Green Bay News

DELAVAN (AP) – Gov. Scott Walker says he intends to keep his campaign promise not to raise the gas tax or vehicle registration fees to pay for transportation projects in Wisconsin.

Walker said Monday that despite his position, he still believes a deal can be reached with the Legislature’s budget-writing committee this week on how to pay for highways and other roads projects.

The transportation budget is one of the last pending issues before the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee. Lawmakers have been unable to reach a deal with Walker.

Many Republicans don’t want to borrow the $1.3 billion that Walker has called for to pay for the projects. They are also looking at ways to delay work that’s either scheduled or ongoing, but they haven’t been able to come up with a deal.

NEW YORK (AP) — Bruce Jenner made his debut as a transgender woman in a va-va-voom cover for the July issue of Vanity Fair.

“Call me Caitlyn,” declares a headline with her photo in a strapless corset, legs crossed, sitting on a stool. The image was shot by famed celeb photographer Annie Leibovitz. Prior to the unveiling of Caitlyn, Jenner had said he prefers the pronoun “he,” but contributing editor Buzz Bissinger, who wrote the accompanying story, refers to “she.”

According to Vanity Fair, which took to Twitter with the cover Monday, Jenner spoke emotionally to the magazine about the gender journey: “If I was lying on my deathbed and I had kept this secret and never ever did anything about it, I would be lying there saying, ‘You just blew your entire life.'”

“I’m not doing this to be interesting. I’m doing this to live.” #CallMeCaitlyn http://t.co/Mwfy5PkjTp pic.twitter.com/V2NmSJG2eV

— VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) June 1, 2015

DELAVAN (AP) – Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker says he does not think Rand Paul’s opposition to allowing the National Security Agency to collect Americans’ phone records in bulk is not helping the Kentucky senator’s presidential run.

Walker is a likely presidential candidate but he has not yet declared. He was asked Monday about whether Paul’s blocking a vote Sunday to extend the fiercely contested program helps him with Republican presidential primary voters.

Walker says, “I do not.” Walker says voters want a balance of protecting civil liberties while giving the intelligence community tools it needs like the phone records.

Walker says he hopes the Senate will soon pass an extension that the House has already approved.

MILWAUKEE (WITI) – The Milwaukee Brewers announced that Miller Park will play host to a friendly competition between Atlas Futbol Club from the Mexican Liga MX and Newcastle Football Club of the English Premier League on Tuesday, July 14. The match will start at 8 p.m. and the gates to Miller Park will open at 6:30 p.m. Parking lots will open at 5 p.m.

It is the second-ever professional soccer match at Miller Park and follows the success of last year’s exhibition between Chivas and Swansea City A.F.C.

Tickets go on sale for the match on Thursday, June 4th at 10 a.m. and prices range from $25-$70. Parking is $20 in advance and $25 on the day of the match. Fans can purchase tickets online at Brewers.com/soccer, in person at the Miller Park Box Office, or by phone at 414-902-4000.

In addition, all fans who attend the match will receive a voucher at the gate that will allow them to receive $15 off a future Brewers home game in the month of August. The voucher is valid for 14 games in the month, excluding August 1, 2, 8 and 15.

DELAVAN (AP) – Gov. Scott Walker says negotiations over a financing deal for a new Milwaukee Bucks stadium are fluid, but he still hopes to have something to announce by the end of the week.

Walker’s office, team officials and state and local government leaders have been trying to hammer out a deal for weeks. Details of one proposal as reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel would split the costs for a new arena in half, with taxpayers on the hook for $250 million with current and former team owners picking up $250 million.

Walker says nothing that’s been reported publicly so far has reached “an absolute conclusion.”

Walker says the final proposal will be a “higher benefit to statewide taxpayers” than if there is no deal and the Bucks leave Wisconsin.

MADISON (WMTV) – The PGA Champions Tour will visit University Ridge Golf Course in Verona next June.

