It's Wayne
Mauser, Local News.
Good morning.
I'm Wayne Mauser for Civic Media News.
The 47-year-old rural Fond du Lac man who kept human skulls, remains, and shrines to serial killers in his home's basement has been charged in Fond du Lac County Court.
Benjamin Larson made his initial appearance on Wednesday on felony bail jumping, obstructing an officer, and three counts of receiving stolen property.
Bond was set at $250,000 cash and a preliminary hearing is scheduled for tomorrow.
The grisly discoveries made at Larson
were during the execution of a search warrant on August 14th as Fond du Lac County's Sheriff's officials were assisting Madison Police with a stalking investigation.
The Sheriff's Office subsequently got their own search warrant for their investigation into what was discovered at Larson's home.
According to the criminal complaint filed by the Sheriff's Office, there was no legal avenue found for Larson to have obtained three Native American skulls and human remains with the possible exception of one found on
on Abler Road.
District Attorney Eric Tony says, quote, the investigation is beyond disturbing and remains an active investigation, unquote.
A Clintonville police officer was injured when a man fleeing the scene of a domestic dispute struck him with a vehicle.
According to Clintonville police, it happened Tuesday on North 12th Street when the officer responded to a 9-11 open line call.
When the officer arrived, a man was seated behind the wheel of a vehicle in a driveway
arguing with a woman who was outside of it.
The man failed to comply with the officer's orders and started the vehicle, striking the officer while leaving the scene at a high rate of speed.
An ambulance took the officer to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The officer was released from the hospital on Wednesday.
The male suspect was later taken into custody in Fond du Lac County.
The Wapaka County Sheriff's Office is investigating the incident.
The Washera County Sheriff's Office is searching for a man who was due to appear in court for a trial this week but never showed up.
Authorities are asking the public not to approach Matthew J. Krause if you see him as he may be armed.
Matthew was last seen on Monday in the Berlin area around 10 30 p.m.
He was due in court for a jury trial on Tuesday and failed to appear.
A warrant was issued through Green Lake County and he's been listed as a missing person through Washera County.
Anyone within
information is asked to contact the Washera County Sheriff's Office at 920-787-3321.
Dozens of students gathered outside of Winne County High School before their first day of classes wearing t-shirts that read, I Stand With Peg.
The students said it was a show of support for District Administrator Peggy Larson who was placed on leave last week pending further consideration of an internal investigation authorized by the board.
The group raised about $2,500 in community funds to pay for the 450 shirts which they passed out to students who wanted to join.
School Board President Katie
called a special closed session meeting on August 24th.
She wouldn't reveal the topic publicly.
It was later determined the vote was to place Larson on leave.
Larson's leave comes on the heels of a recall effort for school board president Katie Caldwards and vice president Dean Ackman that received over 1,000 signatures.
The city of Ripen has developed a 10-year energy plan.
Bob Nelson reports for Civic Media News.
A $75,000 grant from the Wisconsin Public Service Commission paid for a plan developed by GDS Associates.
A presentation on the plan was presented to the city council last week.
The city administrator Adam Sontag says the plan is about being more energy efficient with its buildings and fleet.
in the future.
So the study and the plan really was kind of setting us up for the future as to making energy planning a bigger priority for projects as well as just kind of reviewing what we were currently doing.
He says whether that involves solar power or EV or hybrid vehicles the city will do what makes sense and it can afford
to do.
It's not like we're going to go all in by you know a bunch of electric vehicles for our
public works department.
It's not like we're going to go putting up solar everywhere, but where this makes sense and over time.
The council learned during last week's presentation that of the city's five municipal buildings, only the city hall is not doing better than national averages on its energy usage.
I'm Bob Nelson for Civic Media News.
Starting in the fall of 2027, every incoming student from any state will pay the same tuition and fees at Ripon College as they will
at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.
That works out to $12,416.
Ripon College rolled out information on the Ripon commitment this week.
College officials say it's one of the best value propositions in American higher education, now open to anyone, anywhere in the country.
If your household adjusted gross income is $100,000 or less, you could qualify for free tuition and fees up to four years for first year students, two years for transfers.
Rippon College President Dr. Victoria Foles says, quote, every student deserves the opportunity for an affordable and high return on investment college education.
As a former first generation college student myself, I couldn't be more excited to offer a Rippon College experience at a price within reach for all families, unquote.
More information about the Rippon commitment can be found on the Rippon College website.
I'm Wayne Mauser for Civic Media News.
For Civic Media News, I'm Connie Feldman.
