during the resurfacing but there will a 15-day detour during the replacing of a culvert. Work will include milling and paving 2 inches of asphalt pavement, replacing three cross-drain culverts, extending one culvert, and improving the curb ramps to bring them into compliance with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Northeast Asphalt of Greenville is the prime contractor for the project.
CONGRESSMAN GROTHMAN TOWN HALL MEETINGS
Congressman Glenn Grothman will be holding four town hall meeting in the area on August 22nd and 23rd. On Tuesday, August 22nd he will be at the Markesan City Hall from 3:30 to 4:30 pm and at the Montello City Park Pavilion from 6 to 7 pm. On the following day Wednesday, August 23rd he will be at the Utica Town Hall in Oshkosh from 11 am to 12 pm and the Campbellsport Municipal Center from 2 to 3 pm.
WAUPUN FIRE CALLS FOR SERVICE INCREASING ANNUALLY
Waupun Fire and Rescue Chief B.J. DeMaa says each year there is an increase in the number of service calls they receive. He says because they provide fire, rescue and emergency medical services they get calls for everything but law enforcement calls. DeMaa says in 2012 his department responded to 65 calls for service. By 2018 their number of service calls had increased to 150 and that did not include the 700 calls they get each year for EMS. The City of Waupun is in the midst of a study to examine staffing models for fire and emergency response service in the community. Information on the study and a public survey can found be found on the city’s website.
VEL PHILLIPS SCHOOL DEDICATION
The Oshkosh community is invited to celebrate and experience Oshkosh’s brand-new public middle school. A public dedication and community open house for Vel Phillips Middle School will take place on Sunday, September 17th from 4 to 6 pm. The celebration will feature a dedication ceremony starting at 4 pm in the atrium at Vel Phillips Middle School at 1401 Kentucy Street in Oshkosh. Following the ceremony, the school will be open for self-guided tours. Open house events for Vel Phillips students, parents and guardians will take place later this month. The new school will open for the start of the 2023-2024 school year.
SUBSTANCE USE RECOVERY STIGMA AWARENESS EVENT
The Fond du Lac County Health Department and several other recovery agencies are partnering to host a Stigma Awareness event in Fond du Lac on Thursday, August 24th. It’s from 3 to 7 pm that day at the Lakeside Park Pavilion. The event’s goal is make people more aware of the stigma and barriers people in substance use recovery face. Sarah Grandinjan is the Community Health and Prevention Supervisor for the County Health Department. She says things kick off at 3 pm with over a dozen organizations promoting their resources at information tables. At 3:45 there will be Narcan administration training. At 4:30 there will be a workshop on stigma and cycles of stigma. At 5:30 a featured panel of speakers will share their stories about substance use, loss and recovery, and address the stigma that exists with addiction. Since 2020, Fond du Lac County has lost 82 people to overdose deaths.
SEPTEMBERFEST
It’s not that they are pushing for the start of the fall season, but officials with the Ripon Area Chamber of Commerce are excited about Septemberfest which will be held on Friday and Saturday, September 15th and 16th. Chamber Executive Director Mandy Kimes says they will have a retro theme and even a Retro Ripon Prom at the American Legion Post. Tickets for the prom are already available on Eventbrite. She says they will also have the 24th Annual Classic Car Show, a petting zoo, live music, an outdoor movie and more. Kimes says they feel that an outdoor movie will add to the theme. She wouldn’t give the name away, but says it’s a musical and people will be able to sing along to familiar lyrics from the film. More details about Septemberfest are available on Facebook.
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