3/13/25 Hometown Broadcasting News Thursday
13 March 2025 News
LARGE BRUSH FIRE IN THE TOWN OF CHESTER
Waupun firefighters responded to a brush fire on County Road I in the Town of Chester at 2:20 Wednesday afternoon. When the firefighters arrived approximately 10 acres had burned, and fire was being pushed to the north and west into a large cattail marsh. Crews were able to bring the fire under control by 3:55 pm and it was extinguished 10 minutes later. Crews remained on the scene for another 45 minutes for overhaul. About 45 to 50 acres were burned. No structures were affected by the fire, but a deer stand was lost, and a fence was damaged. No one was injured during the blaze. Ten fire departments assisted during the incident, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Lifestar Ambulance. (Waupun Fire Department photo).
FIRE AT FDL APARTMENT COMPLEX
Two families were displaced but no one was injured by a fire at a 16-unit apartment complex in Fond du Lac last night. According to Fond du Lac Fire and Rescue Battalion Chief Joe Maramonte they responded to the fire at 171 South Royal Avenue just after 8 pm. The fire was knocked down quickly but caused extensive damage to the kitchen where it started and water damage to the apartment below it. It is believed a stove left on was a contributing factor to the fire. Three adults and one infant from the affected apartment are staying with relatives and the family in the lower apartment was also displaced. Fond du Lac Fire and Rescue was assisted by Fond du Lac Police, North Fond du Lac Fire Department, Alliant Energy, and Fond du Lac Building inspection services.
GERALD TURNER THE LATEST
A Fond du Lac County judge will hear arguments in July on whether 75-year-old Gerald Turner, the so-called “Halloween Killer,” should be allowed to have a “probable cause hearing.” A probable cause hearing would determine whether the case has merit and should be moved to a trial. He is currently being held at the Sand Ridge Secure Treatment Center in Mauston. Turner is asking to be released, and a status conference was held in his case yesterday. A petition for release in 2022 was denied. Turner was convicted of the Halloween 1973 rape and murder of 9-year-old Lisa Ann French in Fond du Lac. She was trick-or-treating that night in Turner’s neighborhood. Turner completed his prison sentence in 1994. His parole was revoked in 2013 for possessing sexually explicit material. He completed that sentence in 2018 but was found to be a sexually violent person and has been at a supervised living facility ever since.
RIPON COMMON COUNCIL DELAYS VOTE ON MAKING BLOSSOM STREET ONE WAY
By a 4 to 3 vote Tuesday night the Ripon Common Council postponed a vote to make Blossom Street one-way from Watson to Ransom Street and Blackburn to Houston Street. The change would be to accommodate the additional traffic that will occur when the Boys & Girls Club of the Tri-County Area open their new facility. In addition they have purchased Discovery Pre-School and there will be traffic between the two facilities. There would also be parking and bus loading and unloading modifications, improved crosswalks, and signage. Some Council members wanted more public input especially about parking. City Administrator Adam Sonntag says there has been a lot of input during various committee meetings over the past two years. City Attorney Lud Wurtz told the Council delaying the ordinance change would be a mistake. Mayor Ted Grant said he didn’t want to sway the Council’s vote but he hoped Council members would not vote one way or the other because of where the Boys & Girls Club facility was built. The proposed ordinance change will be revisited at the Council’s next meeting Monday, March 24th.
HONORARY IRISH FIND A SAFE RIDE HOME
With St. Patrick’s Day celebrations coming up across the country this weekend the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Columbia County Sheriff’s Office are urging drivers to remember that drinking and driving is deadly and never an option. According to national figures 38 percent of the traffic fatalities that occurred during the St. Patrick’s Day holidays between 2018 and 2022 involved drunk drivers. In 2022 alone there were 74 drunk-driving fatalities during the St. Patrick’s Day holiday, of which 49 involved drivers with a blood alcohol level of almost twice the legal limit. Drivers under the age of 21 to 34 years of age accounted for 64 percent of those accidents. If a driver finds they are unable to drive, they should give their keys to a sober driver. Designated drivers, a taxi or safe ride programs are also options. St. Patrick’s Day is Monday, but the holiday period extends from 6 pm March 16th to 6 am on March 18th.
WMC STATE CANDIDATE POLLING
New polling released by Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce on Wednesday shows the candidates for the Wisconsin Supreme Court tied among likely voters for the April 1st election. The polling, conducted between March 9th and 10th, shows a 47-47 split between former Attorney General Brad Schimel and Judge Susan Crawford. Five percent of voters are undecided in the race. Additionally, the poll found that the largest percent of voters are undecided in the race for the state’s top education position. Thirty-eight percent of likely voters have not decided who they will cast their ballots for, while 33 percent plan to vote for Jill Underly and 30 percent plan to vote for Brittany Kinzer for State Superintendent of the Department of Public Instruction. Six hundred likely spring election voters were polled.
FLU ON THE DECLINE
The Public Health Officer for Fond du Lac County says they believe that the flu has peaked in the county. Kim Mueller says they don’t track the total number of cases, but they do keep abreast of hospitalizations and those numbers due to influenza have been decreasing. Mueller says one reason they don’t keep a record of the number of flu cases is because some people prefer to remain at home and fight it off when they are sick so those cases aren’t reported. She notes that they have also seen a decrease in COVID cases too. Still she urges residents to make sure they have been vaccinated prior to going on vacation for spring break because you don’t know what other parts of the country are seeing. Fifteen states are currently reporting measles outbreaks with Texas being the hardest hit with 223 cases.
MURRAY PARK TRAIL BUNNY HOP
The Ripon Parks and Recreation Department is taking registration for the Murray Park Trail Bunny Hop. It will be at Murray Park on Saturday, April 12th from 10 to 11:30 am. It will start with an Easter Egg Hunt hosted by the Ripon Early Bird Kiwanis at 10 am. Each age group will be assigned to one of the four different baseball diamonds for the hunt. The Easter Egg Hunt is for kids from 2 to 10-years-old. Parks and Recreation Director Ashton Zeien says after the hunt children can hop along the Murray Park Trail to visit booths and collect additional goodies for their baskets. Registration is available online through the Ripon Rec Desk.com website.
Program: Murray Park Trail Bunny Hop
PLANNING AHEAD CLASSES OFFERED IN DODGE COUNTY
UW Extension Dodge County is inviting residents to take a new class Planning Ahead which is designed to address all aspects of end-of-life planning. Extension and Aging and Disabilities Resource Center educators will guide the one-and-a-half-hour in-person classes. The program is perfect for individuals of all ages. The classes will be held on Thursday afternoons from 1 to 2:30 pm April 3rd through May 8th at the Ted and Grace Bachhuber Memorial Library in Mayville. Registration can be handled online or by calling 920-386-3790. https://forms.gle/9cWCSUHAPkAe7b9q6
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