UWI Water students got a memorable first day back to class yesterday when a campus safety alert went out asking them to shelter in place around 11 a.m.
Authorities canceled the alert within minutes, confirming there was no threat to students or staff.
The alert was triggered when someone reported a person walked into an academic building and was yelling.
People thought the person had a weapon, but authorities later confirmed that person was not armed.
You could soon be paying more for your energy bill.
WeEnergies wants to raise energy rates by 10% next year and another 5.5% increase in 2028.
Utility officials say that amounts to an additional $280 per year for the average customer.
Dozens of people came out earlier this week to oppose the rate hikes during a public hearing.
Most of the concerns focused on affordability.
Residents say they're already paying more for everything from gas to groceries, while several people pointed to WeEnergy's nearly $2 billion profit last year.
WeEnergy's representatives say the proposed hikes will pay for sustainable energy investments that will ultimately lower energy costs.
The State Public Service Commission is expected to rule on the case later this year.
It's not the Packers, but the Badgers that are all the buzz in Titletown right now, as Lambeau Field gears up to host the UW-Madison Notre Dame football match-up this weekend.
The Badger Bash North is planned for Saturday, featuring family-friendly activities throughout the day, including the 350-person strong Badger marching band parading through downtown Green Bay.
Mary Rode, with On Broadway Incorporated, says the idea is to bring the excitement of a Badgers home game to Titletown.
Well, honestly, that's kind of where the event name came from, right?
It's Badger Bash North.
Because we are outside of the confines of Madison and Camp Randall Stadium.
The full day of festivities concludes with fireworks over the Fox River.
Badger Bash North will take place one day before the Badgers face off against the fighting Irish at Lambeau Field on Sunday.
A Fond du Lac County man who authorities say had human skulls and other remains in his home made his first appearance in court yesterday.
A new criminal complaint against 47-year-old Benjamin Larson says investigators also found nude photos of women and their locations in Larson's home, along with grass and dirt they believe was from the scene of a 1990s homicide.
A judge ordered Larson to be held on a $250,000 cash bond at its initial appearance.
The judge said Larson needed a high cash bail based on his history of assaults, a current stalking charge, and his obsession with serial killers.
Flood cameras in one northeast Wisconsin city just got bagged.
courtesy of the mayor.
Manasha Mayor Austin Hammond ordered all flock cameras be bagged by the end of the day Tuesday.
The mayor says there's genuine concern in the community about privacy and how data is accessed and shared.
The Manasha Police Department was recently acknowledged for adding additional safeguards this year, including a public transparency log and regular audits of those using the flock system.
Still, Mayor Hammond is recommending the city terminate their contract with the flock camera company.
This, as another Wisconsin community, is praising their flock camera system for helping police catch an armed robbery suspect.
Cumberland police say they used flock license plate readers last week to track down a suspect who reportedly held up a person at gunpoint and stole $300 before driving away.
Police later arrested the suspect in Eau Claire County.
Some UW-Whitewater students won't soon forget their first day back in class this school year as they were ordered to shelter in place just hours after classes had resumed yesterday.
A campus safety alert went out.
After someone reported a person walked into an academic building and started yelling, people thought the person had a weapon, but authorities canceled the alert within minutes, confirming there was no threat to students or staff.
And that's your state news update.
I'm Connie Feldman for Civic Media News.
A Brewers win in Chicago.
Hi, I'm Mike Clemens with Sports Baseball.
The Brewers with a 9-5 victory over the Cubs.
Despite the fact, Jacob Mizorowski had one of his worst performances, giving up five runs and four innings.
Yeah, I mean, I thought all in all, he's going to learn a lesson from this.
He didn't command his fastball.
And he just had to bob and weave.
He was slipping on the mound again early.
But, you know, he didn't command his fastball.
He didn't have his perfect delivery.
And that's going to be a
key going forward.
Last manager, Pat Purphy.
Mizorowski's
said he struggled with his footing on the mound in last night's humid conditions.
Logan Henderson gets the start tonight at Wrigley Field.
College football, the Badgers getting ready for Sunday night's game against the Fighting Irish inside Lambeau Field.
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.
That's the Badgers head coach Luke Fickle.
They kick off at 6 30 coverage on NBC with sports.
I'm Mike Clemens.
We have a chance of scattered showers and thunderstorms today.
Otherwise, partly cloudy are high right around 82 this afternoon.
Tonight, mostly cloudy.
A chance of scattered thunderstorms with a low dropping down to 68 tomorrow.
