4/12/24 Hometown Broadcasting News Friday
12 April 2024 News
Fifty Ripon High School Science students and their teachers traveled to Indiana for the once-in-a-lifetime Solar Eclipse event with local support from the Ripon Education Foundation, Inc. The Ripon Tiger even tagged along! (Ripon Area School District photo).
OSHKOSH PROSTITUTION ARRESTS
Oshkosh Police Wednesday arrested 7 men in an undercover prostitution investigation. The men range in age from 35-to-57-years-old. Six of them were arrested for pandering. One was arrested for pandering, possession of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia. The men were from Neenah, Fond du Lac, Town of Vinland, Kaukauna, Florence, Oshkosh, and De Pere. Oshkosh Police officials say it can be very hard for human trafficking victims to get out of these situations. For that reason Oshkosh Police partner with local nonprofit organizations so that resources can be quickly provided to victims.
CWD DETECTED IN WAUSHARA COUNTY WILD DEER
The DNR confirms the first positive test result for chronic wasting disease in a wild deer in Waushara County. The deer was found dead in early February in the Town of Wautoma within 10 miles of the Marquette and Portage county borders. The deer was a 3-year-old buck and is the first confirmed wild CWD-positive deer detected in Waushara County. As a result Waushara County will renew the ban already in place for baiting and feeding. Since Marquette and Portage counties already have three-year bans in place from early detections within the county, the new detection will not impact those counties. The DNR and Waushara County Deer Advisory Council plan to host a public meeting. Details will be provided in the future.
VERGOS LEAVING SSM HEALTH
After 14 years of service, Katherine Vergos, SSM Health St. Agnes Hospital president, is leaving SSM Health in May. She will be working as the market president for CommonSpirit Health in Las Vegas. Vergos says, “I will forever cherish the time I have spent here. It has shaped so much of who I am as a leader and as a person.” Vergos has provided steady leadership during her tenure, first as chief operating and nursing officer for SSM Health Ripon Community Hospital and then as president of St. Agnes Hospital. She was instrumental in the opening of the new Ripon Community Hospital facility in December 2014, helping to integrate Ripon Community Hospital into Agnesian HealthCare, and then in working to integrate into the larger SSM Health Wisconsin family. She has also overseen several important facilities expansions. Recruitment efforts are underway for the person who will succeed her at St. Agnes.
PERSON HIRED FOR NEW CITY OF RIPON POSITION
Ripon City Administrator Adam Sonntag announced during this week’s Common Council meeting that the city has hired a person for the new Communications and Human Resources Generalist position. Mary Vesely will start on May 1st. She comes to the city with over 15 years of HR and Communications experience in the private sector. Most recently, she was the Employee Experience and Inclusion Manager/Employee Engagement and Social Media Specialist in a large Madison-based mortgage corporation. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the UW-Madison, and an HR Certificate from Madison Area Technical College. She is also a Society for Human Resources Management Certified Professional.
DODGE COUNTY LAUNCHES PREPARED LIVE
The Dodge County Sheriff’s Office has launched Prepared Live in their dispatch center. Built by the company Prepared, the software enables their 911 dispatch centers to live stream, receive multimedia, and receive location from mobile callers in real time. The addition to their technology suite will significantly improve their ability to respond to emergencies. In emergency situations, there are many cases where it is safer or more convenient for a person to communicate with 911 via text message rather than a phone call. With Prepared Live, dispatchers can send a quick text to hang-up callers to confirm their safety. The launch follows 8 weeks of preparation and training.
BEING WEATHER AWARE
An official with Ready Wisconsin says the whole point of having Tornado and Severe Weather Awareness Week is to make sure people are weather aware. Andrew Beckett says residents need to stay informed about the weather and plan accordingly no matter what time of year it is. Over the years we’ve been told that a tornado can occur any month out of the year and this year Wisconsin saw its first ever in February, actually having two. Beckett says it is important to have emergency kits for your home and car. The one for home should include everything that you would need for about three days and any documents that are too important to lose. Things like a hand cranked or battery powered radio, flashlights, first aid kits, and extra medications. Make sure you keep everything in a water proof case. You will also need food and water. Tornado and Severe Weather Awareness Week ends today.
PRESCRIBED BURNS
A public information officer for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says conditions were perfect for a prescribed burn at the Horicon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge Wednesday. Dan Bell says they burned about 100 acres on the federal side of the Marsh while the DNR burned another 670 acres the same day on the state side. He says conditions were perfect for the burn. Prescribed burns stimulate the growth of native prairie grasses and flowers by removing non-native and invasive trees, shrubs, and grasses. The burns also improve habitat for birds and wildlife. Bell notes there were quite a few ash trees they burned that had been damaged by Emerald Ash Borers. He says of the 70,000 acres in the Refuge they burn off about 3,500 to 5,000 acres in prescribed burns every year.
GOOD RESPONSE EXPECTED FOR COMMUNITY HEALTH SURVEYS
Those collaborating on a Community Health Survey in Fond du Lac County are expecting a pretty good response rate. Every three years the Fond du Lac County Health Department is involved in a community health assessment. As part of that effort there are two surveys being conducted. About 2,000 Fond du Lac County residents are being mailed a Community Health Survey. Others can take an online survey. Sarah Gradinjan is a community health and prevention supervisor with the health department. She says sometime this fall they will share the results of the surveys with the public. The online survey will close on May 17th. Hard copies of that survey are also available at the health department in Fond du Lac. Gradinjan says the last time they did the surveys they got about 600 to 700 responses to the survey they mailed out and another 300 to 400 for the online version.
Healthy Fond du Lac County | Fond du Lac County (wi.gov)
STURGEON SPAWNING SEASON BEGINNING
The Winnebago System lake sturgeon are getting ready to make their run up the Wolf River to the Shawano Dam. Sturgeon have been seen throughout the Wolf River, waiting for spawning conditions to be right. Once the lake sturgeon begin making their spawning run up the Wolf River, there are several locations where they can be seen up close including Wolf River Sturgeon Trail near New London, Bamboo Bend at Shiocton, and Shawano Dam in Shawano. If you can’t make it out in person there are a couple of underwater cameras at Bamboo Bend at Shiocton and at the Shawano Dam you can watch online. In a couple weeks, you may also see lake sturgeon spawning on the lower Fox River in De Pere, the lower Peshtigo River in Peshtigo and the Chippewa River. Spawning locations will be posted to the DNR’s Lake Sturgeon Spawning webpage. (Photo credit: Bob Rashid)
Wolf River Cam – One Look and You’re Hooked!
Sturgeon Cam | Shawano, WI – Official Website (cityofshawano.com)
Lake sturgeon spawning | | Wisconsin DNR
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