12/4/24 Hometown Broadcasting News Wednesday
4 December 2024 News
FDL STOLEN VEHICLE CHASE
Fond du Lac Police Sunday night arrested an 18-year-old Fond du Lac County resident after two pursuits involving a stolen vehicle. He was taken into custody after crashing the stolen vehicle and is being held in the Fond du Lac County Jail on several felony charges. The vehicle was stolen from Ripon. Fond du Lac Police spotted the vehicle at 10:44 pm in Fond du Lac and it fled from a traffic stop. It was spotted later in Fond du Lac and an officer successfully deployed a tire deflation device. The stolen vehicle continued into Lakeside Park but was unable to negotiate a curve and crashed into some trees. He was taken into custody. Fond du Lac Fire and Rescue transported him to St. Agnes Hospital where he was treated for minor injuries and released. He was then taken to the County Jail. He is facing two counts of fleeing an officer, vehicle theft, second degree recklessly endangering safety, three counts of felony bail jumping, and an operating while revoked charge. The Sheriff’s Office assisted Fond du Lac Police. The State Patrol is investigating the crash.
TRAFFIC STOP YIELDS DRUG AND WEAPON CHARGES
A man and woman from Fond du Lac are facing drug and other charges for a traffic stop last month in the area of Pioneer Road and South Main Street in the City of Fond du Lac. A Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s deputy pulled the vehicle over the evening of November 25th for equipment violations. A 39-year-old woman was driving the vehicle and a 39-year-old man was her passenger. During the stop Sheriff’s K9 Iro was deployed and he alerted for the presence of illegal narcotics in the vehicle. Deputies searched it and found nine crack pipes, eleven push rods, glass beakers, and drug paraphernalia with crack cocaine residue. A loaded .380 handgun was found in the glove compartment. At the jail the woman confessed to having drugs concealed on her person and 28 grams of cocaine was found. In addition to drug charges she is facing a carrying a concealed weapon charge, and numerous traffic citations. The man, who has a criminal history involving firearms and narcotics related crimes dating back to 2001, is facing drug charges, a felon in possession of a firearm charge, a probation violation, and more. (Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s photo).
COLUMBIA COUNTY DRUG ARRESTS
Three people were arrested on drug and probation violation charges in what started as a possible theft complaint in Columbia County’s Town of Dekorra last Friday. While a deputy was investigating the complaint at a residence the deputy had contact with a resident, 44-year-old Michael Billinghurst of rural Poynette who appeared to be under the influence of controlled substances. He was wanted on warrants and was arrested. A Sheriff’s Office K9 alerted to the presence of the odor of narcotics in the vehicle Billinghurst was in. Deputies found methamphetamine, marijuana and prescription drugs. Other residents of the home were contacted during the investigation. A subsequent search turned up approximately a half ounce of methamphetamine, fentanyl and additional drug paraphernalia. In addition to Billinghurst, 54-year-old Dawn Denman is facing drug and bail jumping charges. Forty-year-old Meagan Grunwald of Reedsburg was arrested on a probation violation.
SEX OFFENDER RELEASE IN WINNEBAGO COUNTY
A 49-year-old sex offender is moving to 853 West County Highway Y in the City of Oshkosh tomorrow. Scott Carpenter will be on GPS monitoring and under the supervision of the Department of Health Services with assistance from the Department of Corrections. He was convicted of first-degree sexual assault of a child in Winnebago County Court in September of 1995. His victim was an 11-year-old girl he knew. In May of 2004 he was judged to be a sexually violent person and was committed to a state living facility in Mauston. There are currently 606 registered sex offenders living in Winnebago County.
PROGRESS BEING MADE ON THEDACARE MEDICAL CENTER FDL CONSTRUCTION
Construction is progressing at the new ThedaCare health campus in Fond du Lac. The organization broke ground on the health campus in February. It will be known as ThedaCare Medical Center-Fond du Lac. The goal is to expand convenient access to care for those living in the northeast and central Wisconsin. The campus is located at 755 West Johnson Street and compliments community development underway. It is in a retail district near Interstate 41. Jenny Nikolai is vice president of ThedaCare Medical Centers-Fond du Lac and Oshkosh. She says demand for access to care is growing in Fond du Lac. The health campus in Fond du Lac is expected to open early next year. In addition work continues at ThedaCare Medical Center-Oshkosh. It is also expected to be complete in 2025.
