10/25/24 Hometown Broadcasting News Friday
25 October 2024 News
Each season the Horicon Bank on Watson Street in Ripon has a landscaping crew put together a display. This is part of the display customers of the bank are being greeted by this Fall.
DODGE COUNTY SHERIFF CALLS SCAMMER’S BLUFF
The Dodge County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents about a fake deputy scam. They say they do not have a Deputy Stephan Warren. The scammer was using a computer-generated number to place calls Thursday. Sheriff Dale Schmidt placed several phone calls to the fake deputy who tried to figure out if he was being called by a sheriff. The scammer resorted to vulgarity and race-baiting tactics. The Sheriff tried to convince him to disconnect the phone line, but the scammer refused saying he would continue to call all night to “do his job” no matter how many times the sheriff called him back. The sheriff called his bluff and eventually the number was disconnected. Sheriff Schmidt says their office would never call someone to ask for money. In a Facebook post the Sheriff said if the scammer were reading it he would love to have him stop in the Sheriff’s office for a meeting, promising to have a deputy provide accommodations until they could speak to each other.
JESSE VANG NEW HEARING DATE
Jesse Vang the man who was taking care of Elijah Vue when he reported the toddler missing in February has a new date for his preliminary hearing. Vang was back in Manitowoc County court Thursday for a status conference with his new public defenders who asked for more time to meet with their client and review the case. The preliminary hearing was rescheduled for November 6th. Vang is the boyfriend of Elijah’s mother Katrina Baur. He and Baur face charges stemming from the 3-year-old boy’s death. Baur waived her preliminary hearing Monday. She will be arraigned next Wednesday. Prosecutors suspect the toddler was threatened with extreme punishment before his death. The medical examiner’s office says Elijah’s cause of death is “homicide by unspecified means.”
CORN BALER FIRE IN THE BRANDON AREA
No one was injured when a corn baler caught fire spreading to the corn field it was in Thursday afternoon off Highway 44 in Brandon. The land owner called 911 at 1:22 pm saying the fire was spreading in the 20 acre field. Several fire agencies responded. The corn baler was quickly extinguished, but flames spread to nearby corn bales and the recently-cut cornstalk field. Its estimated 5 acres of the field burned. Damages were put at about $9,000.
PARDEEVILLE MAN ARRESTED FOR FIFTH OWI OFFENSE
A 42-year-old Pardeeville man is facing his fifth operating while intoxicated offense after he was pulled over in Columbia County Tuesday night for an equipment violation. Sheriff’s officials say Brandon Tomlinson tried to avoid a deputy by pulling into a random driveway, but the deputy knew the vehicle didn’t belong there. When the deputy made contact with him the deputy observed multiple indicators Tomlinson was under the influence of alcohol or drugs. After a subsequent investigation Tomlinson was arrested. He is facing his 5th OWI, operating after revocation, and failure to install an ignition interlock device charges. He was taken to the Columbia County Jail. (Columbia County Jail photo).
DANE COUNTY RESTAURANT APOLOGIZES FOR PIZZA MADE WITH THC
Pizza sold at a restaurant in Dane County had more than olive oil in it. Famous Yeti’s Pizza posted an apology on its Facebook page for the pizza that was sold between Tuesday and Thursday afternoon. After receiving reports of unexplained physical reactions to the pizza, Stoughton Police and local health officers were brought in to investigate. Turns out the pizza had been sold with dough mistakenly prepared with THC oil. THC is the main active ingredient in marijuana. Famous Yeti’s Pizza is in a building that also has a shared kitchen. Stoughton EMS alerted Public Health to the contamination after multiple people were taken to the hospital. All the patients reported eating at Famous Yeti’s Pizza.
HALLOWEEN SAFETY
Ripon Police Chief Bill Wallner has a few safety reminders as kids’ make their annual trick or treat rounds in the area this weekend. He says younger children should have an adult escort preferably a parent or guardian. Costumes should be properly fitted, make sure kids don’t go near any open flames with their costume, and candy should be checked when they get home. The state’s Department of Health Services has some tips too. Choose costumes that are light-colored and more visible to motorists. Use reflective tape to decorate costumes and candy bags. Use make-up rather than a mask. Remind children to walk, not run, and to only cross streets at crosswalks. For those entertaining trick-or-treaters make sure your front porch is well lit with a porch light on and paths to your home obstacle-free. Chief Wallner says Ripon hasn’t had problems with trick or treating in recent years but it is always good to remind drivers and those welcoming trick or treaters to do their part to keep kids safe.
