Green Bay News

The Good Day Wisconsin Fabulous Furniture Giveaway

Mon, 01/26/2015 - 4:52am

Starting 1/26, enter for your chance to win a $10,000 shopping spree at Wenz Home Furniture of Green Bay! Ten $200 consolation prizes will also be awarded.

Spokesman: Secret Service recovers ‘device’ at White House

Mon, 01/26/2015 - 4:47am

WASHINGTON (AP) – A spokesman for President Barack Obama says a “device” has been found on the grounds of the White House but that it poses no threat.

Spokesman Josh Earnest says Secret Service agents recovered the object but that early indications are that it does not pose a threat to anyone in the building.

Obama and his wife, Michelle, are on a three-day visit to India, with a stop planned in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday before they return to Washington.

The White House was dark during Monday’s pre-dawn hours and emergency vehicles with lights flashing were clustered near the southeast entrance to the mansion.

A security perimeter had been set up around the White House to restrict access.

Major storm threatens Northeast with up to 2 feet of snow

Mon, 01/26/2015 - 4:23am

NEW YORK (AP) — Cities across the Northeast mobilized snowplows and airlines canceled thousands of flights Monday as a potentially historic storm pushed its way up the Philadelphia-to-Boston corridor with what forecasters said could be up to 2 feet of snow.

More than 4,000 flights were canceled or delayed, schools planned to close early and a hospital in New York increased staff and outfitted its vehicles with snow traveling gear.

The National Weather Service said the nor’easter would bring heavy snow, powerful winds and widespread coastal flooding starting Monday and through Tuesday. A blizzard warning was issued for a 250-mile stretch of the Northeast, including New York and Boston.

A tractor-trailer jack-knifed, and a truck hauling beer crashed into the median on a section of Interstate 81 near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, during the Monday morning commute, forcing officials to shut down the southbound lanes. No injuries were reported.

Some schools were planning to close early or not open at all Monday in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Connecticut.

“This could be a storm the likes of which we have never seen before,” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a Sunday news conference in a Manhattan sanitation garage where workers were preparing plows and salt for the massive cleanup on about 6,000 miles of city roadways.

A plane is de-iced during a light snow at LaGuardia Airport in New York, Monday, Jan. 26, 2015. Airlines canceled thousands of flights into and out of East Coast airports as a major snowstorm packing up to three feet of snow barrels down on the region. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy ordered a travel ban on Connecticut highways, while officials in other states asked residents to avoid any unnecessary travel.

The Nassau University Medical Center on Long Island increased staff and outfitted vehicles with snow traveling gear. Hospital officials said they expect a large increase in patients as doctors’ offices and clinics close due to the weather.

In Massachusetts, Gov. Charlie Baker warned residents to prepare for roads that are “very hard, if not impossible, to navigate,” power outages and possibly even a lack of public transportation.

Boston’s Logan International Airport said there would be no flights after 7 p.m. Monday, and did not expect to resume flights until late Wednesday.

Boston is expected to get 18 to 24 inches of snow, with up to 2 feet or more west of the city, and Philadelphia could see up to a foot, the weather service said.

The Washington area expected only a couple of inches, with steadily increasing amounts as the storm heads north.

“We do anticipate very heavy snowfall totals,” said Bob Oravec, lead forecaster with the weather service in College Park, Maryland. “In addition to heavy snow, with blizzard warnings, there’s a big threat of high, damaging winds, and that will be increasing Monday into Tuesday. A lot of blowing, drifting and such.”

President Barack Obama, who is traveling in India, has been briefed on the storm, spokesman Josh Earnest said Monday. White House officials also have been in touch with officials from states “up and down the Eastern seaboard” that are in the storm’s path, Earnest said.

Wind gusts of 75 mph or more are possible for coastal areas of Massachusetts, and up to 50 mph further inland, Oravec said.

A storm system driving out of the Midwest brought several inches of snow to Ohio on Sunday. A new low pressure system was expected to form off the Carolina coast and ultimately spread from the nation’s capital to Maine for a “crippling and potentially historic blizzard,” the weather service said.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo urged commuters to stay home on Monday and warned that mass transit and roadways could be closed before the evening rush hour, even major highways such as the New York Thruway, Interstate 84 and the Long Island Expressway.