A few scattered showers and thunderstorms mainly in the morning, then partly cloudy with a high of 82.
I'm meteorologist Sean Cable.
Local news, local sports and local people you know.
Your hometown station 93.1 and AM 1600 The Wave.
Joining us at this time, we have John Ross, who is the Emergency Management Director for Fond du Lac County.
John, good morning.
Good morning, Bob.
Now, I understand that September is National Preparedness Month, and maybe you have some suggestions for us on how we do that.
But first off, why is September Preparedness Month?
A lot of it comes out of
the events of 2001 and a realization that we all need to do our part to help make not only our homes but our communities more resilient and able to respond with and get through disaster situations.
So it's a nationally organized campaign.
The Fond du Lac County Board of Supervisors actually supported a
Proclamation made by the county executive in the county board chair Declaring September's preparedness month in Fond du Lac County, which is greatly appreciated It just it all comes together to show the importance of the things that we can do to help out
All right.
Well, let's hear about some of those things that we can do I guess making a plan is one of them
That's correct making a plan is one of them and and think about
the hazards that are more likely than others to impact your home or your community and start your focus there, but take an approach that, you know, it could handle anything that would happen, but talk with the members of your household, talk with your family, and say, hey, you know, have a plan for what you're going to do.
If something happens in the home, such as a fire, where are your escape routes,
where are you going to meet up outside to make sure everybody's safe or perhaps in the event of a disaster where maybe your member's or your household can't get home, having a point to check in with, maybe out of town to avoid potential phone issues that everyone knows so that they can call and again verify that everybody's okay.
Having those plans, you know, that communication plan, listing all the important critical phone numbers that you need,
There's templates available for that if you if you want or you could type up a list of those those names and numbers but Having that plan and practicing that plan can go a long ways when the bad day happens
All right, you also suggest Making a kit
Yes, correct that is that is something that that everyone should consider in their homes these kits don't have to be budget busters but think about a three-day supply
of those essential things that you would need.
In the event there was a disaster that impacted the community and perhaps you lost utilities such as electricity or natural gas service or the standard recommendation is usually to consider one gallon of water per day for three days for each person in the household to use for drinking and for cooking.
non perishable food items stuff that doesn't need to be either heated up or kept refrigerated or frozen Some of these energy bars non perishable items like that are always good and then things like flashlights portable radios so you can get information from your local radio stations that comes from emergency responders and governmental agencies and
Make sure they have good batteries.
One of the things that I always try to do is every spring and fall with the time change, they always say to check your smoke detectors and check your carbon monoxide detectors.
And to me, that makes sense to be a good time to check your kit.
But make that kit specific to your household needs.
So if you have somebody with perhaps special dietary considerations, or you have infants in the home,
You may need things like formula and diapers, wipes, and don't forget about the pets.
You want to make sure you have food for them and water for them to drink and just kind of make it fit your home.
And like I said, it doesn't have to be a budget buster, but it's definitely something that can be very important.
And then not that we want to think about winter, but having a kit in your car is always a good idea.
And in the wintertime, you want to make sure you include things like
jumper cables, some blankets or extra warm clothing, shovel, things like that.
Okay, and the other important thing is to stay informed during this type of disaster or emergency.
That is a huge piece.
That is a very important part of the effort.
Being informed, we always recommend having multiple sources for emergency alerts and information.
In Wisconsin, you know, we can see all different types of weather in the spring and summer and fall and winter, but Sometimes you get those late night storms.
So having something that would wake you up if you were in bed is a good idea The NOAA all hazards radios are an excellent tool to have in the home You can program them to be specific as to which counties you want to receive alerts from
They have a nice loud tone.
So if you are in bed, if you're sleeping, it would hopefully wake you up.
You can see there you will have a digital display as well as an audio message.
Cell phone apps.
Bundlack County has Smart 911 as a cell phone app that they use where you can register your home.
And if you have someone with special health needs or something in there, you can include that information if you choose to.
but you can also opt in for emergency alerting and then you will get those messages via your cell phone as well.
Local TV and radio is a huge partner in alerting, so when the weather is bad, you know, maybe turn off the cable TV and tune to a local station or take your radio off of the satellite mode and go to a local station so you can get some of those alerts and emergency information there.
Those are all good sources of places to go to get the information you need.
One thing on cell phones, and every phone is different, but check your phone because there is wireless emergency alerts that are available for cell phones that you'll receive the warning wherever you are if you're in range within one of the towers that's pinged by the system when an alert is issued.
But sometimes that's an option that you have to turn on or enable.