Steve Stricker, 12-time PGA Tour winner and Wisconsin native, helped announce the AmFam Insurance Championship Monday.

The championship will feature an 81-player field competing for $2 million. The 2016 event will be held on June 22-26. Proceeds from the event will be donated to the Steve Stricker American Family Insurance Foundation and the American Family Children’s Hospital.

“We are thrilled to partner with American Family Insurance and hometown hero Steve Stricker to bring this great event to Madison and the state of Wisconsin,” said PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem. “Wisconsin has always been a popular stop for our players as many of them experienced success in the state during their PGA Tour careers. They are thrilled at the opportunity to play in Wisconsin on a yearly basis.”

American Family Insurance has signed a three-year agreement to be the tournament’s title sponsor. Stricker will serve as tournament host in 2016 and then as player-host starting in 2017 when he becomes eligible for the Champions Tour.

“Returning professional golf to my home state is a dream come true,” said Stricker. “When the PGA Tour event ended in Milwaukee, it was a sad day – and I was absolutely committed to find a way to fill that void. I am proud and humbled to be part of the team to do that in 2016.”

DELAVAN (AP) – Gov. Scott Walker said Monday he will sign a proposed 20-week abortion ban whether or not it includes an exemption for cases of rape or incest.

Walker, who had previously expressed support for the bill that’s on a fast track in the Wisconsin Legislature, said it didn’t matter whether there was an exemption. As introduced, there is none in the bill.

“I think for most people who are concerned about that, it’s in the initial months when they are most concerned about it,” Walker said when asked about the exemption. “In this case, it’s an unborn life, it’s an unborn child, that’s why we feel strongly about it. I’m prepared to sign it either way they send it to us.”

The abortion bill is scheduled for a joint public hearing Tuesday in the Legislature.

Walker, a likely presidential candidate who is slated to attend Republican events in Georgia and Florida this week, has a long record of supporting anti-abortion measures. He has signed into law required ultrasounds for women considering abortions and he defunded Planned Parenthood.

Another law signed by Walker, requiring doctors performing abortions to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals, has been blocked in federal court.

Walker called the proposed 20-week ban on non-emergency abortions “rational and reasonable.”

“Whether you’re pro-life or not, that’s a good time to say that shouldn’t be legal after a time when an unborn child can feel pain,” he said following comments he made at a Boys and Girls Club event in Delavan.

While some doctors say fetuses can feel pain after 20 weeks, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says evidence suggests that’s not possible until the third trimester begins at 27 weeks.

Under the Republican-authored bill, doctors who perform an abortion after 20 weeks in non-emergency situations could be charged with a felony and subject to up to $10,000 in fines or 3½ years in prison.

According to the most recent information from the Department of Health Services, roughly 1 percent of abortions in Wisconsin in 2013 occurred after the 20-week mark – 89 of nearly 6,500 abortions performed that year.

OSHKOSH – Police are looking for a suspect in a weekend armed robbery in Oshkosh.

Carlton L. Evans, 30, is suspected in an armed robbery in the 800 block of Merritt Avenue around 2:30 a.m. Saturday, police say.

Evans is described as 5-foot-10 and 225 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. He lives in Oshkosh, but police believe he could be in the Milwaukee area.

Police caution that Evans should be considered armed and dangerous. Anyone who sees him should not try to contact him; instead, call 911 and give the location.

Anyone who knows where Evans is may call Oshkosh police at (920) 236-5700. Anonymous tips can be left with Winnebago County Wide Crime Stoppers by phone at (920) 231-8477, by text message with the keyword IGOTYA at 274637 or online.

WAUPACA – More than a year after authorities say he cut his monitoring bracelet, a registered sex offender from Waupaca County has been found.

Phillip Rath, 53, was picked up and is currently being held in Minnesota, according to a Facebook post from the Waupaca County Sheriff’s Dept. No further information was given.