Halloween Safety | Wisconsin Department of Health Services
MARKESAN SCHOOLS CONTRIBUTE TO FOOD PANTRY
Students in the Markesan School District are in the midst of their annual food drive for the Markesan Food Pantry. District Superintendent Jason Breaker says they’ve been doing it each year for the past ten years or so and their drive is the biggest contributor to the pantry. He says they’ve built in some incentives to encourage the students that collect the most for example an ice bath for their school resource officer and for Breaker a pie in the face. Recently their cross country team runners were able to collect 27 boxes of food during their Miles for Markesan event. Breaker says food insecurity is a real problem in the Markesan area with about 40 percent of their students qualifying for free or reduced meals. (Markesan School District photo).
RCH MISSION ACTION TEAM RAISES MONEY FOR STUDENT SCHOOL LUNCHES
SSM Health Ripon Community Hospital Mission Action Team is helping to ensure no child goes hungry. The Ripon Area School District provides breakfast free to all of its students every day, however lunch must be purchased. The district does offer free and reduced cost lunches to low-income families. The Mission Action Team wants to help continue to support students who need lunches so they won’t go hungry. Coin collection canisters are present in Ripon Community Hospital departments until November 15th to help raise money for the cause. School lunch is critical to student health and well-being it ensures they have the nutrition they need throughout the day to learn and grow. One in five children in America live with hunger.
PANEL DISCUSSION ON STATE AND NATIONAL POLITICS
A panel discussion exploring important issues and developments in the 2024 state and national election campaigns with political experts will be held at Knuth Brewing Company in downtown Ripon tonight. It will be at 6 pm on the second floor. Panelists will include political commentator Charlie Sykes, Capitol reporter Emilee Fannon, and retired national political reporter Craig Gilbert. Henrik Schatzinger is the professor of political science and department chair and director for the Center for Politics and the People at Ripon College. He says, “The discussion will be an exciting opportunity for the community to hear from and speak with some of Wisconsin’s finest and well-known experts on state and national politics.” To get more information about the panel discussion and the panelists visit Ripon College’s website.
Panel discussion on 2024 election at Knuth Brewing Company | Ripon College
MPTC MILWAUKEE TOOL DONATION
Moraine Park Technical College recently received a generous donation from Milwaukee Tool. The donation includes 350 tools and $50,000 in funds. The gift is valued at over $450,000. It will directly support the growth of several key programs at the College. Programs benefitting from Milwaukee Tool’s Donation include; Fire Protection, Carpentry Apprenticeship, Electrical Power Distribution, Electromechanical Technology, Quality and Advances Manufacturing Technology, and CNC Tool and Die Technologies. Milwaukee Tool is a dedicated partner to Moraine Park. They help the College continue to provide hands-on training and tools needed for student success.
WAUTOMA FALL FEST
Wautoma will offer its first ever Fall Fest Saturday from 10 am to 3 pm. Bruce Vancheck is one of three coordinators for the event. He says the city had a void in its schedule for something to offer residents between the summer and the holiday season. He says they hope it is an event that will grow over the years. He says the festival may get moved up to September next year, but this year it is something people can add to their Halloween calendar. There will be shopping with discounts at retail stores, a hay maze for the kids, drink specials, vendors, food trucks, a brat stand, games and prizes. Eighteen different businesses on Main Street will be participating in the Wautoma Fall Festival.
ALLIANT ENERGY SOLAR PROJECTS RECOGNIZED
The Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure has awarded nine of Alliant Energy’s solar projects with its highest award level-Envision Platinum-for the sustainable development, construction and operation of the facilities. The nine Wisconsin solar projects total 664 megawatts. Two of the nine solar projects are in Dodge County, and one is in Waushara County. The two Dodge County projects are the 50-megawatt Beaver Dam project and the 100-megawatt Springfield project. Meanwhile the Wautoma project in Waushara County is generating 99 megawatts.
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