Eye on Oshkosh - Forward Service Corporation - taped 9-21-17

The latest episode of Eye on Oshkosh is now online. In this
episode, host Cheryl Hentz visits with Megan Sawall and Allison Knautz of
Forward Service Corporation. In a nutshell, FSC is a 501(c)3, non-profit
employment and training organization. Founded in 1979, it has more than 35
years of experience in helping low-income Wisconsin adults and youth begin
their careers. A small portion of what they do is provide training, education,
career guidance, and supportive services. But they also provide volunteers to
other organizations in the area so those folks can begin to gain the most basic
of skills that they can later get a paid position using some of those skills
learned as a volunteer. Watch the show here (https://youtu.be/03b3jvIdB5o)
and learn more about what Forward Service Corporation can do for you. 

First Congregational Church hosts special Blessing of the Animals service

The Animal Ministries group of First Congregational Church (137 Algoma Blvd., Oshkosh WI) is proud to host its fourth annual Pet Blessing Service on Saturday, October 7 at 10 am. This service will be held in the church’s Fellowship Hall. If you have a pet or pets, and would like them blessed for the role they play in your life, please bring them to this special service being held in honor of pets, and St. Francis of Assisi, the Patron Saint of Animals and the Environment.

All pets should be well-behaved, current on all vaccinations, and either leashed or otherwise contained/controlled in a carrier, pet crate, etc., depending on the type of pet you have. If you don’t wish to bring your pet, or for some reason can’t, but want to attend the service and still have them blessed, feel free to bring a photo of them. We encourage you to let your family, friends and neighbors know about this event so that they can also participate.

We have invited working dogs from our community (K-9, service and therapy) and those attending will receive a special blessing during the service before going out to do the important, much-needed work that they each do. This event is free, but goodwill offerings will be graciously accepted. All attending will receive a special memento to take home from the service. We look forward to seeing you and your pets on Saturday, Oct. 7.

About FCC’s Animal Ministries Group:

The Animal Ministries Group of First Congregational Church was formed in January 2014 with a variety of goals in mind. The original intent of the group was to work toward providing multiple services for pet owners (and others, such as in nursing homes, etc.), and to do things that generally would be for the greater good of all animals, not just people's family pets. More specifically, as part of its overarching mission, it seeks to:

•       Discuss and try to practice the United Church of Christ's recommendations and theology on mindful eating, and other things they support as promoted by the Humane Society of the United States and its Faith Outreach program;
•          Support our local animal shelter in any way possible, especially with its in-house food pantry;
•          Assist fellow FCC members and friends with grief support, urgent pet care needs, and providing limited pet care while members are sick, hospitalized or otherwise convalescing. This also includes some members who wish taking their pets to visit those in nursing homes, etc.;
•          Volunteer at other animal-related events sponsored by other animal organizations, shelters or rescues.
•         Hold annual Pet Blessing services in October and Pet Memorial services in April or May, with an eye toward eventually doing a special Christmas Eve service for pets;
•          Promote discussions of animal rights, protections and welfare issues during meetings, including pending legislation that could affect animals, and provide information through our web site and other means of communication about animal and animal ethicacy issues, pet tips, vegan or vegetarian recipes, etc.

The group is open to anyone—whether members of First Congregational or not, and without regard to denomination, or place on one’s spiritual journey. To learn more or express interest in joining, call Cheryl at (920) 209-PETS.

About First Congregational Church:

First Congregational Church is a caring, compassionate community with a dynamic spiritual environment that values lifelong learning and creates joy, generosity, service, and exploration. As a welcoming and diverse community of faith, we commit to love God, ourselves and others by more fully ministering to and within creation.

Our "motto" is 'First Congregational Church: Different Paths. Same Journey.' We understand and appreciate the fact that each of us may take a different path(s) to make the same spiritual journey. First Congregational Church welcomes and embraces everyone, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, marital status, family structure, faith, or socio-economic status. No matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey and your own spiritual travels, you are always welcome at First Congregational Church. 

First Congregational Church is located at 137 Algoma Blvd., one block west of the Sundial in downtown Oshkosh.  For more information about the church and the many things it offers, please call us at (920) 231-7520 or visit us online at www.fccoshkosh.org.

Write the Constitution at the Oshkosh Public Library

A first-time event at the Oshkosh Public Library will give participants the opportunity to experience the power and modern-day relevance of the U.S. Constitution by writing it out longhand.