Authorities had been looking for Rath since April 2014. They said he cut the bracelet while staying at his mother’s house in the town of Dayton. He had previously cut his bracelet two months earlier, but sheriff’s officials said in that case, he was found within about 14 hours at a home a few miles away from where he lived.

Rath was convicted of sexually assaulting a child in 1993 and is required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

Last September, charges were filed against Rath in connection with his latest disappearance.

NECEDAH (AP) – Wildlife experts say it could be a record year for efforts to reintroduce a critically endangered bird in Wisconsin.

An aerial survey has counted 37 whooping crane nests, with 13 chicks hatched so far this year. Nine of the young birds were still living as of late last week, and another eight pairs still were brooding eggs. More than 20 chicks will be hatched this season if all the active sites are successful.

The La Crosse Tribune reports that seasonal swarms of biting black flies, which are attracted to avian blood, have caused whooping cranes to abandon their nests and eggs. But the area has seen fewer black flies this spring, giving experts more hope for a breakthrough year.

About 95 whooping cranes are in this eastern flock.

Photos submitted to ReportIt, May 31-June 6, 2015.

TOWN OF EDGEWATER (AP) – Sheriff’s officials say the adult son of a couple in Sawyer County killed his parents before taking his own life outside their rural home.

Chief Deputy Brigette Kornbroke says 41-year-old Eric Werachowski shot his father in the abdomen Saturday at the Town of Edgewater home he shared with his parents, then set fire to the house.

Authorities say 60-year-old Marilyn Werachowski called sheriff’s dispatchers about 11 a.m. reporting that her son had shot her husband and set the house on fire. Dispatchers then lost contact with the woman.

Responding deputies found the son dead outside the residence. Kornbroke says he had used a shotgun on himself. The bodies of his parents, including 62-year-old Richard Werachowski, were found inside the burned house. The chief deputy says the mother died in the fire and was not shot.

Appleton – Josif and the crew at Salon CTI in Appleton gave Stacey a Monday Morning Makeover.

Click on the video above to check out her new look.

Dylan and Princess are our Tailwaggers of the Week!

Dylan is a 10-year-old Yorkie mix. Princess is a 14-year-old Maltese mix.

Click on the video to learn more.

And click here for a link to the Fox Valley Humane Association.

MARINETTE – The first of four suspects charged in connection with a Middle Inlet chase was sentenced to three years in prison.

Harley Whitmore was convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm, and aiding a felon. He was also placed on extended supervision for three years at Friday’s sentencing hearing, according to online court records.

Kendra Krueger is scheduled for a plea hearing June 15 on two counts, including theft.

Derrick Whitmore will be sentenced June 16 on four counts, including recklessly endangering safety, burglary, arson and several other counts.

Christopher Whitmore faces an Oct. 27 trial on 27 counts, including recklessly endangering safety and burglary.

All allegedly were involved in a high speed chase in Decemeber which ended in Middle Inlet.

GREEN BAY – With gas prices projected to be the lowest in 6 years, the number of families taking a vacation this summer is expected to soar. But before you book that family adventure to Yellowstone, financial professional Kevin Klug from Secure Retirement Solutions told Good Day Wisconsin’s Rachel Manek 5 things we can be doing to budget for this year’s family trip.

Rachel: Nearly 50% of Americans are planning to take a summer vacation. 12 percent say they would forgo paying monthly bills to pay for it. What is the danger in this?

Kevin: You are risking your credit score or your credit standing. Even a 30 day late payment can lead to a 100 point drop on your credit score. This can hurt your chances of getting a loan, and it may mean you have to pay a higher interest rate for a car, mortgage or other personal loan in the future. I recommend all of my clients maintain their credit score by paying bills on time, not taking on too much debt and checking their reports annually.

Rachel: If your dream is to afford a family vacation this summer, you say there are 5 things we can do to maintain a well-balanced vacation budget.

