4/27/23 Hometown Broadcasting News Thursday
27 April 2023 News
RECORD LOW UNEMPLOYMENT RATES
Wisconsin’s Department of Workforce Development says the state saw record low unemployment rates in 69 of the state’s 72 counties compared to rates for March data from previous years. According to federal labor statistics Winnebago County’s jobless rate last month was at 1.9 percent, it was 2 percent for Fond du Lac County, 2.2 percent for Dodge County, 2.6 percent for Waupaca County, and 2.9 percent for Green Lake County. The unemployment rate for Waushara County in March was 3.3 percent. For the cities of Oshkosh and Fond du Lac it was 1.9 percent and 2.3 percent respectively.
POWER OUTAGE AT RIPON COLLEGE LASTS SEVERAL HOURS
The Ripon College campus was without power for a few hours yesterday after a contractor working on the new athletic stadium Wednesday morning hit a power line. College students and staff were notified by email about the situation. Power was restored campus wide by early afternoon. It took a little longer for air handling units, elevators, and other mechanicals. Maintenance crews were sent from building to building to reset everything.
IMPROVING AG ROADS
State Senator Joan Ballweg would like to see $150 million added into the state budget to maintain roads and bridges serving the farmers and in particular the dairy industry in the state. The Joint Finance Committee member says it is all about getting the dairy product from farms to main roads. She says during the spring when there are weight limits on rural and county roads milk trucks have to run far below capacity to get to farms and then back out to main roads. The state lawmaker from Markesan says it is an important thing that can be done for agriculture which is a $104 billion industry for the state. She says almost half of that can be attributed to milk and dairy products.
STATE REPRESENTATIVE PLUMER ON GHOSTING BILL
State Representative Jon Plumer hopes the State Senate will pass a package of workforce bills including one he authored and they will move onto the Governor to be signed into law. The state lawmaker from Lodi says it’s a good package of common sense bills. The package was passed by the Assembly Tuesday. Plumer’s bill addresses “Ghosting” of employers by people interviewing for jobs or those who are being called back to work. He says some people have legitimate excuses for not being able to make an interview, but don’t even bother to call and say why. His bill creates a process for reporting the ghosting to the Department of Workforce Development which would then be required to investigate complaints to see if they have merit. If they do the person could lose their unemployment benefits for that particular week. The Governor has previously vetoed similar workforce-related legislation.
HELPING THE TOWNSHIPS
The Winnebago County Board of Supervisors recently approved a resolution allowing the county to give $145,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds to each township in the county. County Supervisor Jacob Floam says the cost of providing services for townships like all other municipalities is going up with less revenue to cover those costs. He points out townships like the Town of Black Wolf partner with other townships to provide services like fire protection. They are partnering with the Fond du Lac County Town of Friendship for their fire department and they are looking at buying a new fire truck. Floam feels by helping the townships the county is in fact helping itself. He says on the other hand by doing so the townships might be able to tackle some of their capital costs or even operational expenses.
RIPON MILLPOND TO BE STOCKED WITH RAINBOW TROUT YEARLING
Ripon’s Millpond will be stocked with 1,000 catchable size yearling rainbow trout next week. The trout will be stocked at the Selfridge Park location prior to the fishing opener which is Saturday, May 6th. DNR officials say the goal of the program is to provide more fishing opportunities to all anglers, especially youth and disabled anglers. They say it is a great opportunity for families to get out and introduce new anglers and kids to fishing. The DNR says this year will be a test to see how the stocking goes and they hope to get good participation and see some fish caught. Ripon City Administrator Adam Sonntag shared the news with the Common Council during their meeting this week.
FAB LAB GRANTS
School districts in Markesan, Montello, and Omro and the Weyauwega-Fremont High School are among 25 school districts and schools around the state receiving more than $560,000 in fabrication lab grants from the state to train students in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics skills. The Markesan and Montello School Districts will each receive $25,000 grants and the Omro School District will get $17,485. The Weyauwega-Fremont High School has been awarded a $16,667 grant. A fabrication laboratory is a high-technology workshop equipped with computer-controlled manufacturing components such as 3D printers, laser engravers, computer numerical control routers, and plasma cutters. The grants were announced Wednesday by Governor Tony Evers and Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation Secretary and CEO Missy Hughes.
GREEN LAKE ASSOCIATION CEO TO SPEAK AT LWV ANNUAL MEETING
The League of Women Voters of the Ripon Area will hold their 61st Annual meeting on Saturday, May 6th. The meeting will be held at the Ripon Senior Center. A taco bar lunch will begin at 11:30 am followed by a presentation at 12 noon. The speaker is Stephanie Prellwitz, Executive Director of the Green Lake Association. The title of her presentation is The Importance of the General Public in Good Government at the Local Level. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend. For more information and/or to RSVP email lwvriponarea@gmail.com or call 920-960-3397. The cost of the meal is $20. Prellwitz is an experienced executive director with a demonstrated history of success. She brings to her position as CEO of the Green Lake Association over a decade of engineering and nonprofit professional experience.
REMEMBERING THE BAND OF BROTHERS
A presentation highlighting one of World War II’s most famous units is April’s edition of EAA’s Aviation Adventure Speaker Series. George Luz Jr. will tell the story of his father, and other soldiers who made up E Company, 2nd Battalion of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division. Luz’s presentation is tonight at 7 pm at the EAA Aviation Museum in Oshkosh. The unit of paratroopers inspired both the book and HBO miniseries known as Band of Brothers. The unit fought in some of World War II’s most pivotal moments including the D-Day battles and the Battle of the Bulge. Toward the end of the war, the unit helped liberate Adolf Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest. Aviation Adventure Speaker Series is free to attend for EAA members and $5 for nonmembers.
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