Green Bay News

BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) – Challenging Hillary Rodham Clinton from the left, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders kicked off his presidential bid Tuesday with a pitch to liberals to join him in a “political revolution” to transform the nation’s economy and politics.

Sanders, who entered the Democratic race in late April, formally opened his White House campaign in Burlington, where he was first elected mayor by defeating a longtime Democratic incumbent by 10 votes. Three decades later, Sanders is the underdog again, vowing to campaign on an agenda to elevate issues like income inequality, campaign finance and climate change.

“With your support and the support of millions of people throughout this country, we begin a political revolution to transform our country economically, politically, socially and environmentally,” Sanders declared to about 5,000 supporters along the shore of Lake Champlain.

“Now is not the time for thinking small,” he said. “Now is not the time for the same old-same old establishment politics and stale inside-the-Beltway ideas.”

A self-described “democratic socialist,” the 73-year-old Sanders has a following among liberals that could push Clinton to the left. In a lengthy address, the white-haired senator said there is “something profoundly wrong” when so much of the nation’s income goes to the top 1 percent of all earners.

“This grotesque level of inequality is immoral,” he said. “It is bad economics. It is unsustainable.”

His campaign kickoff in Burlington’s Waterfront Park, built on industrial land reclaimed during Sanders’ stint as mayor, offered a quintessential Vermont backdrop: a sun-splashed Lake Champlain, where boaters took in the scene from sailboats and motorboats.

The senator was praised by a lineup of supporters, including the founders of Vermont’s popular ice cream company, Ben & Jerry’s, and environmental activist Bill McKibben, who predicted the campaign might someday lead to a mountaintop named “Mount Sanders.”

Liberals, some of whom are wary of Clinton, have unsuccessfully sought to draw Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren into the race. But in Warren’s absence, Sanders hopes to fill the void as he proposes ways to rein in Wall Street banks, tackle mounting college debt and create a government-financed jobs program.

Clinton is in a commanding position by any measure, far in front of both Sanders and former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, who is expected to get into the race Saturday. The Democratic field could also grow to include former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb and former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee.

But it remains to be seen if liberals will coalesce around a challenger to the former secretary of state or if that slice of the anti-Clinton electorate will splinter among several candidates.

Sanders, an independent in the Senate who often votes with the Democrats, has raised more than $4 million since announcing his campaign in late April and suggested in an interview with The Associated Press last week that raising $50 million for the primaries was a possibility.

In his address, Sanders made clear he would seek to be on the forefront of liberal causes. He described the economic system as “rigged” against middle-class families and vowed to raise taxes on the wealthy and corporations and to oppose trade deals that would ship jobs overseas. To counter big money in politics, he said he would push for the public financing of elections.

To build upon President Barack Obama’s health care law, Sanders supports a single-payer health care system. Instead of cutting Social Security, he said, the nation should expand Social Security benefits. To address climate change, he said, Congress should pass a carbon tax to help transition off fossil fuels.

He noted that he voted against the invasion of Iraq in 2003 – Clinton has disavowed her vote in support of it – and said the U.S. should be part of an international coalition to defeat the Islamic State group.

Sanders has introduced legislation to make tuition free at public colleges and universities, a major piece of Warren’s agenda. Clinton’s campaign has signaled that she intends to make debt-free college a major piece of her campaign, too.

Richard Robinson, a Burlington retiree who attended the rally, said it was important for Sanders to be in the race, “just to get the power in the party to listen to him – particularly Hillary.”

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Thomas reported from Washington.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Agriculture officials have lifted a quarantine zone around a Chippewa County farm where thousands of turkeys were infected with bird flu.

The state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection confirmed last month that 87,000 turkeys on the farm had been infected. The farm was immediately quarantined and the turkeys euthanized. DATCP also established a quarantine zone within a 6.2 mile-radius of the farm. The designation prohibits moving poultry outside the farm or the zone without DATCP approval.

Agency officials announced Tuesday that there’s been no new cases detected in the county and the zone has been lifted. The farm itself remains under quarantine. A ban on moving poultry to shows, exhibitions and swap meets in Chippewa and other counties with infected properties remains in effect until Sunday.

