11/1/23 Hometown Broadcasting News Wednesday
1 November 2023 News
SUSPICIOUS FIRE IN OSHKOSH
Oshkosh Police are asking for help in their investigation into a garage fire. Police and the Oshkosh Fire Department were dispatched to the 700 block of Mt. Vernon Street about 2 am last Friday morning. When officers arrived an unattached garage was fully engulfed and the fire was starting to spread to the house. Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire and no one was injured. Anyone living in the area where the blaze occurred that has video surveillance cameras are being asked to review their footage to see if any suspicious individuals were recorded between 1 and 3 am last Friday morning. If you have video you want to share, forward it by emailing Detective Ryan Boerner (rboermer@ci.oshkosh.wi.us ). You can also call police with any information at 920-236-5700. If you want to remain anonymous call the Winnebago County Crime Stoppers at 920-231-8477.
MAN FROM GREAT BRITAIN CHARGED IN DODGE COUNTY
Dodge County prosecutors have charged a 28-year-old man from Great Britain with four felony counts of child sexual exploitation. According to the criminal complaint charges against Simon Riley stem from incidents during the summer of 2015 when police learned a Beaver Dam Middle School student was communicating on social media with Riley who was using a fake name. He allegedly coerced her into sending him child exploitation imagery. That September the National Crime Agency conducted a search warrant at Riley’s home in Swansea, Wales and found approximately 1,800 files of suspected child pornography. Prosecutors asked for a $100,000 cash bond but the court set bond at $20,000 cash. Riley appeared via video phone. He is currently incarcerated at a federal prison in Illinois. A preliminary hearing in the Dodge County case is scheduled for November 9th.
JOB FAIR PLANNED FOR UWO EMPLOYEES BEING LAYED OFF
The Fox Valley Workforce Development Board has begun Rapid Response efforts for the recently announced layoff of workers from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. UWO is expected to lay off 140 workers effective January 20th. The university announced the staff layoffs on October 16th, which impacts 1 out of every 6 UWO employees. A private job fair only for the impacted UWO staff is being planned for 2:30 to 5:30 pm, Monday, November 13th, at the Oshkosh Convention Center. Employers with an interest in meeting with the workers are encouraged to register online at Fox Valley Work.org. Registration for employers is free for this job fair. Employers not registered in advance will not be admitted. If you are an employee from UWO impacted by the layoffs or impacted by a layoff from another employer you are asked to complete an online form at Fox Valley Job Centers.org or call 920-997-3272.
IRO DOING BETTER
Fond du Lac County Sheriff Ryan Waldschmidt says their K9 Iro continues to heal at home with his handler from bullet wounds Iro suffered during an incident in Fond du Lac on October 14th. Iro continues to visit the vet a few times a week for checkups. Waldschmidt says the dog’s wounds are healing nicely, many of the staples have been removed, and he continues to get stronger every day. He’s also enjoying many of the gifts people have sent him during his recovery. Sheriff Waldschmidt says they will continue with periodic updates in the future, and he thanks everyone for their continued concern and support. (Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s photo of Iro on one of his gifts).
PALESTINIAN REFUGEES
Congressman Glenn Grothman sees another issue connected to the war between Hamas and Israel that hasn’t gotten much attention yet. He says America has been focusing on supporting Israel and its efforts. But he says there is also the issue of Palestinian refugees. The federal lawmaker from Glenbeulah says we are still coping with up to 200,000 illegal immigrants coming across our southern borders every month. He feels President Biden will also be welcoming in Palestinian refugees. Grothman says the last thing we need is a half a million Palestinians. On Monday the head of the United Nations agency tasked with assisting Palestinian refugees said that a cease-fire in Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza “has become a matter of life and death for millions.”
