12/6/23 Hometown Broadcasting News Wednesday
6 December 2023 News
GOVERNOR EVERS SIGNS BREWERS STADIUM BILL
Governor Tony Evers signed two bipartisan bills into law yesterday that will keep the Milwaukee Brewers and Major League Baseball in Wisconsin through 2050. The bills passed with broad, bipartisan support after months of collaboration and negotiations. Governor Evers said, “It’s a great day to be a Wisconsinite and a great day to be a Brewers fan.” State Senator Dan Feyen of Fond du Lac says it is incredible news. He added, “This is a great deal for baseball fans, a great deal for taxpayers, and a great deal for the State of Wisconsin.” Since 2001, American Family Field has contributed $2.5 billion to the state’s economy. That resulted in $24 million in net state revenue and 3,000 jobs in 2022 alone. (Photo from Governor Ever’s Facebook page).
POSSIBLE PLEA DEAL IN GREEN LAKE COUNTY VEHICULAR HOMICIDE CASE
A plea deal may be in the works for a 45-year-old former Fond du Lac woman facing vehicular homicide charges in Green Lake County for a fatal crash that occurred over two years ago. Jessica Knueppel of Sparta is charged with second degree reckless homicide, homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle, and second degree recklessly endangering safety for the accident on State Highway 23 near Green Lake County Highway W that occurred on September 29th, 2021. Fifty-one-year-old Steven La Tour of Appleton was killed in the crash. Investigators determined Knueppel’s SUV crossed over the centerline striking the SUV driven by La Tour head on. La Tour died at the scene and Knueppel was taken to ThedaCare Medical Center in Berlin. According to court records during yesterday’s status hearing in Green Lake County court Knueppel’s attorney, Christopher Van Wagner, told the court there have been negotiations with the District Attorney’s Office. Another status hearing is scheduled in the case on January 9th. (Green Lake County Sheriff’s photo).
IOLA SAND MINE PERMIT DECISION DELAYED AGAIN
The Waupaca County Planning and Zoning Committee is still reconsidering a permit for the Iola sand mine project. The committee met yesterday to discuss it, but no decision was made. The delay was due to a board member not being able to attend the meeting. The committee won’t be taking up the issue again until the end of January. Faulks Brothers Construction had filed an appeal of the committee’s initial denial of the conditional use permit to build a sand mine on the Iola Car Show lot. The committee denied the permit by a 3 to 2 vote in August. To be approved the permit must comply with the Town of Scandinavia’s comprehensive plan and they must comply with Waupaca County ordinances. The mine was proposed in order to extract materials for additional parking structures for the car show. Local residents massed opposition to it. It’s estimated the project could take 10 to 15 years.
FLOAM RUNNING FOR OSHKOSH CITY COUNCIL
Winnebago County Supervisor Jacob Floam has decided to forego another run for the County Board next year to run for the Oshkosh Common Council. Three seats are open on the Council in the 2024 spring election. Floam says he is running to propel the next generation of Oshkosh’s development so it can be the best place to live and work in the Fox Valley. He says the city is at a crossroads in terms of talent retention, economic development, and housing development. He notes the City is landlocked so they will have to be creative when they consider future housing development. He is also an advocate for open and transparent government that values community input while also being financially responsible. Floam announced his candidacy for the Oshkosh City Council late last month.
DRETSKE ANNOUNCES REELECTION BID
Luke Dretske who serves on both the Berlin City Council and Green Lake County Board of Supervisors recently announced he will be running for reelection to both governmental bodies. Dretske, a Berlin native, says in running for the County Board he had three priorities. They were to elect a new county board chairperson, remove and appoint a new Corporation Counsel, and remove and appoint a new County Administrator. All three priorities were accomplished. He says future goals for the County should include correcting their bookkeeping system, increasing oversight of some departments, and focusing on economic development. Dretske says he still has some work to do yet on the Berlin Common Council and Green Lake County Board. He is a graduate of Ripon College and is currently a law student at the University of Wisconsin Law School.
