5/23/24 Hometown Broadcasting News Thursday
23 May 2024 News
WAUPUN MAN CHARGED IN DRUG OVERDOSE DEATH
Bond has been set at $500,000 cash for a 26-year-old Waupun man suspected of supplying the drugs that led to an overdose death in the city last Friday night. Waupun Police responded to 232 West Franklin Street that evening where they found 26-year-old Shawn Kimpel dead and evidence of recent drug use. An autopsy performed by the Fond du Lac County Medical Examiner’s Office determined the cause of Kimpel’s death was due to fentanyl toxicity. During a subsequent investigation that included collection of evidence, multiple interviews, and cellular device analyses, Dylan Mayne was identified as the suspect in Kimpel’s death. He was arrested and taken to the Fond du Lac County Jail. Mayne made his initial court appearance Tuesday on a charge of first-degree reckless homicide-delivery of drugs. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 27th.
FATAL HIT AND RUN DRIVER IN CUSTODY
Columbia County Sheriff’s officials say a 26-year-old rural Portage man who fled on foot from a fatal accident scene in the Town of Lewiston late Sunday night is now in custody. Keegin Neveln allegedly left his passenger, a 21-year-old Portage woman, behind entrapped in the wrecked vehicle. When Deputies, Fire and EMS found her she was dead. Deputies searched the area with a thermal drone and several K-9’s to try and find Neveln but were unable to locate him. Charges filed against Neveln include hit and run involving death and knowingly operating while revoked causing death. An arrest warrant had been issued for him yesterday; he was taken into custody last night.
WAUPUN AND RIPON STORM CLEANUP EFFORTS
Following Tuesday night’s storms, a number of roads had to be closed in Waupun due to flooding. That included River Road and Gateway Drive, the bridge at Pine Street Park, and the bike path along the Rock River near Rock River Intermediate School and Spring Street. Due to the closures traffic had to be detoured and rerouted. The Boardwalk between Meadowview Circle and Edgewood Drive in Waupun was also temporarily closed due to storm damage. Public Works crews worked on the cleanup and repair. Meanwhile in Ripon there is a citywide brush cleanup effort in the wake of the storms. City officials are asking residents to place branches and brush by the curb before next Monday. The public works department will be picking up those branches and brush. (City of Waupun photos, including photo at top of News Briefs)
STORMS MAKE FOR BUSY NIGHT FOR DISPATCHERS
Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s officials say their Communications Center was inundated with weather-related calls for service while storms rolled through over a 3 ½ hour period Tuesday evening. From 8:25 to 11:30 pm dispatchers took 102 calls for service or about one call for service for every two minutes. Half of those calls were for storm related incidents that included trees down, power lines down, and roadway flooding. Most of the calls were confined to the far western portion of Fond du Lac County from Waupun to north of Ripon. Storms weakened as they progressed across the county from west to east, which reduced the number of calls in the central and eastern areas of the county.
FDL COUNTY SHERIFF’S UNION CONTRACT APPROVED
The Fond du Lac County Board Tuesday night approved a two year contract with the Sheriff’s union. The contract begins June 1st and runs through May 31st of 2026. It calls for an 8 percent across the board wage increase in the first year and a 5 percent increase the second year. County Executive Sam Kaufman told the board they did a wage comparison with other counties and the increase will still leave them about a dollar an hour behind what Winnebago County offers its deputies, but will catch them up in the second year. County Supervisor Kat Griffith said that she realized the increase in pay was being driven by what the state is now paying its corrections’ employees, but that as a result municipalities are losing their police officers to Sheriff’s departments because they now had to pay more. Kaufman told the board he had to look out for their Sheriff’s deputies first and foremost. However, he also noted that some smaller municipalities are no longer offering policing turning to their Sheriff’s departments for that. He cited Lomira and the Village of Brandon as recent examples. Nineteen supervisors voted in favor of the two-year agreement and two abstained from the vote.