TWO RIVERS – The surf was up along the Lakeshore Tuesday morning.

Waves were surging into the breakwater at the end of the pier in Two Rivers.

But those waves are causing problems closer to shore, in the harbor.

A study is underway designed to address the situation.

“As the waves coming in straight off the lake, come right down the channel, and carom off the steel sheet piling here. They impact the transient marinas over here at Seagull,” said Greg Buckley, Two Rivers City Manager.

At Seagull Marina, co-owner Scott Anderson says he’s battled waves for years.

“It will tear the cleats right out of the docks. It will tear the docks off the walls. There’s always maintenance, repairs, and needless to say not good for the boats either,” said Scott Anderson, Seagull Marina Co-Owner.

Another issue is called shoaling, where sediment can build up in the channel, making it tough for boaters.

“Presently, the outer channel, which is supposed to be about 16-feet deep, has sand bars that are up to seven or eight feet below the surface,” said Buckley.

The City of Two Rivers and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will conduct a two-phased study to address the waves.

Engineers placed two underwater gauges at separate sites in the harbor . For the next six months, the gauges will measure wave strength, and frequency from many angles.

“A typical wave period is a few seconds on the Great Lakes. A big storm, really big storm, might have a 10-second wave,” said Jim Selegean, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Hydraulic Engineer.

Selegean says the data will guide plans to fix the situation. Those include building an off-shore breakwater, or extending the current piers at an angle.

“We’re estimating $3-5 million for a fix. It’s important we get it right. It’s also important I think we have a design that the city, and Corps of Engineers are in concurrence on,” said Buckley.

And for those who use the harbor, it’s a start.

“At least they’re trying to do something,” said Anderson.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers owns the harbor.

The cost of the study is about $130,000, with Two Rivers, and the Corps sharing the bill.

OSHKOSH – Police in Oshkosh are investigating three strong armed robberies that have a few similarities.

All three robberies happened early Monday morning in the 100-200 block of W. Irving Avenue between 1:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

The first robbery happened around 1:00 a.m. in the 200 block of W. Irving Avenue. A man was walking alone from the bars alone when several individuals stole his phone and wallet with cash. The man reported the incident to police around 2:30 a.m.

The second incident occurred around 1:15 a.m. in the 200 block of W. Irving Avenue. A man was walking alone when he was attacked by several individuals. Another man drove the victim to the hospital after he was found on the sidewalk.

The third incident happened around 2:00 a.m. in the 100 block of W. Irving Avenue. The man reported he was jumped by a group of individuals and had his phone taken from him.

In all three incidents, the victims were men, walking alone and had consumed alcohol before the incidents.

The suspect descriptions in all three incidents were they were a group of men. In the first two incidents, the suspect men were black. In the last incident, the race of the suspects could not be identified.

Oshkosh Police searched the area and could not find any suspects.

If you have any information regarding any of the incidents, please call the Oshkosh Police Department at (920) 236-5700.

 

 

OSHKOSH – A former teacher’s aide will spend five years in prison for having a sexual relationship with a student.

27-year-old Lindsey Quednow worked at Merrill Middle School in Oshkosh.

In February she pled guilty to sexual assault of a child and child enticement.

Quednow admitted to having a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old boy.

ANTIGO – Mid-Wisconsin Buses, Inc. will be permanently closing its facility in Antigo.

The closure affects 28 employees at the facility, located at 1047 Forrest Avenue.

The Wisconsin DWD reports job eliminations will begin on or around June 5.

North Central Workforce Development Board staff will provide Rapid Response Services to the affected workers.

NEW YORK (AP) — More than 160,000 folding knives made by hunting gear company Gerber are being recalled because the blade can unexpectedly unlock and cause cuts.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission said it received six reports of injuries, two of which required stitches.

The 7-inch Cohort Folding Knife was sold for about $30 at Bass Pro Shops, Cabela’s, Home Depot and other stores around the country between January 2013 and March 2015. The CPSC said owners of the knife should stop using it and call Gerber Legendary Blades at 877-314-9130 to receive a replacement. Gerber is based in Portland, Oregon.

