It's Wayne Mauser, Local News.
Good morning, I'm Wayne Mauser for Civic Media News.
As Fond du Lac County authorities continue investigating a 47-year-old rural Fond du Lac man who kept skulls and human remains in his home, the county's district attorney is critical about bonds set for a stalking charge in Dane County.
The stalking charge led to a search warrant executed by Fond du Lac County detectives and Madison police at Benjamin Larson's home on County Highway Q on August 14th.
During the search, detectives located books, documents and
related to murders and serial killers.
Human skulls were also found.
The Sheriff's Office obtained a separate search warrant from a Fond du Lac County judge.
Sheriff's detectives subsequently collected a variety of evidentiary items, including human skulls and skeletal remains.
Many of the remains were determined to be ancient Native American, but further testing is being done on others.
Meanwhile, Fond du Lac County District Attorney Eric Tony is criticizing the low cash bail set by a Dane County judge for the stalking charge.
Larson was able
to post the $15,000 cash bond.
Tony said he's been working with investigators since the early stages of the investigation in Fond du Lac County.
He says it's an active investigation and no charges have been referred to his office.
Larson will be arraigned in Dane County Court on September 11th.
The Wopaka County District Attorney has filed her response to a motion made by the attorney for a 50-year-old Nina Mann who drove a vehicle the wrong way in Wopaka County, causing a crash that killed four siblings.
The post-conviction motion made July 6th on Scott Farmer's behalf is asking the court to throw out his no-contest pleas and give him a new trial.
That motion claimed the judge didn't sign a warrant for a blood draw, but had a deputy sign the judge's name to the warrant.
The blood draw determined
Farmer's blood alcohol content was .346, more than four times a legal limit and 17 times a limit for someone with four previous OWI convictions.
Farmer also contends his lawyer at the time was ineffective.
Wapaka County DA Cat Turner's response says Farmer's trial counsel was not ineffective and a suppression motion would have been meritless.
During the December 16th, 2023 crash on Highway 10 in Waiowiga, Daniel Fabian
and Danny Eleganzales died when their SUV was hit by farmer.
All four siblings are originally from
Ecuador.
$1 million in financial assistance will be available to families affected by the July 27th tornado in the Fox Valley.
Representatives from United Way Fox Cities, Community Foundations in the Fox Cities and Oshkosh and other area non-profit organizations announced the tails on Monday.
They will also be committing another $1 million to address future direct assistance needs.
Meanwhile, when Ashes Common Council approved an additional $1.73 million in public
funding for tornado cleanup.
City Code allows the city to spend up to $100,000.
The council had already approved $1.95 million, including a 10% contingency.
The latest request brings the total to $3.86 million.
SSM Health Dale Michaels Hart and Vascular Care in Fond du Lac has a new board certified cardiothoracic surgeon.
Bob Nelson reports for Civic Media News.
Dr. Nathan Smith joined SSM Health in July.
He says he had a practice in Mississippi and wasn't looking for a new job, but a mentor from his general surgery days reached out about the opening in Fond du Lac
and said, hey, would you like to be a little busier and come on up here to Fond du Lac, Wisconsin?
So after taking a gander at the local area and
kind of falling in love with the town and the people.
My wife and I decided to move up here and it's been a real blessing.
In fact, his wife is a physician too and the two of them even did some medical mission work in Togo.
And it's a smaller hospital where I do general surgery stuff like taking out colons or breast cancers or thyroids or hernias.
And my wife who's also a physician
Dr. Smith, the most commonly treats patients with heart disease, lung tumors, and traumatic chest injuries.
If you'd like to find out more or schedule a visit with him, call 920-926-8230.
I'm Bob Nelson for Civic Media News.
The League of Women Voters of the Rippon Area will hold a forum for candidates running for the Sixth Congressional District seat.
It will be in the Rippon City Hall of Council chambers at 7 p.m.
on Wednesday, September
16.
All five candidates were invited.
The three that have accepted are Democrat Brad Smith, Green Party candidate Matthew Orndt and independent Mike Thurow.
The forum will be streamed live on the Rippon YouTube channel.
It will also be televised on the local Rippon channel 986 for Spectrum Customers.
A forum for state legislators has been scheduled for October 7.
All candidates for state assembly and senate have been invited.
The Rippon Green Leg Chapter of Professional Women's Connection
will kick off its new season with an evening of connection, conversation and community.
It will be on Thursday, September 17th from 5.30 until 7.30 p.m.
at Vines and Rush's Winery in Ripon.
The evening will include a pizza buffet and cash bar.
