Oshkosh police plan to crack down on fireworks. Here's what's legal and what's not.
Oshkosh Police Department said in a news release June 2 officers will be inspecting local dealers and stores to ensure illegal fireworks are not being sold to people who do not possess permits to buy those fireworks.
OPD said officers also will be responding to fireworks complaints 'to determine if a violation has occurred.'
'Fireworks may be enjoyable, but they can also cause distress to many in our community, especially those with PTSD or noise sensitivities,' OPD said. 'Loud explosions can also have a negative effect on pets, causing them undue stress and potential harm.'
Read more: 19 summer events in Oshkosh that can't be missed, from Waterfest to AirVenture & XRoads41
The statement comes ahead of the city's Independence Day celebrations, with July 4 being the day the most fireworks are purchased and used, according to Google trends analysis.
Stacker.com estimates consumer fireworks are a $1.9 billion industry in the U.S. as more Americans commemorate holidays like Memorial Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day and Juneteenth by setting off firecrackers and bottle rockets.
But Chapter 13 Section 13-6 (C) of Oshkosh's municipal codes states 'no person may sell, possess or use fireworks, as that term is defined by Section 167.10(1) of the Wisconsin Statutes as may be amended from time to time, within the City; except that the use of fireworks may be allowed by appropriate permit issued by the fire chief.'
According to Wisconsin Emergency Management, fireworks-related injuries in the state resulted in 126 emergency room visits in 2024, with a quarter of those being children younger than 18.
In October, the Fond du Lac County Sheriff's Office said a 41-year-old man was hospitalized after fireworks exploded and severely damaged his left hand as he was using a power tool to disassemble it.
Read more: Oshkosh Pride's annual event June 29 brings headliners Kat and the Hurricane
The following fireworks are legal in Oshkosh:
Sparklers
Stationary cones
Toy snakes
Smoke bombs
Caps
Noise makers
Confetti poppers (with less than one-half grain of explosive)
Roman candles
Firecrackers
Bottle rockets
Mortars
Anything that explodes or leaves the ground (only individuals/groups with a government-issued permit are allowed to use these fireworks)
Fines for juveniles are as follow:
First offense: $105;
Second offense: $155; and
Third offense: $505.
Fines for adults are as follow:
First offense: $295;
Second offense: $421; and
Third offense: $1,397.50.
Contact Justin Marville at jmarville@gannett.com and follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @justinmarville.
This article originally appeared on Oshkosh Northwestern: Fireworks in Oshkosh: What's legal and not legal? What's the fine?
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Associated Press
13 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Levi & Korsinsky Reminds Shareholders of a Lead Plaintiff Deadline of July 8, 2025 in Bitfarms Ltd. Lawsuit
NEW YORK - July 7, 2025 ( NEWMEDIAWIRE ) - Levi & Korsinsky, LLP notifies investors in Bitfarms Ltd. ('Bitfarms Ltd.' or the 'Company') (NASDAQ: BITF) of a class action securities lawsuit. CLASS DEFINITION: The lawsuit seeks to recover losses on behalf of Bitfarms Ltd. investors who were adversely affected by alleged securities fraud between March 21, 2023 and December 9, 2024. Follow the link below to get more information and be contacted by a member of our team: BITF investors may also contact Joseph E. Levi, Esq. via email at [email protected] or by telephone at (212) 363-7500. CASE DETAILS: The filed complaint alleges that defendants made false statements and/or concealed that: (i) Bitfarms maintained deficient internal controls over financial reporting; (ii) as a result, the Company incorrectly categorized proceeds derived from the sale of digital assets as a cash flow from operating activities rather than as a cash flow from investing activities; (iii) in addition, the Company overstated the extent to which it had remediated, and/or its ability to remediate, the material weakness in its internal controls over financial reporting related to its classification of the 2021 Warrants; (iv) the foregoing errors caused Bitfarms to misstate various items in several of the Company's previously issued financial statements; (v) as a result, these financial statements were inaccurate and would likely need to be restated; and (vi) as a result, the Company's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. WHAT'S NEXT? If you suffered a loss in Bitfarms Ltd. during the relevant time frame, you have until July 8, 2025 to request that the Court appoint you as lead plaintiff. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff. To learn more about this case, subscribe to the Bulls & Betrayals podcast, which features a dedicated episode unpacking the allegations against Bitfarms Ltd.. Listen now and find out if you are eligible to join the lawsuit. NO COST TO YOU: If you are a class member, you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out-of-pocket costs or fees. There is no cost or obligation to participate. WHY LEVI & KORSINSKY: Over the past 20 years, the team at Levi & Korsinsky has secured hundreds of millions of dollars for aggrieved shareholders and built a track record of winning high-stakes cases. Our firm has extensive expertise representing investors in complex securities litigation and a team of over 70 employees to serve our clients. For seven years in a row, Levi & Korsinsky has ranked in ISS Securities Class Action Services' Top 50 Report as one of the top securities litigation firms in the United States. CONTACT: Levi & Korsinsky, LLP Joseph E. Levi, Esq. Ed Korsinsky, Esq. 33 Whitehall Street, 17th Floor New York, NY 10004 [email protected] Tel: (212) 363-7500 Fax: (212) 363-7171 View the original release on
CNET
17 minutes ago
- CNET
Your Personal Data May Be Exposed in a Future Data Breach. Here's What to Do About It Now
