2/28/24 Hometown Broadcasting News Wednesday
28 February 2024 News
ELIJAH VUE PRESS CONFERENCE
Two Rivers Police are holding out hope that 3-year-old Elijah Vue is still out there, that they will find him and bring him home. Two Rivers Police Chief Ben Meinnert said as much yesterday during a press conference a week after the toddler was reported missing. Meinnert would not speculate on whether Elijah was still alive or whether he wandered off on his own or is the victim of foul play. Chief Meinnert said their search efforts have been beyond Two Rivers and in other areas of the country and state as well. It has also involved other local and law enforcement agencies, as well as the FBI. Family members made some emotional statements during the press conference saying Elijah’s disappearance has been incredibly painful for them. They urged anyone with information to come forward. Chief Meinnert also mentioned that the FBI was adding $15,000 to the reward money being offered for information leading to Elijah’s location or the arrest of persons involved in or responsible for his disappearance. That is in addition to $1,000 reward offered through the Manitowoc County Crime Stoppers. Anyone who has information is asked to call the tip line 844-267-6648.
BOND MODIFICATION DENIED FOR FDL SHOOTING SUSPECT
A request to modify bond has been denied for one of the two Fond du Lac teens suspected of a gang related shooting. Nineteen-year-old Lamarion Moore was in Fond du Lac County court for a hearing Tuesday. District Attorney Eric Toney opposed any modification of bond and Moore will remain in the Fond du Lac County Jail on a $1 million cash bond. The State Public Defender’s Office was given 30 days to find another attorney for Moore whose lawyer withdrew from the case on February 16th. Moore and 17-year-old Adamite Willey are both charged with attempted first degree intentional homicide for a shooting at a Fond du Lac gas station on May 23rd of last year. No one was injured in the shooting, but bullets struck the car a person was sitting in seven times. According to the criminal complaint the shooting was in retaliation for a shooting at the Maplewood Commons Apartments on May 7th which left 20-year-old Tatyanna Zech dead and several wounded. Parise Larry Jr. and Antonio Johnston are charged with that homicide. The two shootings were connected to a beef between two gangs.
TWO MARKESAN RESIDENTS CHARGED WITH HIDING A CORPSE
Two Markesan residents are facing charges for dumping a body in a DNR parking lot in Dodge County’s Town of Trenton. According to the criminal complaint it happened nearly two years ago. Forty-five-year-old Shawn Wheeler and 39-year-old Christine Steffen were with the victim when a squad car started following them. The victim became paranoid and swallowed a bag full of drugs. They drove him to a hospital, but he did not want to go inside. A short time later he stopped breathing. Investigators say Wheeler and Steffen did nothing to help the victim and left him in a parking lot where a bystander discovered his body and called authorities. Both Wheeler and Steffen are facing felony charges of hiding a corpse. Wheeler is currently incarcerated at Oshkosh Correctional Institution serving time for convictions in Green Lake and Waushara counties on fleeing an officer, second degree recklessly endangering safety, possession of methamphetamine, bail jumping, and OWI charges. Steffen’s initial Dodge County court appearance is on March 11th and Wheeler’s on April 9th.
JOHN ZARABO RUNS FOR SIXTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT SEAT
A retired lawyer from Oshkosh is running as a Democratic candidate for the 6th Congressional District seat. John Zarbano and his wife Merlaine retired in 2021. Zarbano says when current Congressman Glenn Grothman voted against suspension of trade with Russia a month after Russia invaded the Ukraine he became motivated to run for Grothman’s seat. Zarbano feels the two top issues in the campaign are women’s reproductive rights and immigration. He says if he is elected he would push to pass a bipartisan bill that would have done something about the 11 ½ million immigrants currently in the country. He says the House and Senate failed to pass that bill. Other issues he feels are important include workers’ rights, clean air and clean water, education, and Medicare and Social Security. You can read more about his views at his website John Zarbano.com.
FEYEN RUNNING FOR 20TH STATE SENATE DISTRICT SEAT
Republican State Senator Dan Feyen of Fond du Lac has announced he will be running for the new 20th State Senate District seat this fall. Feyen currently represents the 18th State Senate District, but will be living in the 20th State Senate District following redistricting. Feyen says he’s excited to kick off his 2024 campaign. He has represented the 18th State Senate District the last eight years. Senator Feyen currently serves as the Senate Assistant Majority Leader and is Chairman of the Senate Economic Development and Technical Colleges Committee. In addition he serves as a board member on the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation and is a new member of the Southeast Wisconsin Professional Baseball District Board. The 20th Senate district is comprised of portions of Dodge, Fond du Lac, Ozaukee, Sheboygan, and Washington counties. The General election will be on Tuesday, November 5th.