In New York City, the Greater New York Taxi Association offered free cab service for emergency responders trying to get to work, and disabled and elderly residents who become stranded.

The New York Rangers decided to practice Monday afternoon at the Islanders’ home arena on Long Island instead of at their own training facility just outside New York City. They’ll stay overnight on Long Island for Tuesday’s game against their rival — if it’s still held.

The Super Bowl-bound New England Patriots expected to be out of town by the time the storm arrives in Boston. The team plans to leave Logan Airport at 12:30 p.m. Monday for Phoenix, where the temperature will reach the high 60s.

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Associated Press writers Pat Eaton-Robb in Hartford, Connecticut; Bruce Shipkowski in Trenton, New Jersey; Deepti Hajela in New York; Albert Stumm in Philadelphia; and Marcy Gordon and Darlene Superville in Washington contributed to this report.

Woman stabbed overnight in Howard

Mon, 01/26/2015 - 2:55am

UPDATE as of 4:30 a.m.

The Brown County Sheriff’s Department just sent out new information regarding the stabbing.

They tell us a 52-year-old woman was stabbed by her 51-year-old boyfriend.

Officials say a 39-year-old man at the house tried to help the woman, he suffered non-life threatening injuries.

The 52-year-old woman is being treated for serious and possibly life threatening injuries.

Officials say this was an isolated domestic violence incident.

Shawano Avenue has re-opened.
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HOWARD- A woman suffered life-threatening injuries after being stabbed overnight in Howard.

Brown County officials say a husband stabbed his wife four times at a home in the 2700 block of Shawano Avenue around 1 a.m. Monday.

Officials say two other people were in the home at the time. Another woman suffered minor injuries.

The husband is in custody.

Officials expect to be on scene for a few more hours. A section of Shawano Avenue remains closed.

Familiar tradition renewed in area pond hockey tournament

Sun, 01/25/2015 - 7:26pm

WAUPACA – Indoor hockey features a consistent ice surface, boards that bounce the puck back into play and absolutely no fear of falling into water below your feet. Where, however, is the fun in that?

“Just being on a pond, playing [hockey] like it should be played,” said Baraboo’s Brendan Cutrell.

Though Wisconsin doesn’t have a professional hockey team, the sport is ingrained in the state’s culture for many people. Pond hockey tournaments, like the O’so Pond Hockey Classic in Waupaca this past weekend, prove that.

“This is what we ended up doing for our own entertainment because we didn’t have a team to go watch,” said Oshkosh’s CJ Van Dyke who played in the tournament. “We grew up out on lakes. A lot of towns didn’t have rinks even 10, 20 years ago. People had to play outside.”

13 teams from around the state took part in the third annual event on Waupaca’s Mirror Lake. Four rinks were carefully crafted into the 12 inches of ice capping the lake. The rinks were circled by snow banks and typical goals were replaced by flatter, crate-like targets with two small openings teams aimed to score in.

Mother Nature provided a nice backdrop and comfortable temperatures for spectators and players on Saturday; maybe too comfortable. Temperatures hovered around 40 degrees during the opening games of the two-day event, causing ice conditions to deteriorate during games.

“There probably could’ve been [strategy] until the warm weather kills the ice with all the snow,” said Waupaca’s Dave Neelis, whose ‘Dave’s Sewer’ team fell in the tournament’s championship game Sunday against Team Culvers. “The strategy’s gone. It’s just hard to stick-handle or anything with it.”

Tournament organizers are happy the event is growing. Similar events in Wausau and Eagle River sparked the idea.

“Me and me team used to go up to Eagle River, we’ve gone up there for 6 years, they have a pond hockey tournament there,” said Milwaukee’s Mitchell Johnson, originally from Waupaca. “My uncle is part of the committee here. He came up to watch that and said, ‘what do you think about doing that in Waupaca?’”

