2/11/25 Hometown Broadcasting News Tuesday
11 February 2025 News
MISSING BEAVER DAM GIRL’S PARENTS ISSUE STATEMENT
The family of a missing Beaver Dam girl who is the subject of an Amber Alert issued a statement on Facebook yesterday. Sixteen-year-old Sophia Franklin is believed to be traveling with 40-year-old Gary Day. Sophia is three months pregnant, and Gary is known to be the father of her unborn child. In their statement Sophia’s parent’s say, “Sophie has been gone for a week. We don’t know what to do other than wait and pray. It’s a torment.” The rest of the statement appears to be an appeal to Sophia to come back to them. The statement wraps up by thanking family and friends and asks them to continue sharing information. Dodge County authorities issued a warrant for Day’s arrest last week on two counts of child enticement and two counts of child abduction. The Amber Alert was also extended to Arkansas where Day is from.
FDL COUNTY JAIL PRESENTATION
The Fond du Lac County Board tonight will be meeting an hour earlier to allow a couple of hours to hear a presentation on the findings of the Jail Ad Hoc Committee and Venture Architects about the need for a new jail. Sheriff Ryan Waldschmidt says most jails have a 30 to 50 year lifespan, but parts of the County Jail were built in the 1950s with three expansions over the years. He says nothing will be decided at tonight’s meeting but the presentation to the Board of Supervisors is another milestone for the project. It’s the first opportunity for the full county board to view and hear the study and findings. The Sheriff says their jail has been at or over capacity for years. This past week they were housing 16 of their inmates’ out-of-county, most at the Green Lake County Jail. The Fond du Lac County Board meets this evening at 5 pm in the legislative chambers of the City-County Government Center in Fond du Lac.
TWO VEHICLE HEAD ON COLLISION IN WASHINGTON COUNTY
Washington County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a two-vehicle head-on crash on State Highway 33 west of Highway 175 in the Town of Addison Sunday night. State Troopers and Allenton Fire and Rescue subsequently responded as well. Upon arrival four people in the vehicles were located. Additional ambulances were requested from West Bend Fire and Rescue. One patient was flown from the scene with serious injuries. Two others were taken to local hospitals, and the fourth did not require medical attention. The investigation revealed an eastbound vehicle crossed into the westbound lanes, striking the westbound vehicle head-on in its lane. Impairment was a factor in the crash. State Highway 33 between Highway 175 and County Trunk U was shut down for about two hours.
OAKS INSTALLED AT RIPON COLLEGE
Ripon College and the Fond du Lac County Health Department worked in collaboration with the nonprofit organization Clinton Foundation to install Overdose Aid Kits or OAKs across Ripon College. These kits were installed throughout the campus on Friday, January 17th. The kits contain Narcan, along with other helpful materials such as educational information on how to prevent and respond to overdoses. OAKs can be found on campus at Great Hall, Rodman Arts Center, Lane Library, Willmore Center, and Pickard Commons. The kits installed at Ripon College are in addition to the OAKs that have been installed previously at various businesses in Fond du Lac County.
MATT STEINBARTH NEXT FDL SCHOOLS SUPERINTENDENT
The Fond du Lac School Board Monday voted unanimously to make the Chief Academic Officer Matt Steinbarth the district’s next Superintendent of Schools effective July 1st. He has over 25 years of service in the district. Board President Todd Schreiter says, “Our decision, with a 7-0 vote, is a testament to the faith that we have in Mr. Steinbarth to continue to strengthen and build upon pillars and foundation that have been established with retiring Superintendent Dr. Jeff Fleig.” Steinbarth has served the District in several capacities including Chief of Schools, Fond du Lac High School principal, Lakeshore Elementary School principal, Woodworth Middle School assistant principal, 8th grade math teacher at Woodworth, and he began in the District as a long-term substitute teacher at Parkside Elementary School. He graduated from Goodrich High School in 1994, has a bachelor’s degree in education from the UW-Oshkosh, master’s degree from Marian University and a superintendent license from Concordia University.