We the People: Writing the Constitution, will be Sunday, Sept. 17, from 1 to 5 p.m. at the library. It is presented in partnership with Rebel Alliance Theater. Patterned after a similar project in New York, the Constitution Day event invites community members to engage with this important American document by writing the text out by hand.

“At some point in school we all learned about the U.S. Constitution, maybe even had to memorize parts of it,” says Sandy Toland, adult program coordinator for the Oshkosh Public Library. “We’re offering the opportunity to experience the document in a more meaningful way; thinking about the words as you write them and recognizing their relevance in your life.”

Kelly Duhatschek of Rebel Alliance Theater approached the library to partner on this event because of “the central role that public libraries play in assuring an engaged and educated citizenry at all levels of government.” She hopes that community members will take the opportunity to engage, reflect and experience the Constitution.

To complement the writing activity, there will be a discussion at 3:30 p.m., led by the Oshkosh Civility Project. The library will provide copies of the Constitution. Participants are asked to bring their own writing materials.

For more information about this and other library programs and services, visit www.oshkoshpubliclibrary.org.

Rental Inspection Ordinance Lawsuit Dismissed

Rental Inspection Ordinance Lawsuit Dismissed

OSHKOSH, Wis. September 14, 2017 – The Winnebago Apartment Association and a group of landlords and tenants have dismissed their highly-publicized challenge to the City of Oshkosh Rental Inspection Ordinance.  

This lawsuit stemmed from the rollout of the Residential Rental Inspections Program in February 2017 that was designed to protect the health and safety of rental residents in the Oshkosh community. The Oshkosh Common Council approved the program on September 13, 2016.

“The City believes that the Rental Inspection Ordinance is an important tool for the protection of the health, safety and welfare of tenants, and protecting neighborhood property values,” said Community Development Director Allen Davis.

In January, a lawsuit was filed by the Winnebago Apartment Association, in which several landlords and a small number of tenants challenged the program. A federal judge in February denied the request for a preliminary injunction to stop the City from enforcing the ordinance and the City began enforcing the ordinance. City Attorney Lynn Lorenson stated that the Court had established deadlines in the lawsuit that were coming up and the plaintiff’s attorney contacted the city’s attorneys suggesting a settlement.

In the settlement, the plaintiffs dismissed their claims and both parties agreed that each party would remain responsible for their own costs related to the suit. The City’s insurance carrier covered the City’s costs.

City inspectors have conducted nearly 300 inspections, and in many have identified issues that could have caused safety and health concerns. Landlords have cooperated to address these conditions to keep their tenants safe. Some of these conditions have included missing or nonfunctional carbon monoxide and smoke detectors, exposed wiring, leaking plumbing fixtures, and unsafe exits. The cost of the rental inspections are the responsibility of the landlord.

“We want to encourage rental tenants who want to ensure the health and safety of their fellow tenants and families to contact our Inspections Division if they would like a rental inspection,” said Oshkosh Mayor Steve Cummings.

The City of Oshkosh will continue to conduct inspections of residential housing, and encourages the public to call the Inspections Division to schedule an inspection. Tenants can schedule an inspection for a time that works best for them.

For more information about the Residential Rental Inspections Program and a list of specific items inspectors look for during an inspection, visit the city website, www.ci.oshkosh.wi.us, or call the Inspections Division at (920) 236‐5054.

Eye on Oshkosh - Oshkosh Area School District and Supt Stan Mack II - ta...

In this episode of Eye on Oshkosh, host Cheryl Hentz spends the entire hour talking with Oshkosh Area School District superintendent Stan Mack II. They discuss his recently-announced retirement and the next steps in the district's search for his successor, the new school year thus far and state
funding for K-12 education, the newly-hired communications director, and the condition of buildings district-wide, among other things. There is also a community-wide volunteer project coming up Saturday, Sept. 23, from 8 am to noon, called Project CURB, in which volunteers from the community will help beautify the grounds of schools throughout the district, giving them better
curb appeal. To sign up for this or learn more about it, visit the district's website at www.oshkosh.k12.wi.us or at a specific site for this project at https://oshkosh4education.org/project-curb. Businesses in the community are also needed and encouraged to help partner with the district, and can do so at either of these sites, as well. You can see the entire show here: https://youtu.be/AZ_d2liW34I.