The tournament features a variety of skill levels. One group of college students from Baraboo, Wisconsin made the trip without their team’s organizer, Mark Boucher, who recently underwent surgery to deal with cancer. Ringelstetter and her teammates brought a big sign taped to a hockey stick that players from many teams signed.

“This is kind of an amazing experience,” said Portage’s Paige Ringelstetter who is relatively new to the sport overall.

The ice made games tough and Sunday’s drop in temperature made things slightly less comfortable. There are rinks available to play in; but tournaments like this one just feel like home for those involved.

“We grew up playing in parks, on lakes, anywhere just to have fun,” said Van Dyke. “It’s not really serious: people are just having a good time. It’s kind of nice to get back out in the open, it’s a beautiful atmosphere out on a lake any day.”

Let the games begin: Lawrence University celebrates 50th trivia contest

Sun, 01/25/2015 - 5:24pm

APPLETON – The Lawrence University Great Midwest Trivia Contest is celebrating a milestone.

The game started 50 years ago and has become a tradition among students and people from across the world.

The campus has been ringing with excitement all weekend for the traditional trivia game. Students, known as trivia masters, try to stump listeners, asking more than 300 questions over the past three days.

“If we happen upon something on the Internet that seems funny or we find a little quote that seems funny, we write it down and try to work a question out of it,” said Ridley Tankersley, a trivia master.

Even with a laptop, the answers aren’t always easy to find.

“‘This politician has done many extraordinary things with his life beyond politics. One example of this is a stand-up comedy show called “To be a Nerd”. Where does he say he would go if he could travel anywhere?'” asked a student.

Once students ask the question, the countdown begins and each player is given three minutes and three guesses.

The game used to be broadcast on the radio, but that changed nine years ago when the station moved to an online-only format.

“It’s bigger and better than when we did it,” said J.B. deRosset, founder of the game.

deRosset is the man who decided Lawrence University needed a trivia game of its own.

He says even though the game’s delivery has changed, students are still good at making each other laugh.

“College humor was, is, and forever will be. It’s having a spirit of youth and creativity and enthusiasm and energy. It’s a great thing to see in action,” deRosset said.

This year there are 23 on-campus teams and 65 off-campus teams participating in the competition.

“It’s just kind of an interesting thing that pulls people together and it’s kind of a group activity that just keeps going,” said Kevin Brimmer.

Brimmer’s been playing for the past three decades. Around this time of year his house fills with people searching for the right answers.

“We’ve won once. We’ve taken second twice and we’ve taken third place eight or nine times,” Brimmer said.

Each win comes with a non-traditional trophy. Brimmer’s trophies sit above his fireplace.

“Back in 1998, this is for our second place off campus, “Sesame Street Sings Volume I,'” Brimmer said.

And each piece has an interesting story to tell.

“Vanilla Ice and the fall of New Kids on the Block,” Brimmer said.

Some past prizes have included an old, beaten-up refrigerator; a broken record; and most importantly, bragging rights.

The contest ends at midnight.

Man, boy die after Jeep plunges through ice on Lake Winnebago

Sun, 01/25/2015 - 3:36pm

UPDATE: The victims have been identified as Andrew Doro, 40, and his 8-year-old son, Derek.

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UPDATE: The boy died Sunday, the Winnebago Co. Coroner’s Office says.

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WINNEBAGO COUNTY – One man is dead and his son is in the hospital after their vehicle plunged through the ice Sunday morning on Lake Winnebago.

Authorities say the 40-year-old man from Sussex and his 8-year-old son were on their way to an ice-fishing spot when their Jeep went under.

It happened before 7 a.m. near Oshkosh, nearly three miles from the shoreline.

An ATV rider called the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office to report a Jeep through the ice.

“They reported that they didn’t see anybody come out of the vehicle, and try to make attempts to get up onto the ice,” said Lt. Gordon Ledioyt, Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office.

Ledioyt says rescue boats were called to the area off the Merritt Avenue landing.

“Oshkosh Fire Department went out, was able to locate where the vehicle had gone through the ice, some divers went into the water and pulled two people out of the water,” said Ledioyt.

