Green Bay News

WASHINGTON (AP) – Rick Santorum, an aggressive advocate for conservative family values, will launch a second bid for president on Wednesday, a spokesman said.

The former Pennsylvania senator exceeded the political world’s expectations by scoring a second-place finish in the race for the Republican presidential nomination four years ago. Yet as he competes again, he may struggle even to qualify for the debate stage in 2016.

The 57-year-old Republican will deliver his announcement at a factory near his western Pennsylvania hometown, according to spokesman Matt Beynon.

Santorum will be surrounded by factory workers at the event, a carefully scripted setting designed to showcase his focus on the working class. A major player in 2012, he opens this political season almost as a heavy underdog in a race expected to feature more than a dozen high-profile Republicans – most of them newcomers to presidential politics.

Santorum says his experience could pay dividends the second time around. Most of the GOP’s recent presidential nominees, Mitt Romney and President Ronald Reagan among them, needed more than one campaign to win the nomination.

“This is a long process,” Santorum told reporters recently. “One of the things that I feel very comfortable with – I’ve been through this process before.” He said it’s a “completely wide open race.”

The prospective Republican field already includes four sitting senators, four governors, four former governors, two business leaders and a retired neurosurgeon.

Santorum won 11 states in the last presidential primary contest, yet his early longshot status may keep him out of presidential debates altogether.

Only those who place in the top 10 of national polls will be allowed to participate in the first Republican presidential debate in August, according to guidelines released by network host Fox News. Santorum and fellow 2012 candidate, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, are among those on the bubble.

Much of Santorum’s past success was tied to his performance in Iowa, where he scored a narrow victory over Romney in the nation’s first presidential nominating contest. Facing little competition for the state’s influential evangelical vote, Santorum impressed voters by touring Iowa’s 99 counties in a pickup truck.

Iowa will continue to be a focus in 2016, according to Beynon, who said Santorum’s rollout tour would begin in Iowa on Thursday and Friday and move to South Carolina on Saturday and Sunday.

His road to relevancy this time won’t be easy, however.

“It’s going to be much more competitive,” said Foster Friess, a prominent Santorum donor who will attend Wednesday’s announcement.

Santorum faces considerable competition for his party’s social conservatives. The list of candidates already courting religious voters includes former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, a Baptist pastor who won the Iowa caucuses in 2008, Perry, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. And like Santorum, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is a Catholic.

Questions remain about Santorum’s ability to raise money as well.

Expressing confidence, Beynon said Santorum would benefit from a donor network that has only grown in the years since his first run.

“He would anticipate having more money,” Beynon said. “That was certainly a factor in his decision.”

And Friess, who previously gave more than $2 million to a pro-Santorum super PAC in 2012, said he would continue to support Santorum’s White House ambitions, although he plans to avoid donating large amounts directly to the campaign or a supportive super PAC, both of which would disclose their donors.

“Any giving I’m doing is going to be lower-profile and less noticed,” Friess told The Associated Press.

On the ground in early-voting states like Iowa and South Carolina, Santorum starts off as well-known among voters and activists. But a new crop of Republican competitors like Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has been aggressively touring the states in recent weeks as well. And some voters prefer a fresh face in an election season expected to feature Hillary Rodham Clinton on the Democratic side.

“The electorate is so unpredictable, I wouldn’t make a betting guess for him or against him,” Iowa National Republican committeeman Steve Scheffler said of Santorum. “But he’s got a lot of work to do – like the others.”

MADISON (AP) — The Legislature’s finance committee is expected consider plans to impose stiffer criminal and civil penalties for unemployment benefit fraud.

Right now penalties can include losing eligibility, a surcharge equal to 15 percent of the benefits erroneously paid, criminal fines ranging from $100 to $500 and up to 90 days in jail.

Gov. Scott Walker’s budget calls for upping the surcharge to 40 percent of benefits erroneously paid and creating a scale of criminal penalties ranging from a $10,000 fine and up to nine months in jail to $25,000 in fines and up to five years in prison.

According to state data, fraudulent overpayments came to $20.5 million last year.