Sometimes it's not automatically
on on your cell phone, so you might want to check in the settings and look at wireless emergency alerts.
And again, pick the source that works for you.
Outdoor sirens are nice if you're outside and you're in proximity to them, but don't rely on them to warn you indoors or if you live a ways away from them.
You know, they may not even carry depending on weather conditions.
The sound might not carry as far as it would on a clear, calm day.
So again, make the decisions for the tools that work best for you.
and have multiple ways to get that information.
Okay, all good suggestions John.
Really appreciate your time this morning.
You're very welcome and Fond du Lac County Emergency Management is partnering with the County Health Department here in Fond du Lac.
We're doing a lot of outreach this month and we're prepared this month.
You can follow either one of us on our Facebook pages and we'll have some
some tips and things to share regarding preparedness all month long on those pages.
So stay informed, advocate, make a plan that's the best advice we can give and hopefully it will make it much easier for you to deal with a disaster should it occur.
We've been talking with John Ross who is the Emergency Management Director for Fond du Lac County.
Kim Miller, the public health officer for Fond du Lac County is joining us.
Good morning, Kim.
Good morning, Bob.
We got a few things to talk about.
First thing I wanted to talk about with you is vaccinations because it's back to school time and there are always recommendations to get vaccinated to keep up on vaccines.
Why is that important?
Yeah, you know, as you mentioned, this is a perfect time to talk about vaccinations as kids head back to school and fall approaches.
It's a good time for families to take a look at their immunization records.
Vaccines aren't just about meeting a school requirement.
They're one of the most effective tools we have in preventing those serious diseases and protecting people who may especially be vulnerable.
So with that being said,
You know as we get back into school and we're working with school nurses You know school nurses are also working with all the children in their school districts to make sure that kids are up to date on those routine vaccines
Okay, um well some of those vaccinations like was it measles mom's rubella I believe and yep right now I guess
there are counties in southwestern wisconsin which are seeing a problem with measles
yeah you know in a specific you know community setting in there um you know especially well let's just say in general terms when you have you know little pockets of certain parts in communities that are not vaccinated at all you know it's just such an opportunity for diseases to jump very quickly from one person to the next so i think that's what we're seeing in southwest
Wisconsin, you know, I think, um, if people are worried about it, you know, the biggest thing you can do is just to make sure that your, you and your loved ones are fully protected, you know, for talking measles specifically for dose at around age one.
And then you get that second dose around age four.
So by the time people hop into that school setting or most, most kids hop into that school setting, they would be fully vaccinated, at least for that disease.
Do we have any issues with measles here in the county or is that something that's not reported to the health department?
That is something that is reported category disease one required Reporting within 24 hours.
So even if somebody is being tested before they test positive We find out if that testing is happening so we can then work with that person to make sure that they're isolating clearly if they're being tested Bob They have some type of symptoms
And if they're being tested for whatever disease they're being tested for, we want to make sure that they're not also spreading at the same time they're being tested.
So we would work with that person to make sure that they're not around people who could pick up that disease, maybe really young infants, such as that, just to make sure that we can lessen the spread in every way possible.
And we don't have any cases where we don't have any suspect at this point either where we're kind of monitoring and waiting for testing.
Okay, but if a case was reported, is that something that you try and trace it back to the origin?
We would.
And we would try to understand, you know, if we're talking measles specifically, you know, this is a very infectious disease, very difficult because
If somebody was at a coffee shop and they were in that air setting, if they leave that air is actually contaminated and infectious for up to two hours.
If you think about it in that way, not only do we have to find out who was there when that infectious person was there, but who was also potentially there for the next two hours.
Again, just a small example of what we try to do to help people become aware that they could potentially have been infected.
Okay.
Kim, moving on to another topic, I believe Monday was overdose awareness day.
And that's a problem that we have now.
Have we seen any relief from that at all?
We are seeing less deaths.
But, you know, what I like to kind of talk about with August 31st was international awareness, overdose awareness day.
You know, and the conversation about overdose prevention doesn't really, you know, end with the calendar, when the calendar moves to September.
You know, to me, it's really a good time to remember people we've lost.
support families who've been affected and really talk about what communities can do to prevent death.
And so when I say that we've seen, you know, some last deaths, you know, even one death to me is too many.
So just another great reminder that we got to remember those loved ones, those individuals who have passed, you know, first and foremost, but then also reflecting on
how can we lessen that from happening again in the future is gonna be key?
And to me, that is what the Awareness Day is all about.