SUICIDE PREVENTION GRANTS
State Senator Joan Ballweg is hoping a bill she authored that provides funding for suicide prevention awareness and education efforts will be signed into law by Governor Tony Evers. She says the bill grew out of the Speaker’s Task Force on Suicide Prevention that she chaired. She says there are many entities around the state and in the 14th State Senate District that try to provide services for suicide prevention awareness. She says that might include local law enforcement partnering with their county health department to do awareness walks or information pamphlets on who to call for help. The grants would be for up to $25,000 per organization. It would require a 20 percent match. The state lawmaker from Markesan says given that the Governor proclaimed 2023 as the Year for Mental Health, she doesn’t see why he would be opposed to the bill. Balweg believes on the local level the bill and grant funding it would create would really help out communities.
MPTC WINTER COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER ANNOUNCED
Moraine Park Technical College’s Keynote Speaker for the Winter Commencement Ceremony on December 15th will be Dr. Alan Patterson, found and president of Mentoré. Dr. Patterson has more than four decades of experience as a leadership development expert and executive coach. Some of his clients have included Anheuser-Busch, Federal Reserve Bank, Johnson & Johnson, Hewlett-Packard, Major League Baseball, Sea World and the United States Navy. In 2012, Moraine Park Technical College received an award from the National Council of Instructional Administrators for a leadership program he developed and delivered. Moraine Park’s Winter Commencement Ceremony will be held at the Fond du Lac Campus Conference Center on Friday, December 15th at 6 pm.
JIMMY’S FOR A CAUSE
The Oshkosh community is invited to support Oshkosh public school students simply by enjoying Jimmy John’s Sandwiches. Jimmy John’s in Oshkosh is contributing 10 percent of net sales on Thursday, December 14th to the Oshkosh Area School District Education Foundation. The funds raised will support innovative programs and provide resources to elevate public school students’ educational experiences. Both Jimmy John’s locations in Oshkosh are participating in the community giving event, which runs from 10 am to 9 pm on December 14th. Stop in at either Oshkosh location or place an order to support the Foundation. Since 2012, the Foundation has awarded nearly $500,000 in grants benefitting the District’s 20 schools and making a positive impact in the lives of thousands of Oshkosh students and staff.
GIFT CARD VALUES
The administrator for the State’s Division of Trade and Consumer Protection says not all gift cards are created equally. Michelle Reinen says if you are considering purchasing gift cards this season do a little research on them first. She says some have expiration dates and they deplete in value the longer you hold on to them. If you are buying them from a local business you can inquire about things like that. She also recommends making sure you or the person you are buying them for use them sooner than later. She says that way you will get the whole value. Reinen says there is also the possibility that the business or company you buy them from might go out of business before you can use the gift card. The Division of Trade and Consumer Protection is part of the state’s Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.
SOMETHING SPECIAL FROM WISCONSIN
As she crisscrosses Wisconsin, the state’s Alice in Dairyland Ashley Hagenow is reviewing her list and checking it twice this Holiday season. The Poynette native is busy promoting the Something Special from Wisconsin Program as a good way to purchase gifts for those special people on your Christmas list. Some of those Wisconsin made products she recently highlighted included scented candles including one that smells like a Brandy Old Fashioned, books on Wisconsin Farming, Kettle Corn, Trail Bars, Dog treats, and more. She says there are hundreds of products available for purchase made by small businesses in the state. She urges residents to look for the Something Special from Wisconsin logo. Hagenow notes to earn that logo 50 percent of a product’s ingredients, production or packaging has to take place in Wisconsin. She urges residents to shop locally and buy gifts made in Wisconsin to support their communities and those that produce them. A full list of the Something Special members can be found on the internet at Something Special WI.com.
Home – Something Special from Wisconsin (somethingspecialwi.com)
Share |