Kevin:
1. Fund it- Sit down and take a look at your paycheck. Figure out who much you can afford to set aside after taking out enough for your monthly bills. I recommend you set up a vacation savings account. You can schedule an automatic transfer to the account on payday and then sit back and watch that account build.

2. Be Realistic- Remember your parents talking to you about wants and needs? The same applies here. Who doesn’t want to take a grand vacation to Honolulu? But do you have the budget to fund it and the time to save for it? The average cost of a summer vacation is $1,145 per person or $4580 for a family of four. On my website srsplans.com, I have a travel budget calculator that can estimate what a trip might cost.

3. Sleep Cheaper- Some people are cutting out the lodging cost by doing what’s called a “staycation”. Vacation in your own city during the day and you come back home each night for lodging. Many of us like to pack up, travel and stay someplace else. A simple google search can turn up discounts on lodging, but one of the biggest ways to save doesn’t always come to mind at first. Bed & breakfasts and camping are cheaper to rent than a hotel. You can also check out homeowner vacation rental sites (like Homeaway or AirBNB.) Sometimes you can find lower nightly or weekly rates going this way. Make sure you read the fine print before agreeing to any terms or contract.

4. Eat for Less- Eating out can be a big part of a vacation budget, but there are ways to trim these expenses. If the place you’re staying at has a kitchen in the room, you can cook some of the meals there and save a significant amount of money during your vacation. You can also save money by packing snacks like healthy fruits and vegetables that don’t need refrigeration.  I suggest to my clients that they make a meal budget before they go on their trip and make adjustments to stay on budget in the event you splurge.

5. Book Last Second- Planning ahead is often the best way to save money on a vacation. But if you can be patient and flexible, last-minute deals are out there and can help you fit a dream vacation into your budget. Look for some of the best pricing for hotels and airfares during the middle of the week, not on the weekend. Also, sign up for email sale notifications with hotels or resorts in or near the city you plan to travel to. Of course, there are hundreds of websites that cater to last-minute deals you can visit as well.

Rachel: Is there anything we can change now that could help us afford our dream vacation this summer?

Kevin: Look at the extras that you spend money on every day and figure out if you can cut back. For example, reduce the number of days you eat out for lunch or dinner, knock out that afternoon visit to Starbucks. Talk to your cable company about lowering your bill, maybe switch to a lower price plan. Take the money you would spend on these things and put it toward your family vacation.

SHEBOYGAN- A Sheboygan police officer was injured during a traffic stop.

Officials say the officer was making a stop Sunday when the suspect got out of the vehicle and took off.

The officer chased him.

The officer was hurt, but was treated and released from a hospital.

The suspect was taken into custody for drunk driving and resisting arrest.

GREEN BAY- If you’re going to be driving near Lambeau Field, there’s a detour to watch out for.

Lombardi Avenue is closed under the Interstate 41 overpass until 6 a.m. Tuesday.

Crews will be demolishing the bridges over Lombardi.

The interstate is still be open, and the ramps will be open during daytime hours.

If you live in the area, the Department of Transportation says the demolition work will be noisy during the overnight hours.

MANITOWOC COUNTY – June is a month dedicated to celebrate one of the things Wisconsin is known for best – dairy.

Pine River Dairy has been a staple in Manitowoc County for more than 70 years but the business’ roots in cheesemaking date back to the Civil War. The family business is now in its sixth generation and focuses on manufacturing and selling butter, butter blends as well as more than 250 varieties of cheese.

Pine River Dairy is also known for its 25 cent ice cream cones. Visitors have been able to indulge in this delicious quarter of a dollar treat since 1978. During the month of June, visitors can get a free scoop of ice cream.

FOX 11’s Pauleen Le spent the morning learning more about Pine River Dairy.

For more information on Pine River Dairy, click here.

