1/16/24 Hometown Broadcasting News Tuesday
16 January 2024 News
WIND CHILL ADVISORY
There’s a Wind Chill Advisory across the state. For Calumet, Waupaca, Waushara, and Winnebago counties it runs until noon today. For Columbia, Dodge, Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Marquette, and Sheboygan counties the advisory runs until 9 am tomorrow morning. During the day today wind chills will remain between 15 and 25 below zero. Tonight those wind chills could dip as low as 35 below zero. The cold wind chills could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes.
FROSTBITE AND HYPOTHERMIA
Federal health officials say with dangerous wind chills it is best to know the symptoms of frostbite and hypothermia. Signs and symptoms of frostbite include; redness or pain in a skin area, a white or grayish-yellow skin area, skin that feels unusually firm or waxy, and numbness. With frostbite the victim is often unaware they have it because frozen tissue is numb. With today’s wind chills frostbite could occur in as little as 30 minutes. Signs and symptoms of hypothermia in adults include; shivering, exhaustion, confusion, fumbling hands, memory loss, slurred speech, and drowsiness. Signs and symptoms of hypothermia in infants include bright red, cold skin, and very low energy. Hypothermia often occurs at very cold temperatures, but can occur at cool temperatures above 40 degrees, if a person is wet from rain, sweat, or cold water and becomes chilled. If a person’s temperature is below 95 degrees get medical attention immediately.
ONE PERSON SERIOUSLY INJURED IN SHEBOYGAN COUNTY CRASH
One person was seriously injured in a two-vehicle crash in Sheboygan County Monday evening. A 911-call just before 5 pm reported the crash near the intersection of County Road RR and State Highway 57 in the Town of Sherman. A 41-year-old woman from Washington County was driving one of the vehicles with a passenger, a 34-year-old Sheboygan County man. One of those occupants was seriously injured. A 25-year-old Sheboygan County man was driving the other vehicle. Road conditions and failure to yield appear to be contributing factors in the accident.
TRAFFIC DEATHS DOWN IN WISCONSIN LAST YEAR
Wisconsin had fewer fatal traffic deaths in 2023 compared to 2022. According to statistics from the state’s Department of Transportation 572 people were killed in traffic accidents last year compared to 594. That was also lower than the 5-year average of 580. Fond du Lac County saw an increase with 19 deaths in 2023 compared to 12 the year before. Green Lake County held steady with 1 death each of the last two years. Dodge County also remained the same with 11 people killed in traffic crashes each of the last two years. Waupaca County was up slightly from 5 deaths in 2022 to 6 last year including four siblings killed by a wrong way driver last month. Waushara County saw its traffic deaths triple from 3 in 2022 to 9 last year. Winnebago County had 12 traffic fatalities compared to 11 the year before.
Wisconsin DMV Official Government Site – Fatalities by county (wisconsindot.gov)
FDL COUNTY BOARD MEETING TONIGHT
The Fond du Lac County Board of Supervisors tonight has a short agenda for its meeting, but two meaty issues that they will tackle. The board will be asked to approve a resolution regarding the use of revenue generated by the county sales and use tax for property tax relief. Last year the county gave each municipality in the county a share of sales tax money which provided funding that otherwise those municipalities would have had to generate from property taxes. The board will also be asked to authorize implementation of the employee compensation analysis conducted by Bolton Partners. The board heard a presentation on the analysis last month. Among its recommendations the preparers of the analysis recommended a 3 percent increase in wages and an increase in step on the wage scale on an employee’s work anniversary. The board meets at 6 pm at the City-County Government Center in Fond du Lac.
LACONIA SPARTAN IT IS
The Rosendale-Brandon School District has decided to use the Laconia name for all of their schools when they consolidate down from four to two schools. The district name will remain Rosendale-Brandon, but the schools will be named Laconia Elementary, Laconia Middle School, and Laconia High School. District Superintendent Wayne Weber says they are also keeping the Spartan nickname but had to decide on the logo. They had a survey for that too which narrowed choices down from a field of twelve. Weber says as they were going through their building, they found they had a variety of different Spartan logos, he says they need to have one for consistency. The school board last night reviewed the final four choices for the logo. The renaming and rebranding grew out of the successful passage of a referendum last April that will allow the school district to expand and improve on their Rosendale Intermediate and Laconia High Schools. Rosendale Primary and Brandon Elementary will be closed after renovations and additions are completed on the other two schools in the fall of 2025.
NURSING HOMES AND OUTBREAKS
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic nursing homes suffered in particular with outbreaks. Fond du Lac County Public Health Officer Kim Mueller says although they’ve seen an increase in respiratory illnesses like COVID, the flu, and RSV recently they haven’t seen outbreaks in local nursing homes except around Thanksgiving. She says that is common. She says surprisingly enough they did not see an outbreak in nursing homes during the Christmas season. Mueller points out respiratory illnesses in nursing homes in the county are reportable to the Health Department and they determine whether or not it is an outbreak. She says there are many different steps that nursing homes take to protect their residents.
ACTIVE FACT GROUPS
FACT is Wisconsin’s youth tobacco prevention program for middle and high school students. In Fond du Lac County, Laura Nakielski, Tobacco Prevention and Control Program Assistant, coordinates local FACT groups. The County is fortunate to have three FACT groups at local school districts including, Fond du Lac High School, St. Mary Springs High School, and Ripon Middle School. The St. Mary Springs High School and Ripon Middle School FACT groups created skits for younger elementary students that promote a vape free lifestyle and empower peers with the knowledge to make healthy choices. The skits are important because according to the 2023 Fond du Lac Area Student Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs and Health Experiences and Attitudes Survey, one in ten students reported using an electronic vapor product in the past month. Nakielski says, “By encouraging youth to actively participate in their education and promote nicotine free lifestyles, we will in turn contribute to improving our communities’ health outcomes.” (Fond du Lac County Health Department photo-Ripon Middle School FACT group).
WATERTOWN YOUTH CRISIS STABILIZATION FACILITY OPENS
A youth crisis stabilization facility is now open in Watertown, with start-up funding provided by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. The eight-bed center is operated by Milwaukee-based Wisconsin Community Services under an agreement with the Jefferson County Human Services Department. The center serves young people with mental health challengers who can’t stay in their homes safely, but don’t need to be hospitalized. A youth crisis stabilization facility provides a young person an opportunity to recover from their distress in a supportive and structured environment. It is a short-term program designed to help them return home as quickly as possible, with most stays only a few days in length. The Jefferson County Human Services Department received about $1.3 million in one-time DHS grants from state and federal funds to establish the center in Watertown. An additional annual DHS grant from state funds of nearly $500,000 is being used to support daily operations of the center through 2026. Similar facilities are located in Milwaukee and Wausau.
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