The finance committee is expected to consider the changes during a hearing Wednesday.

MADISON (AP) – The Assembly lawmaker calling for a repeal of prevailing wage says he scheduled a hearing and committee vote this week so the measure can be included in the state budget.

Democrats said Wednesday’s hearing was announced on short notice to cram the bill through with little discussion.

• Click here to read 2015 Assembly Bill 32

Rep. Andre Jacque, a De Pere Republican, says he has enough votes in the Labor Committee to approve the bill.

The proposal would repeal a law that requires construction workers on certain government projects be paid wages equivalent to what they would earn working on other projects in the area.

Republican leaders in both the Senate and Assembly have said they don’t have the votes to repeal it, and they instead are working on making changes to the law.

MADISON (AP) – In another sign of his likely presidential campaign, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is asking his supporters to fill out a survey seeking their opinions on a variety of national issues and foreign policy.

Walker says in the email sent Wednesday that he relies on the people of Wisconsin to guide the priorities of his administration. Then he goes on to ask 14 questions about issues that are being discussed by candidates for president.

Those include seeking opinions about the federal government’s role enforcing immigration laws, energy policy, imposing sanctions against Iran, repealing President Obama’s health care overhaul law and reforming the federal tax code.

More generally, Walker also asks whether the United States should take a major leadership role in the world, or focus more on domestic issues.

Rep. Reid Ribble (R-8th District) sat down with FOX 11’s Robert Hornacek for a wide-ranging interview on Good Day Wisconsin.

Ribble, who is a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, spoke about the threat of ISIS. He says the United States will likely have to be more involved in the situation.

Ribble also talked about the challenge of securing a long term funding source for federal transportation projects. He is pushing a bill that includes the possibility of raising the federal gas tax.

“It is the most direct, user pay system we have. You use the road, you pay for the road. That’s a pretty conservative value. It’s been in place since the 1950’s. It’s just that we haven’t raised the tax since 1993,” Ribble said.

Ribble says he believes the threat of raising the gas tax will force Congress to study and resolve the funding issues.

Click on the video above to watch the full interview.

TOWN OF MENASHA – A fistfight in a street stemmed from a road rage incident, town of Menasha police say.

Officers say they were called to the intersection of Racine Road and Twelfth Street just before 5 p.m. Tuesday. Several vehicles were pulled over to the side of the road and people were standing in the street. Speaking with the people there, investigators determined the incident started a couple of miles away at Valley Road near Appleton Road. That’s where a car driven by a 57-year-old Menasha man pulled out from a parking lot in front of a car driven by a 19-year-old Appleton woman. As the cars drove west on Valley Road and south on Racine Road, the 57-year-old man and a 24-year-old Menasha man who was riding in the other car began giving each other the middle finger. The 57-year-old man then stopped at Racine Road and Twelfth Street. Both men got out of their cars and started punching each other.

Police gave each a ticket for disorderly conduct. They arrested the 24-year-old man on a probation violation.

Both men declined medical attention.

APPLETON – Fresh off a trip to the national championship game, University of Wisconsin men’s basketball coach Bo Ryan is scheduled to appear at a golf fundraiser in the Fox Valley.

The U.S. Venture Open is hosting the coach. The event is a fundraiser benefiting the Fox Valley, Green Bay and Oshkosh communities. Organizers say the 2014 event raised more than $3 million, with money going to the U.S. Venture Fund for Basic Needs, a fund aimed at ending poverty in Northeast Wisconsin.

“I am excited to partner with U.S. Venture this summer at their signature fundraiser, the U.S. Venture Open,” Ryan said in a news release. “Their track record in addressing the root causes of poverty is unparalleled, and I’m honored to be a part of their efforts.”

“We are honored to continue making this investment in our community,” John Schmidt, president of U.S. Venture, Inc., said in a news release. “Our support ensures that 100% of the funds raised go to the U.S. Venture Fund for Basic Needs to end poverty in Northeast Wisconsin.”

Kimberly-based U.S. Venture has sponsored the outing since 1986. It has grown to more than 800 golfers and 1,100 dinner guests from more than 500 donors across the country.