VAPES DISPOSAL AN ISSUE
Among the items not accepted during last Saturday’s Drug Take Back Day were vape batteries and the one-time use vapes. Laura Nakielski is the Tobacco and Prevention Control Program Assistant for the East Central Alliance for Nicotine Prevention. The alliance includes Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Marquette, and Waushara Counties and works out of the health department in Fond du Lac. Nakielski says vapes use lithium batteries which are a fire hazard and the chemicals or E-Juice used in them are considered toxic waste. She says part of that issue is because the E-Juice can include THC and some have had Fentanyl in them. They partnered with police from Fond du Lac, Wautoma and Wild Rose, the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office, and Plainfield schools to safely dispose of 92 vapes. That was done through a hazardous chemicals clean sweep program in Manawa. Funds from the JUUL settlement paid for the disposal.
CAPITAL NEEDS UPDATED
In addition to an annual county budget, Winnebago County supervisors each year update their Capital Improvements Plan according to the county’s specific needs. County Supervisor Jacob Floam says it’s about prioritizing projects and capital equipment purchases while being fiscally responsible to county taxpayers. There were a number of capital needs for 2024 including the purchase of a new plow truck, courthouse ceiling repairs, fire alarm replacements, land for a shelter care home in Neenah, a Jail rewiring project, a redundant fiber loop around the City of Oshkosh for better communications with first responders, and water heater replacements for Parkview Health Center. Winnebago County Supervisors are working on the proposed 2024 County Budget and are expected to approve it and a tax levy tomorrow.
RB RENAMING AND REBRANDING EXPLORATION SESSION TONIGHT
The Rosendale-Brandon School District will hold their first Renaming/Rebranding Exploration Session tonight at 6 pm at the Laconia High School. That meeting will be about naming and mascots. A second Renaming/Rebranding Exploration Session about messaging and logos is planned for 6 pm on December 6th also at the Laconia High School. The exploration sessions follow a district-wide survey on the issue and the successful passage of $35.7 million referendum last April that will consolidate the current four schools down to two. After the building addition and improvements, the current Rosendale Intermediate School will house elementary students and Laconia High School 6th through 12th grade students. District Superintendent Wayne Weber says they are exploring the possibility of rebranding and renaming everything including school colors, mascots, names, and logos. Both meetings are open to the public. The Rosendale-Brandon School Board will make the final decisions about renaming and rebranding.
DALLMAN AUTHORS DUTY TO DEFEND LEGISLATION
State Representative Alex Dallman has introduced a bill, which will protect private business from unreasonable government overreach. The bill ensures that contracts between design professionals and public entities include only reasonable and insurable clauses. Design professionals, who include engineers, architects, land surveyors, and interior designers, are typically required under public contracts to indemnify, hold harmless, and defend their client, which may be the state or other local governing body. In these public contracts, private sector design professionals must defend the public sector governing body against all loses and expenses, including liability costs and attorney’s fees, for any claim or suit brought against that governing body. ‘Duty to Defend’ clauses force design professionals to pay for defense costs up front, and out of pocket, through contractual authorization. Under the bill, design professionals would continue to indemnify their client for their own failure and mistakes, but not the mistakes of others. The state lawmaker from Green Lake says duty to defend requirements are putting local firms across the state at a high risk of bankruptcy because there is no way to insure against these claims. The bill provides that design professionals must only indemnify a public entity in situations where the professional has been found liable for their negligence.
SCAMMERS USING SPECTRUM CABLE NAME
Officials with the Better Business Bureau say according to recent reports to their Scam Tracker by consumers in various states including Wisconsin scammers are calling and emailing, claiming to be with Spectrum Cable. The caller states that “you qualify” for a discount on your cable bill or offer to “lower you cable bill in half”-if you pay up front for one year’s service. Payment is requested in the form of Target Gift Cards. The caller may also ask for personal information. Some people report that they are told that the discount is a promotion and “only good for today.” Others say that the caller claims that the offer is in partnership with Target Corporation. Caller ID sometimes reportedly shows “Spectrum.” The Bureau cautions against responding to the scam and reminds people that Caller ID is easily spoofed. Also, never give out information to anyone over the phone that you do not know. If you receive such a call, hang up and report it to your local police department.
Share |