8/21/24 Hometown Broadcasting News Wednesday
21 August 2024 News
EMERGENCY PLANE LANDING IN COLUMBIA COUNTY
At 12:27 Tuesday afternoon, the Columbia County dispatch center received information about an airplane that made an emergency landing on Wendt Road just north of Bristol Road in the Town of Columbus. The pilot was a student doing a solo flight when the plane began to experience engine problems forcing the emergency landing. The pilot skillfully landed the aircraft on the roadway, doing so without damage to any property or causing any injuries. The aircraft’s owner arranged the removal of the plane. Columbus Police, Columbus Fire Department and Lifestar EMS responded to the scene to assist the Sheriff’s Office. (Columbia County Sheriff’s photo).
BICYCLIST HIT BY CAR IN OSHKOSH
A woman was taken to a hospital after she was struck by a vehicle while riding her bicycle in Oshkosh. Police were notified about the accident on Highway 21 at Westhaven Drive at 4:34 Tuesday afternoon. The woman was riding her bicycle when she rode into the intersection. A 62-year-old Oshkosh woman driving west on Highway 21 struck the bicyclist. The victim was taken to a hospital for medical treatment. Anyone with information about the accident is encouraged to call Oshkosh Police at 920-236-5700. If you wish to remain anonymous call the Winnebago County Crime Stoppers at 920-231-8477.
ELIJAH VUE SEARCH SIX MONTHS OLD
Two Rivers Police yesterday, 6 months since the disappearance of Elijah Vue, reassured the public that they remain hopeful that they will locate him. They say they are confident their investigation will ultimately lead to the truth of the toddler’s disappearance. Police officials say they continue to follow up on tips and leads. In addition they have been using specialized equipment and technology designed to detect anomalies in the earth and will use that technology in the coming weeks. Police say recent online rumors that Elijah has been found are not true. They also caution about fake “Go Fund Me” or similar pages that have been set up. Police say the search for Elijah, who would now be 4-years-old, remains an active investigation.
SEX OFFENDER RESIDING IN WAUPACA
The Waupaca County Sheriff’s Office is advising the public that a 52-year-old sex offender is now living at N1934 County Road K in Waupaca. Timothy Dempze is on GPS monitoring and under community supervision. He was convicted in September of 2014 and August of 2017 of criminal sexual conduct first-degree and criminal sexual conduct second degree in Washington County Minnesota. As of Tuesday there are nearly 27,000 sex offenders required to register in the state of Wisconsin, of those 190 live in Waupaca County.
DRUG INFUSED SNACKS
Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s officials are urging parents to educate their children about the dangers of eating “snacks” and “candy” that came from unknown sources. Monday a deputy conducted a traffic stop for an equipment violation. He suspected there was something more to the story and requested a K9. K9 Rip arrived on the scene and alerted on the vehicle. During a search deputies located a box that had just been shipped from Oregon to Wisconsin. Inside the box they found over a pound of snack and other items infused with psilocybin mushrooms or THC. The colorful packaging for the products was designed and packaged to appeal to kids or young adults. Such products are considered dangerous to children. The 18-year-old Madison man driving the vehicle was arrested of various drug-related charges and was taken to the Fond du Lac County Jail. (Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s photo).
A LIFE IN DISPATCH
Dave Schmitz wanted to go into law enforcement, but his life took a little bit of a turn and he still ended up helping out people. For nearly 35 years he has been a dispatcher with the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office and will retire next month. He says early on in his dispatching career he took a call from a father whose child had drown in a bathtub and didn’t know how to do CPR. Dave says it inspired him to learn CPR and he ended up teaching it at Fox Valley Technical College. He says one of his more memorable days as a dispatcher came in late February of 2019 during blizzard-like conditions. A pileup on Interstate 41 near Neenah involved 131 vehicles, a 30-year-old Oshkosh man was killed and 71 others were injured. The Sheriff’s Office later released some of the audio from the 911 calls where people sat helpless in their vehicles while others slammed into them. Dave says they took 155 calls that day. He remembers thinking, “Why are people driving?” (Thanks to Brad Anthony of Brad Anthony’s Rippin’ Good Radio Show for help on the story and the photo).
TIPS FOR TENANTS WHO ARE MOVING
The state’s Administrator for the Division of Trade and Consumer Protection has some tips for those people moving in or out of apartments. Michelle Reinen says they see a lot of college students moving in this time of year. If you happen to be moving out of an apartment she recommends doing a walk through with your landlord before any deductions are made to your security deposit. She also recommends taking photos or video to document how you are leaving that property. Another good tip is to provide your landlord with your new address so you don’t have a delay in getting your security deposit back. As for moving in she recommends notifying your new landlord with a list of defects within seven days of moving in. Get information about who does the maintenance and how to contact them and read the lease thoroughly to understand what is required of you.
CHAMBER EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT HAS A LOVE OF THE COMMUNITY
Sometimes you have to wait for the right job to come along and that might have been the case for the Ripon Area Chamber of Commerce’s new executive assistant Whitney Kuhn. Chamber Executive Director Mandy Kimes says Whitney comes to the Chamber with 15 years of banking experience, but she wanted to become more involved in the community which the Chamber can give her the opportunity to do. Kimes says it is only a part-time position, but it is an important one that will keep Whitney busy. Kimes says Whitney has been doing a great job for them. Whitney is married and has two children. (Ripon Area Chamber of Commerce photo)
SURFACE WATER GRANT PROGRAM
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources will be awarding more than $6 million to local groups to protect and improve surface water. Interested and eligible organizations are encouraged to apply for a surface water grant. A pre-application, must be submitted by September 15th to compete for a grant in November. The grant program leverages money from the state conservation fund’s water resources account to help local communities accelerate water protection and restoration efforts across Wisconsin. Activities eligible for funding include organizational capacity building. Educational programs on surface water, data collection and ecological assessments, lake and river management planning, water quality improvement, habitat restoration projects, aquatic invasive species prevention and control, conservation easements and land acquisition. Pre-application forms can be found under the “Applying” tab on the DNR’s Surface Water Grants Program webpage. Right-click the link to Surface Water Grant Application Form 8700-284 and download or “save as” to create a copy of the form on your computer. Open the form and fill out the sections labeled “pre-application.”
DNR Accepting Pre-Applications For 2025 Surface Water Grants | Wisconsin DNR
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