This year’s event is scheduled for Aug. 12 at six golf courses between Menasha and Green Bay.

• Click here for event information

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked quinoa
1 (15-oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups corn
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
6 green onions, sliced
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) Wisconsin cotija, crumbled
Lime wedges and cilantro, for garnish

Cumin Lime Vinaigrette:

1/3 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon maple syrup
1 clove garlic, minced
juice of 1 large lime
Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

In a large bowl, toss quinoa, black beans, corn, cilantro, tomatoes, onion and cotija until mixed. Set aside. In a small bowl, whisk vinaigrette ingredients until smooth. Season with crushed red pepper, salt and pepper, to taste. Pour vinaigrette over quinoa mixture, and toss until evenly coated. Garnish with lime wedges and extra cilantro, if desired.

The Appleton Public Library is putting a new spin on summer reading.

It has new programs to help children of all ages continue to learn when they are out of school.

Librarians Kristi Helmkamp and Alicia Woodland talked with us this morning about what the library is offering.

Click here for more details.

ZURICH (AP) – Swiss prosecutors opened criminal proceedings into FIFA’s awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, only hours after seven soccer officials were arrested Wednesday pending extradition to the U.S. in a separate probe of “rampant, systemic, and deep-rooted” corruption.

FIFA, meanwhile, said Friday’s presidential election would go ahead as planned with Sepp Blatter going for a fifth term. Blatter was not named in either investigation.

FIFA also ruled out a revote of the World Cups won by Russia in 2018 and Qatar in 2022.

The Swiss prosecutors’ office said in a statement they seized “electronic data and documents” at FIFA’s headquarters on Wednesday as part of their probe. And Swiss police said they will question 10 FIFA executive committee members who took part in the World Cup votes in December 2010.

The Swiss investigation against “persons unknown on suspicion of criminal mismanagement and of money laundering” again throws into the doubt the integrity of the voting.

“FIFA is fully cooperating with the investigation and is supporting the collection of evidence in this regard,” FIFA said in a statement.

The Swiss announcement came only hours after 14 people were indicted in the U.S. for corruption. Seven of them were arrested and detained by Swiss police at the request of U.S. authorities after a raid at a luxury hotel in Zurich.

The U.S. Department of Justice said in a statement that two current FIFA vice presidents were among those arrested and indicted, Jeffrey Webb of the Cayman Islands and Eugenio Figueredo of Uruguay. The others are Eduardo Li of Costa Rica, Julio Rocha of Nicaragua, Costas Takkas of Britain, Rafael Esquivel of Venezuela and Jose Maria Marin of Brazil.

All seven are connected with the regional confederations of North and South America and face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

“The indictment alleges corruption that is rampant, systemic, and deep-rooted both abroad and here in the United States,” Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch said in the statement. “It spans at least two generations of soccer officials who, as alleged, have abused their positions of trust to acquire millions of dollars in bribes and kickbacks.”

Nine of the 14 that were indicted by the Justice Department are soccer officials, while four are sports marketing executives and another works in broadcasting. Jack Warner, a former FIFA vice president from Trinidad and Tobago, was among those indicted.

The Swiss prosecutors’ office said the U.S. probe was separate from its investigation but that authorities were working together.

The U.S. case involves bribes “totaling more than $100 million” linked to commercial deals dating back to the 1990s for soccer tournaments in the United States and Latin America, the Swiss Federal Office of Justice said. The Justice Department said the corruption is linked to World Cup qualifying matches and the Copa America – South America’s continental championship.

Dozens of soccer officials are in Switzerland for the FIFA congress and presidential election, where Blatter is widely expected to win re-election at the helm of the governing body of world soccer.

Blatter had been scheduled to attend a meeting of the Confederation of African Football in a different downtown Zurich hotel, but he canceled his appearance.

Blatter’s only opponent in Friday’s presidential election, Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan, said it was “a sad day for football,” but declined to comment further.