But we've gotten better at trying to prevent overdoses, right?
With Narcan
and
testing
for... Yeah, so we're doing so many great things.
So prevention again isn't just telling people to not use drugs, right?
In public health, we've learned that we need multiple layers for prevention, education, treatment, and recovery services.
That early intervention is so important as well.
So we've implemented and we've sprinkled the community with Narcan.
Narcan can save lives, and so getting that into the hands
initially that people need at most and then working with that individual when they're ready for recovery and getting them into recovery is the next key piece.
And so, you know, just a little reminder that, you know, this Awareness Day isn't simply about the numbers.
You know, it's about the families and communities grieving, you know, people that they've lost and recognizing that every statistic represents someone who is so loved.
And you know, sometimes I like to ask this question, Bob.
If we've been talking about overdose awareness for 25 years, what have we learned?
And what do we need to do differently to make sure our next 25 years looks very different?
And that's, you know, those are, that's a difficult question to just answer, but again, a different way to look at something, saying if we've been doing something the same for 25 years and we're still seeing death,
then we have to improve what we're doing to help improve that prevention in the future.
Okay, Kim.
Last question has to do with bats.
And we're not talking about Louisville sluggers here, but apparently this time of year is when you see that key bat activity.
And of course, Gina Gizia, Fond du Lac, was a rabies survivor.
So maybe that hits home a little bit more for us here in Fond du Lac County.
Yeah, I think that is always a very good example of what people do bring up when they think about bats.
Like you mentioned, this is very timely for early September because bats become more noticeable around homes as summer winds down.
Just a reminder though, bats are an important part of our Wisconsin ecosystem.
But they also carry rabies.
So if you find a bat in your home, there's important things to know, particularly if you aren't sure whether someone or a pet came in contact with it.
And so like some key things, Bob, is don't touch a bat with your bare hands.
That would be first and foremost.
And you can't always assume that you weren't bit just because you can't see a bite mark.
So bat bites.
are very difficult to see.
Their teeth are super tiny, but that is how a tiny little scratch, a tiny little bite is that opportunity for rabies to hop into your body.
I
used to work with a guy and his way of solving a bat problem if they were in a building or a room was to leave the building and let somebody else take care of
it.
Well, that means they're not touching it with themselves and leave it to a professional.
I think it's just important if you or your pet did get bit and you need to talk through what that looks like.
We're here as your health department to kind of navigate what that could look like for you.
You know, there's going to be multiple questions that we're going to ask you, but then we'll kind of get to the bottom of do you need to be vaccinated?
Does the bat need to be tested?
And we'll walk through that process.
Every scenario is just a little bit different.
Well, Kim, thank you very much for joining us today.
We appreciate your time.
Thank you, Bob.
We've been talking with Kim Miller, who is the public health officer for Fond du Lac County.
Kim Miller, the public health officer for Fond du Lac County is joining us.
Good morning, Kim.
Good morning, Bob.
We got a few things to talk about.
First thing I wanted to talk about with you is vaccinations because it's back to school time and there are always recommendations to get vaccinated to keep up on vaccines.
Why is that important?
Yeah, you know, as you mentioned, this is a perfect time to talk about vaccinations as kids head back to school and fall approaches.
It's a good time for families to take a look at their immunization records.
Vaccines aren't just about meeting a school requirement.
They're one of the most effective tools we have in preventing those serious diseases and protecting people who may especially be vulnerable.
So with that being said,
You know as we get back into school and we're working with school nurses You know school nurses are also working with all the children in their school districts to make sure that kids are up to date on those routine vaccines
Okay, um well some of those vaccinations like was it measles mom's rubella I believe and yep right now I guess
there are counties in southwestern wisconsin which are seeing a problem with measles
yeah you know in a specific you know community setting in there um you know especially well let's just say in general terms when you have you know little pockets of certain parts in communities that are not vaccinated at all you know it's just such an opportunity for diseases to jump very quickly from one person to the next so i think that's what we're seeing in southwest
Wisconsin, you know, I think, um, if people are worried about it, you know, the biggest thing you can do is just to make sure that your, you and your loved ones are fully protected, you know, for talking measles specifically for dose at around age one.
And then you get that second dose around age four.
So by the time people hop into that school setting or most, most kids hop into that school setting, they would be fully vaccinated, at least for that disease.
Do we have any issues with measles here in the county or is that something that's not reported to the health department?
That is something that is reported category disease one required Reporting within 24 hours.
