1/26/23 Hometown Broadcasting News Thursday
26 January 2023 News
Referendum Passage Well Timed
A referendum passed by Ripon Area School District voters last November will help the district overcome a transition in funding over the next few years. District Business Manager Jonah Adams says federal funding that aided districts through the pandemic is coming to an end and the deadline for using what are known as Esser Funds is December of 2024. Adams says this school year the federal funding for a school breakfast and lunch program ended. Adams says they held onto some of the federal funds but over the last couple of years the state froze aid to schools so there were no increases in state funding while costs went up. He says that was apparently an attempt to give tax payers a break during the pandemic. In November voters passed a referendum allowing the district to exceed its revenue cap by $850,000 a year for six years. Adams says that will help during a time when they are uncertain about the funding they will receive from the federal and state government.
Baby Theresa Investigators To Be Honored
A Dodge County Sheriff’s Sergeant and the County’s Medical Examiner will be recognized next month for their hard work on the “Baby Theresa” case. For Sergeant Vickie Brugger it will be the second time she has received the Dodge County Law Enforcement Officer of the Year award during her career with the department. Medical Examiner P.J. Schoebel will be awarded the Public Safety Executive of the Year honor for his efforts in the cold case. “Baby Theresa” was a newborn baby whose body was found in a garbage bag in a secluded area in the Town of Theresa in 2009. Last September the baby’s mother Karin Luttinen of Milwaukee was sentenced to six months in jail for concealing the child’s death. Brugger and Schoebel will receive their awards during the Dodge County Executive Law Enforcement Association Banquet.
Kitchen Fire in FDL
Fond du Lac firefighters responded to a kitchen fire at 171 East Johnson Street last night. Just before 7:30 Fond du Lac Fire and Rescue were dispatched to the residence where they saw smoke and fire outside a rear window of a lower apartment. The blaze was quickly extinguished but caused moderate damage to the lower apartment and there was light smoke damage to an apartment above it. Fire department officials say people were in the lower apartment at the time of the fire and were cooking on a stove when the fire broke out. No one was injured including a dog that was rescued from the upper apartment.
Ripon Man Charged With Fourth OWI
A 28-year-old Ripon man pulled over in Ripon early last Sunday morning is charged with his fourth operating while intoxicated offense. Taylor Thiel is also charged with operating while revoked. He made his initial appearance in Fond du Lac County court on Tuesday. He posted a $500 cash bond and will return to court on April 13th for a preliminary hearing. According to the criminal complaint he was pulled over shortly after 2 am on Jackson Street near Watson Street for not having his headlights or taillights on. Thiel was arrested after field sobriety testing. He was convicted of his third OWI in Green Lake County last March and was ordered to serve 90 days in jail and was fined.
Unemployment Rate Remains Low in Area Counties
The unemployment rate fell below 2 percent in a couple of area counties in December. According to Federal Labor statistics the unemployment rate in Fond du Lac County was at 1.8 percent last month, 1.9 percent in Winnebago County, and 2 percent in Dodge and Columbia counties. The jobless rate for Waupaca County was 2.2 percent, 2.7 percent for Green Lake County, and 3 percent in Waushara County. In December the unemployment rate in the City of Oshkosh was 1.9 percent and it was at 2.2 percent for Fond du Lac County. State officials say jobless rates declined or stayed the same in 45 of the Wisconsin’s 72 counties.
EAA Turns 70 Today
The Experimental Aircraft Association celebrates its 70th anniversary today. Three dozen Milwaukee-area aviation enthusiasts organized EAA on January 26th, 1953. Today it has more than 270,000 members, the most ever, and 900 local chapters focused on growing participation in aviation. EAA CEO and Chairman of the Board Jack Pelton says, “EAA’s founder, the late Paul Poberezny often said that he never expected this little Milwaukee airplane club to grow into what it has become, but it tapped into a basic aspiration-the freedom to fly.” Today, EAA provides programming to engage people of all ages with aviation. It is also known worldwide for its annual fly-in convention, EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, which attracts more than 10,000 aircraft and a total attendance surpassing 600,000 to Oshkosh in late July each year.
Congressman Grothman On Biden Southern Border Visit
Congressman Glenn Grothman says President Biden’s visit to our southern border with Mexico to learn more about the illegal immigrant crisis was perfunctory in nature. The federal lawmaker from Glenbeulah has been to that border numerous times. He says if you really want to find out how bad the problem is you need to talk with border patrol agents. He says one of the biggest problems is the number of unaccompanied minors who are crossing over the border illegally. He says ranchers and homeowners are afraid of those coming in and there are 8,000 to 9,000 unaccompanied minors coming in a month. Biden’s brief visit to El Paso earlier this month was tightly controlled and did not include speaking with any migrants at a respite center or along his motorcade route.
Ballweg Pleased With Committee Assignments
State Senator Joan Ballweg says she is very pleased with the committee assignments she received for the next two years. Senator Ballweg will serve on the Joint Finance Committee, and will Chair the Committee on Agriculture and Tourism. She says the Agriculture and Tourism have a big role in lives of those living in the 14th State Senate District. She is also a member of the Committees on Mental Health, Substance Abuse Prevention, Children & Families, Universities & Revenue and the State Building Commission. The state lawmaker from Markesan says she has served on committees in both the Senate and Assembly that worked on Mental Health, Substance Abuse Prevention and Children and Families issues. New State Senator Jesse James will chair that committee. She will no longer be serving on a Natural Resources Committee.
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