The arrests were made at the lakeside Baur au Lac Hotel in downtown Zurich, long favored as a place for senior FIFA officials to stay. It was the stage for intense lobbying for votes ahead of the 2018 and 2022 World Cup hosting decisions in December 2010.

In Florida, a small group of agents from the FBI and IRS executed search warrants at CONCACAF headquarters in Miami Beach.

Neither agency offered comment on the investigation.

The North American regional body, known as CONCACAF, reported itself to U.S. tax authorities in 2012. Then based in New York, the organization had not paid taxes over several years when its president was Warner and secretary general was Chuck Blazer of the United States.

Warner left soccer in 2011 to avoid FIFA sanctions in a bribery scandal during that year’s presidential election. Blazer left in 2013 and has pleaded guilty to charges, the Justice Department said in Wednesday’s statement.

Warner’s successor as CONCACAF leader and FIFA vice president is Webb, who was staying at the Baur au Lac this week.

The Swiss Federal Office of Justice said in its statement that U.S. authorities suspect the arrested officials of having received or paid bribes totaling millions of dollars and that the crimes were agreed to and prepared in the U.S., and payments carried out via U.S. banks.

“The bribery suspects – representatives of sports media and sports promotion firms – are alleged to have been involved in schemes to make payments to the soccer functionaries (FIFA delegates) and other functionaries of FIFA sub-organizations – totaling more than USD 100 million,” the FOJ statement said.

A statement in German added that the probe involved tournaments in the United States.

International media gathered at the street entrance of the Baur au Lac in scenes reminiscent of the World Cup votes won by Russia and Qatar more than four years ago.

Then, former President Bill Clinton was inside meeting FIFA voters who later rejected the American bid in favor of Qatar, and Britain’s Prince William was part of the losing English bid team.

Suspicions of vote-buying and wrongdoing in those bidding contests have dogged FIFA ever since.

PORT WASHINGTON, Wis. (AP) – The actor who portrayed Screech on the 1990s TV show “Saved by the Bell” is headed to trial in southeastern Wisconsin where he’s accused of stabbing a man during a confrontation at a bar.

Dustin Diamond is expected in Ozaukee County Circuit Court Wednesday for the start of his trial on a felony charge of second-degree recklessly endangering safety and two misdemeanors – disorderly conduct and carrying a concealed weapon.

Prosecutors say the 38-year-old Diamond stabbed a man with a pocket knife during an argument at The Grand Avenue Saloon in Port Washington on Christmas Day. Diamond’s defense attorney told a judge earlier that of the half-dozen people at the bar who were interviewed by police, no one saw Diamond stab the man, who was not seriously hurt.

EVERGREEN TOWNSHIP, Wis. (AP) – Authorities say a northwestern Wisconsin man has died after a deer struck by another vehicle crashed through the windshield of the truck he was riding in.

The Washburn County Sheriff’s Department says the accident happened Saturday morning in Evergreen Township. A news release says a vehicle driven by a Minnesota man hit a deer, sending it into the air and into the other lane of the highway.

According to the sheriff’s department, the deer struck a truck in which Kurtis Berg of Cumberland was a passenger. The deer was still in the truck when first responders arrived.

The sheriff’s department says Berg had severe head and chest injuries, and that he was pronounced dead after being taken to a hospital.

Warm weather will last through Friday, and we will have more showers and thunderstorms moving through.

We’ll see mostly cloudy skies Wednesday with showers this morning.

Scattered thunderstorms are also possible this afternoon and evening.

Highs will be near 75 and winds will be strong this morning at 10 to 20 mph out of the west/northwest, diminishing a bit this afternoon.

Although thunderstorms are possible, severe weather is not anticipated.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) – The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is getting ready to announce its forecast for the Atlantic hurricane season.

Administrator Kathryn Sullivan will join Joe Nimmich of the Federal Emergency Management Administration and New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu at a news conference Wednesday.

Hurricane season officially runs June 1 through Nov. 30. But this season’s first storm, Tropical Storm Ana, came earlier this month.

University of Colorado scientists William Gray and Philip Klotzenbach said in April they expect one of the least active seasons since the mid-20th century.