The CPSC said 150,000 of the knives are in the U.S., and 11,000 are in Canada.

TWO RIVERS – A structure that has towered the skies in Two Rivers for more than 100 years will come toppling down Sunday.

The Hamilton Manufacturing Company Smokestack will be imploded with a dynamite blast.

The smokestack is the last structure remaining on the former Hamilton Manufacturing property.

Demolition of the stack has been delayed for several months, pending analysis of the ash residue that needed to be removed.

City manager, Gregory Buckley, says this will mark the beginning of a new future of the city, “We’re eager to engage with the company about re-development because we had a glorious history there, but what is past has passed, and now it’s time to look toward the future and Sunday’s event sort of caps the farewell to that historic structure.”

Come Sunday, people in buildings within 200 feet of the smokestack will be asked to leave for a short time in the afternoon.

The city says it will wound warning signals before the actual demolition.

 

GREEN BAY – A plan for the Larsen Green site in downtown Green Bay has been announced.

Larsen Green rendering (DDL Holdings)

Donald Driver Holdings, the group responsible for Titletown Brewing Company’s expansion on part of the Larsen Green site, has an accepted and approved offer for the rest of the Broadway property.

DDL Holdings has plans for multi-use development on the site. The group says there are concepts and interests for a hotel, residential, small grocer, professional office space, retail, and recreational/entertainment.

In July 2014, the city council rejected a plan that would have brought a Walmart Supercenter to the 15-acre property.

Mayor Jim Schmitt is expected to announce more details at tonight’s State of the City address.

FOX 11’s Ben Krumholz will have more on the mayor’s speech tonight on FOX 11 News at Nine.

GRESHAM – A $41,000 lottery ticket was sold in Shawano County.

Wisconsin Lottery officials say a ticket matching all five numbers in Saturday’s Badger 5 drawing was sold at Gresham Townmart, 1129 Main St. The winner has 180 days to claim the prize by mail or in person at the lottery’s office in Madison or Milwaukee.

The winning numbers were 4, 24, 25, 30, and 31.

WASHINGTON (AP) – Thieves used an online service provided by the IRS to gain access to information from more than 100,000 taxpayers, the agency said Tuesday.

The information included tax returns and other tax information on file with the IRS.

The IRS said the thieves accessed a system called “Get Transcript.” In order to access the information, the thieves cleared a security screen that required knowledge about the taxpayer, including Social Security number, date of birth, tax filing status and street address.

“We’re confident that these are not amateurs,” said IRS Commissioner John Koskinen.

Koskinen said the agency was alerted to the thieves when technicians noticed an increase in the number of taxpayers seeking transcripts.

The IRS said they targeted the system from February to mid-May. The service has been temporarily shut down.

Taxpayers sometimes need copies of old tax returns to apply for mortgages or college aid. While the system is shut down, taxpayers can still apply for transcripts by mail.

The IRS said its main computer system, which handles tax filing submissions, remains secure.

The IRS has launched a criminal investigation. The agency’s inspector general is also investigating.

“In all, about 200,000 attempts were made from questionable email domains, with more than 100,000 of those attempts successfully clearing authentication hurdles,” the agency said. “During this filing season, taxpayers successfully and safely downloaded a total of approximately 23 million transcripts.”

The agency is still determining how many fraudulent refunds were claimed this year using information from the stolen transcripts. Koskinen provided a preliminary estimate, saying less than $50 million was successfully claimed.

However, thieves can use the information to claim fraudulent tax refunds in the future. As identity theft has exploded, the agency has added filters to its computer system to identify suspicious returns. These filters look for anomalies in the information provided by the taxpayer.

Old tax returns can help thieves fill out credible-looking returns in the future, helping them get around the IRS filters.

This year, the IRS stopped almost 3 million suspicious returns, Koskinen said.

Tax returns can include a host of personal information that can help someone steal an identity, including Social Security numbers and birthdates of dependents and spouses. The IRS said the thieves appeared to already have a lot of personal information about the victims.

The IRS said it is notifying taxpayers whose information was accessed.

TOWN OF RED SPRINGS – A state highway construction worker was killed after he was struck by a van at the intersection of State Highway 47 and County Highway G in northern Shawano County.