Sheriff’s officials say the man was pronounced dead at an area hospital, but would not confirm the condition of his son.

“It’s happened a few times, it’s just unfortunate, that someone, we had a fatality. It’s very unfortunate,” said Don Herman, Otter Street Fishing Club.

Herman says a crack in the ice, 10 inches wide and three miles long, opened up Saturday night. He says the crack runs east-west along a tree line generally used to mark safe passage across the lake.

Herman says the Jeep went through the ice about 200 yards south of the tree line.

“If he was driving across the crack instead of parallel to it, nothing would have happened. Driving parallel with a crack, chunks broke off, and the truck went in. Where he went in, it was 14 inches of ice, because I measured it,” he said.

Herman says recent warm temperatures and wind can drastically change conditions on the lake.

Ice fishermen we talked to agree.

“It will open cracks that weren’t there before, that were froze shut. It will open them, and it will shut some that were open,” said David Buskirk, Oshkosh.

“It’s moving around. It’s shifting out there. So right now, guys got scared, a lot of guys left because of it,” said Chad Theis, Waukesha.

“You don’t want to see anybody get hurt out there. Everyone comes out here with their kids, and stuff. They go out and do some fishing, you know, and enjoy themselves. Just got to be careful out there, that’s all there’s to it,” said Gary Buskirk, Oshkosh.

The investigation continues. No names have been released.

The Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office says this is the first time this year it has been called to an ice rescue on Lake Winnebago.

FBI: Hunt continues for suspect in bomb threats against jets

Sun, 01/25/2015 - 2:00pm

ATLANTA (AP) – An FBI agent says law officers are continuing to pursue a suspect after someone made bomb threats targeting two jets bound for Atlanta, prompting F-16 fighter jets to escort the planes.

Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Stephen Emmett told The Associated Press on Sunday that the agency is continuing to pursue leads in an effort to locate the individual responsible for the threats.

No bombs were found in searches of both planes after they landed safely in Atlanta on Saturday.

Airport officials say the threats targeted Southwest Airlines Flight 2492, which arrived at Atlanta from Milwaukee, and Delta Air Lines Flight 1156, which arrived from Portland, Oregon.

Preston Schlachter, a spokesman for the North American Aerospace Defense Command, said the threats were posted on the social media network Twitter.

11 hurt when bus crashes on I-94 in SE Wisconsin

Sun, 01/25/2015 - 1:00pm

KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) – Police say 11 people were hurt but none seriously when a bus crashed on Interstate 94 in southeastern Wisconsin.

The Kenosha County sheriff’s office says the coach-style commercial bus was returning from Milwaukee to the Chicago area when the driver suffered an apparent medical condition and collapsed about 11:30 p.m. Saturday.

The bus, carrying 34 passengers, was going about 60 mph when it drifted into a concrete wall along the freeway’s right shoulder, striking the wall two or three times before coming to rest.

Authorities say a passenger took the wheel after realizing the driver was no longer in his seat.

The 68-year-old driver was admitted to a Kenosha hospital. The driver was cooperative with the investigation and was not ticketed.

Eleven passengers were taken to hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries.

Couple struck, killed by SUV outside Wisconsin church

Sun, 01/25/2015 - 10:47am

CALEDONIA, Wis. (AP) – Parishioners consoled each other Sunday about the deaths of an elderly couple who were struck and killed by an SUV as they left church a day earlier.

Oscar and Vernetta Lang, both 83 and from Caledonia, were hit by the SUV at around 5:30 p.m. Saturday, police said. They had just attended Mass at St. Louis Catholic Church in Caledonia, where they were longtime members, The Journal Times reported.

Two nurses who attended the service tried to save the couple while paramedics were on their way, said the church’s pastor, the Rev. Mark Danczyk. Danczyk told the newspaper he was able to administer last rites to both victims before they died.

Neither the 32-year-old Caledonia woman who was driving the SUV nor her two children who were in the vehicle were hurt, Caledonia police Lt. Gary Larsen said. He said the crash remains under investigation, but that alcohol is not believed to have been a factor.

