4/4/25 Hometown Broadcasting News Friday
4 April 2025 News
ZEROS THE HEROES
Posted on the Ripon Area School District and Ripon Police Department Facebook pages was this photo of Ripon School Resource Officers Lindsey Michels and Bradley Rasmussen who are always willing to go above and beyond for kids! The two Zeros the Heroes visited Barlow Park Elementary 4K students to celebrate 100 days of school.
DETAILS ON FINDING SOPHIA FRANKLIN
Beaver Dam Police Thursday morning released more information about locating the pregnant 17-year-old Beaver Dam girl who was the subject of an Amber Alert. Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office notified them at 11:40 pm Wednesday night that they had responded to a possible sighting of Sophia Franklin just south of Omaha, Nebraska. According to police a woman at a truck stop had a conversation with Sophia and felt something was off. The woman found pictures of Sophia and 40-year-old Gary Day online and called 911. Sheriff’s deputies made contact with Sophia who was with a man matching Day’s description. Deputies confirmed their identities and took Day into custody. Sophia, who is 5 months pregnant, was taken to a hospital. She and the fetus were fine and Sophia was then taken to a secure facility to wait to be reunited with her family. Her father and another relative traveled to Nebraska Thursday and Sophia is expected to be home today. Meanwhile Day, who is believed to be the father of Sophia’s unborn child, is being held in the Sarpy County Jail on a $5,000 cash bond on five charges including contributing to delinquency of a child, false reporting, and 3 counts of being a fugitive from justice. He’s also facing charges in Wisconsin. Day had ditched the vehicle they were traveling in and they were hitching a ride in a semi in Nebraska.
TWO BOATERS MISSING ON THE WISCONSIN RIVER
Wisconsin Dells Police say the search for two missing boaters on the Wisconsin River will continue today. Just before 4:30 Thursday afternoon police received a report about a boat with three people in it that had capsized south of Kilbourn Dam. One person was able to swim back to shore. The two others disappeared under the water, near where the boat capsized. Multiple rescue boats were launched and dive teams from the Columbia County and Sauk County Sheriff’s Departments were asked to assist in the search. Due to the high flow of water from the Dam and fast-moving currents, the divers were not able to dive. Boats with sonar capabilities, aerial drones, shoreline searches, and an underwater drone were deployed as well. The search was suspended overnight. Names of the missing boaters were not released.
CHARGE DISMISSED AGAINST FORMER WCI EMPLOYEE
Dodge County’s District Attorney has dropped charges against one of the former Waupun Correctional workers arrested last summer. A felony misconduct in office charge against 42-year-old Jeramie Chalker of Brandon was dismissed Tuesday. He no longer faces any charges in connection with inmate deaths at the prison. Chalker met with investigators and told them he was instructed by his supervisor at the prison to fill out the rounds sheets, and that he was just following chain of command. District Attorney Andrea Will says dismissal of the charge was in the “interest of justice.” Former Warden Randall Hepp and several other former employees are still charged in connection with the prison deaths in Waupun.
WAUPACA COUNTY TRAFFIC DELAY
Update: State Highway 54 had been reopened.
Original story:
Waupaca County Sheriff’s officials say a traffic accident that caused significant damage to a power pole on State Highway 54 in Royalton Thursday could affect the morning commute. The highway was closed between State Highway 22/110 and County Highway B and could potentially this morning. Crews worked diligently to repair the pole to ensure safe travel. Drivers may experience delays this morning.
CHLORINE TASTE IN OSHKOSH WATER
The city of Oshkosh uses a combination of ozone and chlorine to disinfect its drinking water. This year the city is replacing the ozone system equipment at the Water Filtration Plant. During the project, there will be periods of time that the ozone system will be offline, and chlorine will be used as the primary water treatment method to meet disinfection regulations. The level of residual chlorine in the water will remain safe to drink, but some residents may notice an increased smell or taste of chlorine in their water. The first ozone system shutdown is planned to start Monday. The shutdown is expected to last a few weeks. As construction progresses the ozone system may be offline multiple times. The city will distribute information updates regarding the shutdown to the public as conditions change. To reduce the scent and taste of chlorine use a filter such as an activated carbon filter to remove residual chlorine. Pour water into a glass or pitcher and wait 15 to 20 minutes to evaporate chlorine or boil water for 15 minutes to evaporate chlorine.