RIPON HOTEL STUDY AND FEASIBLITY ANALYSIS
The Ripon Common Council this week got a presentation on the Hotel Market Study and Feasibility Analysis prepared by Hotel R & D, LLC. City Administrator Adam Sonntag says the city is happy with the conclusions and results. The study concluded that Ripon is losing some of its business stays to hotels in Fond du Lac and Oshkosh. Sonntag says Alliance Laundry Systems, Accurate Controls, and Ripon College generate a lot of hotel stays. Hotel R & D had two major recommendations. One was to renovate an existing property like the Welcome Inn, which is for sale, to handle some of the hotel traffic drawn by events staged in the downtown. Another recommendation was for a 60-room franchise hotel with a couple of amenities located elsewhere in the city. The study recommended a Choice Hotel brand or Holiday Inn Express type operation.
BALLWEG LIKE KIN BILL
Following recent action by the Wisconsin State Legislature, Senator Joan Balleg now has 22 bills, which she authored, awaiting the governor’s action. The state lawmaker from Markesan says she has eight bills signed into law so far and she is looking forward to the governor taking action on the remaining bills. One of the recent bills she takes pride in crafting would add ‘like-kin’ to the list of individuals from whom children in need can receive kinship care. Like-kin is defined as an individual who has a significant emotional connection with a child such as the family of a friend, a coach, someone from church, or a good neighbor. She says existing relatives don’t always live close to a child who is in need of care. Ballweg says placing a child with Like-kin would keep them essentially in place in the neighborhood where they were being raised, going to school, and socializing with other children. Bills are scheduled to be sent to the governor on April 4th.
WEATHER SPOTTER TRAINING
The National Weather Service, in conjunction with Fond du Lac County Emergency Management, will be hosting the annual storm spotter training. The session will run from 6:30 to 8:30 pm on Wednesday, April 3rd, at the Fond du Lac City-County Government Center in the legislative chambers. Training will be led by a meteorologist from the National Weather Service and is free and open to the public. It is highly recommended for members of law enforcement, fire service, EMS, dispatchers and other first responders and amateur radio operators. Pre-registration is not required. The training provides information on severe weather safety, as well as, the differences between watches and warnings. Information will be presented on how to help the National Weather Services as a trained spotter, including what needs to be reported to the NWS and how to submit reports. It is important for everyone to know about the different types of severe weather, as this helps residents stay safe by being properly prepared for when severe weather occurs.
OSHKOSH MAIN STREET BRIDGE PROJECT MEETING
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation will be holding a live online public involvement meeting for the proposed improvements to the Main Street Bridge over the Fox River in the City of Oshkosh. The meeting will begin at 5 pm on Thursday. The purpose of the meeting is to provide project design information and gather comments on proposed improvements. The meeting will be held via Microsoft Teams. Project engineers will share maps, displays, and exhibits via a live presentation. Information for businesses impacted by road construction will also be included in the presentation. A comment, question, and answer period will follow the live presentation. You can also listen to the project presentation via audio-only on a calling device if you prefer. To access live video and audio for the meeting via computer or mobile device go to the Main Street Bridge Project design website and click the link at the top of the page at the time of the meeting. To hear the presentation via phone and ask questions call 608-571-2209. The phone conference ID is 639 373 228#. Construction is currently anticipated to begin in the fall of 2025 and conclude in the spring of 2026. The bridge will be closed during construction to vehicle and pedestrian traffic.
Wisconsin Department of Transportation Main Street Bridge (US 45) – Oshkosh (wisconsindot.gov)
WEIGHTS AND MEASURES WEEK CELEBRATED
Wisconsin’s Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection Bureau of Weights and Measures is ready for Weights and Measures Week. In 2023 the Weights and Measures staff conducted 226,832 inspections at 5,595 business locations statewide to monitor the accuracy of motor vehicle fuel pumps, commercial scales, price scanners, milk tanks, package weights, and other measuring instruments. Inspections found 99.6 percent of Wisconsin gas pumps provide adequate fuel. Scales used to sell products by weight such as deli food or precious metals were 99.6 percent accurate. Packaged products sold by weight such as flour and sugar were accurately labeled 98.6 percent of the time. Prices at checkout registers using scanners were accurate or in the customer’s favor 96.8 percent of the time. Additionally DATCP tested 4,493 fuel samples for quality and 98.4 percent of them met the minimum national standards. Every year, Weights and Measures Week is observed nationwide on March 1st through the 7th to mark the signing of the first U.S. weights and measures law by President John Adams on March 2nd, 1799.
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