11/16/23 Hometown Broadcasting News Thursday
16 November 2023 News
MULTI COUNTY VEHICLE CHASE ENDS WITH CRASH
A 24-year-old Glendale man suspected of stealing a vehicle during an armed carjacking in Milwaukee crashed the vehicle in Fond du Lac County Tuesday night after a multi-county chase. Washington County Sheriff’s officials say the pursuit of the stolen Camaro reached speeds of 115 miles an hour. The vehicle crashed on Interstate 41 at Church Road in Fond du Lac County. The driver was driving erratically and was allegedly involved in a hit-and-run in Waukesha County and struck several barriers in Washington County. At one point the vehicle was stopped on I-41 at Lover’s Lane in Washington County’s Town of Polk and a deputy was able to identify the driver. However, while the deputy was checking on the VIN number for the vehicle, which came back stolen, the vehicle sped away. Several times stop sticks were put down by Washington and Dodge County Sheriff’s deputies but the driver continued until crashing in Fond du Lac County. He was taken into custody and a firearm and drugs were located inside the vehicle. He was taken to Froedtert Hospital for medical clearance and to obtain legal blood for impaired driving. He is being held in the Washington County Jail. (Washington County Sheriff’s photos).
STABBING REPORTED IN FDL
Police in Fond du Lac responded to a reported stabbing in the 800 block of Martin Avenue early Wednesday morning. They learned a 32-year-old Fond du Lac woman had gone to the victim’s residence and physically assaulted her causing a laceration to her face. The victim, a 29-yer-old Fond du Lac woman, was taken to St. Agnes Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Police tracked down the suspect to her residence. They negotiated with her on the phone and through a closed door. They eventually were able to take her into custody without further incident. She was taken to the Fond du Lac County Jail on charges of substantial battery and criminal damage to property. Police say it was an isolated incident and the two knew each other. Fond du Lac Police were assisted by Fond du Lac Fire and Rescue and the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office.
TWO LOST PEOPLE SAFELY RETURNED TO FAMILIES
In two separate cases in Oshkosh and in Kiel, Wisconsin an older woman and a young girl have safely been returned to their families. Oshkosh Police reported 71-year-old Barbara Davis missing from the 2100 block of West 9th Avenue. She was on foot and was last seen around 4 pm Wednesday afternoon. Last evening police reported she was located safe with family members outside of Oshkosh. It was a different story in Kiel where police officers found a little girl who was lost. They posted a photo of her in an attempt to learn who she was. Police received tips and after the girl was identified she was returned to her family. (Kiel Police photo).
FORMER WAUTOMA TEACHER SENTENCED
A former Wautoma High School teacher has been sentenced to four months in jail for having sexual contact with a female student. Joshua Barker was in Waushara County court Tuesday. The 30-year-old Wautoma man pled no contest to a charge of exposing himself to a child, while another charge of sexual assault of a student by school staff was read into the record and dismissed. He was also placed on probation for three years, and must register as a sex offender for 15 years. The plea deal helped Barker avoid a trial which was scheduled to start today.
OLD LICENSE PLATES CONCERN
Ripon Police have been getting some complaints recently about people selling cars to others, and leaving license plates on the car they sell. That leads to liability issues for parking citations, other traffic related, and criminal issues. Police say you should never leave the license plates on an auto or light truck (8,000 pounds or under) when selling or junking the vehicle. You should destroy the plate by cutting them up if you are not going to use them on another vehicle. The plates can’t be used by someone else. Do not return the plates to the DMV. If you have left the plates on your vehicle and are concerned, you can download and complete a License Plates Cancellation Application form that is available on Wisconsin Department of Transportation website.
RIPON HIRES HR FIRM FOR JOB SEARCH
The Ripon Common Council this week approved spending $6,500 with a search firm for the recruitment process for an Assistant Director of Public Works Position. The city only got four applicants when it posted the position itself and those candidates were interviewed. City Administrator Adam Sonntag recommended reopening the position and hiring a search firm to help with the posting. He told the Council it is a hard market for that type of position. He says the city probably should look at executive recruitments for department heads moving forward. The Council approved hiring GovHR USA for recruitment of the Assistant Director of Public Works position. The city successfully recruited City Clerk Naomi Miller by using GovHR. She was living in Indiana at the time.