It’s the 10th hurricane season since Katrina and Rita slammed the Gulf Coast.

Ingredients:

1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
4 chopped scallions
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 ½ cups sour cream
1 envelope (1 ounce) Ranch Dip mix
3 to 4 cups shredded lettuce
2 cups grape tomatoes, halved or seeded, diced tomatoes,
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Pita, Bagel, or Potato Chips or crackers for dipping

Directions:

Combine cream cheese, sour cream and Ranch Dip mix. Use a mixer to beat well. Spread onto a pretty plate or into a small casserole or glass pie dish.
Cover and refrigerate at least an hour before serving.
Sprinkle with lettuce, cheddar cheese, tomatoes, scallions and bacon before serving.
Serve with chips or crackers for dipping.

WIMBERLEY, Texas (AP) – Deadly severe weather over the long holiday weekend tested government alert and evacuation procedures, as officials scrambled to deal with storms and historic flooding that left more than a dozen people dead and a similar number missing.

Crews will resume searches Wednesday for the 11 people who have now been missing for three days in the small tourist town of Wimberley, where the usually calm Blanco River swelled to an ocean-like squall that crested three times above flood stage. In Houston, where nearly a foot of rain submerged roads and stranded hundreds of motorists, Mayor Annise Parker said two people who capsized in a boat that was helping with rescue efforts Tuesday have not been found.

At least 17 people were killed in the Memorial Day weekend storms in Texas and Oklahoma.

Authorities defended their warnings to residents ahead of the weather, which included alerts via phone and in person, but acknowledged challenges with reaching tourists and said a messaging system in Houston is still waiting for improvements.

“Nobody was saying, ‘Get out; get out; get out,'” said Brenda Morton of Wimberley. “We’re pretty trained, so we were calculating. We knew the flood plain. People who were visiting or had summer homes, you have company from out of town, you don’t know. You don’t know when that instant is.”

Morton lives three houses down from a two-story vacation home that authorities say was swept off its 10-foot pylons by a wall of water early Sunday morning with eight people inside, which included three children, ages 6 and 4. The house slammed into a bridge after being carried downstream on the Blanco.

Authorities in surrounding Hays County said warnings included multiple cellphone alerts and calls to landlines. Some received in-person warnings to evacuate, but officials could not say whether those in the washed-away home talked to police.

“Law enforcement made notification along that street. Whether they made contact with somebody at their residence, I can’t say,” Hays County Emergency Management Coordinator Kharley Smith said.

Wimberley, a popular bed-and-breakfast getaway near Austin and surrounded by wine vineyards, thrives on weekends like Memorial Day. Some of the missing had homes in the area, but officials have acknowledged that their electronic alerts may not reach tourists.

“Most definitely, most definitely that will certainly be part of our discussion,” Hays County Commissioner Will Conley said.

In Houston, warnings from the National Weather Service buzzed on mobile phones, but city officials say they haven’t yet installed a system that would allow them to alert residents with more targeted warnings. The city was still working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to get that framework running, said Michael Walter, spokesman for Houston’s Office of Emergency Management.

Floodwaters in Houston affected virtually every part of the city and paralyzed some areas. Firefighters carried out more than 500 water rescues, most involving stranded motorists. At least 2,500 vehicles were abandoned by drivers seeking higher ground, officials said.

“A number that we don’t know, and we will never know, is the number of lives that have been saved by the effective response of first responders,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in Houston.

Small cars weaved between massive 18-wheelers as other drivers stared at them in disbelief. With no end to the backup in sight, some drivers got off the freeway, only to be held up again by water covering nearby access roads. Some motorists were stuck on I-45 all night, sleeping in their cars until the backup was cleared shortly after sunrise.

NBA fans at the Toyota Center, where the Rockets hosted a Western Conference finals game against Golden State on Monday, were asked with about two minutes left in the game not to leave the arena because of the severe weather.

The game ended before 11 p.m., but about 400 people remained in their seats at 1:30 a.m., choosing to stay in the building rather than brave the flooded roads that awaited them outside.

A spokeswoman for the flood district of Harris County, which includes Houston, said up to 700 homes sustained some level of damage.

