10/26/23 Hometown Broadcasting News Thursday
26 October 2023 News
RIPON CITY BUDGET PUBLIC HEARING SET
The Ripon Common Council approved a resolution this week allowing for the publishing of the summary of the 2024 City Budget and setting a public hearing date for the budget. The public hearing will occur during the Council’s November 14th meeting. City Administrator Adam Sonntag told the Council they are looking at a $3.8 million tax levy and a tax rate of $8.93 which is up three cents from last year. He says due to an objection by an industrial party to their assessment from the state, the final tax rate won’t be known until November 13th. Sonntag also addressed a reduced allocation from the city to Envision Greater Fond du Lac. Sonntag says the city has a lot at stake when it comes to economic development, housing, workforce development, and child care. He says some of that will be addressed by a new Community Development Authority, which will be able to use tools that Envision cannot. He also said with Envision there needs to be more leadership and there needs to be well developed programming and priorities. He says more has to be done than talking about bringing people together on workforce and child care issues.
MIKE JOHNSON ELECTED HOUSE SPEAKER
House Republicans Wednesday unanimously elected Louisiana Congressman Mike Johnson as the Speaker of the House. Wisconsin Congressman Glenn Grothman says, “I am proud to congratulate Mike Johnson on becoming the 56th Speaker of the House of Representatives.” Grothmans says, “As a former constitutional lawyer and man of deep Christian faith, Speaker Johnson is committed to promoting conservative policies and returning our nation to its founding principles.” Grothman says he and Johnson had a good relationship during Johnson’s tenure as Chairman of the Republican Study Committee and Vice-Chairman of the Republican Conference. All 220 Republicans voted for Johnson surpassing the 215 votes needed.
UNEMPLOYMENT RATES DOWN SLIGHTLY IN SEPTEMBER
Unemployment rates declined in September in all but one of the state’s 72 counties and it was unchanged for that county. According to Federal labor statistics the unemployment rates for Dodge and Fond du Lac County last month were at 2.8 percent, it was at 3 percent for Winnebago County, and 3.2 percent for Waupaca County. The jobless rate for Green Lake and Waushara counties for September was at 3.3 percent. Meanwhile, the City of Fond du Lac had a 3.2 percent unemployment rate and Winnebago County’s rate was at 3.3 percent. Unemployment rates were up slightly compared to September of 2022.
HORICON BANK FACEBOOK PAGE HACKED
Horicon Bank sent out a notice to its customers Tuesday informing them that the bank’s Facebook account had recently been hacked. Bank officials say they took immediate steps to address the issue and are working to restore the security of their business page. They say the incident is isolated to their Facebook account and does not pose a risk to anyone’s personal account information. They did recommend the following precautions. Refrain from interacting with any suspicious messages or posts from Horicon Bank’s Facebook page. Be cautious of any external links or requests from their Facebook account until further notice. They also ask customers to reach out directly through their official website or other verified channels for any queries or concerns. Anyone with questions can contact their Customer Support Center at 1-888-343-3040.
SARAH KEYESKI RUNNING FOR 42ND STATE ASSEMBLY SEAT
A Lodi woman has announced her kickoff party for her campaign for the State Assembly’s 42nd District seat. Sarah Keyeski of the Town of Lodi will be hosting the campaign kickoff party at the Willow Tree Wellness building in Lodi on Saturday, November 18th from 1 to 4 pm. Keyeski is known for her work creating and leading the Lift Lodi community volunteer program. The program cultivates a sense of community through a devoted day of volunteer service in the Lodi area. She is a mental health counselor with over 20 years of experience, a local business owner, and mother of six children. She says she is running for the seat because she “wants out rural communities to thrive.” The 42nd Assembly District is currently represented by Republican Jon Plumer who is also from Lodi. (Sarah Keyeski Facebook photo).
SENATOR JOHNSON ON ATTACKS ON ISRAEL
U.S. Senator Ron Johnson says failed nuclear agreements by President Obama and President Biden with Iran emboldened Iran which is using $100 billion in funding to promote terrorism in the Middle East. He feels terrorist efforts by groups like Hamas and Hezbollah are being backed by Iran. The federal lawmaker from Oshkosh says the U.S. is backing Israel in its war with Hamas but we need to keep any aid we send to Israel separate. There are reports President Biden plans to pair tens of billions of dollars to Ukraine with any new request for federal assistance for Israel. Over 1,400 Israeli civilians and at least 30 American citizens have been killed over the past week after Hamas terrorists invaded Israel.
NEW FDL COUNTY DEPARTMENT WILL REDUCE COSTS AND DUPLICATION IN SERVICES
Fond du Lac County Executive Sam Kaufman says the consolidation of the Department of Community Programs and the Social Services Department into a Human Services Department should make the resulting department more efficient. He feels it will streamline their services and make it less confusing for residents who need them. Kaufman says it will also eliminate duplication in services. He points out that a number of counties already have this type of model in service. Kaufman also feels that over the long haul it will reduce expenses that occurred with the duplication of services. The new Human Services Department would go into effect on January 1st.
RAKING RIPON EFFORT UNDERWAY
The Fond du Lac County United Way is looking for people who would be willing to rake others yards and yards to rake in the Ripon area. United Way Executive Director Amber Kilawee says ACE Hardware of Ripon recently donated 36 rakes for the effort now the United Way would like to put those generous gifts to good use. Kilawee says individuals and groups are welcome to participate in the raking. She says consequently they also need yards to rake so they are signing people up who need help in raking their yards, even if all the leaves aren’t down from your trees yet. She asks that volunteers or people who need their yards raked contact their offices by calling 920-921-7010.
DEPUTY AND K9 SWITCH DEPARTMENTS
The Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office last week welcomed Deputy Tyler Hoerig and his K9 Partner Cohl to their ranks. Hoerig has 10 years of experience with the Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office where he was a patrol sergeant and K9 handler. Fond du Lac County Sheriff Ryan Waldschmidt says there were no hard feelings between the two departments with the deputy switching departments. Waldschmidt says Green Lake County Sheriff Mark Podoll is a friend and a mentor, and even surprised Hoerig by attending the swearing in ceremony. Sheriff Podoll was grateful for Deputy Hoerig’s decade of service. Sheriff Waldschmidt says with K9 Cohl on their patrol team they now have five K9 patrol teams with their agency. (Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s photos).
HARVARD PROFESSOR SPEAKING ON POLITICAL THEORY AND AI AT RIPON COLLEGE TONIGHT
Harvard University Professor Mathias Risse will talk about his new book “Political Theory of the Digital Age: Where Artificial Intelligence May Take Us,” tonight at Ripon College. The Center for Politics and the People presentation will begin at 6:30 pm in Kresge Little Theatre, East Hall, on the campus. Admission is free and open to the public. Risse established a foundation for the philosophy of technology, allowing us to investigate how the digital century might alter our most basic political practices and ideas. The program is co-sponsored by the Computer and Data Sciences Program and the Department of Philosophy.
KASUBOSKI JOINS SSM HEALTH RIPON COMMUNITY HOSPITAL
The SSM Health Fond du Lac Regional Clinic welcomes Paula Kasuboski, nurse practitioner, to Ripon Community Hospital. She is now accepting new patients and joins Drs. Benjamin Wiseley and Ryan Pizinger. Kasuboski provides comprehensive, advanced orthopedic care to patients of all ages. She will provide pre-operative and post-operative care to patients undergoing orthopedic surgery. A graduate of Marian University with a Master of Science-Nurse Practitioner degree, Kasuboski is board certified through the American Nurse Credentialing Center and a member of the Wisconsin Nurses Association.
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