WASHINGTON (AP) – The National Security Agency lost its authority at midnight to collect Americans’ phone records in bulk, after GOP Sen. Rand Paul stood in the way of extending the fiercely contested program in an extraordinary Sunday Senate session.

But that program and several other post-Sept. 11 counter-terror measures look likely to be revived in a matter of days. With no other options, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, in an about-face, reluctantly embraced a House-passed bill that would extend the anti-terror provisions, while also remaking the bulk phone collections program.

Although the lapse in the programs may be brief, intelligence officials warned that it could jeopardize Americans’ safety and amount to a win for extremists. But civil liberties groups applauded as Paul, who is running for president, forced the expiration of the once-secret program made public by NSA contractor Edward Snowden, which critics say is an unconstitutional intrusion into Americans’ privacy.

The Senate voted 77-17 to move ahead on the House-passed bill, the USA Freedom Act, which only last weekend fell three votes short of the 60 needed to advance in the Senate. For McConnell, it was a remarkable retreat after objecting ferociously that the House bill would make the bulk phone collections program dangerously unwieldy by requiring the government to search records maintained by phone companies.

“It’s not ideal but, along with votes on some modest amendments that attempt to ensure the program can actually work as promised, it’s now the only realistic way forward,” McConnell said.

The White House backs the House bill. White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said in a statement: “The Senate took an important – if late – step forward tonight. We call on the Senate to ensure this irresponsible lapse in authorities is as short-lived as possible. On a matter as critical as our national security, individual senators must put aside their partisan motivations and act swiftly.”

But the Senate adjourned without final action on the bill after Paul asserted his prerogative under Senate rules to delay a final vote for a couple of days. And a couple of hours later, the midnight deadline came and went.

“This is what we fought the revolution over, are we going to so blithely give up our freedom? … I’m not going to take it anymore,” Paul declared on the Senate floor hours earlier, as supporters wearing red “Stand With Rand” T-shirts packed the spectator gallery.

Paul’s moves greatly complicated matters for fellow Kentuckian McConnell, who has endorsed him for president, and infuriated fellow Republicans. They exited the Senate chamber en masse when Paul stood up to speak following the procedural vote on the House bill.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., complained to reporters that Paul places “a higher priority on his fundraising and his ambitions than on the security of the nation.”

Paul, for his part, asserted that, “People here in town think I’m making a huge mistake. Some of them I think secretly want there to be an attack on the United States so they can blame it on me.”

In addition to the bulk phone collections provision, two lesser-known Patriot Act provisions also lapsed at midnight: one, so far unused, helps track “lone wolf” terrorism suspects unconnected to a foreign power; the second allows the government to eavesdrop on suspects who continually discard their cellphones. McConnell tried Sunday to extend just those provisions for two weeks, but Paul objected.

The House bill extends those two provisions unchanged, while remaking the bulk collection program so that the NSA would stop collecting the phone records after a six month transition period, but would be authorized under court order to search records held by phone companies.

The FBI’s use of the Patriot Act to collect hotel, travel, credit card, banking and other business records in national security investigations would also be extended under the House bill. Law enforcement officials say the collection of those business records is more valuable than the better-known bulk phone collections program. Ongoing investigations would be permitted to continue even though authority for the programs has lapsed.

Rebooting the phone collections program would take about a day.

CIA Director John Brennan was among those warning that letting the authorities lapse, even for a time, will make America less safe.

“Terrorist elements … are looking for the seams to operate within,” Brennan said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” ”This is something that we can’t afford to do right now.” He bemoaned “too much political grandstanding and crusading for ideological causes that have skewed the debate on this issue” and said the terrorism-fighting tools are important to American lives.

For Paul, the issue represents a potent political opportunity, and his presidential campaign has been sending out numerous fundraising appeals focused on it. A super PAC supporting him even produced an over-the-top video casting the dispute as a professional wrestling-style “Brawl for Liberty” between Paul and President Barack Obama – even though Paul’s main opponent on the issue is McConnell.