Month: December 2024

A second defendant in the fentanyl overdose death of a Ripon man is going to prison. Joseph Schmidt Rehbein who was 15 years old at the time of the offense was sentenced to five and a half years in prison and 10 and a half years extended supervision. He was earlier convicted of first degree reckless homicide.

Fond du Lac Fire Rescue was dispatched to 446 N. Hickory St. for a report of a fire on the second floor of the home. Upon arrival crews found smoke on the second floor of the residence. The fire was knocked down just prior to Fire Rescue arrival by a City of Fond du Lac Police Officer using a portable fire extinguisher.  Fire Companies checked for fire extension in the […]

City offices in the City/County Government Center will close at noon on December 24th and December 31st and will be closed all day on December 25th and January 1st in observance of the holidays.   The Municipal Service Center will close for all services, including refuse and recycling collection and bulky waste drop off, at 11:00am on December 24th and December 31st and will be closed all day on December 25th […]

Seven people have taken out nomination papers for Fond du Lac school board.  Incumbents Brittany Hoerth, Antonio Godfrey and Todd Schreiter are all running for reelection.  Challengers who have taken out papers are Karen Moehn, Luke Frame, Thomas Oliver and Rayne Wilson.  If all seven return their papers a Primary Election would be held February 18th.  There are six candidates who have taken out papers to run for three seats on Fond du Lac city council.  […]

Hello Waupun! And Merry Christmas ! This will most likely be the final Mayor's Column of 2024, as I'll be busy with family Christmas obligations, church, and Christmas break. If anything important happens, I can always write one more, but otherwise you will hear from me in January. Looking back on 2024 I can say it was a challenging year, and I for one am looking forward to 2025. While it […]

Wisconsinites are expected to travel in record numbers for the year-end holiday period.  From Saturday December 21 to Wednesday January 1 AAA predicts 2.39 million Wisconsinites will travel 50 miles or more from home.   AAA spokeswoman Molly Hart says thats 76,278 more travelers than last year's previous record high.  Nationwide AAA expects 3 million more travelers than last year with more than 119 million people traveling 50 miles or more.  Hart says people […]

AAA is using GPS technology in an effort to reduce roadside deaths in Wisconsin.  Drivers who use the Waze GPS system or Google Maps for navigation in select states, including Wisconsin, will receive an alert when they approach a AAA member and AAA technician on the roadside, allowing motorists to slow down or move over as they approach the scene.  Every  year, AAA responds to over 30 million calls for […]

Wisconsin's unemployment rate held steady in November.   The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development says the statewide unemployment rate last month was 2.9 percent,   1.3 percent below the national unemployment rate of 4.2 percent.  According to preliminary U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates workers set a seventh consecutive monthly record for employment.

Madison, Wis. - The Wisconsin REALTORS® Association (WRA) released its November 2024 Wisconsin Real Estate Report today, showing the state remains a strong seller's market with limited inventory. Available supply is only at 3.3 months, well below the level of a balanced market. Affordability remains a challenge for first-time homebuyers who lack equity from the sale of an existing home, coupled with struggles regarding 30-year fixed-rate mortgages which have been […]