1/6/25 Hometown Broadcasting News Monday
6 January 2025 News
FRIENDSHIP MAN SHOOTS AT COLUMBIA COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPUTIES
A 62-year-old Friendship man is being held in the Columbia County Sheriff’s Jail after exchanging gunfire with Sheriff’s deputies on Interstate 39 Saturday night. It was the culmination of a pursuit that began when a Sheriff’s deputy spotted Richard O’Hara’s truck on I-90/94. Adams County had provided information O’Hara was intoxicated, armed, and was threatening suicide by cop. It led to a pursuit at high speeds. A Columbia County Sheriff’s deputy put out a tire deflation device which was effective, but O’Hara’s truck continued onto northbound I-39 before entering a ditch. Deputies conducted a high-risk traffic stop. O’Hara fired a firearm at deputies but didn’t hit anyone. Three Sheriff’s deputies returned fire but did not hit him. A Sheriff’s lieutenant negotiated with O’Hara, and he eventually surrendered. His firearm was recovered at the scene. He was taken to the Columbia County Jail. Several civilian vehicles struck the spikes on the tire deflation device while it was in the roadway.
WINNEBAGO COUNTY DEATH INVESTIGATION UPDATE
Winnebago County Sheriff’s officials Friday confirmed the death of a father and son at a town of Poygan home last October was a murder-suicide. The two dead men were found at a home in the 7000 block of Quigley Road. There was a domestic situation between 61-year-old Richard Davis and his 26-year-old son Alexander Davis. An autopsy revealed Alexander died of multiple stab wounds and Richard died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Investigators believe Richard killed his son and then committed suicide. A 911 caller reported finding their bodies to the County Communications Center at 5:36 pm Sunday, October 13th. Deputies and first responders responded to the home and found their bodies. The two men had been living together in the home. The Sheriff’s Department extended its condolences to the Davis family and their friends.
AI CHILD PORN POSSESSION SUSPECT BOUND OVER FOR TRIAL
A 20-year-old Taycheedah man charged with seven counts of possession of viral child pornography has been bound over for trial. The charges are based on a new law. Meillo Schneider is also charged with one count of resisting or obstructing an officer for putting up a struggle when he was taken into custody. He was in Fond du Lac County Court Friday for a preliminary hearing. According to the criminal complaint the investigation began last September 27th after the Sheriff’s Office received a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children which had received information from Amazon Photos Trust and Safety Team on April 12th. Three other cyber tips had been reported about Schneider. A search warrant was obtained for Schneider’s residence. As a result a Sheriff’s detective reviewed thousands of photo files of anime and artistic renderings of child sexual abuse. Some of the images were AI generated and the detective couldn’t distinguish if some were real or AI generated. They included images of infants and pre-pubescent children being sexually assaulted by adults.
CHIMNEY FIRE IN TOWN OF GREEN LAKE
The Markesan Fire Department responded to a chimney fire Saturday at N2772 Welk Road in the Town of Green Lake. Upon arrival they found flames visible in the roof line around the chimney. To gain access to the fire extension, the interior ceiling and exterior roof required holes to be cut. The home sustained fire and water damage in the chimney area, as well as additional smoke damage. Firefighters were on the scene for approximately 3 hours. No injuries were reported.
EMBATTLED FDL SCHOOLS SUPERINTENDENT RETIRING
Fond du Lac Schools Superintendent Dr. Jeffrey Fleig who came under fire in recent months has announced he is retiring on June 30th. In a letter to parents Friday he said he’s planning to retire to prioritize his family, as his son is a Division 1 swimmer at Arizona State and is preparing for the 2028 Olympic Trials. In the letter Fleig said, “My mission in the Fond du Lac School District is complete. I am grateful to the community, the administrative team, the superintendent’s office staff, and all staff members for your unwavering support. It has been a true privilege to serve alongside you.” In recent months former teachers and community members accused him of belittling teachers and telling them they could be fired at the end of the year. Complaints were mostly based on an October 15th meeting at Woodworth Middle School. A former 7th Grade teacher at the school, Amy Lubin, says Fleig told teachers the school was an embarrassment to the district and embraced a culture of failures of toxic behaviors. She says Dr. Fleig told the staff half of them would not be renewed or would be transferred to another school after the school year.
RIPON TAXI SERVICE DISCUSSIONS WILL CONTINUE
Ripon City Administrator Adam Sonntag says discussions will continue with the Common Council about the shared ride taxi service. Over the past year the deficit for operating the taxi service has grown from $165,000 to about $322,000. Sonntag says the fact is ridership has been declining since before the pandemic while costs have continued to rise. During a Common Council meeting in November they talked about ways to cut costs including cutting hours of operation and the number of taxis on the road and increasing rates. He says state and federal funding for taxi services has shrunk over the years from 70 percent to 54.7 percent. He says with a shared ride program the city is supposed to be contributing a match for state and federal funds but has not been diligent about it. Sonntag points out in the 2025 City Budget they included the taxi service allocating $60,000 toward it this year. He says that won’t solve the financial deficit for the taxi service. He says they would never cut the service altogether because there are residents who depend on the taxi service for transportation.
STRATEGY SESSIONS FOR COMMUNITY HEALTH IMPROVEMENT PLAN
The Fond du Lac County Health Department is encouraging residents to participate in strategy discussions for the 2025-2027 Community Health Improvement Plan. The 2024 Community Health Assessment identified three priorities: Mental Health, Substance Use and Healthcare Access. The Health Department and SSM Health Greater Fond du Lac, in collaboration with Healthy Fond du Lac County partners, are hosting 3 community strategizing discussions. All three will be held at the Radisson Hotel and Conference Center in Fond du Lac. The session on Mental Health will be on Monday, January 13th. A session on Substance Use is on Tuesday, January 14th, and a session on Healthcare Access is on Thursday, January 16th. All three sessions are from 8 to 10 am in the morning. They are free to attend and open to the public. A light breakfast will be available at 7:30 each morning. Registration is available online.
Let’s Mobilize Health in Our Community – Strategizing our 2025-2027 CHIP
UNFUNDED MANDATES
The superintendent of the Berlin Area School District says unfunded mandates from the Federal and State Government are something every school district has to deal with, but the Berlin School District is at a bit of a disadvantage. Emmett Durtschi says one of those mandates is to see to the needs of students with disabilities. He says that’s more expensive and they have twice as much percentage of students than the state average for a school district. Namely 22 percent versus the state average of 11 percent. Durtschi says Act 20, a new literacy education law, is another unfunded mandate they are dealing with this school year. He says questions about unfunded mandates came up during information sessions for last November’s unsuccessful operational referendum. He notes public schools have many more unfunded mandates to deal with than private schools.
CHAMBER REMAINS BUSY
Ripon Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Mandy Kimes says it may appear after last month’s Dickens of a Christmas celebration that things slow down for the chamber with the beginning of a New Year. But she says that is far from the truth because the first few months they have business members renewing their annual membership. Beyond that they are seeing to business and visitor requests. Kimes says she’s looking forward to next month’s “Love Local” campaign which they initiated in February of last year. It proved to be very popular. She says the aim of that campaign was to educate people about the power of the dollar and how it goes much farther when they spend in their own community.
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