The cost is $20 per person and both current members and guests are welcome to attend.
Whether someone is already involved with the group or is simply interested in meeting with other professional women in the area, the kickoff is designed to be a welcoming opportunity
to connect and learn more about the organization.
RSVP is required by Tuesday, September 15th at PWCWY.org.
I'm Wayne Mauser reporting for Civic Media
The NFL has sidelined Packers running back Josh Jacobs while criminal charges against him move through the court.
Jacobs is now on the commissioner's exempt list, so he cannot practice or attend games with Green Bay.
He was charged Thursday with misdemeanor battery and criminal damage to property following a May arrest.
Jacobs denies the accusations.
His lawyers say he intends to return to the Packers and the NFL after the review is finished.
Two teenage boys died Saturday when their car went off the road and hit a tree in Marinette County.
Marinette Sheriff's deputies say the crash happened shortly before 11 p.m.
on County Highway G east of Crivitz.
They say the teen driver lost control on a curve, went into a ditch, and hit a tree.
The Sheriff's office identified the driver as 16-year-old Landon England from Menominee, Michigan.
17-year-old Princeton Welty from Crivitz was also killed in the crash.
A nationwide bench warrant has been issued for a nuclear woman who failed to appear at her sentencing hearing on charges of child neglect.
Civic media's James Kelly has more.
According to court documents, 36-year-old Tony Hammons was scheduled to appear in court on August 28 for sentencing after pleading no contests to four counts of chronic neglect of a child as party to a crime.
An investigation was launched after school employees reported malnourishment concerns with her four children.
Their step-parent, Mary Bentley Orem, was also sentenced to over four years in prison in October.
I'm James Kelly for Civic Media News.
More state tax money than expected could leave Wisconsin with a nearly $3 billion surplus.
However, there's still no agreement on how to use it.
New figures show tax collections rose 3.4% from the year before and came in about 2% higher than projected.
Republican budget leaders say they want to revisit tax relief and property tax help, along with the support for schools.
75 veterans who served during the global war on terror are back home in Wisconsin after a four-day mission of healing retreat.
The veterans left the Fox Valley last Thursday to tour the 9-11 Memorial and Museum in New York, along with the Freedom Tower and Statue of Liberty.
Organizers say the trip is a chance for veterans to reflect on their own service, while sharing the bond that comes with those who've lived through some of the same experiences.
The trip is offered at no cost to veterans as a way to celebrate the veterans and their families, organizers say, while helping them find a healthier path forward.
Heavy rain on Saturday brought IndyCar's only double header of the season to a halt at the Milwaukee Mile on Saturday, intensifying rain forced drivers off the track on lap 90.
Race 1 was delayed further by storms yesterday morning, but did eventually resume, and drivers completed both races yesterday.
That Saturday soaker was a precursor to a hot and humid weather pattern setting in across our state.
National Weather Service forecasters say it'll be hot and stormy over the next few days in much of Wisconsin.
Temps are expected to be in the upper 80s and 90s with chances for scattered afternoon and evening storms.
More details coming up in weather.
And that's your state news update.
I'm Connie Feldman for Civic Media News.
The Brewers take on the Cubs again.
Hi, I'm Mike Clemens with sports where the Brewers face the Cubs tonight in game two of a four game series at Wrigley Field.
The Brewers got drilled last night 17-3.
The Cubs clay homes pitch great.
The Brewers Kyle Harrison did not giving up five home runs before Pat Murphy yanked him out of the game in the fourth inning.
Starting pitcher didn't give us what we needed to have.
to it and then you get behind in a game like that against a pitcher that that guy was great tonight and the Cubs offense was right on point.
College football the Wisconsin Badgers getting ready for their season opener against Notre Dame Sunday inside Lambeau Fielding Green Bay.
We know this is a huge game in game one and kicking off the way we're kicking off in Lambeau against Notre Dame.
But we also understand there's a journey here and so there aren't decisions made completely on a lot of guys just yet and we'll have to figure that thing out as we get closer to
game.
That's Wisconsin Badger head coach Luke Fickle.
The Badgers are 20 point underdogs with sports on Mike Clemens.
Mostly sunny today are high in the mid to upper 80s this afternoon.
Tonight it'll be mostly cloudy with a few scattered showers and thunderstorms after midnight or low upper 50s to low 60s tomorrow.
An early shower or a thunderstorm then partly cloudy with a high in the upper 70s to low 80s.
I'm meteorologist Sean Cable.
Local interviews, podcasts and more are always fresh and always on
file at the bug.fm.