Green Bay News

GREEN BAY – A woman accused of stealing from the bakery where she worked was ordered to stand trial.

Connie Huven waived a preliminary hearing Thursday, according to online court records.

Arraignment on the one count of theft is scheduled for June 23.

Court documents show Huven admitted to stealing no more than $28,800 from Uncle Mike’s Bake Shoppe and she took the money to pay for medical and other bills.

MADISON (AP) – Gov. Scott Walker’s spokeswoman says the governor would sign a state budget that includes no borrowing to pay for highways and other transportation projects in Wisconsin, a move that would delay work all across the state.

Walker spokeswoman Laurel Patrick said Friday that is not his preferred option, but if the Legislature decides to do it, he would sign it. Walker has steadfastly opposed raising gas taxes or other fees to pay for roads.

• Click here to see what Walker’s office says would be the effect of a budget without borrowing to pay for transportation projects

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos on Wednesday first publicly voiced the possibility of doing away with all of the $1.3 billion in borrowing to pay for transportation that Walker proposed.

Budget committee co-chair Rep. John Nygren says he doesn’t want to delay roads projects and that negotiations are “a little bit of a stare off.”

MILWAUKEE (AP) – U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson said Friday he can break the trend and become the first Republican to win election to the Senate in a presidential year in Wisconsin since 1980 by turning back Russ Feingold’s attempt to reclaim the seat he held for 18 years.

Johnson, in a conference call with reporters, said the infrastructure laid by Republicans leading to gains in Congress, the state Legislature and Gov. Scott Walker’s three wins over four years will help him defeat Feingold next year.

“We’ve got an awful lot going for us,” Johnson said.

Johnson made his comments before Feingold was to speak Friday night at the Wisconsin Democratic Party convention in Milwaukee. The speech marks Feingold’s first major public event since announcing on May 14 that he was seeking a rematch with Johnson next year.

Johnson defeated Feingold by 5 points in 2010 as part of a tea party Republican wave. Democrats are hopeful Feingold will prevail in a rematch given that he will be taking on Johnson in a presidential election year in 2016 when Democratic turnout in Wisconsin is typically higher.

No Republican has won a Senate seat in a presidential year in Wisconsin since Bob Kasten defeated Gaylord Nelson in 1980.

When asked about that history on Friday, Johnson shrugged it off and said voters won’t embrace Feingold after voting him out in 2010.

“Obviously he doesn’t trust their judgment from 2010 and now he’s back,” Johnson said. “He really believes the seat belongs to him, that he’s pretty much entitled to it.”

History is against Feingold. Only three U.S. senators who have tried to get re-elected after losing have won since 1956.

The seat is a key target for Democrats looking to regain control of the Senate that Republicans control 54-44. Two independents caucus with Democrats.

Johnson, the chief executive of a plastics manufacturer in Oshkosh, also dismissed as “completely meaningless” a Marquette University Law School poll from April that showed Feingold beating him 54 percent to 38 percent. That same poll showed that 39 didn’t know enough about Johnson to form an opinion despite being in office more than four years. Johnson said he saw that as a “huge opportunity to reintroduce myself.”

The entire U.S. federal workforce may be at risk after yet another intrusion from what security experts believe were hackers based in China. The Department of Homeland Security says that data from the Office of Personnel Management – the human resources department for the federal government – and the Interior Department has been infiltrated.

It is not the first and it follows massive data breaches at health insurance companies, major U.S. banks like JPMorgan and retailers such as Target and Home Depot.

Here’s what to do if you think you’ve been compromised.

FIRST THINGS FIRST

– Notify the credit agencies (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion) and request a 90-day credit alert. (Each reporting agency is supposed to notify the others, but you may want to contact all three yourself.) The alert tells businesses to contact you before opening any new accounts in your name. You can renew the alert every 90 days, or you’re entitled to keep it in effect for seven years if you find that your identity is stolen and file a report with police.

– You might consider asking the reporting agencies to place a full freeze on your credit. This blocks any business from checking your credit to open a new account, so it’s a stronger measure than a credit alert. BUT you should weigh that against the hassle of notifying credit agencies to lift the freeze – which can take a few days – every time you apply for a loan, open a new account or even sign up for utility service.

BE A DETECTIVE

– When your credit card bill comes, check closely for any irregularities. And don’t overlook small charges. Crooks are known to charge smaller amounts, usually under $10, to see if you notice. If you don’t, they may charge larger amounts later.

