Oshkosh Parks Department invites Oshkosh residents to participate in survey

The Oshkosh Parks Department invites residents to take part in a citizen survey. The goal of the survey is to receive public input on current park and recreation facilities in the City of Oshkosh, as well as future park and facility needs. Feedback will be used as the Parks Department updates the City’s Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan.

The survey is available on the city website, www.ci.oshkosh.wi.us, under the “Hot Topics” section. Hard copies of the survey are also available at the Public Library reference station, Seniors Center, Parks Department, and City Hall. The deadline to complete the survey is September 5, 2017.

Only Oshkosh residents are asked to complete the survey. All responses are anonymous. If you have questions, please call the Parks Department office at (920) 236‐5080.

Eye on Oshkosh - George Curtis, Animals and Environment in post-Obama Ad...

The latest episode of Eye on Oshkosh is now online. This
hour, with local attorney George Curtis - an environmentalist and animal
proponent in his own right - looks at how our country, animals, wildlife and
the environment overall are suffering under the Trump administration.  https://youtu.be/y9UiousmJVQ

Project Lifesaver

The Oshkosh Police Department is reminding everyone that if you have a loved one that has a medically diagnosed memory loss, Autism, or Down Syndrome, and they tend to walk away from home, there is a program that can bring your loved one’s home. The Oshkosh Police Department partners with a program called Project Lifesaver. Project Lifesaver is a radio tracking system designed for people with diagnoses that involve a wandering risk such as Dementia, Alzheimer's, Autism and Down Syndrome. The client wears a transmitter on his or her ankle that emits a unique radio signal once every second, 24 hours a day. If the client wanders and is missing, the Oshkosh Police Department will deploy specially trained electronic search specialists to the area the client was last seen and begin searching using radio receivers. These radio receivers can detect the signal for up to a mile on the ground and five-seven miles in the air. Recently, an Oshkosh citizen with dementia had walked away from his home and was found about four hours later 2.5 miles away. Thankfully, this incident ended happily for the family. Since this incident, the citizen has recently acquired the Project Lifesaver program. If you have a family member who has a diagnosed memory loss, Autism, or Down Syndrome and tends to walk away from home and you have questions about the Project Lifesaver, please call Sgt. Todd Wrage at (920) 236-5757 for more information; or go to Project LifeSaver for additional information.

Drug-impaired Driving is Dangerous and Illegal

State Patrol Law of the Month a reminder that driving under the influence of prescription medications or other drugs is just as dangerous and illegal as driving while impaired by alcohol

Most everyone is familiar with the many dangers of driving drunk. What some people may not realize is that driving under the influence of prescription medications or other drugs is just as dangerous and illegal. The Wisconsin State Patrol’s August Law of the Month reminds motorists that driving while impaired by prescription medications or other drugs carries the same serious penalties and potential consequences as driving under the influence of alcohol.

“Whether it’s caused by alcohol, prescribed medication or any other drug, impaired drivers are dangerous drivers who jeopardize the safety of everyone along our roadways,” said Wisconsin State Patrol Captain Ryan Chaffee of the Northeast Region/Fond du Lac Post. “Law enforcement officers are well trained to identify and apprehend impaired drivers. But our goal is to deter drivers from making the irresponsible decision to get behind the wheel impaired where they could hurt or kill themselves or someone else.”

Over the last decade in Wisconsin, drug-related traffic fatalities have increased from 77 deaths in 2007 to 118 in 2016. While law enforcement is on the lookout for impaired drivers year round, officers will patrol in greater numbers for longer hours during the annual “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” initiative from August 18 through Labor Day. Other key components of Wisconsin OWI laws:

·         Drivers can be arrested for OWI even if their blood-alcohol content is below the legal limit of 0.08 if it’s determined their level of impairment makes them unable to safely operate a motor vehicle;

·         Under Wisconsin’s “not a drop” law, drivers under age 21 are prohibited from having any detectable amount of alcohol in their system;

• Drivers who refuse a blood/breath alcohol test will lose their license for at least one year and may have their vehicle impounded;

• State law calls for installation of ignition interlock devices on all vehicles owned by anyone convicted of first offense OWI with an alcohol content of 0.15 or higher as well as second or subsequent OWI offenses; 

• Penalties double for impaired drivers who have passengers under age 16 in their vehicle.

More information about Wisconsin’s impaired driving laws, consequences and economic costs can be found on the WisDOT website (http://wisconsindot.gov/Pages/safety/education/drunk-drv/default.aspx

Eye on Oshkosh - Oshkosh Area Humane Society, taped 8-3-17

In this episode, host Cheryl Hentz is joined by Cheryl Rosenthal from the Oshkosh Area Humane Society. The two discuss the shelter's annual Walk for the Animals, coming up on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2017. This event is open to the public, whether they own a pet or not, and is the shelter's largest fundraiser, which is critical to its $1 million dollar plus annual operating budget. They also discuss a variety of other things the shelter is involved in, how it helps the community and its residents, how to volunteer with the shelter, etc. Watch the episode here: https://youtu.be/HavrfGUjSFM.