Abbott said 46 counties in Texas have state disaster declarations. President Barack Obama has said he expressed condolences to Abbott and anticipates significant requests for federal assistance.

Crews were also searching for victims and assessing damage just across the Texas-Mexico border in Ciudad Acuna, where a tornado killed 13 people Monday.

The deaths in Texas included a man whose body was pulled from the Blanco; a 14-year-old who was found with his dog in a storm drain; a high school senior who died Saturday after her car was caught in high water; and a man whose mobile home was destroyed by a reported tornado.

The drenching rain threatened to linger. National Weather Service forecasts called for a 20 to 40 percent chance of thunderstorms through the rest of the week in Houston, and more storms were also in store for Central Texas.

MILWAUKEE (AP) – Madison Bumgarner won another game in May and three San Francisco Giants homered in a 6-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday night.

Bumgarner (6-2) gave up four hits and three earned runs in six innings to improve to 5-1 in his last six starts. He’s also 9-1 in May the last two seasons.

Matt Duffy, Hunter Pence and Brandon Belt hit home runs and Santiago Casilla earned his 13th save for San Francisco, now 10-2 in its last 12 games.

Milwaukee lost is fourth straight and is 1-6 over the last seven.

Matt Garza (2-7) struggled again, allowing eight hits and five earned runs in five innings. The right-hander has lost his last four decisions, owns just one victory in his last eight starts and is 0-4 at Miller Park.

(Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

GREEN BAY — The Green Bay Bullfrogs got an assist from Packers fullback John Kuhn, but fell in their season opening game. The Frogs lost 4-1 against the La Crosse Loggers in Tuesday evening’s season opener at Joannes Stadium. Kuhn threw out a ceremonial first pitch and signed autographs for fans.

PULASKI – The empty field next to Pulaski High School could become a new football stadium. That’s if the district can raise enough money.

The schools are calling it the Red Raider Field of Dreams.

For the last four decades, this field behind Pulaski Middle School has hosted thousands of sporting events.

But the district athletic director says it’s time for an upgrade.

“The field itself is short of any irrigation system or anything like that, no drainage out there,” said Janel Batten, the Pulaski Athletic Director. “It’s either rock hard dirt, or it’s muddy and not pleasant to play in.”

Enter the Red Raider Field of Dreams initiative.

The $4.9 million dollar project would be in two phases and reliant on fund raising. The first: a three million dollar stadium, with a turf field. It would also include a track, tennis courts, a practice field, a baseball field, and a softball field. The district hopes to complete that portion by next fall.

“We feel that this would have the greatest impact on the kids that are in sports, but also the band and the dance team,” said Batten.

But if a new football stadium is constructed, this current space won’t go unused. This will be transformed into a soccer complex.

That soccer complex is part of phase two. The phase also includes additional practice, baseball and softball fields.

Batten says new athletic fields could help recruit open enrollment students.

“You’re kind of marketing what you have versus what somebody else has and you’re trying to win people over to your side and that’s exactly what we’re doing and that’s what other schools are doing,” said Batten.

Parents we spoke to say they support athletic programs.

“I think it’s a big important aspect and a big part of what the school is,” said Heather Ingalls, a parent of a current eighth grader.

But, they say they remain skeptical if the funds are out there.

“I think people are unfortunately not wanting to give the money to the education and students and the future,” said Ingalls.

Batten says private companies have already pledged $800 thousand towards the project.

The school district hopes to complete all renovations by the spring of 2018.

(CNN) – “W-T-F”, “Photo Bomb,” and “N-S-F-W” are phrases and acronyms you probably thought were just slang.

But guess what? They are now officially part of the English language, according to Merriam-Webster.

They are among 1,700 words added in the latest update to Merriam-Webster’s unabridged dictionary.

Many of the new entries reflect global language trends that are increasingly digital.

Others reflect trends in cuisine and fashion.

Some additions are more foreboding, though, such as “colony collapse disorder,” which refers to the sudden, inexplicable bee-colony death, a growing trend that threatens global agriculture.