8/12/24 Hometown Broadcasting News Monday
12 August 2024 News
OSHKOSH MAN SENT BACK TO PRISON FOR DEALING DRUGS
A Federal judge in Green Bay last week sentenced a 39-year-old Oshkosh man to 15 years in a federal prison for dealing drugs after he served a 10 year sentence for a previous drug conviction. Sherman Threets was sentenced Wednesday for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine. In January of 2022 he was released to a halfway house in Oshkosh after serving 10 years in federal prison for dealing heroin. Prosecutors say Threets immediately formed a drug trafficking operation. In April of 2022 after several controlled buys of controlled substances investigators executed a search warrant and seized 12 pounds of methamphetamine, over a pound of cocaine, and 100 grams of fentanyl which Threets had stored at a residence. The case was investigated by the Lake Winnebago Area MEG Unit, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
COLUMBIA COUNTY HIGH SPEED PURSUIT
Columbia County Sheriff’s deputies arrested two men following a high-speed chase in Columbia and Sauk counties late Thursday night and early Friday morning. It began when a Columbia County Sheriff’s deputy tried to pull over a BMW. It fled and the deputy pursued it on State Highway 33 into Sauk County with the BMW fleeing at speeds over 120 miles an hour. The pursuit was cut off when the vehicle entered the City of Baraboo, but a few minutes later it was seen back on Highway 33 in Columbia County. A Portage Police Officer put out a tire deflation device that deflated two of the BMW’s tires. It also struck a curb in Portage and was unable to continue. The driver got out of the vehicle and tried to flee on foot, but a K9 was used to take him into custody. The driver, 50-year-old Christopher Coles of Mauston, and passenger 62-year-old Eugene Jones of Necedah were taken to the Columbia County Jail on multiple charges including cocaine possession. For Coles it was his 8th OWI offense.
MAN ARRESTED FOR HIS FOURTH OWI NEAR OSHKOSH
The State Patrol arrested a 40-year-old La Valle, Wisconsin man for his fourth OWI offense early Sunday morning in Winnebago County. Jarrold Fitzgerald was pulled over on the ramp from Highway 76 to Interstate 41 southbound near Oshkosh for speeding and erratic driving behavior. The state trooper, who pulled him over, noticed Fitzgerald showing signs of impairment when contact was made with him. Following the subsequent investigation Fitzgerald was arrested for his 4th OWI offense. He was taken to a local hospital for an evidentiary blood draw and then to the Winnebago County Jail. The time of the traffic stop was 2:30 am.
LIMITING YOUR EXPOSURE TO ELECTION COVERAGE
A psychologist with SSM Health says you need to set some boundaries and limits to avoid being stressed out by the upcoming elections. Dr. Matt Doll is the System Director for Care for the Caregiver Program for SSM Health. He recommends setting boundaries and limiting your exposure to political news and social media, which means setting a time limit on how much you see in a day. Dr. Doll says people will get in your face when it comes to their point of view in elections. So remember the Golden Rule about caring for others. Ways to do that include don’t villainize if you don’t want to be villainized, remain civil and refrain from name calling, and befriend someone “on the opposite side of the aisle” to practice true dialoguing. He also recommends educating yourself about the facts and their sources.
BASD CELLPHONE RESTRICTIONS
Berlin Area School District Superintendent Emmett Durtschi says they’ve tightened up their cellphone policy for the Middle and High School as they head into classes this fall. He says there are studies and evidence that the overuse of cellphones can affect kids’ brains and social interaction which is not conducive to a learning environment. He points out they are a big distraction from learning but he says the cellphones are also used for cyber bullying. He says they aren’t prohibiting kids from bringing their cellphones to school; they just want them out of sight in a locker or backpack while classes are going on. Durtschi says the district also provides pockets in the classroom or places to lock up phones while they can’t be used.
OSHKOSH SCHOOL BOARD VACANCY FILLED
The Oshkosh School Board has appointed Molly Smiltneek to fill the vacancy created by Liz Szilagyi’s resignation in June. Smiltneek was selected from a pool of four candidates who interviewed during a Special Board Meeting in open session Thursday. Her term will run through April 2025 and she will have the option to run for a full term in the April 2025 election. Smiltneek, a parent in the district, currently serves as a Contracted Immigration Attorney and Afghan Legal Services Coordinator for World Relief Wisconsin. Her career has consistently focused on immigration law, advocacy for minority communities, and providing legal services to underserved populations.
BIG ON BIG MACS
Fond du Lac’s Don Gorske says he never set out to establish a world record when he had his first McDonald’s Big Mac on May 17th of 1972 and kept on going. He was celebrating getting a new car and the possibility he would be drafted for the Vietnam War. The draft ended in 1973, but Don kept eating Big Mac’s and he has had over 34,500 since then. He notes the first Big Mac cost 49 cents, but today they are about $5.29. He also says little has changed about the way they taste. He usually has his two Big Macs a day at the McDonald’s on Military Avenue in Fond du Lac. He says his health has been good which he attributes to family genetics. He usually sticks with Big Macs, but on the rare occasion when he goes out and orders something else it might be a chicken sandwich or perch during a fish fry.
WAUPUN MEMORIAL HOSPITAL A TOP RECOMMENDED HOSPITAL
SSM Health Waupun Memorial Hospital was recently honored as a “Top Recommended Hospital” by Becker’s Hospital Review, based on patients’ likelihood to recommend. It is the second consecutive year that Waupun Memorial Hospital was included. Becker’s compiled the “Top Hospital” list by using Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems data. The rating is based on survey data collected from October 2022 to September 2023. Hospital President DeAnn Thurmer says, “With every interaction, our team works hard to make sure that our patients and their families have the best experience possible.”
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