AI BEING USED FOR ROMANCE SCAMS
The Administrator for the State’s Division of Trade and Consumer Protection says scammers are using Artificial Intelligence or A.I. in romance scams to try and get your money and personal information. Michelle Reinen says a lot of people use the Internet and social media to find love. She says with A.I. scammers can generate fake photos for social media to make them look more appealing. She says if you’re asked for money or information it may be a red flag. She recommends avoiding that until you are sure you have a relationship that is real and will last. She suggests doing reverse image searches to see if a profile picture is real, checking the person’s internet history and social media use. If it’s short or sparse it may mean it is not real. She also cautions about “love bombing” or being showered with attention or commitment too early in the relationship. Reinen says to also remember that A.I. can be used to fake audio or video when you are chatting with someone online or over the phone.
BADGER 5 WINNER IN LOMIRA
The Wisconsin Lottery had a big weekend with three winners including a $125,000 Badger 5 ticket sold in Lomira. The ticket for Sunday’s drawing was purchased at Hi-Way Hop BP. In 2022 the store sold a winning $350,000 Super Cash ticket. Hi-Way Hop BP Assistant General Manager, Emily Bennett says, “It’s very exciting to sell winning tickets.” She says hopefully there are more big wins coming. Those Badger 5 winning numbers were 5-12-14-17-26. Last Friday a $350,000 Super Cash ticket was sold in Fitchburg and Saturday night there was a $50,000 Powerball winner in Walworth.
DNR STRATEGIC PLANNING
The state’s Department of Natural Resources is currently drafting a strategic plan for managing our state’s wildlife species and habitat and is seeking public feedback on the plan’s objectives. The plan will guide how the DNR’s Wildlife Program prioritizes its resources and work in the coming years. The DNR values public input and believes that it is important for Wisconsinites to weigh in on the draft plan’s objectives and share which are the most important to them. For more information on the strategic planning process and to participate in this public input opportunity visit the DNR’s Wildlife Management Strategic Plan Updates webpage. The webpage explains the planning process, contains a link to the input form and allows individuals to stay engaged in the planning process by signing up to receive occasional updates. The input form will take about 10 minutes to complete. All responses are anonymous. For input to be considered submissions must be completed by Friday, February 28th.
Wildlife Management Strategic Plan Updates | | Wisconsin DNR
MPTC ENROLLMENT CONTINUES TO INCREASE
Moraine Park Technical College continues to see significant improvements in overall enrollment trends for the spring 2025 semester. Following four consecutive years of declining enrollment numbers, MPTC has now seen two years in a row of increased enrollments. To date, the College is noting a nine percent increase in full-time equivalent enrollments and the highest year-to-date program student headcount in four years. Overall program headcount is up by over five percent and the growth is expected to remain strong into the fall 2025 semester. The College has multiple events this fall for prospective students and community members. College Preview Days for students in grades 11 and 12 will be held from 9:30 am to Noon on April 2nd at the Fond du Lac campus and April 9th on the West Bend campus. A Virtual Information Session open to all those interested in an MPTC program will be held tomorrow. More information on registration for that session can be found on the MPTC website.
Information Sessions – Moraine Park Technical College
LITTLE WOMEN THE BROADWAY MUSICAL
The Ripon High School Drama Club’s spring musical Little Women: The Broadway Musical is coming up this week. Performances featuring two main casts performing on alternating shows will be at the High School Auditorium. Cast members are excited about the show. Some of them have been performing together in theatrical productions since middle school. They will be doing some scenes today at the elementary schools in Ripon and the Ripon Noon Kiwanis meeting. Wednesday is a different story performing the musical for students at the High School. Some of them are a little nervous about performing in front of their peers. As for the public those performances will be on Thursday and Friday at 7 pm, and Saturday at 2 pm and 7 pm. Tickets are available for $10 for General Admission, $5 for students and teachers. Cast and ticket sale information can be found online. Tickets can be purchased in advance online or in person at the box office at each performance. The musical is based on Louisa May Alcott’s Life and follows the adventures of four sisters during the Civil War.
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