PRELIMINARY GUN DEER HARVEST TOTALS
The Wisconsin DNR has released preliminary harvest figures for the 9-day gun-deer hunt. Hunters took 189,622 deer up 5.2 percent statewide from the 2023 season. Since the opening of the bow and crossbow seasons, Wisconsin hunters have registered 289,361 deer. This harvest is 8.7 percent ahead of the same time last year. The number of deer hunters increased with 553,652 hunters during the gun-deer season compared to 553,479 in 2023. Hunters in Fond du Lac County took a total of 2,502 deer this season, 2,304 in Green Lake County, 5,774 in Waupaca County, 4,529 in Waushara County, and 1,341 in Winnebago County. Hunters in Dodge County harvested 3,083 deer. More totals can be found on the DNR’s Deer Harvest Summary webpage. There was one non-fatal accident during the gun-deer season in Vernon County last Friday. It happened on private property. A 14-year-old boy was sitting in a tree stand with his father when they heard a gunshot from a distance. The man was hit in both feet. He was taken to a hospital for medical treatment. (Wisconsin DNR photo).
Wisconsin deer harvest summary | | Wisconsin DNR
FEDERAL BUDGET
Before Federal legislators break for the holidays, they have some unfinished business to conduct. Congressman Glenn Grothman says the new Federal Fiscal Year started October 1st and they still haven’t approved appropriation bills for the Federal Budget. He says the House has their version primarily finished, but they are waiting on the Senate. Funding for Federal Government operations has come in the form of several continuing resolutions this fall. The federal lawmaker from Glenbeulah says that will likely be the case again this month. He says the Farm Bill has been put off for quite a while because of differences between the House and Senate.
MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID CERTIFICATION
Fond du Lac’s Society of Human Resources Management will put on a Mental Health First Aid Certification program next month for Human Resources and other professionals. It will be from 9 am to 4 pm at C.D. Smith Construction in Fond du Lac on Tuesday, January 14th. Megan Blaine is a member of the Society’s Board of Directors. She says most leaders know what to do when someone is physically injured, but it is a different story when someone is suffering a mental health crisis. She says the certification session will be taught by professionals from Mental Health First Aid USA. She says they will provide information on how to recognize and respond to a mental health crisis. The cost to attend is $50 for Society members, $60 for Envision Greater Fond du Lac members, and $75 for non-members. Box lunches will be provided. To register visit the Envision website Events page for January.
CHARITABLE GIVING DURING THE HOLIDAYS
If you intend to be charitable this Holiday season make sure you do your research before giving. That’s the advice of Michelle Reinen the Administrator for the State’s Division of Trade and Consumer Protection. She points out scammers will use sound-a-like and look-a-like charitable pitches online to fill their out pockets. Sometimes they will send you or create a link that takes you to an imposter website. In addition to doing your research she suggests asking for more details about a charity, avoiding links and attachments, and avoiding using unsecure payment methods. She says it is best to use a credit card or writing a check so you have a record of the payment. There are several websites where you can check on a charity’s legitimacy such as Give.org and Charity Navigator.org.
CMFDL SNOWFLAKE SPECTACULAR
The Children’s Museum of Fond du Lac’s annual event, renamed this year as the Snowflake Spectacular, will be held on Saturday, December 14th. Families are invited to experience the magic of the season. From 9 am to noon guests can cozy up with a warm cup of free cocoa or coffee, and enjoy free donuts made on-site. Santa Claus will be there for children to meet and share their holiday wishes. The Festival Foods Cookie Shop will offer a hands-on opportunity for children to decorate their own holiday cookies. There will also be a chance to write letters to Santa, which will be personally replied to before Christmas. The museum is open until 4 pm. Admission to the Snowflake Spectacular is free for members and $10 for non-members. No registration is required.
Share |