Deputies say just before noon on Tuesday a construction worker was directing traffic to one lane at the intersection when a van traveling southbound on State Highway 47, driven by a 68-year-old man from Tigerton, hit him.

The 31-year-old construction worker from Shawano died as a result of his injuries.

Wisconsin State Patrol and Menominee Tribal Police are investigating the crash.

OSHKOSH – Menominee Park Zoo in Oshkosh has euthanized one of its male wolves.

Park officials say last Friday, a child went into a non-public area, put his or her fingers through a fence and received minor injuries to two fingers.

Citing health information privacy laws, officials declined to say whether the child was a boy or girl or how old he or she was.

The Winnebago County Health Department and the Wisconsin Division of Public Health euthanized the wolf and tested the animal for rabies. Those tests came back negative.

At this time, the investigation continues and the zoo officials say visitors are not at risk.

CLEVELAND (AP) – Cleveland agreed to overhaul its police department under the supervision of an independent monitor in a settlement announced Tuesday with the U.S. Justice Department over a pattern of excessive force and other abuses by officers.

The announcement came three days after a white patrolman was acquitted of manslaughter for his role in a 137-shot barrage of police gunfire that left two unarmed black suspects dead. That case helped prompt an 18-month investigation by the Justice Department, which issued its findings in a scathing report in December.

The settlement – outlined in a 105-page consent decree – calls for new guidelines and training in the use of force; a switch to community policing, in which officers work closely with their neighborhoods; an overhaul of the machinery for investigating misconduct allegations; modernization of police computer technology; and new training in avoiding racial stereotyping and dealing with the mentally ill.

“As we move forward, it is my strong belief that as other cities across this country address and look at their police issues in their communities, they will be able to say, ‘Let’s look at Cleveland because Cleveland has done it right,'” Mayor Frank Jackson said.

He said that when the reforms take hold, community policing will become “part of our DNA.”

The plan is subject to approval by a judge, and an independent monitor will oversee it.

Several other police departments around the country, including those in Seattle and New Orleans, are operating under federal consent decrees that involve independent oversight.

In a statement, U.S. Attorney Steven M. Dettelbach said the overhaul “will help ensure the many brave men and women of the Cleveland Division of Police can do their jobs not only constitutionally, but also more safely and effectively.”

The worst examples of excessive force in the Justice Department report involved officers who endangered lives by shooting at suspects and cars, hit people over the head with guns and used stun guns on handcuffed suspects. Only six officers had been suspended for improper use of force over a three-year period.

Two other high-profile police-involved deaths still hang over the city: that of Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old black boy who was killed by a white rookie patrolman last November while playing with what turned out to be a pellet gun, and that of 37-year-old Tanisha Anderson, a mentally ill woman who suffocated last fall after she was subdued on the ground and handcuffed.

The investigation was the second time in recent years the Justice Department has taken the Cleveland police to task over the use of force. But unlike in 2004, when the agency left it up to local police to clean up their act, federal authorities intervened this time by way of a consent decree.

The Justice Department has launched broad investigations into the practices of more than 20 police forces in the past five years, including agencies in Ferguson, Missouri, and, most recently, in Baltimore.

Then-U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said in December that the Justice Department has intervened in 15 police departments in the country, including eight that are operating under court-ordered consent decrees.

Saturday’s verdict by a judge in favor of Patrolman Michael Brelo led to a day of mostly peaceful protests but also more than 70 arrests. Dozens of church parishioners also protested the acquittal in a downtown march Tuesday afternoon just before officials announced the settlement.

Cleveland has paid a total of $3 million to the families of the victims in the 2012 shooting, Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams. They were gunned down at the end of a 22-mile car chase that began when police mistook automobile backfire for gunshots. Thirteen officers in all shot at the car.

A less-publicized episode that caught the Justice Department’s attention involved an allegation that police officers beat a mentally ill man in 2011. Edward Henderson suffered numerous injuries after a chase in Cleveland, and blurry footage from a helicopter appeared to show officers kicking him as he lay on the ground.