So even if somebody is being tested before they test positive We find out if that testing is happening so we can then work with that person to make sure that they're isolating clearly if they're being tested Bob They have some type of symptoms
And if they're being tested for whatever disease they're being tested for, we want to make sure that they're not also spreading at the same time they're being tested.
So we would work with that person to make sure that they're not around people who could pick up that disease, maybe really young infants, such as that, just to make sure that we can lessen the spread in every way possible.
And we don't have any cases where we don't have any suspect at this point either where we're kind of monitoring and waiting for testing.
Okay, but if a case was reported, is that something that you try and trace it back to the origin?
We would.
And we would try to understand, you know, if we're talking measles specifically, you know, this is a very infectious disease, very difficult because
If somebody was at a coffee shop and they were in that air setting, if they leave that air is actually contaminated and infectious for up to two hours.
If you think about it in that way, not only do we have to find out who was there when that infectious person was there, but who was also potentially there for the next two hours.
Again, just a small example of what we try to do to help people become aware that they could potentially have been infected.
Okay.
Kim, moving on to another topic, I believe Monday was overdose awareness day.
And that's a problem that we have now.
Have we seen any relief from that at all?
We are seeing less deaths.
But, you know, what I like to kind of talk about with August 31st was international awareness, overdose awareness day.
You know, and the conversation about overdose prevention doesn't really, you know, end with the calendar, when the calendar moves to September.
You know, to me, it's really a good time to remember people we've lost.
support families who've been affected and really talk about what communities can do to prevent death.
And so when I say that we've seen, you know, some last deaths, you know, even one death to me is too many.
So just another great reminder that we got to remember those loved ones, those individuals who have passed, you know, first and foremost, but then also reflecting on
how can we lessen that from happening again in the future is gonna be key?
And to me, that is what the Awareness Day is all about.
But we've gotten better at trying to prevent overdoses, right?
With Narcan
and
testing
for... Yeah, so we're doing so many great things.
So prevention again isn't just telling people to not use drugs, right?
In public health, we've learned that we need multiple layers for prevention, education, treatment, and recovery services.
That early intervention is so important as well.
So we've implemented and we've sprinkled the community with Narcan.
Narcan can save lives, and so getting that into the hands
initially that people need at most and then working with that individual when they're ready for recovery and getting them into recovery is the next key piece.
And so, you know, just a little reminder that, you know, this Awareness Day isn't simply about the numbers.
You know, it's about the families and communities grieving, you know, people that they've lost and recognizing that every statistic represents someone who is so loved.
And you know, sometimes I like to ask this question, Bob.
If we've been talking about overdose awareness for 25 years, what have we learned?
And what do we need to do differently to make sure our next 25 years looks very different?
And that's, you know, those are, that's a difficult question to just answer, but again, a different way to look at something, saying if we've been doing something the same for 25 years and we're still seeing death,
then we have to improve what we're doing to help improve that prevention in the future.
Okay, Kim.
Last question has to do with bats.
And we're not talking about Louisville sluggers here, but apparently this time of year is when you see that key bat activity.
And of course, Gina Gizia, Fond du Lac, was a rabies survivor.
So maybe that hits home a little bit more for us here in Fond du Lac County.
Yeah, I think that is always a very good example of what people do bring up when they think about bats.
Like you mentioned, this is very timely for early September because bats become more noticeable around homes as summer winds down.
Just a reminder though, bats are an important part of our Wisconsin ecosystem.
But they also carry rabies.
So if you find a bat in your home, there's important things to know, particularly if you aren't sure whether someone or a pet came in contact with it.
And so like some key things, Bob, is don't touch a bat with your bare hands.
That would be first and foremost.
And you can't always assume that you weren't bit just because you can't see a bite mark.
So bat bites.
are very difficult to see.
Their teeth are super tiny, but that is how a tiny little scratch, a tiny little bite is that opportunity for rabies to hop into your body.
I
used to work with a guy and his way of solving a bat problem if they were in a building or a room was to leave the building and let somebody else take care of
it.
Well, that means they're not touching it with themselves and leave it to a professional.
I think it's just important if you or your pet did get bit and you need to talk through what that looks like.
We're here as your health department to kind of navigate what that could look like for you.
You know, there's going to be multiple questions that we're going to ask you, but then we'll kind of get to the bottom of do you need to be vaccinated?
Does the bat need to be tested?
And we'll walk through that process.
Every scenario is just a little bit different.
Well, Kim, thank you very much for joining us today.
We appreciate your time.
Thank you, Bob.
We've been talking with Kim Miller, who is the public health officer for Fond du Lac County.