It's Wayne
Mauser, local news.
Good morning.
I'm Wayne Mauser for Civic Media News.
Oshkosh police are continuing to investigate a fatal single vehicle accident that happened at 2 10 a.m.
Monday morning near the intersection of Merritt Avenue and Grand Street in Oshkosh.
The driver, who was the sole occupant of the vehicle, left the roadway and struck a house.
Oshkosh Fire Department responded and removed the vehicle from the house.
Despite life-saving efforts, the driver died at the scene.
None of the residents of the home were injured.
The roadway was temporarily closed while officers investigated.
Anyone with information about the accident that wishes to remain anonymous can contact the Winnebago County Crime Stoppers at 920-231-8477.
Two 17-year-old males were taken into custody October 31st after Oshkosh police responded to a report of two males going through vehicles and attempting to enter a garage officers responded about 12 or 3 a.m.
And observed the males fleeing on foot in the 1400 block of Beach Street this according to the Oshkosh Police Department officers established a perimeter and deployed a department drone to assist with the search using the drone's aerial view and information
for Red Technology, officers searched the area and located the two individuals.
One of the males was taken into custody for resisting misdemeanor bail jumping and theft.
The other was taken into custody for resisting and theft.
Items from the vehicle break-ins were recovered.
Voters in Wisconsin go to the polls today to decide a number of races and issues.
That includes voting for governor, state attorney general, and other state races.
Congressional seats are also at stake as our state assembly seats
and state senate seats for the odd-numbered districts.
On the local level, voters will be deciding some county sheriff and clerk-of-course races.
In Winnebago County, sheriff's candidates include Republican Darren Rice and Democrat Jason Ripple.
More than 70 Wisconsin school districts have referendums before voters.
In this area, there are operational referendums for Riffin, Mayville, Marcus Ann, Montello, Westfield, Iola, Scandinavia, and why Uyghur Fremont has a borrowing referendum.
Polls open at
7 a.m.
and will be open until 8 tonight.
Another status conference will be held January 4th for Jerome Byer, who allegedly killed his roommate James Ruhlin in 1995.
Byer, now 83, is charged with first-degree intentional homicide.
In court on Monday, Byer's attorney said he's still reviewing evidence in the case.
The 40-year-old Ruhlin was last confirmed to have been seen on October 24th, 1995.
A witness reported possibly having seen Ruhlin hitchhiking in North Fond du Lac two days later.
Ruhlin's vehicle was later found
at the stretch truck stop in north Fond du Lac.
The two lived together in a farmhouse in the town of Rippon.
According to the criminal complaint, Beyer claimed Ruhlin stole $1,200 in cash from him and ran up the phone bill leading to an argument.
Beyer was convicted of forging Ruhlin's signatures on two checks in a 1997 case.
Fond du Lac County District Attorney Eric Tony opened an inquest into the case in July.
Beyer testified in a hearing he was confronted with evidence that Ruhlin paid his rent and
phone bill in full each month.
Byer did not have an explanation according to the complaint.
Ruland's ex-wife told investigators that he had a shunt in his brain from a childhood injury and that if, quote, James got into a fight with anyone, he more than likely would die from a bump to the head, unquote.
Byer denied and being involved in some accident that injured Ruland.
Searches of the farmhouse with dogs trained to recognize human remains and ground penetrating radar failed to turn up any signs of Ruland's body.
The Community Health Manager for SSM Health Hospitals in Riffin, Waupon and Fond du Lac said she is really pleased that the Green Lake Health Department reached out to request funding for some of their programs.
Bob Nelson has more for Civic Media News.
Laura Nikolsky says the $10,000 community health gift from the ripping community hospital will support several health programs in Green Lake County, including youth mental health awareness programs in local schools and substance use prevention efforts through Green Lake County United for Prevention.
So it's so important and I truly value it and at so many times our little itty bitty rural schools are often overlooked.
So that's why for me I put such a great value on this.
These substance use prevention efforts are mostly targeted at middle school students when students often try alcohol or drugs for the first time.
She feels mental health is a key component of risk-taking behavior.
So you're feeling anxious, you're feeling maybe lonely or sad.
What should you do instead of reaching for a substance?
The substance used to prevention efforts through Greenland County United for Prevention focus on small talks.
She says those small talks between a parent and child can have a big impact.
I'm Bob Nelson for Civic Media
News.
128,000 traffic crashes in Wisconsin and each crash impacts the safety of other travelers and emergency responders.
Often they are working just feet from traffic.
Over the past five years, 72 emergency responders were struck by a vehicle while working on the side of the road in Wisconsin.
Secondary crashes, which happened after an initial incident, put those involved in a crash and first responders in danger.
There have been more than 3,500 secondary crashes in Wisconsin since 2021.
