1/23/24 Hometown Broadcasting News Tuesday
23 January 2024 News
FORT ATKINSON COUPLE SENTENCE FOR FRAUD AND MONEY LAUNDERING
A husband and wife from Fort Atkinson were recently sentenced in a federal courtroom in Madison on wire fraud and money laundering charges. Fifty-two-year-old Tyler Hansen was sentenced to seven years in prison for wire fraud and money laundering and 43-year-old Jennifer Hansen was sentenced to 33 months in prison for money laundering. Between October 2020 and September 2022, Tyler Hansen operated a home improvement business based in Dane County and Jefferson County that operated under multiple names. He admitted he entered home improvement projects with no intention to do them. State and Federal agencies, and Sheriff’s Departments from Columbia and Walworth counties were involved in the investigation. It also involved the cooperation of district attorneys’ offices from 22 different counties including Columbia, Dodge, Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Jefferson and Winnebago counties. A restitution hearing is scheduled for March 15th.
RIPON MAN ARRAIGNED ON DRUG AND KNIFE CHARGES
A 25-year-old Ripon man was recently arraigned on possession of narcotics, cocaine, drug paraphernalia, and carrying a concealed knife charges stemming from a traffic stop in Ripon last month. During last Friday’s hearing Owen Nordvold pled not guilty to the charges he’s facing. According to the criminal complaint he was a passenger in a vehicle on December 7th that was stopped at 503 Eureka Street. Small amounts of heroin, crack cocaine, and a narcotics residue were found in the vehicle. All three tested positive for fentanyl. Knives were also discovered concealed in the driver’s and passenger side doors. All charges he faces have repeater modifiers. Nordvold was previously convicted in Fond du Lac County in 2020 of narcotics possession, and in 2019 of marijuana trafficking. A carrying a concealed knife charge was referred against 27-year-old Alexandra Prellwitz of Ripon, who was driving the vehicle Nordvold was in. She was previously convicted of heroin trafficking in Waushara County in 2017. An arrest warrant was issued for her on January 4th. Norvold will be back in court for a plea and sentencing hearing on February 20th.
SUSPECT SOUGHT IN DODGE COUNTY TRAFFIC PURSUIT
A Dodge County judge Monday issued a bench warrant for the arrest of a 43-year-old Chicago man who failed to appear for an initial hearing on a felony fleeing charge. According to the criminal complaint a Sheriff’s deputy pulled over a vehicle just north of State Highway 49 near the Town of Lomira after receiving reports about the vehicle driving over the centerline and frequently braking. When asked for his license and insurance Ellis Freeman said he didn’t have it with him. When the deputy returned to a squad car, the suspect’s vehicle sped away. The pursuit covered five miles and reached speeds around 75 miles an hour before the chase was terminated. Fond du Lac Police later contacted the Sheriff’s office saying they had found the vehicle and had two jail booking photos of the alleged suspect. The photos matched the deputy’s bodycam footage of Freeman from the traffic stop.
RIPON WATER MAIN BREAK REPAIRED
Due to a water main break, West Oshkosh Street between West Fond du Lac Street/Highway 23 and Eureka Street in Ripon will be closed today (starting at 8:30 am) until repairs can be made. The repair work is in the area of the crest of the Oshkosh Street hill, and in the middle of the roadway, so traffic will need to be diverted during the repair. The repair is expected to last up to 4 hours. Traffic should use Eureka Street and West Fond du Lac Street/Highway 23 to avoid this area if possible. The City’s Department of Public Works and Water Department over the weekend fixed another water main break in the 500 block of Fenton Street.
RIPON COMMON COUNCIL APPROVES SIDEWALK CAFÉ AND BEER GARDEN LICENSES
The Ripon Common Council approved sidewalk café and outdoor service/beer garden licenses last night for Knuth Brewing Company and Pastimes. Dave Knuth explained that he wasn’t sure he would be doing a sidewalk café, but did want to use the beer garden for their Grand Opening on February 17th, which they are doing in lieu of their annual Polka on Ice event. There was some discussion about the barrier for the beer garden for which he planned to use whiskey barrels and chains at a height of three feet. The ordinance requires an attractive wall, fence or barrier and a height of four feet. The Council approved both licenses. Pastimes also applied for a license for an outdoor service/beer garden. They have gone through a change in ownership. Alderperson Ellen Sorensen voted against both licenses. She told the Council she has a lot of elderly residents in her district who are concerned about any walking obstructions on sidewalks.
SENATOR JOHNSON ON BORDER CRISIS
U.S. Senator Ron Johnson says the crisis at our southern borders allowing illegal immigrants in at an alarming rate is taxing our resources, allowing deadly drugs into the country, and could be a terrorist threat as well. The federal lawmaker from Oshkosh says if you we’re going to create terrorist cells within a country one way to accomplish that is by taking advantage of an open border policy. He suspects one reason President Biden has been soft on attacks on U.S. Troops in the Middle East is they suspect, fear, or may have knowledge of potential sleeper cells that may be activated if they get too tough on Iran now. Johnson also says the border crisis is adding to the deadly drug fentanyl coming into the country. He says we’ve seen an increase in fatal drug overdoses in Winnebago County and fentanyl seizures are more than 20 times what they used to be. He says there is also an issue with an increase in human trafficking.
PHOSPHORUS TOPIC OF RIPON COLLEGE PRESENTATION
New York Times best-selling author and environmental journalist Daniel Egan will discuss “The Devil’s Element: Phosphorus and a World Out of Balance” on February 15th at Ripon College. The Center for Politics and the People presentation will begin at 6:30 pm in Great Hall, Harwood Memorial Union, on the campus. Admission is free and open to the public. Co-sponsors of the event are the Green Lake Association, the Department of Chemistry and the Environmental Studies Program. With “The Devil’s Element,” Egan has written an essential and eye-opening account that urges us to pay attention to one of the most perilous but little-known environmental issues of our time. Egan is a native of Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Effects of phosphorus to be discussed Feb. 15 for Center for Politics and the People | Ripon College
OASD COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT SESSION
The Oshkosh Area School District will hold a community engagement session on Wednesday, February 7th at 5 pm at Vel Phillips Middle School. The new school is located at 1401 Kentucky Street in Oshkosh. It will open at 5 pm that evening for self-guided tours before the main event, giving attendees an opportunity to explore the state-of-the-art facility that opened for the 2023-2024 school year. At 6 pm the District Superintendent will provide an update on the district’s 2024 strategic plan and outline opportunities for the community to get involved with district schools. Following the superintendent’s update, school principals and district leaders will be available to discuss specific volunteer opportunities within each school.
EXCELLENCE IN CONSTRUCTION AWARDS
A Brownsville company is among six Wisconsin construction companies that received Excellence in Construction Awards at the Wisconsin Department of Transportation annual Contractor-Engineer Conference held this past week in Wisconsin Dells. Top winners include an asphalt paving project in Polk County, a concrete paving project in Dane County, a grading project in Outagamie County, a small bridge project in Lafayette County, a large bridge project in Racine County and a large contract project in Milwaukee County. Michels Road & Stone Incorporated of Brownsville received the Large Contract award for work on the Zoo Interchange North Leg, along US 45 between Swan Boulevard and Burleigh Street, in Milwaukee County. The project expanded nearly two miles of highway from three to four lanes in each direction, as well as reconstructed the North Avenue interchange. The project lasted three full construction seasons.
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