4/10/24 Hometown Broadcasting News Wednesday
10 April 2024 News
NAMES RELEASED IN FATAL FDL COUNTY ACCIDENT
The Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office has identified the two woman involved in a fatal crash on State Highway 26 near Cattaraugus Road in the Town of Waupun Monday night. Seventy-five-year-old Janice Handrich of Ripon was standing in front of her vehicle which ran out of gas in the southbound lane when another vehicle struck her car. She was tossed on the shoulder of the road where the striking vehicle ended up hitting her pinning her beneath it. She was eventually freed and flown to Froedtert Hospital where she died. Seventy-three-year-old Julie Midtbo of McFarland was driving the vehicle that struck Handrich. Midtbo was wearing a seat belt and was not injured.
COLUMBIA COUNTY FATAL CRASH UPDATE
The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office has released the names of the five people killed in a crash between a passenger car and pickup truck on State Highway 60 in the Town of West Point Sunday morning. Seventy-year-old Robin Purcell of Prairie du Sac was driving the truck and was killed. Victims in the car included the driver a 17-year-old Merrimac girl, and passengers’ 42-year-old Shain Scoville of Merrimac, 26-year-old Kaiyzer Ballweg of Sauk City, and 62-year-old Julie Scoville of Blue Mounds. The preliminary investigation indicates the car crossed the centerline and struck the pickup truck nearly head on.
SHED IN OAKFIELD DAMAGED BY FIRE
Fire damaged a 40 by 80 foot shed at W8302 Kinwood Road in the Town of Oakfield early Tuesday morning. Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s deputies used their fire extinguishers when they arrived to prevent the fire from spreading further into the shed. Oakfield firefighters were able to extinguish the fire. No one was injured. There was moderate burn and smoke damage to the shed. Machinery stored inside it was not damaged. The cause of the fire is not believed to be suspicious, and there were no indications of foul play. Nathan and Jackie Kollmann own the property. The time of the fire call was 3:32 am.
ELEVEN ARRESTED DURING OSHKOSH DRUG INVESTIGATION
Capping a drug investigation police in Oshkosh executed a search warrant in the 1400 block of Walnut Street Tuesday leading to the arrest of 11 Oshkosh residents. Those arrested range in age from 29 to 74-years-old. Eight of them were arrested on outstanding warrants. Drug charges have been referred to the Winnebago County District Attorney’s Office against three people. Cocaine and drug paraphernalia possession charges were referred against a 74-year-old man. A 61-year-old woman is facing a maintaining a drug trafficking place charge, and a 44-year-old man 2 counts of cocaine manufacturing and 2 counts of maintaining a drug trafficking place as well as several counts of bail jumping.
PRESCRIBED BURN IN HORICON WILDLIFE AREA TODAY
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources will be conducting a prescribed burn in the Horicon Wildlife Area off Swan Road in the Town of Burnett today. A crew of 11 will be working the burn of a prairie area. Residents are asked to avoid the area while the burn is being conducted. DNR officials say that fire management crews will conduct prescribed burns on DNR properties throughout the southern half of the state this spring. The DNR’s prescribed burns are conducted for the health of the ecosystems and mimic the natural benefits that fire historically provides.
RIPON COMMON COUNCIL NOTES
The Ripon Common Council last night approved borrowing $415,000 from Fortifi Bank for the TID 14 Water Tower reconditioning project. Fortifi submitted the lowest interest rate for borrowing at 5.92 percent. City Administrator Adam Sonntag said it was the lowest bid submitted by area financial institutions. The Council also approved the purchase of heavy vehicle lift and equipment for installation in the new Department of Public Works facility. An agreement for park use submitted by the American Legion for the use of baseball and softball diamond facilities in Murray and Barlow Parks was also approved. Sonntag says the agreement was similar to a previous agreement between the City and the American Legion. The Council also heard reports from Ripon Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Mandy Kimes and Ripon Main Street Executive Director Craig Tebon on the use of room tax funds in 2023. The Ripon Common Council will hold its reorganization meeting next Tuesday at 7 pm.