RIPON LIBRARY PROJECT
Planning continues for the expansion and renovation of the Ripon Public Library. Ripon City Administrator Adam Sonntag says city residents will be able to see quick progress once it starts in June. He says they’ve been holding regular meetings with their new Library Director Alex Coggeshell and her staff to discuss the project. Sonntag says sometime this month they will let and approve bidding for the project which will bring new life to the library. The budget for the project will be from $2.5 to $2.8 million. Sonntag says they couldn’t have done as much with an original budget of $700,000 to $800,000 mostly from donations, but with a nearly $2 million state grant too they will be able to afford more. He says it will address some of the poor mechanicals and features of the library they couldn’t have.
FEDERAL WORKFORCE REDUCTIONS
Congressman Glenn Grothman supports President Trump’s effort to reduce the Federal workforce and cut the Education Department. The federal lawmaker from Glenbeulah says the federal workforce is bloated especially in the Washington, D.C. area and there are jobs that don’t justify the 40 hours a week they are getting paid for. He also feels the U.S. Education Department isn’t needed. He says money for special education programs and student loan programs will continue but won’t see the added paperwork and costs of administration by the U.S. Education Department. He believes cutting unnecessary jobs will help to do something about reducing inflation as well.
NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH WEEK
The Fond du Lac County Health Department next week will celebrate National Public Health Week by sharing information about their various health programs. County Public Health Officer Kim Mueller says supervisors for those programs will be doing videos that they will share on their Facebook page. She says it is all about shedding more light on what they do every day. American Public Health Association officials point out recent efforts in public health have led to the eradication of various disease in regions across the globe, and the expansion of vaccination programs to protect children and other adults. Those efforts have also secured funding for foundational public health services to address urgent needs like reproductive care, behavioral health and climate resilience.
LANDLORD/TENANT TRAINING IN DODGE COUNTY
The Dodge County Sheriff’s Office will be hosting free landlord/tenant training. The three-hour training will be open to Dodge County residents and focus on the screening process, leases, landlord and tenant rights and the eviction process. This training will be held on Wednesday, April 23rd at 6 pm in the auditorium on the first floor of the Dodge County Administration Building in Juneau. The speaker Corina Eufinger is a licensed Wisconsin Real Estate Broker and 4th generation rental investor with a deep-rooted passion for the power of real estate investing. The Dodge County Sheriff’s Office civil process team will also be on hand and be available to answer any questions the public may have regarding their services.
ENVISION’S LYMAN ONE OF 40 UNDER 40
Raina Lyman, Envision Greater Fond du Lac’s Senior Director of Economic Development, has been recognized as one of Insight’s 40 Under 40 honorees for 2025. The list highlights the most innovative and influential young professionals under the age of 40 who are having an impact in their respective industries and communities within Northeast Wisconsin. The 40 individuals were chosen by a selection committee out of nearly 150 nominations. Lyman joins an esteemed group of individuals who have demonstrated exceptional leadership and innovation. Profiles and portraits of each honoree will be featured in the June issue of Insight on Business. The portraits, created in collaboration with Image Studios, will be displayed in a special exhibit at The Art Garage in Green Bay May 30th through June 1st. The exhibit is open to all free of charge.
STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN MUSICAL THEATER PROGRAM
The Fox Cities Performing Arts Center in Appleton this week announced the 2024-25 Center State High School Musical Theater Program recognition recipients. Throughout the school year, more than 2,100 students from a record 34 local high schools in Northeast Wisconsin participated in the Center State High School Musical Theater Program. Education opportunities are provided all season long for students and educators to learn and grow together in their craft. Among the high school students from the area participating were students for Oshkosh North, Oshkosh West, Weyauwega-Fremont, and Winnebago Lutheran Academy.
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