Sunday State News Briefs: Two emergency airplane landings take place this weekend

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Two small airplanes have made emergency landings in Wisconsin this weekend.

The first happened Friday night when a pilot had to land on Highway 70 a little before 10 p.m. Then, Saturday morning a twin-engine plane had to set down in a bean field near Mount Pleasant. Police say either the plane ran out of fuel or there was a problem with its fuel system. The pilot tried to reach a sky diving business near I-94 in Racine County, but ended up in the field instead. No injuries were reported with either incident.

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A Racine man, whose attorney says he functions at a third-grade level, has been sentenced to 40 years in prison. Prosecutors describe 29 year old Shanell Gordon as a serial rapist. Gordon’s father is in prison, too, convicted of a sexual assault. Gordon apologized in court last Friday. The judge acknowledged the defendant’s mental limitations, but said he could still understand what he did was wrong. Gordon had been accused of two sexual assaults and one attempted assault, all in a four-week period last year.

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The Wisconsin State Patrol is investigating a fatality accident from Friday night which involved a Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Department squad car. One person was killed in the wreck in Eden on County Highway B at County Highway K. Details of the accident weren’t available. The deputy reportedly had minor injuries, was taken to a local hospital, treated and released.

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The Appleton City Council considers loosening the rules on liquor licenses. When three bars on College Avenue lost their licenses last month it meant nobody can sell alcohol at those locations for six months. The Wisconsin state statute only requires a 60-day hold. As it stands now, the moratorium will have a noticeable impact on Appleton’s entertainment district. Some city leaders think the local ordinance should mirror the state law. The police chief says the current ordinance serves as a deterrent, pointing out that, before the current situation, only two licenses had been revoked in the last 60 years.

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More hearings will be scheduled by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources as plans for a five thousand-cow dairy operation in Wood County move forward. More than 200 people attended a pair of meetings last week in Saratoga. Most of the concerns expressed by people living nearby center on what the huge operation would mean for local water supplies. The seven thousand acre operation would drill almost 50 high capacity water wells. There are also concerns about the environmental impact. Comments will be taken by the DNR until September 21st.

Tags: news, wisconsin