COMMUNITY HEALTH SURVEY
Every three years the Fond du Lac County Health Department is involved in a community health assessment. As part of that effort this year two surveys are being conducted. About 2,000 Fond du Lac County residents are being mailed a Community Health Survey. A household resident over the age of 18 will be asked to complete the survey online or return a completed paper copy of the survey in the mail. Sarah Gradinjan is a community health and prevention supervisor with the health department. She says the survey focuses on issues such as access to health care, nutrition, food security, substance use, mental health, chronic disease and more. The survey will take about 15 minutes to complete, and responses are completely confidential. There is also an online version of the public input survey at the Fond du Lac County Health Department’s website. That survey will take less than 5 minutes to complete and will close on May 17th. Hard copies of the survey are also available at the health department in Fond du Lac.
Healthy Fond du Lac County | Fond du Lac County (wi.gov)
HORICON MARSH EDUCATION AND VISITOR CENTER REOPENS
The Horicon Marsh Education and Visitor Center, including the Explorium is open again to the public after closing in March due to a boiler malfunction. Considered a birder’s paradise, Horicon Marsh’s facilities are reopening just in time for the height of spring migration. DNR Wildlife Educator Liz Herzmann says, “The abundance of waterfowl, dazzling warblers and critical wetland habitat make this property a phenomenal destination this time of year.” The 33,000-acre property comprises the Horicon Marsh State Wildlife Area and Horicon National Wildlife Refuge. The Education and Visitor Center is designed to help visitors learn about the unique environment’s wildlife, ecology and history. It’s also an excellent place for parents and educators to teach children about nature.
UPCOMING JOB FAIRS
Ripon Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Mandy Kimes says there are some great opportunities coming up this month for students and adults to find out about great careers in the area. She says students may not be aware of those opportunities as they begin to explore their career paths. Coming up on Thursday, April 18th there is a career fair at the Ripon High School. Employers interested in participating with a booth should contact Sheri Schmidt at the high school at 920-748-4616 by tomorrow. Also on April 18th there will be a job fair at the Fond du Lac County Fairgrounds Expo Center in Fond du Lac from 1 to 4 pm. The following Thursday, April 25th the Green Lake Area Chamber of Commerce will host their Hire Me Now Job Fair at the Heidel House & Conference Center.
CONSOLIDATED FOR A CAUSE
Consolidated Construction Company of Appleton recently hosted its annual “Consolidated for a Cause” event. The fundraiser brought together Consolidated Construction employees at the Hilton Paper Valley Hotel and Convention Center in Appleton on March 8th. The event was a success, as the attendees and sponsors raised $18,337 for the Honor Flight Network. As a result the Old Glory Honor Flight in Appleton, Midwest Honor Flight in South Dakota, and Western North Dakota Honor Flight in Bismarck each received checks for $6,112. Because of their hard work and dedication to local veterans, the team at Consolidated will send twelve veterans from Northeast Wisconsin on a future honor flight.
In the photo: Representatives of Consolidated Construction Co., Inc. (two former veterans) hand over the check to Diane Macdonald (second from the right), Executive Director of the Old Glory Honor Flight (Appleton, WI).
OASD MUSIC PROGRAMS HONORED
The Oshkosh Area School District has been honored as one of the nation’s “Best Communities for Music Education.” This is the first year that the school district has received this prestigious recognition for its outstanding commitment to music education by the NAMM Foundation. Oshkosh is one of only 37 communities in the state to be recognized. District Superintendent Bryan Davis says it is an incredible honor. Numerous studies have demonstrated that music education promotes student success in areas like language development, pattern recognition, emotional intelligence, and overall academic achievement. The NAMM Foundation is a nonprofit organization supported in part by the National Association of Music Merchants.
SAMARITAN CASH RAFFLE
Tickets are now on sale for the Agnesian HealthCare Foundation’s annual Samaritan Cash Raffle, with the top prize of $50,000. The 2024 drawing is scheduled for noon on Wednesday, May 8th on the SSM Health Greater Fond du Lac Facebook page. The SSM Health Samaritan Clinic-which opened in 1992-provides health care to around 500 underinsured patients annually. The clinic works to provide a full spectrum of care, helping individuals to navigate insurance options, finding a primary care provider, and working with local community resources if other needs arise. Tickets are available for $50 each, four for $150 or nine for $300. They are available at a number of area businesses and information desks at Ripon Community Hospital, St. Agnes Hospital, and Waupun Memorial Hospital.
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