RHINELANDER - Dozens of needy families find their kitchens filled with a Thanksgiving dinner this year. It's all thanks to a Rhinelander businessman.
Rouman Cinema owner George Rouman and his employees delivered Thanksgiving meals Monday night. The group of mainly high school students personally went out to 55 Oneida County families.
Social Services chose those families as being in need.
Rouman hopes his employees get a valuable lesson from the act of giving; one that poverty can happen anywhere.
"For being in a small area, it's important I think for a lot of young people to understand that," Rouman said. "And so by giving an opportunity for them to personally deliver the meal they get to interact with the recipients, and that's an experience they literally will remember for the rest of their lives."
Rouman first started the program in 1995.
Since then, he and his employees have delivered 4700 meals in the community.
RHINELANDER - When a child commits a violent crime sometimes it's serious enough to be tried in adult court.
Today Oneida County Judge Patrick O'Melia had special circumstances to consider.
Sixteen-year-old Michael Thimm was arrested last year for stabbing his mother and her boyfriend after a fight over his computer.
He's charged with attempted first degree intentional homicide. That charge means juveniles are automatically put into adult court.
But today his defense tried to get Thimm put back into the juvenile system. The main reason is because he has Aspergers-- a form of Autism.
A psychologist testified Thimm's disorder keeps him from understanding things like when a person is suffering. He also said emotional distress can cause impulsive reactions.
The doctor said if Thimm gets proper treatment he won't be a threat to the public.
"People with Aspergers or Autism Spectrum Disorder, most of the time they show up in the mental health system. They're very, very rare in the criminal justice system. And so the chances that they would even have the resources to address his needs are pretty slim," says Dr. Michael Caldwell.
But officials from the Department of Corrections also testified they do have resources for people like Thimm.
After three and a half hours of testimony, Judge O'Melia decided to wait on a ruling.
Both sides will submit written briefs before he makes a decision. We'll keep you updated as this develops.
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