Despite an FBI investigation and a grand jury probe, no charges were brought against the four officers because those on the scene that night refused to say how Henderson got hurt.

Henderson was sentenced to three years in prison for assaulting an officer. The city paid Henderson $600,000 in a settlement.

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – The first known all-girls tackle football league has been formed in Utah featuring a star player who earned an invitation to the Super Bowl three years ago thanks to a highlight video of her exploits against boys.

Sam Gordon, 12, is part of a four-team league for fifth-graders and sixth-graders that started play last weekend in West Jordan, KSL-TV reports.

This is the first known all-girls youth league in the country, said spokesmen for two of the largest national youth tackle football organizations, Pop Warner USA and USA Football.

As a 9-year-old, Gordon gained national attention after her father posted a highlight video of her running for long touchdowns against boys her age. She appeared on “Good Morning America” with her likeness on a custom-made box of Wheaties. She was invited to the 2013 Super Bowl in New Orleans by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

She played the first of three games Saturday and told KSL-TV afterward that she hopes the league inspires other girls to put on helmets and play tackle football.  “It was really awesome because girls can play with girls, and it’s full-on tackle football,” Gordon said.

Gordon’s father is one of the organizers of the league, which will consist of three games for each team. They are using eight-man football rules.

Mandy Cook said her daughter Whitney loves the league.

“She’s pumped and she’s excited,” Mandy Cook said. “It’s the best thing that’s come around in Utah in a long time.”

Another participant in the league, Kat Kirby, shares Gordon’s hope that girls tackle football leagues spread across the state and country. They go at each other just as hard as the boys, Kirby said.

“It’s not flag; it’s full-on tackle,” she said. “We hit each other hard.”

MADISON (AP) — Wisconsin lawmakers have formally introduced a bill that would legalize blaze pink for hunters.

Democratic state Rep. Nick Milroy and Republican Reps. Joel Kleefisch and David Steffen unveiled the bill during a news conference Tuesday. All three lawmakers wore fluorescent pink T-shirts emblazoned with the message “Hunt Pink.”

They said the bill is designed to attract more women to hunting and hope it will encourage apparel manufacturers to partner with nonprofit groups working to get more people, men and women, interested in hunting.

University of Wisconsin-Madison textiles expert Majid Sarmadi told reporters that blaze pink is just as visible in the woods as traditional blaze orange.

Milroy, Kleefisch and Steffan said they plan to spend the next two weeks soliciting co-sponsors for the measure.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An Omaha police officer who had planned to celebrate her daughter leaving the hospital three months after being born prematurely was mourned Tuesday by family members and fellow officers.

Kerrie Orozco was shot to death last Wednesday by a fugitive who was fatally wounded by another officer. The 29-year-old Orozco lived in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and was a native of nearby Walnut, Iowa.

Her funeral at St. John’s Catholic Church at Creighton University in Omaha included traditional hymns and a remembrance of Orozco’s baptism.

The Rev. William Bond said Orozco loved the work she did helping others in their time of need. He said she had strong faith.

This photo provided by the Omaha Police Department shows officer Kerrie Orozco. A suspect being sought by police for an Omaha shooting opened fire on officers Wednesday, May 20, 2015, promoting a shootout that left Orozco and the suspect dead, according to Police Chief Todd Schmaderer. (Omaha Police Department via AP)

“I’m glad that Kerrie had a regular habit of prayer, not only in her church but also in her squad car,” Bond said.

Before her daughter, Olivia, was born prematurely in February, the original due date had been Tuesday. Instead, it became Orozco’s funeral date after Marcus Wheeler, 26, opened fire on officers trying to arrest him in connection with another shooting.

Orozco was hit just above her protective vest by one bullet. Another officer returned fire and hit Wheeler. Both Orozco and Wheeler died at an Omaha hospital.

Besides 3-month-old Olivia, Orozco was stepmother to Natalia, 8, and Santiago, 6. They are the children of her husband, Hector Orozco Lopez.

Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer said Orozco was a remarkable person and officer.

“I can’t think of a better representative of our profession than Kerrie Orozco,” Schmaderer said.