The pastor said the close-knit congregation, which has about 700 families, was in shock. Parishioners hugged each other after Sunday’s services, and the church paused to pray for those involved in the accident, Danczyk said.

“Absolutely tragic,” Danczyk said.  He said he and many churchgoers ran to help the couple, who were crossing the road to their car when they were struck.

Vernetta Lang was thrown about 50 feet by the SUV and her husband about 150 feet, Danczyk said. He said her body was so badly mangled he did not recognize her.

“We heard a ‘thunk’ and everybody turned and three young girls saw what happened. They go, ‘There’s a body, there’s a body,'” Danczyk told The Associated Press on Sunday. “We went running immediately.”

The Wisconsin State Patrol and Racine County Sheriff’s Office are assisting Caledonia police with the investigation, Larsen said.

Three people escape Green Bay house fire

Sat, 01/24/2015 - 4:51pm

GREEN BAY – Three people safely escaped a house fire in Green Bay Saturday morning.

Officials with the Green Bay Metro Fire Department say crews responded to a report of a fire in the basement of a single family residence just before 11:00 a.m. in the 1200 block of E. Garland Street.

One adult and two children escaped the home after noticing the fire in the basement. No one was injured.

Crews found the fire in the laundry area in the basement. The damage was limited to the basement with smoke damage to the first and second floor.

Four people were displaced. The American Red Cross is assisting them.

The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Fire Marshals Office.

Damages are estimated at $15 thousand.

Walker tells Iowa crowd of ‘go big and go bold’ attitude

Sat, 01/24/2015 - 2:07pm

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is holding up his “go big and go bold” attitude as something Republicans need to emulate in Washington.

In a speech to Iowa conservatives Saturday, Walker ran through a litany of changes he’s implemented that curtailed union power, relaxed teacher tenure laws, strengthened gun rights and restricted abortions. All resonated with a Freedom Summit crowd sizing up potential 2016 GOP presidential candidates like him.

Walker shared stories of staring down union interests in the face of mass protests, constant jeering and even death threats to him and his family. He fought off a recall attempt and then won re-election last fall.

“I’ve won the race for governor three times in the last four years. Three times, mind you, in a state that hasn’t gone Republican for president since I was in high school more than 30 years ago. How about that. You see, I think that sends a powerful message to Republicans in Washington and around the country that if you’re not afraid to go big and go bold you can actually get results,” Walker told the crowd.

The neighboring state governor drew connections to the leadoff caucus state, noting how he attended elementary school in Iowa until his family moved.

Meanwhile, Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz held a news conference across the street from the Republican event.

The Florida congresswoman critiqued Congressman Steve King’s remarks on immigration and women’s health, while shaming Republicans attending the Freedom Summit.

“The Republicans that are here today with Steve King: Chris Christie, Scott Walker, Rick Perry, Ted Cruz, and all the others should be speaking out against King, instead of coming to Iowa to promote callous, ideological extremism that presidential voters have rejected time and time again,” Schultz said.

Democrats have a date set for their 2016 national convention. The DNC says the convention will take place the week of July 25th at a city to be determined. It will be held one week after the Republican convention in Cleveland.

 

Green Bay crash leaves one woman dead

Sat, 01/24/2015 - 1:46pm

GREEN BAY – Green Bay police say a 59-year-old woman from Green Bay was killed in a two vehicle crash Saturday morning at the intersection of East Mason and Roosevelt Streets.

Authorities said around 11:20 a.m., an officer witnessed the crash and went to check for injuries.

The officer found the woman unconscious and unresponsive.

She was taken to an area hospital where she was pronounced dead.

A Green Bay man in the other vehicle wasn’t hurt.

Officials say a large portion of adjoining cross streets were closed for several hours.

“Primarily so we can maintain the scene so when our accident reconstruction teams come out they have a sterile of a scene as possible to conduct their investigation,” said Lt. Jody Buth. “With Mason Street being a major east/west thoroughfare through Green Bay, without blocking the roadways off, it makes it extremely difficult to do their work.”