CNET/Getty Images Chances are your personal data has already been exposed in a data breach. If not, it almost certainly will at a later date because data breaches happen almost every day. I'm not trying to scare you, but it's important to be prepared. It's a topic I think about often as a cybersecurity and credit card editor for CNET. I'm not invulnerable to hackers' attempts either. Just the other day, I got a scam text telling me to click a link to secure my Coinbase account after the company suffered a cybersecurity incident. That means my phone number has already been exposed on the dark web in at least one data breach. In May, three major company data breaches occurred in a single week. User data was leaked from Coinbase and Steam along with login information for tech companies like Google and Meta. "Most people think that they're not going to be subject to a breach or some kind of identity theft situation or an impersonation. But the reality is far different from that," said Chelsea Binns, an associate professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and a certified fraud examiner. We have no problem locking up our valuables in a safe so why not take that same approach with our data? "You wouldn't leave your Rolex watch on your front step," Binns said. "Yet people will have their bank account under 'password123,'" she said. You can't prevent a data breach, but you can lock down your data by signing up for identity theft protection. At minimum, you should be using strong passwords, two-factor authentication, antivirus software and avoid oversharing on social media. Failure to do this means you aren't just leaving your backdoor unlocked, you're holding the door open for criminals. And once they're in, they can do all sorts of things to make your life difficult. What can criminals do with my exposed data? Any information criminals obtain, whether from a breach or a lapse in security, can, and probably will, be used against you. "The question is, what can't they do?" Binns said. "They can really do anything that you can do because they're impersonating you. The possibilities are endless depending on the information that they've obtained." Some examples include opening credit cards in your name, buying a house or a car, or even using your health insurance. If a criminal were to get their hands on your private information, they're able to do anything you can do with it. And these aren't necessarily easy things to fix once they're out there. A criminal using a new line of credit can tank your credit score, which can take years to repair. A friend of mine had his identity stolen a few years ago and the thief bought a new car using my friend's name. The bank came after him instead of the criminals until he could verify that he never made the purchase. It took him a long time to get his credit score back up from the 300 it had dropped to. While criminals also conduct more elaborate schemes like synthetic identity theft, Binns added that they often simply sell your data to the highest bidder on the dark web. "It's the most profitable and just the easiest thing for them to do is flip it," she said. But the bad actors they sell it to could very well use it to open lines of credit, destroy your credit score and steal your money. How to improve your personal digital security You don't have to be perfect out of the gate. You can implement the snowball effect by starting with some easy changes. For example, have conversations with your family members to create secret passphrases to ensure they're talking with you, and not an imposter looking to steal personal information or money. There are other things you can start to do now to improve your security. Your future self will thank you in the event of a data breach or other exposure. Use complex, unique passwords If you're sharing certain details on social media, and people have your birthdate or the street you grew up on, chances are they have enough information to run a credential stuffing scam. That's when criminals brute-force your accounts, hoping that you've used the same passwords made up of your own personal information on multiple websites. Don't make it easy for them by having your bank and social account passwords be yourbirthday1234. Instead, consider either using a password manager to create complex passwords for you and save them or building unique passwords yourself. Use a mix of upper- and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Make it long and winding for the best defense. Freeze your credit reports Your credit reports should be frozen unless you're planning to apply for a line of credit. You can freeze your credit reports easily with each of the three credit bureaus, and this will stop anyone (including you) from taking out a credit card, mortgage or car loan. "You can freeze your own credit at absolutely no cost to you. Unless you're planning to buy a house tomorrow, doing something like that imminently, then there's no need to have it open," Binns said. You can even freeze your kid's credit to keep them safe. Share less information on social media Neal O'Farrell, a cybersecurity expert and founder of the Identity Theft Council, sums it up well: "Share less on social media and keep your accounts private," he said. He added, "If you're asked for personal information like your home address or date of birth, unless it's essential for the service or a legal requirement, use phony information. Facebook thinks I was born in 1906!" Before you post on Instagram or LinkedIn, consider what signals you're giving. Are you providing unnecessary details that could be used against you or your loved ones? For example, if you're traveling abroad and posting about it, a bad actor may target your grandparents or parents with a scam saying you're in a foreign prison or otherwise injured to pressure them into sending money. "Sharing information in real time, showing that you're on vacation and where you are, gives people material for their schemes and it makes it more believable," Binns said. At the very least, make sure your defenses are strong enough that you can share things and not have them provide a way into your accounts. Consider identity theft protection While ID theft protection and credit monitoring services aren't mandatory to keep you safe, Binns said they're worth it if they give you peace of mind. But she added that if your credit reports are frozen, you don't really need to have them monitored. Identity theft protection services can be helpful in the event your identity is stolen. Some provide identity restoration services and have identity theft insurance of up to $1 million. They can also monitor your bank accounts and provide free online security tools like password managers and antivirus protection. "While identity protection and credit monitoring have their limits," O'Farrell said, "I'd recommend considering using them if you can afford to. Many of the features they offer can be very helpful in either preventing or recovering from a crime." He also said these services can provide helpful reminders for the things we should all be doing regularly. That's checking your credit, updating your passwords and staying up to date on the latest scams.
CBS News
28 minutes ago
- CBS News
Police search for gunman who shot man multiple times in Prospect Heights
Police are searching for the person who shot a man Sunday night in Prospect Heights. Prospect Heights police said officers arrived at the area of Love Drive for reports of gunshots just before 9 p.m. There, they found a man, whose age was not confirmed, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was taken by emergency medical personnel to a nearby hospital, where he underwent surgery. It is unclear what led to the shooting. As of Monday, no suspects have been identified, and no arrests have been made. Police said detectives are investigating and are following up on several leads. The shooting is believed to be an isolated incident, and there is an ongoing threat to the community or the surrounding neighborhood. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Prospect Heights Police Department at 847-398-5511.