Orozco was active in the community she patrolled and volunteered to coach a youth baseball team for the Boys & Girls Club in Omaha. Players she coached attended the funeral.

Hundreds of people lined the streets outside the church Tuesday to pay their respects to Orozco. Several thousand other mourners — many of whom were law enforcement officers from several departments — sat in Omaha’s downtown arena watching a video feed of the funeral.

Orozco was to be buried at St. Joseph Cemetery in Council Bluffs after an 8.5 mile-long procession. Groups of people began setting up along the route Tuesday morning to watch the funeral procession pass.

 

WASHINGTON (AP) — France’s ambassador in Washington says world powers and Iran will probably miss an end-of-June deadline for a comprehensive nuclear agreement.

Gerard Araud says it’s “very likely” there will be no deal in the next five weeks, or even afterward.

He says much technical work remains, meaning any understanding reached could just be “fuzzy air.”

Araud spoke Tuesday at an Atlantic Council event alongside the British and German ambassadors to the U.S.

The three European countries are negotiating alongside the U.S., Russia and China.

The proposed deal would freeze Iran’s nuclear program for a decade, while providing Iran tens of billions of dollars’ worth of sanctions relief.

Iran says its program is solely for peaceful purposes. Many governments fear it harbors nuclear weapons ambitions.

 

This is one cat that doesn’t need to hit the gym to get in a workout.

FOX 11 Chief Meteorologist Patrick Powell has taught his cat, Loki, to use a treadmill.

Since he learned to use the treadmill a few weeks ago, Loki walks about 5-10 minutes a day, Patrick says. Patrick estimates Loki was walked about a mile so far.

Any mice looking for a home for the summer should probably steer clear of this fit cat.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Looking to boost Iraqi fighting forces, President Barack Obama said the U.S. and its allies need to examine whether they are deploying military assets effectively against Islamic State militants as Iraq mounts a new offensive to recapture critical territory west of Baghdad.

The White House says it already is responding to demands by Iraqi fighters for more powerful anti-tank weapons to confront armored vehicles that the Islamic State has used as potent and deadly car bombs. But officials stressed the examination did not represent a reassessment of the U.S. military approach to the fight against the militants.

“We continue to have confidence in the strategy,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest said. “This is not a fight the U.S. is going to fight for the Iraqi people.”

The U.S. attention to supplying higher-grade military equipment came after Defense Secretary Ash Carter over the weekend criticized Iraqi forces, saying their men fled the Islamic State advance on Ramadi without fighting back.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest defended Carter’s remarks, saying the Iraqi government acknowledged that the setback in Ramadi was the result of a breakdown in command and planning. Moreover, Earnest said, the Iraqi forces in Ramadi had not benefited from U.S. or allied training.

Obama, speaking at the end of a meeting with visiting NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, did not respond to questions about Carter’s comments. But he did say the challenge posed by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and the turmoil in Libya have forced NATO to look south as well as east in the alliance’s mission.

“That means an increase in defense capacity building with other countries like Iraq or (Persian Gulf) countries that are interested in working with us, as well as the African Union,” he said. “It also means we have to think about whether we are deploying and arranging our assets effectively to meet that challenge.”

Asked to elaborate on the president’s comments, Earnest said: “There have been some concerns raised by some fighters that they have not gotten the kind of equipment that they need to fight ISIL.”

“The president and the rest of the administration have vowed to work closely with the Iraq government to make sure that this military equipment is getting got where it is needed,” he said.

Earnest praised Iraq’s announcement that it had launched a major military operation to drive the Islamic State from the western Anbar province. The Iraqi troops are out to retake the Sunni heartland where the extremist group captured the provincial capital of Ramadi.

“I think that is a clear indication of the will of the Iraqi security forces to fight,” Earnest said. “And the United States and our coalition partners will stand with them as they do so.”

Obama said the upheaval in the Middle East and the “increasingly aggressive posture that Russia has taken” in Ukraine has created a “challenging and important time for NATO.” He said NATO would continue to support Ukraine.

Obama said NATO would be a crucial player in providing training and assistance to Afghanistan following the drawdown of NATO troops. He said it was important that NATO countries properly contribute to that post-draw-down mission.