LAKE BUTTE DES MORTS CAUSEWAY PROJECT STARTS NEXT TUESDAY
The $2 million rehabilitation project on the Interstate 41 Lake Butte des Morts causeway between State Highway 21 and U.S. Highway 45 in Oshkosh begins next Tuesday. The project is expected to finish in early October. Both directions of I-41 will be reduced from three to two lanes across Lake Butte des Morts. In addition, the U.S Highway 45 ramp to southbound I-41 will be closed for the majority of the project. Project improvements include removing and replacing structure approaches for northbound and southbound I-41 bridges over the main channel of Lake Butte des Morts, and replacing and locating a 100-foot section of cable barrier on the west side of I-41 near the U.S. Highway 45 interchange. In addition, existing safety and weight enforcement facilities along I-41 near the northern shore of Lake Butte des Morts will be removed and replaced.
NATIONAL EMS WEEK
Ripon Guardian Ambulance is among the EMS services across the country celebrating the 50th Anniversary of EMS Week this week. Ripon Guardian Ambulance serves the City of Ripon, Town of Ripon, Town of Rosendale, Village of Rosendale, Village of Fairwater, Town of Nepeuskun, and the norther half of both the Townships of Metomen and Springvale. The ambulance district spans approximately 162 square miles. Ripon EMS Chief Mitch Matuszeski says over the years the EMS services have evolved quite a bit since the early 1970’s when the focus was just getting people to hospitals quickly. He says they have to go through quite a bit of training including a refresher course every three years. There is also monthly training, online education, conferences, and more. In addition to himself there is a full-time captain, Captain Melinda Boehm, two assistant chiefs, an administrative lieutenant and the rest of the staff is on-call paid volunteers. Altogether they have a staff of 28 with a core staff of 15. He says the people that they have are good at what they do and are very dedicated.
OSHKOSH ASSESSMENT LETTERS
When Oshkosh property owners began receiving letters about their new assessments there was some sticker shock. For the first time since 2017 the city went through a property revaluation. Oshkosh City Councilman Jacob Floam says the city was out of compliance with its assessments and because they waited so long to do the revaluation that was reflected with property values going up 70 to 100 percent or more in some cases. The recent letter was not a bill, but it did concern those who received it. He says in addition to new property assessments, they are asking residents to pay a vehicle registration fee and there is a storm water utility fee. Floam says they have to consider at budget time not what the city wants, but what its needs are.
JUNE DAIRY DAYS
June Dairy Month in Fond du Lac County will include a pair of events promoted by Envision Greater Fond du Lac. Envision President and CEO Sadie Howell says the first is on Saturday, June 1st in the parking lot of National Exchange Bank & Trust on South Main Street in Fond du Lac. It’s from 9 to 11 am and in addition to dairy games, cheese samples, and Gilles custard there will be a petting zoo, buttered popcorn and milk. The second event is the 35th Annual Breakfast on the Farm. It’s on Sunday, June 23rd from 8 am to Noon at the Abel Dairy Farms in Eden. Howell says the farm has gone through a major expansion over the past few years. The 4,500-cow dairy operation features a rotary milking parlor. Tickets for Breakfast on the Farm are available at the Envision website, their offices in Fond du Lac, or at the farm the day of the breakfast.
Events (envisiongreaterfdl.com)
ATV AND UTV SAFETY COURSES
As summer approaches, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources encourages all ATV/UTV riders to complete an ATV safety certification course before they hit the trails. Wisconsin law requires ATV and UTV operators, born on or after January 1st, 1988, who are at least 12 years old for an ATV and at least 16 years old for a UTV must complete an ATV safety certification course to operate in the state. There is an exception for those who operate on private property owned by the operator’s immediate family. The safety courses can be taken online or in person and are the first step in preventing crashes. A list of approved safety education classes is available on the DNR Safety Education webpage. In 2023, there were nearly 300 ATV/UTV crashes in Wisconsin, and there have already been 12 fatal crashes in the state this year.
THRASHER SEASON RELEASE PARTY
Thrasher Opera House is releasing their newest season of performers. They will host a Season Release Party tonight from 5 to 7:30 pm at the Thrasher Opera House in Green Lake. It will feature a variety of exciting activities and experiences. Food vendors include Adam’s Rib, The Hogfather, and J’s BBQ. There will be a full bar and specialty beverages. Live music will be performed by Nashville singer and songwriter Stella Prince. The Summer/Fall Season Release will feature shout out videos from upcoming artists and performers, a history of Thrasher Opera House, ticket and merchandise sales, and prizes. Thrasher Opera House Executive Director Rachel Avery says, “We feel the upcoming season is filled with something everyone will enjoy.”
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