Monday News 7/1/19
1 July 2019 News
Preliminary Hearing Scheduled For FDL Standoff Suspect
A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for the 27-year-old Fond du Lac man who barricaded himself and three children in an apartment last month. Takarie Cook was given more time to find counsel. His hearing in Fond du Lac County is scheduled for July 11th. On June 4th Cook armed himself with a knife during the incident in the 100 block of East Johnson Street. He had three children with him in an upstairs apartment. One child escaped and the other two were rescued when a police SWAT team used an explosive breach to enter the apartment.
Bygone Tradition Returns To Ripon
“Scooping the Loop” or automobiles cruising a section of Downtown Ripon will return in a limited fashion this summer. A group planning an event for Saturday, August 10th asked the City Council this past week if an exception could be put in place for the ordinance created a quarter century ago that prohibits automobiles cruising in the downtown. Downtown Manager Craig Tebon told the Council it would be something people could do in August. The Council agreed and created the exception in the ordinance for public events or celebrations that met with the Council’s approval. The group, which refers to itself as the “Scoop the Loop Revival Committee” plans to hold the event from 5 to 9 pm on Saturday, August 10th. In a letter to City Administrator Lori Rich the group said, “Downtown business owners would like the nostalgia to return for one glorious evening each summer.”
Highway 26 Project Complete
The state’s Department of Transportation tells us construction is complete on a 4.3-mile improvement project on State Highway 26 that runs from the Winnebago south county line to I-41 in the city of Oshkosh. Work on the $2.29 million project began April 29th, and crews completed site clean-up this past week. Construction included milling and resurfacing, replacement of three culverts, beamguards, shoulder gravel, permanent signing, and pavement marking.
Grothman On Court Decision Regarding Census Citizenship Question
It remains to been seen whether the Trump Administration will be able to come up with a good enough justification for including a citizenship question in 2020 census after the U.S. Supreme Court decision this past week. The court ruled the administration came up with a “contrived” reason for wanting the information whether or not a person is a citizen of the country. Congressman Glenn Grothman says it was probably the court’s biggest decision in a week which also saw it rule on Gerrymandering. “A big significant one I felt dealt with the U.S. census and it is questionable whether we are going ask people on the census next year whether we able to as to whether they are citizens or not. I thought that was an outlandish decision it was sent back to a lower court, but that will be important for a long time to come we will have to keep following it.” The Trump Administration said a decision was needed by the end of June, but others have said there is a fall deadline for the question to get approval for next year’s census.
Senator Feyen On Redistricting Decision
A decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to not get involved in Gerrymandering or Redistricting could end the legal battle in Wisconsin over the issue. It is a victory for conservatives and Republicans who fashioned legislative districts following the last census. State Senator Dan Feyen says they are still digesting the court’s decision, but it looks like a retrial on the matter here in Wisconsin this summer may not occur following the high court’s decision.(“The court has made what is called a “final determination” so that trial may be possibly unnecessary right now and will be null and void.”
Unemployment Rates Up Slightly In May
Unemployment increased slightly in area counties in May. According to Federal Labor statistics Dodge and Fond du Lac counties both had 2.4 percent jobless rates. Winnebago County’s rate increased to 2.6 percent, while Marquette County’s rate decreased slightly to 2.8 percent. Rates in Green Lake and Waushara counties held steady at 2.9 percent. The cities of Fond du Lac and Oshkosh saw an uptick in unemployment rates at 2.5 and 2.7 percent respectively.
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Change In Ripon Garbage Collection For The Fourth
Ripon city officials are reminding residents there will be a change in the routine for garbage collection this week due to the 4th of July Holiday. Those who normally put their can out on Thursdays are asked to put it out on Friday instead. They ask that the can be put out early.
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