– Get a free credit report once a year from at least one of the major reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion), and review it for unauthorized accounts. Ignore services that charge a fee for credit reports. You can order them without charge at http://www.annualcreditreport.com . If you order from each agency once a year, you could effectively check your history every four months.

DO PAID SERVICES WORK?

– Some experts say there’s not much to be gained from a paid credit monitoring service. But it can’t hurt to sign up for any monitoring offered for free by a company or any other entity that may have held your information when it was hacked. NOTE: These services will tell you if a new account is opened in your name, but they won’t prevent it, and many don’t check for things like bogus cellphone accounts, fraudulent applications for government benefits or claims for medical benefits. Some do offer limited insurance or help from a staffer trained to work with credit issuers and reporting agencies.

SOMEONE DID STEAL MY IDENTITY, WHAT DO I DO?

– Contact the credit issuer to dispute fraudulent charges and have the bogus account closed.

– Request your credit report and ask the reporting agencies to remove bogus accounts or any incorrect information from your record. See tip #1 on setting up a credit alert and/or freeze.

– Submit a report through the FTC website: http://www.consumer.ftc.gov. Click the “privacy & identity” tab, which will walk you through creating an affidavit you can show to creditors.

– Keep copies of all reports and correspondence. Use certified mail to get delivery receipts, and keep notes on every phone call.

AVOID ADDITIONAL HACKS

– After a hack, scammers may try to use the stolen data to trick you into giving up more personal information. They can use that info to steal money in your accounts or open new credit cards.

– Don’t click on any links from emails. Bad software could be downloaded to your computer that can steal account passwords.

– You might get letters in the mail saying you won a tablet or vacation and give you a phone number to call. Don’t do it. It’s likely a ploy to gather more information from you.

– Hang up the phone if you get a call asking for account numbers or other information. Scammers may also send texts, so don’t click on any links from numbers you don’t know.

ONE MORE RESOURCE:

The FTC now has a website www.identitytheft.gov that provides step-by-step advice and more information on what to do if you think you have been the victim of a data breach.

Sights from the WIAA state track and field meet, June 5-6, 2015, in La Crosse.

Manitowoc and Sheboygan are among four Wisconsin cities receiving thousands of federal dollars for shoreline projects.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Shoreline Cities grants Friday.

The EPA says Manitowoc is getting $89,699 to build a rain garden along the Blue Rail Marina Beach so 115,000 gallons of untreated stormwater don’t make it into Lake Michigan each year.

“The city of Manitowoc is excited about receiving this grant to assist with upgrades along our beautiful lakeshore,” Manitowoc Mayor Justin Nickels said in a news release. “Lake Michigan is our greatest asset and we must do everything we can to preserve it.”

Sheboygan is receiving $239,549 to build bioswales near storm sewer outfalls at King Beach and Deland Park Beach so untreated stormwater doesn’t go directly into Lake Michigan and to improve water quality for beachgoers.

“Lake Michigan is a key asset for the city of Sheboygan and needs to be protected for future generations,” Sheboygan Mayor Michael Vandersteen said in a news release. “By receiving these grant funds, the city can increase our efforts to protect this great lake by removing debris and preventing direct discharge into Lake Michigan. We are thankful to the EPA for offering this opportunity for visitors and residents to the city of Sheboygan.”

Oak Creek and Superior are also receiving money.

• Click here to learn more about Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Shoreline Cities grants

A guide to the most notable data breaches, including the number of records and the types of industries most affected.

MADISON – One day after Gov. Scott Walker announced details of a financing deal for a $500 million arena for the Milwaukee Bucks, it remains unclear if the plan will pass the state Legislature and when lawmakers will vote on the state’s next two-year budget.

Walker hoped for a quicker-than-normal passage of the budget. He’s said he won’t announce his expected run for the White House until after he signs the spending plan into law.

The new budget cycle begins July 1.

Two years ago, Walker signed the budget on June 30. This year, he released his plan in February, 17 days earlier than two years ago and urged fellow Republicans to move swiftly to get done sooner.

• Click here to see when recent budgets were passed, according to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau

But the Legislature hasn’t followed through. The budget-writing Joint Finance Committee, a 16-member panel controlled by Republicans, had hoped to complete its work last week. But it still doesn’t have agreement on a deal to pay for state roads and highway projects. It still hasn’t scheduled its next meeting.

Once the panel approves the budget, the Senate and Assembly must also pass it. Then it goes to Walker, who has expansive veto power.

