5/6/25 Hometown Broadcasting News Tuesday
6 May 2025 News
OMRO ALDERMAN SUSPECTED OF DISTRIBUTING CHILD PORN
A 43-year-old Omro Alderman is facing a federal charge of distribution of child pornography. Jason Reeves made his initial appearance in Federal Court in Green Bay last Friday. He will be back in court tomorrow for a detention hearing. According to the federal complaint, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children alerted the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Department to suspicious activity. Reeves allegedly sent a video file of a naked girl, between 7 to 10 years old, to another person using a chat message. Police executed a search warrant at his home last Thursday. Police seized various electronic devices.
RIPON MAN CHARGED WITH SIXTH OWI
Ripon Police signed an amended complaint Monday against a 54-year-old Ripon man who allegedly drove drunk on February 1st despite having five previous OWI convictions. Keith Kirst is charged with his sixth OWI offense and operating with a prohibited alcohol concentration. Kirst failed field sobriety tests and a blood test at Ripon Community Hospital put his blood alcohol level at .132. Because of his prior OWI convictions he is to have a level of no more than 0.02. According to the criminal complaint Kirst told the investigating Ripon Police Office he had 3 beers. A plea and sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 28th. Kirst’s last OWI conviction was in May of 2011.
OSHKOSH FIRE CHIEF SELECTION PROCESS PRAISED
An Oshkosh Common Councilman says it was good to see the Police and Fire Commission choose from within for the community’s next Fire Chief. The Commission last month selected Tim Heiman who at the time was the Division Chief of Training for the Oshkosh Fire Department. Councilman Jacob Floam says Heiman was one of two finalists from the Oshkosh Fire Department and one of five finalists overall. Heiman has had a number of roles with the Oshkosh Fire Department and in 2022 was recognized as the Wisconsin Society of Emergency Services Instructor of the Year. Floam says the Commission did a great job in the selection process. Gregory Stelter an Assistant Fire Chief with the Oshkosh Fire Department was the other internal candidate.
POTLUCK WITH A PURPOSE
Freeland Film Festival of Green Lake and Foxhead Regenerative Agriculture Project or Foxrap will be holding a Potluck with a Purpose Lunch and Learn event. The program will be held on Saturday, May 17th from 1 to 3 pm at Good Trouble Grove at N6498 State Road 49 in Green Lake. Those attending are asked to bring a dish to pass. Evelyn Galster of Freeland says the purpose is to talk about regenerative farming. Dr. John Strauser of Grassland 2.0 will be the speaker. He is from Ripon. Galster says they will also be doing a little promotion for the Film Festival they will hold in Green Lake September 12th through the 14th. They also hope to show the film “Green and Gold” at the Thrasher next month. The movie stars Craig T. Nelson who plays a farmer betting the future of his farm on how the Green Bay Packers do during a season in the 1990’s.
FDL MAN RECOGNIZED FOR SAVING MAN’S LIFE
The Wisconsin Professional Police Association Saturday night awarded a Fond du Lac Police officer with a Meritorious Award for saving the life of a man who tried to commit suicide. Officer Nathan Defatte was in the parking lot of a business on January 18th when a resident told him there was a man in the parking lot with a can of gasoline that appeared to be having a mental health crisis. Officer Defatte located the man who had doused himself with gasoline and was attempting to light a piece of cloth. Before the officer could exit his vehicle the man lit the cloth and dropped it into the puddle of gas he was standing in. Officer Defatte did not have a fire extinguisher in his car. As the fire spread up the man’s legs to his jacket, Defatte ran to him, grabbed him and shoved them both into a large snowbank at the side of the parking lot. He held the man and rolled them both in the snow extinguishing the flames. Officer Defatte saved the man’s life. The man suffered significant burns to his legs, but his injuries were minimal considering what could have been. (Fond du Lac Police Department photo).
LUCKY START FOR RIPON PUBLIC LIBRARY PROGRAMS
The Ripon Public Library will kick off its summer programming with a free event on Friday, June 13th. Youth Services Librarian Linda DeCramer says Yo-Yo Entertainer Mark Hayward will be performing at 1 pm that afternoon. Afterwards there will be pie and ice cream with frozen treats for those who suffer from food allergens. DeCramer says during the course of the summer they will be holding monthly drawings for nice prizes, but you have to register by having your library card scanned which you can do if you attend the June 13th Summer kick-off event or any time you visit the library.
ENVISION GREATER FDL TRAVEL PROGRAM TO IRELAND
Envision Greater Fond du Lac will host two information sessions on an upcoming travel program to Ireland. The first is next Monday from 6 to 7 pm at the Envision offices in Downtown Fond du Lac. The second is a virtual session on Friday, July 18th from 12 to 1 pm. The trip will take place November 4th through the 12th. The information sessions will include information on the trip, including itinerary, travel suggestions, and currency. There will be time for questions as well. The virtual session will take place via Zoom, but you need to register online to receive the link. Trip highlights will include visits to the iconic Cliffs of Moher, the lively streets of Galway and Dublin, exploring ancient castles, and enjoying traditional music. To learn more and register for the session visit Envision Greater Fond du Lac and look for the Travel Program under the events tab.
Calendar #events# – Envision Greater Fond du Lac
YOUTH AG COUNCIL SELECTED
The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection recently announced the 15 new members of the sixth Wisconsin Agriculture Youth Council. The council members will serve for one year, concluding their term next May. Among those new members is Oscar Stowell of Fox Lake. Members serve during their senior year of high school participating in a virtual session each month of the school year to listen to presentations, engage in discussions, and connect with professionals across the agriculture industry. Council members will receive a certificate at the end of their term. To apply for the council, members submitted an application including a brief essay and one-minute video. Members were selected through a competitive review process.
CONGRESSIONAL APP CHALLENGE
Congressman Glenn Grothman recently announced the Congressional App Challenge, an annual coding competition. Students are encouraged to register online and submit their app by October 30th. Officially launched by the U.S. House of Representatives in 2015, this nationwide effort allows students to compete against their peers by creating an application for desktop/PC, web, tablet, mobile, Raspberry Pi, or other devices. Any programming language will be accepted. The Challenge is designed to promote innovation and engagement in computer science and coding. More details on the challenge can be found on Congressman Grothman’s website.
Congressional App Challenge | U.S. Representative Glenn Grothman
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