1/9/25 Hometown Broadcasting News Thursday
9 January 2025 News
FRIENDSHIP MAN CHARGED FOR SHOOTING AT SHERIFF’S DEPUTIES
The 62-year-old Friendship man who fired shots at Columbia County Sheriff’s deputies during the culmination of a high-speed chase last Saturday night, made his initial court appearance yesterday. Bond was set at $100,000 cash for Richard O’Hara who was charged with attempted first-degree intentional homicide, vehicle operator fleeing an officer, operating a firearm while intoxicated, and carrying a concealed weapon. He has a preliminary hearing next Wednesday. No one was hurt during the incident. Sheriff’s officials say detectives recovered two handguns from O’Hara during the incident and shell casing fired by one of his handguns. The pursuit occurred after Adams County reported O’Hara was intoxicated, armed, and was threatening suicide by cop. It led to a pursuit at high-speed chases and culminated after O’Hara’s truck went over a tire deflation device on I-39. Shots were fired by both O’Hara and Columbia County Sheriff’s deputies during a high-risk traffic stop. (Columbia County Jail photo).
HIGH CLIFF STATE PARK VANDALISM
Friends of the High Cliff State Park are asking anyone with information about vandalism to the park’s iconic rock to report it to the DNR tip line. Someone recently defaced the cliffs by spray painting red and yellow graffiti on them. The 725-kilometer-long Niagara Escarpment from Wisconsin to Niagara Falls began its life as the bed of a tropical sea in Michigan around 450 million years ago. If you have any information you are urged to report it the DNR tip line. That phone number is 1-800-847-9367. (Friends of High Cliff State Park photo).
OSHKOSH SCHOOLS REFERENDUM
Voters in the Oshkosh School District will be asked to pass a referendum this April. The School Board voted 5 to 2 last night to approve an updated referendum after Winnebago County zoning changes prevented them from rebuilding South Park Middle School on its current site. That will affect where students will attend school in the near future. Oshkosh Schools Superintendent Brian Davis says it was challenging changing their facilities plan in three weeks. A revised plan keeps a lot of the original components the same. It will change locations for the proposed consolidated middle school. The original proposal would have involved rebuilding the 120-year-old building, but the new proposal moves the school to the Jacob Shapiro grounds which is a larger site. The new plan carries a cost of around $800,000 less than the original plan. Davis says there will be no increase in the tax levy if the referendum passes.
SPRING ELECTIONS
There will be a race for the Ripon Area School District Board of Education this April. Incumbents Betsy Heffernan and Gary Rodman have chosen to not seek another term, while incumbent Kelly Nielsen will seek another term. Joining Nielsen in the race are challengers Stepfanie Meeker, Chris Gatzke, and Jessica Stollfus. There are no seats coming up for election for the Ripon Common Council and three incumbents up for reelection to the Waupun Common Council are unchallenged. Voters in Fond du Lac County will also be voting for Fond du Lac County Executive, which is a four-year term. County Executive Sam Kaufman announced last fall he will be seeking another term.
LOTS OF ILLNESS GOING ON
Fond du Lac County Public Health Officer Kim Mueller says chances are if you’re not currently sick you might know someone who is. She says the common cold, flu, RSV, and COVID are making the rounds and unless you are tested it is tough to know what exactly is causing your illness. She recommends keeping you kids home from school if they are ill, and staying home from work if you’re not feeling well to lessen the chances of spreading what you or they have. Kids should be kept home for at least 24 hours from when they last had a fever. The other thing they’ve seen an increase in is norovirus, which is a type of stomach illness. She says it is more of an oral/fecal spread illness. A thorough handwashing with hot water and soap for at least 30 seconds is recommended for prevention or to lessen the spread of norovirus.
HOSPICE FRAUD
The Federal Trade Commission is reporting that scammers are targeting older adults with calls, texts, emails, fake ads, and even door-to-door visits-claiming they’ll set consumers up with free in-home services like free cooking, cleaning, and home health care. Michelle Reinen is the Administrator of the State’s Division of Trade and Consumer Protection. She says the scammers are targeting people who need hospice care as they near end-of-life. She says they want you to commit fraud by signing up for Medicare care. Then, they can bill Medicare for all kinds of services in your name. She says hospice care is a specialized service, often done at home for people with a terminal illness. She says only a doctor can certify whether you need it. If you’re signed up for hospice and don’t need it, it can affect your Medicare coverage in the future. She recommends never giving your Medicare number to someone offering “free” services, never agree to sign up for hospice care for perks or gifts, and know that Medicare will never come to your home to sign you up for services. If you think you identify hospice fraud, report it as soon as possible call 1-800-Medicare.
ENVISION UNIVERSITY
The creator of Envision Greater Fond du Lac’s “Envision University” says they have a full slate of programs this year with one offering each month. Tracy Qualmann is the Senior Director of Marketing and Communications at Envision. She also has more than 20 years of teaching experience with Marian University which is how she came up with the idea for “Envision University.” She says they began modestly with three courses in 2023. This month they are offering a course about the business value of analytics on Monday, January 27th. Other courses this year will touch upon Event Planning, Wills & Trusts, Mental Health and Suicide Awareness, Artificial Intelligence, Cyber incidents, Youth Apprenticeship, Identity Theft, and more. You can find a complete list under the programs tab at Envision’s website.
Envision University – Envision Greater Fond du Lac
HUD FUNDING ANNOUNCED
Officials with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development recently announced over $140 million in funding to 836 existing grantees through the Family Self Sufficiency Program. Wisconsin will receive over $1.5 million in funding. The program provides grants to public housing agencies and multifamily property owners to support the salary of program coordinators. The coordinators assist participating families to capitalize on their housing assistance by connecting them with training and services to improve their economic self-sufficiency. Among the agencies receiving the funding in Wisconsin is the Winnebago County Housing Authority which is getting $87,000.
MPTC BOOT CAMPS
Moraine Park Technical College is offering a unique tuition-free opportunity to gain entry-level skills in welding through the Manufacturing Skills Academy Boot Camps. Throughout the three-month program, attendees are paired with a local business partner where they combine classroom learning with a 144-hour paid internship to gain hands-on experience. All interested participants must attend an information session to participate in the MPTC boot camp opportunities. The last sessions for the Spring 2025 welding boot camp are on Monday, January 13th and Monday, January 27th at 9 am at the Fond du Lac Campus. Registration is required. Visit the MPTC website for more information. Since 2012, the boot camp program has helped over 400 community members start their careers in manufacturing, many remaining employed with their internship sponsor. MPTC boot camps are free for participants, thanks to financial support from community resource partners and the Workforce and Training grants.
Manufacturing Boot Camps – Moraine Park Technical College
PWC HOSTING PETALS AND PAINT NIGHT
The Professional Women’s Connection in Ripon has announced its upcoming event in February. Petals and Paint Night is scheduled February 20th from 5:30 to 7 pm at Mugs & More in Ripon. Women are invited to connect, create, and have fun. Led by Katie Lang, founder of Penny Peony Designs, this Paint-Your-Own Art Class offers a one-of-a-kind painting experience. Using acrylic paints, attendees will have the opportunity to design and paint their own garden paver-a perfect piece to take home or gift to a loved one. The event is designed to inspire creativity and build connections. The cost to attend is $35 per person, which includes all supplies, a garden paver to paint, and refreshments. Space is limited, and RSVPs are required by Tuesday, February 18th. To register or learn more about the event, please visit PWCWI.org.
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