A majority of Republican state senators don’t want the arena financing plan to come under the two-year $70 billion state budget, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Wednesday. An alternative route could be introducing the plan as a separate bill, where Democrats would join with Republicans to get enough votes in support.

FOX 11’s Andrew LaCombe will have a complete story on the budget timeline and the impact on Walker tonight on FOX 11 News at Five.

BAGHDAD (AP) – Tariq Aziz, the debonair Iraqi diplomat who made his name by staunchly defending Saddam Hussein to the world during three wars and was later sentenced to death as part of the regime that killed hundreds of thousands of its own people, has died in a hospital in southern Iraq, officials said. He was 79.

Aziz died on Friday afternoon after he was taken to the al-Hussein hospital in the city of Nasiriyah, about 200 miles (320 kilometers) southeast of Baghdad, according to provincial governor Yahya al-Nassiri. Aziz had been in custody in a prison in the south, awaiting execution.

Aziz was the highest-ranking Christian in Saddam’s regime was the international face of Saddam’s regime for years. He was sentenced in October 2010 to hang for persecuting members of the Shiite Muslim religious parties that now dominate Iraq.

A Baghdad government official confirmed the death of Aziz. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to reporters.

The only Christian among Saddam’s inner circle, Aziz’s religion rescued him from the hangman’s noose that was the fate of other members of the top regime leadership.

After he was sentenced to death, the Vatican asked for mercy for him as a Christian. Iraq’s president at the time, Jalal Talabani, then refused to give the death sentence his required signature, citing Aziz’s age and religion.

But even before the death sentence, the ailing Aziz appeared to know that he would die in prison. He had had several strokes while in custody undergoing trial multiple times for various regime crimes.

“I have no future. I have no future,” Aziz told The Associated Press, looking frail and speaking with difficulty because of a recent strokes, in a jailhouse interview in September 2010. At that stage, he had been sentenced to more than two decades in prison.

“I’m sick and tired but I wish Iraq and Iraqis well,” he said.

Elegant and eloquent, Aziz spoke fluent English, smoked Cuban cigars and was loyal to Saddam to the last, even naming one of his son’s after the dictator. His posts included that of foreign minister and deputy prime minister, and he sat on the Revolutionary Command Council, the highest body in Saddam’s regime.

His main role was as the regime’s go-to man to communicate with the West. To the world, he was one of the most recognizable faces from Iraq during Saddam’s rule: silver haired, with a mustache and trademark dark-rimmed glasses. A skilled operator in the halls of the United Nations, he was the regime’s front-man in dealing with U.N. inspectors trying to track and assure the dismantling of Saddam’s weapons of mass destruction.

His interlocutors variously described him as courtly, articulate, arrogant and unhesitant to make even the most preposterous denials of evidence put before him by inspectors about weapons programs.

“He didn’t agree with our basic tasks and I didn’t agree with his tasks to hide and mislead us. But I think we respected each other,” Rolf Ekeus, head of the inspectors from 1991 to 1997, later said of Aziz.

As bombs rained down on Baghdad during the U.S.-led 2003 invasion, Aziz said of American forces, “We will receive them with the best music they have ever heard and the best flowers that have ever grown in Iraq … We don’t have candy; we can only offer them bullets.”

His freedom ended shortly afterward. The U.S. military knocked on his door in Baghdad on April 24, 2003, and he surrendered without resistance.

Still, his prominence as an international spokesman – and his outsider status as a Christian in a Sunni Muslim-dominated regime – gave supporters fuel to argue that he was not a real decision-maker in Saddam’s regime and was less to blame in the torture and bloody crackdowns it inflicted on Iraqis.

Aziz was born to a Chaldean Catholic family in Tell Kaif, Iraq, in 1936. He studied English literature at Baghdad College of Fine Arts and became a teacher and journalist. He joined the Baath Party in 1957, working closely with Saddam to overthrow British-imposed monarchy.

Saddam took charge in 1979. Aziz was deputy prime minister a year later, when attackers hurled a grenade at him in downtown Baghdad. Several people were killed; Aziz was injured. It was one of several attacks Saddam blamed on Iran – part of his justification for the expulsion of large numbers of Shiite Muslims and Iraq’s 1980 invasion of Iran.

Aziz was instrumental in restoring diplomatic relations with the United States in 1984, after a 17-year break. At the time, Washington backed Iraq as a buffer against Iran’s Islamic extremism.