DPI RELEASES SCHOOL REPORTS CARDS
The state’s Department of Public Instruction this week released report card scores from the 2022-2023 school year. The Ripon Area School District earned three out of five stars on state report cards. Based on the star rating Ripon meets expectations for educating students. The District Score of 66.2 is down 4.1 percent from 2021-22. Ripon had an overall achievement score that was the same or higher than 87.4 percent of districts in the state. Ripon students actually made slight gains over their 2021-22 scores, when the District’s score was the same or higher than 86.8 percent of districts. Meanwhile the Oshkosh Area School District earned an overall accountability score of “Meets Expectations” for the 2022-2023 school year. The District received a score of 68.4, which was a slight decrease from the previous school year. More information about the school reports cards for the Ripon and Oshkosh school districts can be found at their websites.
2023 State Report Cards Press Release (ripon.k12.wi.us)
State Report Cards 2022-23 – OASD School List.pdf – Google Drive
Report Cards – 2022-23 (wi.gov)
STATE ASSEMBLY PASSES TWO BILLS AUTHORED BY STATE REPRESENATATIVE DALLMAN
The State Assembly Tuesday passed two bills authored by State Representative Alex Dallman of Green Lake. One bill provides legal protection for design professionals only holding them accountable for their own failure and mistakes. It gets rid of unfair requirements that public entities include in their contracts requiring design professionals on projects to compensate and defend public entities against claims or losses the design professionals did not cause. The other bill will allow employers to pay their employees differently other than the standard bi-weekly paycheck. Under the bill employees can get paid for hours worked, as they work them. It establishes regulations when it comes to earned wage access services and will allow employers to pay their employees for earned, unpaid wages. Dallman says the bill is similar to bills passed in states like Nevada and Missouri.
DEER CARCASS DISPOSAL AND CWD TESTING
A conservation warden with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources reminds gun deer hunters there are ways of safely disposing their deer carcasses or having their deer tested for CWD. William Hankee says Chronic Wasting Disease is a concern that hunters should at least be considering as they head into the woods this weekend for the start of the 9-day gun deer season. He says on the DNR website you can look up where they have dumpsters for carcass disposal or landfills that accept carcasses. He says also on their website you can learn about having the deer you harvest tested for CWD. It is possible to get replacement authorization if you deer tests positive. Only the head of the deer is needed for testing.
Deer waste disposal sites | | Wisconsin DNR
RIPON ROAR WEEK
Ripon Education Foundation Board of Directors member Betsy Heffernan brings a different perspective to the Ripon Roar Week fundraiser. She is also the Ripon Board of Education’s Vice President, an alumnus of the school district, the parent of two alumni, and works for Alliance Laundry Systems the lead corporate donor for the campaign. She appreciates the funding the foundation provides for students and staff outside of what the school board can. She says it allows extra things to be done in the school district in addition to providing scholarships for students. Heffernan says throughout the year the school board gets to hear some of the success stories associated with funding from the foundation’s teacher grants, special program grants, and tutoring grants. The annual Ripon Roar Week fundraiser for the Foundation is going on through this Friday at midnight, but donations will be accepted through the end of the year. Donations can be made online at Ripon Education Foundation. org or you can send them to P.O. Box 395, Ripon, Wisconsin 54971.
LETTERS TO SANTA
It may not look like Santa’s workshop but the Ripon Senior Activity Center will be a drop off location for letters to Santa for a few weeks. Ripon Parks and Recreation Director Ashton Zeien says from November 27th through December 15th anyone’s children can drop off their letters to Santa. There will be a North Pole mailbox in the entryway of the center. She says because Kris Kringle is a busy guy this time of year they will need the child’s name and address if they want a response from him before Christmas. No postage is necessary. The center is open Monday through Fridays from 7:30 am to 4 pm.
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