Streets re-opened at around 5:00 Saturday evening.

The crash remains under investigation. If you have any information, you’re asked to contact Green Bay Police.

 

 

Walker rejects Menominee casino plan

Fri, 01/23/2015 - 10:41am


MADISON (AP) – Gov. Scott Walker on Friday denied the Menominee Nation’s request for permission to build an off-reservation casino in Kenosha, saying approving the project could leave the state owing a rival tribe hundreds of millions of dollars.

The decision is devastating for the Menominee, who have been pushing to build a casino at Kenosha’s Dairyland Greyhound Park dog track for years in hopes the facility would pull the tribe out of poverty. But the governor said Friday that the state’s compact with the Forest County Potawatomi requires Wisconsin to refund payments that tribe has made to the state if a Kenosha casino became a reality.

“After a comprehensive review of the potential economic impact of the proposed Kenosha casino project, the risk to the state’s taxpayers is too great,” Walker said in a news release.

Walker, a Republican mulling a 2016 presidential run, had until Feb. 19 to make a decision on the casino but chose to release it Friday, a day before he was scheduled to attend a conservative summit in Iowa for potential GOP presidential candidates. Walker told reporters in Milwaukee Friday morning that the timing had nothing to do with politics.

“If that’s the case, I would have shut it down right off the bat,” Walker said.

Menominee Chairwoman Laurie Boivin said in a statement the project would have improved her people’s lives but the Potawatomi and Walker’s presidential aspirations dashed their hopes.

Potawatomi Attorney General Jeff Crawford said in his own statement that Walker gave the project a thorough review “and we agree with his determination that this project is not in the best interest of Wisconsin.”

The Potawatomi have been fiercely opposed to the new casino, fearing it would siphon profits from their Milwaukee facility about 30 miles away. The Potawatomi’s gambling compact with Wisconsin mandates the state reimburse the tribe for any losses linked to a Kenosha casino as well as refund payments the tribe has made to the state in exchange for the exclusive right to offer gambling in southeastern Wisconsin. Walker’s administration has estimated those payments could run into the hundreds of millions of dollars.

The tribe also has argued it wouldn’t have to make any future payments to the state if the new casino went through since their guarantee of exclusivity would be gone. The Potawatomi has already withheld $25 million from the state out of concerns Wisconsin would end up owing the tribe if the governor approved the new casino. Potawatomi spokesman George Ermert didn’t immediately respond to an email inquiring about whether the tribe would now pay the state that money.

The federal Bureau of Indian Affairs earlier this month nixed a deal between the Potawatomi and the state that would have established the financial terms for reimbursement, however, raising questions about whether the state remains on the hook. The Potawatomi have filed a federal lawsuit in Washington, D.C., challenging the BIA’s ruling.

The Menominee and the state brokered a new compact that called for the Menominee to pay the state 7.5 percent of its annual winnings and cover revenue losses if the Potawatomi stopped paying. But state Department of Administration Secretary Mike Huebsch warned the governor in a memo this week that the deal wouldn’t cover back payments. On Thursday the Menominee announced they were seeking to post a bond ranging between $200 million and $250 million to protect the state.

Wisconsin Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca, a Kenosha Democrat, said Walker’s decision would cost thousands of jobs and millions of tourists. A lawyer whom Walker’s administration hired to handle the Menominee’s request commissioned an independent study that found the new casino would hurt the Potawatomi and the Ho-Chunk Nation, another Wisconsin tribe that runs its own casinos and opposed the Menominee plan, as well as the counties in which they operate. But the report concluded that the Kenosha facility would generate an overall positive economic impact for the entire state.

“I think the governor failed basic economics,” Barca said. “He should be coming to Kenosha and Racine this weekend and talking with us about how to make up for this colossal mistake rather than flying to Iowa.”

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Associated Press writer Scott Bauer contributed to this report from Milwaukee.

Couple's battle with dementia takes next step

Thu, 12/25/2014 - 4:11pm

Aline Zerrenner has vascular dementia and advanced Alzheimer's disease.

      

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