6/6/23 Hometown Broadcasting News Monday
5 June 2023 News
BERLIN SCHOOL BUSING
With the failure of an operational referendum in April the Berlin Area School District will be making some strategic cuts. One of the first will end in-city busing of students to school. District Superintendent Emmett Durtschi says the will affect any students within a 2 mile diameter of their schools. He says they had been busing students even closer than that, but got no funding from the state for providing that service. He says three routes will be affected with a projected savings of about $139,000 a year. In addition there will be a saving for the fuel they pay for the busing with Northern Express. The referendum asked voters permission to exceed revenue caps by $2.5 million a year. A second question asked for permission to borrow $20 million to make improvements to renovate portions of the Clay Lamberton Elementary School.
UNITED WAY BECOMING PART OF THE RIPON COMMUNITY
The end of May brought with it a merger of United Way chapters in Ripon and the rest of Fond du Lac County into one Fond du Lac County United Way. Executive Director Amber Kilawee says it is an exciting time for them as they become more acquainted with the Ripon Community. This fall is the United Way chapter formed in Fond du Lac’s 75th Anniversary. She says they weren’t originally known as the Fond du Lac Area United Way so a name change is just part of their collective history and Ripon joining them is a new chapter. Kilawee says a couple weeks ago she met with Ripon Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Mandy Kimes and they became a chamber member. They also subscribed to the Ripon Commonwealth Press to stay up-to-date on all the local goings-on.
DNA TESTING SHUT DOWN AT SOUTHERN BORDER
Congressman Glenn Grothman, the chairman of the House Oversight National Security Subcommittee, feels it is a mistake to shut down DNA testing for some migrant children at the border. The federal lawmaker is pushing to have the Biden Administration buy more DNA testing. Grothman’s committee sent a letter to U.S. Customs and Border Protection Acting Commissioner Troy Miller asking for more information about why the agency ended a contract with a technology company that performed rapid DNA testing services since 2019. Grothman says some children coming across the border are being used for drug trafficking or are being exploited. The letter cites reports that have found that as many as 3 in 10 children crossing over the southern border share no familial relation with the adults claiming them. It also claims that recent studies have found nearly 60 percent of unaccompanied minors crossing the border are forced into child pornography and drug trafficking by the cartels.
FRAUD CLASS OFFERED
The Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office is offering a Fraud School to any community members interested in learning about what types of frauds and scams are currently being used. Those taking the class will also learn how to proactively protect themselves from the scams and what they need to do if they fall victim to one. Participants will be given a handout at class to use when they get home to take the steps necessary to avoid being victimized. The event is free but space is limited and registration is required. Signup is via Eventbrite. More details are available at the Sheriff’s Office Facebook page in a pin at the top of the page. Additional class dates will be added. The first class is Tuesday, June 13th from 6 to 8 pm at the Sheriff’s Office in Oshkosh.
BEAVER DAM SOLAR POWER PROJECT PROGRESSING
Alliant Energy will celebrate the beginning of the installation of solar panels for its Beaver Dam Solar Project with a gathering at the project site tomorrow afternoon at 3 pm. The site is located at N8152 Basswood Road. Those planning to attend are asked to wear flat, closed-toe, sturdy shoes. The 50-megawatt Beaver Dam Solar Project is part of Alliant Energy’s Clean Energy Blueprint, a strategic roadmap to cost-effectively accelerate renewable energy development and reduce carbon emissions. Construction was begun last fall and is expected to be completed by the end of this year. Once operational, the project will positively impact the environment and generate enough clean, low-cost energy to power nearly 13,000 homes.
RIPON COLLEGE LAUNCHING NEW ENGINEERING PROGRAM
Ripon College is launching its first engineering program to coincide with the opening of the new Franzen Science Center in 2024. This curricular addition comes after the recent announcement of two new campus infrastructure projects: the Science Center and Hopp Stadium. Ripon College vice president and dean of faculty John Sisko says the college isn’t just growing campus spaces. He says, “We are making curricular expansions to meet the educational needs of current and future STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) students. He goes on to say the physical needs of the engineering program as well as state-of-the-art facilities for all of their science programs were integral considerations throughout the entire design process for the new building. Ripon College will begin accepting students to their engineering program with a fall 2024 start date. The Franzen Science Center, scheduled to open in conjunction with the program launch, will have more than 5,000 square feet dedicated to the engineering program.
Ripon College is launching new engineering program | Ripon College
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