9/29/23 Hometown Broadcasting News Friday
29 September 2023 News
DODGE COUNTY FATAL TRAFFIC ACCIDENT UPDATE
The Dodge County Sheriff’s office has released the name of the 39-year-old Juneau woman who was killed in a single vehicle crash last Friday afternoon. Crystal Rische was heading north on State Highway 26 south of Red Cedar Road in the Town of Burnett when she failed to negotiate a curve. The car entered the gravel shoulder, and she lost control of the vehicle striking a tree. The County Medical Examiner’s Office pronounced her dead at the scene. She was the sole occupant of the car. Rische was the fifth person to die in a traffic accident in Dodge County this year. Eleven people were killed in traffic crashes in the county in 2022.
GARAGE FIRE IN HORICON
At least eight fire departments battled a garage fire at 304 Barstow Street in Horicon Thursday evening. No one was in the building at the time of the fire and no injuries were reported. Firefighters prevented the blaze from spreading to neighboring properties. There was significant damage to the building. Horicon Police and fire investigators are trying to determine the origin and circumstances surrounding the fire. The building was home to the Jack E. Hoffman Garage at one time, a car repair service. The time of the fire call was 5:01 pm.
DIDION MILLING FINED FOR FATAL CAMBRIA PLANT EXPLOSION
Didion Milling Incorporated has reached a plea agreement with federal prosecutors for falsifying records in the years leading up to a fatal corn dust explosion. The company has agreed to plead guilty to charges and pay a $1 million fine and $10.25 million to the estate of five workers killed in the May 2017 explosion at the company’s Cambria mill. The company also agreed to five years of “organizational probation” and will have to let federal inspectors visit the mill without advance notice up to twice a year. Last month Didion agreed to pay the Wisconsin Department of Justice $940,000 to settle a lawsuit alleging multiple regulatory violations at the Cambria plant. Three Didion officials will stand trial next Monday in federal court in Madison on charges that include conspiracy, fraud and falsifying records.
NFDL SHOOTING SUSPECT BOUND OVER FOR TRIAL
A 15-year-old North Fond du Lac boy suspected of being party to a shooting incident on Labor Day has been bound over for trail. Noah Metcalf was in Fond du Lac County court for a preliminary hearing Thursday. His co-defendant, 20-year-old Jaysen Fix of Fond du Lac, will have his preliminary hearing on December 7th. According to the criminal complaint Metcalf had a recent break up with someone living in the 700 block of Michigan Avenue and led Fix to believe that the people living in that home were going to call child protective services on him about his infant child. Fix determined “to go deal with them.” Metcalf gave him directions to the home. Fix allegedly fired five rounds into the home. Two people were sitting on a couch in a living room and another person was upstairs. No one was wounded by the gunfire, but debris from the bullets striking the home cut one person’s hand. Fix and Metcalf are facing attempted first-degree intentional homicide, first degree recklessly endangering safety, and endangering safety/reckless use of a firearm charges. Fix is facing additional charges.
OPENING OF STATE HWY 21 IN WAUSHARA COUNTY DELAYED
State Department of Transportation officials say State Highway 21 in Waushara County between Wautoma and Coloma will remain closed until next week. The road is now scheduled to be open to traffic beginning the morning of Wednesday, October 4th. Wet weather over the past week has delayed the project. The detour will remain in place as crews will work to get the road open to through traffic by next Wednesday. Some of the benefits of the project include new culverts at Little Pine Creek and Lunch Creek, both of which are Class 1 Trout streams, which will allow trout populations improved movement up the water way. In addition, crews removed a hill on State Highway 21 and widened the paved shoulder at the County Highway B intersection. The local Amish population frequently uses the road for their horse and buggies and the wider shoulder will help provide a safer environment. The at-grade intersection will also provide a better line of sight for motorists to help improve safety.
SENATOR JOHNSON ON FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN
U.S. Senator Ron Johnson feels it’s more likely federal legislators will pass a continuing resolution to avoid a Government shutdown than approve a federal budget before the end of the week. The federal fiscal year will end Saturday and a new year begins on Sunday, October 1st. The federal lawmaker from Oshkosh says in 2019 he came up with legislation similar to Wisconsin’s that would continue to fund government at the past year’s levels until a new budget is approved. He says he hasn’t been able to get that past leadership. Following his last reelection he wrote an Op/Ed piece for the Wall Street Journal which again proposed several pieces of legislation to end looming federal budget crises. Johnson feels leadership has a well-honed process of taking the federal budget process up to the brink before introducing an omnibus spending bill just before the deadline and getting it passed.
ANOTHER SHOT AT TAX RELIEF
Republican state legislators are taking another shot at providing tax relief for those who were denied relief when Governor Tony Evers vetoed a provision in the state budget for $3.5 billion in tax relief. State Senator Joan Ballweg who is a member of the legislature’s Joint Finance Committee says the Governor did approve relief for the two lowest tax brackets, their original proposal would have provided relief for all brackets. New bills approved by the State Assembly and this week by the JFC would provide relief for some of the middle-class and would increase the exemption for retirement income for joint filers to $150,000 a year. Ballweg says they want to reverse the snowbird habit of living part of the year in Wisconsin but maintaining their permanent residency in a state that is more tax favorable. Ballweg says the bills still need to be approved by the Senate and Governor.
SSM HEALTH BENEFITTING COMMUNITIES
SSM Health Greater Fond du Lac has a $914 million annual economic impact on the local Fond du Lac community. That’s according to a study by Envision Greater Fond du Lac that shows the health care provider continues to be one of the top employers in the county, now employing nearly 3,000 people. Additionally, it has a total job impact of more than 4,600 jobs in Fond du Lac County. DeAnn Thurmer is the President of Ripon Community Hospital, Waupun Memorial Hospital and St. Clare Hospital in Baraboo. She says their employees live and raise families in those communities generating their own impact. The new study also shows that SSM Health Greater Fond du Lac’s impact on retail activity in the region remains strong accounting for more than $135 million in community retail sales and $17 million in property, sales, and income taxes.
HUNTING SEASONS
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources reminds hunters to prepare for the opening of several hunting and trapping seasons in October. There are four dates throughout October when seasons open, so hunters are encouraged to make sure when the particular season they are interested in starts. On October 7th the Gun Hunt for Hunters with Disabilities and Youth Deer Hunt launch. On October 14th seasons for ; Bobcat, Bobwhite Quail, Cottontail Rabbit, Coyote, Duck, Elk, Fisher, Fox, Hungarian Partridge, Pheasant, Raccoon, and Ruffed Grouse begin. October 21st brings the Mink and Muskrat trapping seasons in the Northern Zone and October 28th the Mink and Muskrat trapping season in the Central Zone and Raccoon hunting and trapping season for non-residents. For information on specific types of seasons, zones, and start times check the DNR website.
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