That changed after Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990. Aziz met in January 1991 with then-Secretary of State James A. Baker in Geneva in a failed attempt to prevent the Gulf War, and the U.S. broke off ties with Saddam’s government for good. He also met with the late Pope John Paul II at the Vatican just weeks before the March 2003 invasion in a bid to stop it.

Years later in court, Aziz again defended Saddam.

A star defense witness for his former boss in 2006, a thin and pale-looking Aziz in checkered pajamas – a far cry from the designer suits he once sported – insisted Saddam had no choice but to crack down in the Shiite town of Dujail after a 1982 shooting attack on the president’s motorcade there blamed on Shiite opponents.

“If the head of state comes under attack, the state is required by law to take action,” said Aziz.

And in the trial of six former Saddam officials charged with the 1980s crackdown on Kurds that killed an estimated 100,000 people, Aziz claimed, “There was no genocide against the Kurds … Those defendants were honest officers who defended their country and fought Iran.”

Aziz himself stood trial in seven cases – nearly all on charges of crimes against humanity related to Saddam’s campaigns against Shiite political parties and Kurds. He was convicted in all but two, and sentenced to death by hanging in October 2010 for his involvement in the former regime’s bloody persecution of Shiites.

As his death verdict was read in court, Aziz sat alone and quiet, and grasped a handrail surrounding the defendant’s box. By that time, he had suffered a stroke in jail that had left him badly weakened and temporarily mute.

But even as he was ordered executed, Aziz gained a powerful diplomatic ally. The Vatican asked that Aziz’s life be spared, saying mercy would encourage reconciliation and the rebuilding of peace and justice in Iraq. The Vatican’s plea picked up support among several other European diplomats from nations that also oppose the death penalty – though few had made much pressure to stop earlier executions of other, Muslim members of Saddam’s regime.

Aziz’s wife, Violet, and two sons, Ziad and Saddam, who live in Jordan and survive him, had lobbied he be allowed medical treatment outside Iraq. Ziad Aziz said his father had long suffered from diabetes and high blood pressure, but his health took a turn for the worse shortly before the 2003 invasion.

STEVENS POINT (AP) – Competition for the Special Olympics Wisconsin Summer Games is getting underway in Stevens Point.

Training throughout the year culminates this weekend when more than 1,500 athletes with cognitive disabilities compete in track events, soccer, power lifting and aquatics.

It’s the 36th year that the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point has hosted the games. In addition to the athletes, about 500 coaches and 800 volunteers make sure the competition Friday and Saturday runs smoothly.

An opening ceremony Thursday night on campus kicked off the event. Law enforcement officers from across the state participating in a torch run to mark the official start of the games.

DETROIT (AP) – Mazda is recalling nearly 540,000 cars and pickup trucks in the U.S. and Canada to fix air bags that potentially can explode with too much force.

The automaker says in documents posted by safety regulators that it’s recalling nearly 503,000 cars to fix driver’s air bags and another 35,000 small pickup trucks to fix passenger air bags.

Affected models with faulty driver’s air bags include the 2003-2008 Mazda 6, 2006 to 2007 MazdaSpeed 6 and the 2004 to 2008 RX-8. The company also is recalling 2004 to 2006 B-Series pickup trucks to replace passenger air bag inflators.

The vehicles are equipped with inflators made by Takata Corp. Last month Takata agreed to recall 33.8 million of the devices, making it the largest auto recall in U.S. history.

GREEN BAY – The next time Shana Conradt and Liz Cookle deliver meals to their customers they’ll look as if they stepped back in time. They want you to know that the meals from “Make Me Hot Meals” are fresh but also comfortable.  Here are the recipes they shared on today’s show:

Italian Grilled Cheese

room temperature butter
4 slices bread
sliced provolone cheese
fresh mozzarella cheese, cut
mushrooms, sliced
onion, sliced
dried basil
dried oregano
garlic powder
grated parmesan

Butter one side of one slice of bread. Lay butter side down. Lay provolone and mozzarella cheeses (desired amount) on bread. Layer with mushrooms and onions. Sprinkle with seasonings. Finish with another layer of cheeses. Top with second slice of bread and butter. Repeat for remaining sandwiches. Grill until desired wellness, sprinkle top of sandwich with parmesan cheese and serve with marinara meat sauce.

Marinara Meat Sauce

.5 lb grass-fed ground round
1.5 c tomato sauce
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
salt and pepper, to taste

Brown meat, mix with tomato sauce and seasonings.

