Hometown Broadcasting News Monday 7/26/21
26 July 2021 News
Koenigs Resigns As Sturgeon Biologist
Ryan Koenigs made it official Thursday resigning as the DNR’s top sturgeon biologist after being convicted of charges in Calumet and Winnebago counties for his role in the illegal processing of sturgeon eggs into caviar. Thursday he pled no contest in Calumet County court to a charge of obstructing a conservation warden and was fined $500. He was convicted of the same charge in Winnebago County last month and paid a $50 fine. Koenigs was suspected of removing sturgeon eggs from a lab and turning them into caviar, which was given to DNR employees, friends and processors. He had been the DNR’s lead sturgeon biologist for the Lake Winnebago System since 2012.
Two Injured In Washington County House Explosion
Two people were severely burned when a house exploded in Washington County Friday night. Both were residents of the home in the 3100 block of Norman Drive in the Town of Barton. Both were taken to a local hospital and then were flown to a regional burn unit. The residence was severely damaged by fire, smoke and water and was a total loss. Preliminary estimates put the damage at over $300,000. There was minor damage to a neighboring home. Thirteen fire departments assisted in fighting the fire. The cause of the explosion and fire is being investigated.
Highway 49 Project Starts In Brandon
The state’s Department of Transportation reminds drivers construction begins today in the Village of Brandon in Fond du Lac County for the State Highway 49 project. Highway 49 will remain open using lane closures and flagging operations in the work zone. There may be short durations when access to side streets and driveways is restricted for pavement operations. The contractor will notify property owners 48 hours in advance of any driveway restriction. The $307,635 project will resurface one mile of State Highway 49 between County Highway TC and the western Brandon village limits.
Question About Johnson And Johnson Vaccine Effectiveness
Is the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine less effective against the Delta variant of the coronavirus? Ripon Community COVID-19 Task Force member Jeff Puhlmann-Becker suggests that it may in fact be less effective than its counterparts from Pfizer and Moderna. But he says people shouldn’t take stock in that report because it didn’t involve much testing and hasn’t been reviewed by those who would be in the know. He says there would be some differences between vaccines that involve multiple doses, but he again stresses there hasn’t been enough peer review of the study to jump to that conclusion.
Wellness Center COVID Precautions
The Ripon Medical Center’s Wellness Center returned to full time hours on July 6th, but some precautions remain in place for COVID-19. The Athletic Training Lead for the Ripon Medical Center Chris Schattschneider says because they are attached to a medical center they have to keep the safety of patients in mind and some of the people they see at the Wellness Center are there for physical therapy recovering from surgery. He says they try to limit the number of people in the Wellness Center to 10 at any one time. He says it depends on the social distancing. There is also a self-screening procedure and masking.
Ripon Vacation Bible School
The Ripon Vacation Bible School is taking measures to ensure children taking the program are protected from the COVID-19 virus while they participate. Sue Mokler is with Ripon VBS. She says last year because of the pandemic they put together packet handouts, but did not hold an in-person event at one of the five participating churches. Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church in Ripon will host the program this year. She says to limit the number of children in contact with each other they will hold two sessions Sunday August 1st through Tuesday, August 3rd and Wednesday, August 4th through Friday, August 6th. They also will not be serving an evening meal, but will have snacks. The theme for this year’s Vacation Bible School is “Rocky Railway Jesus Powers Us Through.” To register check the VBS website riponvbs.org or call the church at 920-748-5433.
Oshkosh Police Department Reaccreditation
The Oshkosh Police Department’s on-site re-accreditation assessment will August 2nd through August 4th. The assessment is being conducted by an Accreditation Team from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies. The purpose of the on-site is to re-examine the Oshkosh Police Department its compliance to 459 professional standards of Law Enforcement. The Oshkosh Police Department obtained initial accreditation in 1994. A public information session will be held at 5:30 pm on Monday, August 2nd at the police department.
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