In the past five years, 29 people were killed and 1650 people were injured in the secondary crashes.
I'm Wayne Mauser for Civic Media News.
For Civic Media News, I'm Connie Feldman.
Today's the day Wisconsin voters head to the polls to decide who they want to be our next state leader.
Wisconsin election officials say nearly 30% of our state has already done that.
As of last Friday, the Wisconsin Election Commission says nearly 800,000 votes are already in for midterm elections.
That includes more than 450,000 early in-person votes.
and more than 310,000 mail-in ballots.
The number of Wisconsinites casting in-person absentee ballots on the first day of early voting surged by 65% over the 2022 midterm election.
All but five of Wisconsin's 72 counties saw higher numbers of people handing in their ballots in person on the first day of early voting than they did four years ago.
The number of early voting ballots arriving in the mail, though, is down from 2022.
Election officials say that hints at a shift in
voting behavior tied to concerns about postal delays and President Donald Trump's unsuccessful attempts to restrict who can vote by mail.
As Wisconsin voters head to the polls today, Civic Media's Maddie Schaefer has some helpful reminders to make sure you have everything you need to have your voice counted.
Polling places across the state are open from 7 a.m.
until 8 p.m.
today, and anyone in line by 8 p.m.
will still be allowed to vote.
Voters are reminded to bring an acceptable form of photo ID, such as a Wisconsin driver's license, state ID, or U.S.
passport.
Those who haven't registered to vote can still register at their polling place today, but they'll need to provide proof of residence.
Anyone returning an absentee ballot must also make sure it reaches their municipal clerk by 8 p.m.
in order to be counted.
If
you're unsure of where to go to cast your ballot, visit the My Vote Wisconsin website for your polling location.
Wisconsin's gubernatorial candidates have been talking to voters all around our state in the days leading up to this midterm election.
Civic media's James Kelly shares what each candidate had to say to voters at their recent stops in the western part of our state.
During a campaign stop in Chippewa Falls on Friday, Republican nominee and Congressman Tom Tiffany highlighted his plan to return the state's budget surplus to taxpayers.
He also reiterated his intent to lower property taxes and fully fund Wisconsin's public school system as districts across the state propose operational referendums yet again.
I know we can do both.
Reduce taxes as well as fully funder schools because I did it a decade ago.
When I was on the finance committee in the legislature, we passed the largest increase in public school funding in a decade.
That was the 2019 budget.
And yet we also gave a tax cut.
We can do both.
We can give people some of their money back, but we can also fully fund education.
Democratic nominee and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley also visited Eau Claire on Saturday morning to energize voters around affordability issues.
Asked how he would seek to fully fund public education and lower property taxes, Crowley pointed to reevaluating the state's school funding formula and increasing revenue in other areas.
You do tax these billionaires, one, making sure that they're paying their fair share to come towards our communities.
Then you put together the Blue Ribbon Commission.
It's not just about short term fixes.
We need long term sustainability in our shared revenue formula as well as
our school funding formula is not working right now and many of our schools are hurting because of it.
And then the last thing is, you know, bring marijuana to fruition, right?
Legalizing that will help bring in, you know, millions of dollars that we've been losing to Minnesota, Michigan, and Illinois.
I'm James Kelly for Civic Media News.
We'll see what the voters have to say later tonight.
And that's your state news update.
I'm Connie Feldman for Civic Media News.
The Badgers win their opener.
Hi, I'm Mike Clemens with Sports College basketball.
The Wisconsin Badgers beat the Denver Pioneers 75 to 68 in their season opener.
Elon Elmer led the Badgers with 18 points.
But head coach Greg Gard says the team knows they can play better.
Regardless of score, regardless of opponent, we talk about how we want to play the game and we didn't.
I mean, I said it in the locker room, but they know it.
They're an intelligent group.
In Milwaukee, Marquette won their season opener 78 to 43 over the Mercy.
The Brewers making moves, picking up the option on catcher William Contreras, while pitcher Dustin May becomes a free agent.
College football Luke Fickle watched the tape of the Badgers 30 to nothing loss at Iowa over the weekend.
I'm not sitting here saying I've.
got any answers for you and they're not pointing any fingers at anybody or anything because all three phases of the game we were completely manhandled for 60 plus minutes.
That's the Badgers head coach Luke Fickle with sports on Mike Clemens.
It is going to be cloudy with scattered rain off and on through the day today especially this afternoon are high in the mid to upper 60s tonight.
More rain likely an isolated thundershower or two possible.
We're going to drop into the 50s tomorrow.
Cloudy cooler with more rain are high in the upper 50s.
to low 60s.
I'm meteorologist Sean Cable.
Local interviews, podcasts, and more are always fresh and always on file at thebug.fm.