8/2/22 Hometown Broadcasting News Tuesday
2 August 2022 News
COVID 19 Update
Wisconsin’s Department of Health Services Monday reported 4,196 new COVID-19 cases since last Friday. The 7-day rolling average for new cases dipped slightly to 1,755 cases a day. But the positivity rate for new cases remains high at 15.1 percent. That is the highest since January when the omicron variant was surging. For the first time since last February the number of people hospitalized due to the coronavirus is above 500. The Wisconsin Hospital Association yesterday reported 519 COVID patients in hospitals across the state with 81 of them in intensive care units. There were also 7 deaths over the weekend.
Winnebago County reported 123 new COVID-19 cases over the weekend. Fond du Lac County had 113 cases and Dodge County had 48 new cases. Five new cases were recorded in Green Lake County, Waupaca County had 34 new cases, and 12 new cases of the coronavirus were reported in Waushara County.
No Parachutist Found
Town of Ripon Police checked out a report over the weekend from a resident south of the city who thought they saw a parachutist coming down. A visual ground search was made of the area of Radio Road, State Highway 44, and County Highway KK. Nothing was located. An aerial inspection was also made of that area but that also turned up nothing. EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh did feature some parachutists last week.
Neenah Foundry Layoffs Announced
The Neenah Foundry has informed the state that up to 115 employees will be laid off starting in late September. That news comes on the heels of the foundry being bought by a North Carolina company. The state’s Department of Workforce Development received notification from Neenah Foundry saying the company is selling off some of its heavy truck part sales and manufacturing. The layoffs will begin September 27th or October 10th at the latest. It will affect 104 production workers, 4 production supervisors, and 7 corporate staff. Neenah Foundry says the company will continue its operations in Neenah.
Waushara County Campground Redevelopment Could Impact Endangered Species
The Wisconsin DNR is proposing to issue a permit for the incidental taking of a rare lizard, which may result from the Camp Napowan project in Waushara County. Incidental take refers to the unintentional loss of individual endangered or threatened animals or plants that does not put the species’ overall population at risk. Gateway House, Incorporated proposes to redevelop an existing Boy Scouts of America campground into a privately owned campground Camp Napowan. The state endangered slender glass lizard is confirmed in the vicinity of the project site. DNR staff determined that the proposed project may result in the incidental taking of some lizards, but is not likely to impact the survival or recovery of the species.
Ten Million Doses
Governor Tony Evers and the state’s Department of Health Services Monday announced that more than 10 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in the state, including over 2.5 million additional and booster doses. More than 60 percent of all state residents have completed their COVID-19 vaccine series and 35 percent have received an additional or booster dose. Data continues to show that COVID-19 vaccines are doing their job by preventing severe illness, hospitalization, and death. The DHS urges all state residents to get a booster dose as soon as they become eligible. COVID-19 therapeutics also are effective at preventing the severity of the virus if you do test positive.
JIF Peanut Butter Recall Over
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say the outbreak of salmonella infections linked to certain JIF peanut butter products is over. The outbreak triggered a massive recall in May. The FDA has also completed its investigation. The peanut butter products linked to the outbreak were produced at a J.M. Smucker Company facility in Lexington, Kentucky. J.M. Smucker Company voluntarily recalled certain JIF brand peanut butter products that had lot code numbers 1274425 through 2140425 and the first seven digits ended with 425. The FDA is preparing a report to share its findings.
National Night Out Celebrations
The Berlin Police Department will host Green Lake County’s celebration of National Night Out from 4 to 7 pm tonight at Riverside Park. Law enforcement agencies in the county take their turn hosting the annual event. Green Lake County Chief Deputy Matt Vande Kolk says people will be able to see all kinds of law enforcement and emergency vehicles and the ThedaStar helicopter. He says the Sheriff’s Office will have some vehicles and specialized units there as well including their drone unit, combined tactical unit, a small patrol boat, their K9s and more. Fond du Lac County’s National Night Out celebration is from 4 to 7 pm at the County Fairgrounds in Fond du Lac. Dodge County will have their celebration from 5 to 8 pm at the Reeseville Firemens’ Park.
Lauree’s Legacy
A ribbon cutting was held over the weekend for the middle section of Lauree’s Trail the multipurpose trail that will eventually connect Ripon and Green Lake. The middle section will be known as the “Oberreich Foundation Mile” due to the $150,000 donation from the Oberreich Fund for completion of that one-mile section of the trail. Green Lake Greenways has been working on the trail named after Lauree Renaud since 2008. Greenways President Howard Hansen says Lauree also was an advocate for walking to school and bicycle safety for kids. Hansen says they will be fundraising for the third phase of the trail, but that will take some time to accomplish. He says eventually when the trail is complete they are thinking of naming a bicycling event that uses the trail in honor of Renaud.
AirVenture Well Attended
EAA AirVenture 2022 will go down in the books as one of the best attended and perhaps most enjoyed fly-ins yet. Dick Knapinski of EAA says more than 650,000 people attended and over 12,000 planes flew in for the convention.He says they probably also had over 18,000 aircraft movements through the final day on Sunday. He says their goal this year was to accommodate all aircraft that wanted to land at Wittman Regional Airport and they had 178 rows of aircraft. People enjoyed the unique aircraft, daily air shows, and many say you can’t top the fireworks that AirVenture put on Wednesday and Saturday. EAA AirVenture 2023 will be held at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh July 24th through July 30th.
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