Grilled Sweet Onion

1 sweet yellow onion
herb infused olive oil
perfect pepper seasoning blend

Cut onion through middle, leaving ends intact.  Carefully remove outer layers.  Drizzle each inside with olive oil and sprinkle generously with seasoning blend.  Place cut side down on salt plate.  Drizzle top side with olive oil and tent with aluminum foil.  Grill until desired wellness.

Side Car

1/2 oz lemon juice
3/4 oz brandy
3/4 oz triple sec

Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.

A Montana woman says the FBI interviewed her about her allegations that her brother had a sexual relationship with Dennis Hastert, the high school wrestling coach who became speaker of the House.

Hastert was charged last week in a federal indictment that alleges he agreed to pay $3.5 million to someone from Yorkville, the Illinois town where he taught and coached high school wrestling, so the person would stay quiet about “prior misconduct.”

Jolene Burdge of Billings, Montana, told The Associated Press Thursday that the FBI interviewed her in mid-May about Hastert. She says her brother told her before he died in 1995 that his first homosexual contact was with Hastert and that the abuse lasted throughout high school.

In an interview aired Friday on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” Burdge identified her brother as Stephen Reinbolt.

GREEN BAY – In celebration of National Doughnut Day, the folks from Hill Top Bakery in Kaukauna stopped by the weather deck to talk about what makes their sweet treats such a local favorite. Owner, Lynn Engel says the bakery has been in business since 1923.   Today they deliver to several different businesses, from the Fox Valley up to Green Bay.

Hill Top Bakery
100 E. 7th Street
Kaukauna, Wisconsin 54130
Phone:  (920) 766-1771
E-Mail: [email protected]

LA CROSSE, Wis. (AP) – More than 100 employees have worked to get residence halls ready at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse where about 2,700 high school athletes, coaches and volunteers will be staying this weekend.

The university has spent months planning to get dorm rooms ready for the state high school track and field championships. Residence hall assistant director Troy Richter says it’s a quick turnaround because just a couple weeks ago the dorms were filled with students. Sheets, towels, wash clothes and other items have been delivered to the dorm rooms.

WXOW-TV says the university charges $30 to $50 per room per night.

ALASKA- Some people in Alaska are wondering why lampreys are falling from the sky.

At least four lampreys have been found in odd spots around Fairbanks.

Wildlife officials believe birds are to blame.

They say seagulls may be catching the lampreys from a river and dropping them while in flight.

Two Rivers is celebrating the carp this weekend.

The community is hosting Carp Fest on Saturday and Sunday. And the annual Carp Fishing Tournament in also on Saturday.

Amy McMillan appeared on Good Day Wisconsin to talk about the events.

Click here for more information.

ASHWAUBENON – Summer is almost here!

Many people will be spending a lot of their time out on the water.

FOX 11’s Emily Deem spent Friday morning at Ashwaubomay Lake in Ashwaubenon where they are prepping to open for the season.

The Lake will be open this Saturday and Sunday.  Ashwaubomay Lake will then open for the season on Thursday, June 11.

Click here to learn more.

PORT WASHINGTON, Wis. (AP) – Police say they have arrested a Chicago hospital patient who stole an ambulance and crashed it north of Milwaukee.

The Ozaukee County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday that 23-year-old Michael Buckner of Chicago was being taken to another facility when he stole the ambulance. The sheriff’s office says he crashed the ambulance shortly before 7 a.m. Monday on Interstate 43 near Port Washington.

According to the sheriff’s office, a bystander stopped to help Buckner and offered him a ride, but he stole the vehicle and drove it a short distance before being taken into custody.

Wisconsin authorities say Buckner appeared to have a medical issue while in jail and was taken to a hospital, where they say he attacked deputies.

Police say Buckner faces charges in Illinois. It wasn’t immediately known if he has an attorney.

We’ll see some sunshine Friday and a nice Saturday before rain moves in.

After morning clouds and patchy fog, we’ll see partly sunny skies and a high near 68. Winds will be northeast at 10 to 15 mph with gusts to 25 this afternoon. High temperatures along the lakeshore will be near 61.

Saturday’s weather looks nice with a mix of sun and clouds and a high near 70. Winds will be east at 5 to 10 mph.

A storm moves in Saturday night and will bring rain by Sunday morning.

Expect showers to continue Sunday with a chance for thunderstorms and highs near 72.