2/14/23 Hometown Broadcasting News Tuesday
14 February 2023 News
Improperly Discarded Smoking Materials Blamed for FDL Fire
Fond du Lac firefighters responded to a fire Monday night at a residential treatment center for people recovering from addictions. Just before 6 pm Fond du Lac Fire and Rescue was dispatched to The Blandine House at 25 North Park Avenue for smoke coming from a kitchen wall toward the back of the building. Fire crews attacked the wall from the kitchen and the outside of the building. They found a smoldering fire. Part of the basement ceiling also had to be torn up. The building was evacuated for about 90 minutes. The cause of the blaze was smoking materials that were discarded on the deck attached to the back of the building.
Green Lake County Administrative Positions
The Green Lake County Board last month approved the hiring of a Corporation Counsel and this month will consider creating a Director of Finance position. Supervisor Luke Dretske says they’ve been operating with an interim Corporation Counsel, but Jeffrey Mann who is currently with Winnebago County will start for Green Lake County in April. He says there’s been a delay on a lot of business that should have been conducted. Dretske is also in favor of having a Finance Director for the county. He says that office will be more transparent to the public. He says finances weren’t handled well in the past, something that became apparent when new County Administrator Cate Wylie started taking a look at how the county operated and what she had to work with.
Ripon Common Council Preview
The Ripon Common Council tonight will be asked to approve two items on its agenda for future construction projects. The Council will consider approving a financial agreement with the state for reconstruction of State Highway 23 in 2030. Federal and State Funds will pay for most of the $5.8 million in costs for the project with the city’s share projected at $228,000. The Council will also consider approving the annexation of 47.2 acres of land in the Town of Ripon. At least 10 acres of that land will be the site for a new operations center for Alliant Energy/Wisconsin Power and Light. The Council will also hold a public hearing and then consider approving vacating a portion of Tygert Street. The Council meets at 7 pm in the Council Chambers of the Ripon City Hall.
Free COVID Test Kits
The state’s Department of Health Services tells us Wisconsin households can now get two free at-home COVID-19 self-test kits every month through the Say Yes! COVID Test website. Each test kit includes five rapid antigen tests for a total of 10 self-tests. Self-testing allows for quick results to help people make decisions about their health to prevent spreading the virus to others and protect the health of their community. Since the start of the program last September, more than 1.6 million test kit orders have been placed with orders being delivered to every Wisconsin county. Households can place an order once per month and ordering reopens the first of every month. Those without reliable internet access or who have questions about ordering can dial 211 or 877-947-2211 for assistance.
Peddlin’ in the Park
Green Lake Greenways will hold its first annual “Peddlin in the Park” fundraiser at Murray Park in Ripon this Saturday. It’s an event for both fat tire and mountain bikes. Greenways President Howard Hansen says the popularity of fat tire bikes is growing in the Midwest and the event is a way for people to raise money for Lauree’s Trail and get a little exercise. The cost is $20 per adult, $10 for kids under 16 with registration beginning at 9 am that morning. The race will start off at 11 am with different classes for women and men 16 and over, kids under 16, and there’s a relay event. Each lap is 1.5 miles with most events being 3 laps. There will be awards, food, beverages, and music. Helmets are required to race.
Agricultural Showcase
An organizer of 19th Annual Fond du Lac Area Agriculture Showcase says they are hoping to return to the attendance level they used to see pre-COVID-19. Amy Ries is the Director of Agricultural Programs for Envision Greater Fond du Lac. She says the event will be from 9 am to 2 pm on Saturday, March 4th at the Fond du Lac County Fairgrounds Expo Building. The cost is $5 for adults with those 10 and under getting in free. People will be able to sample beer, wine, cheese, and sausage. There will be plenty of educational activities and fun for the kids. There will also be freezer meal cooking classes taught by Katie Grinstead of Katie’s Kitchen is Cooking with Epicure. Registration for that is $15 but it includes all the ingredients needed for a meal that will serve a family of four to six, and you get to take the meal home with you. If you would like to register for one of those classes visit the Envision website and click on the Events tab.
FDL County Board Preview
Fond du Lac County supervisors tonight will consider spending up to $50,000 of the county’s American Rescue Plan Act funds to pay for administrative services to contract for consulting services to determine eligible uses of ARPA funding and compliance of ARPA reporting. Three other resolutions on the county board agenda have to do with ARPA spending including $1.5 million to upgrade the county’s communications equipment and $580,000 to upgrade and repair the county’s landfill. The county board meets at 6 pm in the legislative chambers of the City-County Government Center in Fond du Lac.
Spring Fish and Wildlife Hearings
The Wisconsin Conservation Congress and Department of Natural Resources invite the public to get involved in April during the annual spring hearing public input opportunity. The spring hearings focus on natural resources-related questions and proposed rule changes. They will again be held in a virtual format, as they have been since 2020. This year’s online questionnaire will be open from April 10th at noon through April 13th at noon via the Wisconsin Conservation Congress Spring Hearing webpage. New this year will be open houses in each county to allow the public to ask questions and learn about resource management in their neck of the woods. Open houses will be held from April 3rd through April 6th. More details will be made available on the DNR’s Events Calendar and Spring Hearing webpage as soon as details are finalized.
Team Trivia Event in Oshkosh
The Oshkosh Area School District Education Foundation will host its ninth annual Trivia Night Fundraiser on Friday, February 24th at the Hilton Garden Inn in Oshkosh. The event is open to the public, and pre-registration is preferred. The evening will feature team trivia at 7 pm, 50/50 and gift basket raffles, and other prizes, with the doors opening at 6:15 pm. All are welcome to participate. The cost of trivia is $100 per team with an 8-person maximum. Cash bar will be available. The pre-registration deadline is next Tuesday. However, walk-ins are welcomed if tables are available. Pre-registration can be completed online. This is a non-sanctioned trivia event. Prizes will be awarded to the 1st, 2nd, and Best Team Theme/Costume.
2023 Trivia Night Registration Form (google.com)
Sturgeon Report Day Three
Day three of the sturgeon spearing season was a slow day with the warm temperatures. The total number of fish taken on the Winnebago system was 127, with 100 from Lake Winnebago and 27 from the Upriver lakes. Over the weekend many spearers pulled their shacks from both Lake Winnebago and the Upriver lakes with a forecast of continued warm temperatures and rain. The largest fish taken Monday was a female speared just off of downtown Oshkosh. Joe Sheilds speared a fish weighing 125.6 pounds. It measured 73.4 inches in length. Five sturgeon weighing over 100 pounds have been registered at the Oshkosh registration station. Today the Quinney registration station on Lake Winnebago and the Poygan registration station on the Upriver lakes will be closed. If you planned on registering your fish there, you will have to head to the next closest registration station.
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