Green Bay News

ASHWAUBENON –  The Ashwaubenon Bowling Alley is hosting a national women’s bowling tournament.

It’s the first tournament of its kind nationwide in more than a decade.  It’s the United States Bowling Congress Queens bowling tournament.   It kicked-off last week and now things are really starting to heat up.

Kelly Kulick — a five-time major champion and the spokeswoman for the new Professional Women’s Bowling Association — joined FOX 11’s Emily Deem on Good Day Wisconsin to talk about the event.

Click here for more information about the tournament.

Ingredients:

Crust:

3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoon butter, melted
Filling:
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
Fresh berries or 1 cup canned pie filling

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 6 cup muffin pan with foil cupcake liners. In a medium bowl, mix together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter until combined. Divide crumb mixture evenly between the 6 muffin cups. Press mixture down firmly in the cup to form crust. Bake for about 5 minutes.
While crusts are baking use a mixer to beat together the cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla until fluffy. Beat in the egg. Spoon the cream cheese mixture into the muffin cups, filling each until 3/4 full. Bake at 325 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until cheesecakes are set. Cool completely in pan before removing. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Top with fresh berries or pie filling if desired before serving.

Makes 6 cupcake cheesecakes.
Notes:
Need more than 6? You can double the recipe and make 12 cheesecakes.

Despite some morning clouds and fog in some areas, temperatures will rise into the 70s today and you’ll feel some higher humidity with more moisture in the air.

This provides the fuel for thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening; some of these storms may be strong or severe as a cold front pushes through the state.

Any severe thunderstorms will likely arrive between 3 and 7 PM. The main threats are severe hail (1” or more in diameter) and straight line winds (58 mph or more). A couple isolated tornadoes cannot be ruled out, but the best environment for them is west of our area.

The Storm Prediction Center has most of Northeast Wisconsin under a “Slight” risk for severe weather, meaning there’s a 15% chance for severe weather within 25 miles of any given location in our area.

The FOX 11 meteorologists are monitoring this situation so check back often at fox11online.com, watch FOX 11 News and download the <a href=”http://fox11online.com/weather/fox-11-weather-app/“>FOX 11 weather app to track the storms on your cell phone.

Any storms that do move in will likely move out between 9 PM and Midnight.

We’ll be dry and mild for most of the upcoming work week, though Tuesday will likely be cooler than average.

APPLETON – Looking for a great new burger recipe to try?

Our friends from Milwaukee Burger Company in Appleton have some tasty recipes to share.

They joined FOX 11’s Emily Deem on Good Day Wisconsin to make some mouth watering burgers.

Some burgers created were the Brown Sugar Bacon, featured on their Peanut butter jalapeño burger  and the Cheese Curd Burger.

They also featured the Big Milwaukee Bloody Mary and giant cheese curds.

Click here to learn more about Milwaukee Burger Company in Appleton.

GREEN BAY – The 16th annual Cellcom Green Bay Marathon takes place Sunday.

The event features thousands of runners representing 47 states and 11 countries.

Runners will take off for the 26.2 mile marathon race at 7 a.m. The half marathon starts at 8 a.m.

The half marathon course will be the same as last year. The full marathon route will also stay relatively the same, but this year organizers have changed part of the course to go through the neighborhoods of East De Pere.

New medals will be waiting for the marathon and half marathon runners at the finish line. The medals are a part of a three-medal series. The three medals are designed to fit together and will unveil a final image on the back of the medal.

Last year’s marathon winners were Suleman Abrar of Silver Spring, Maryland (2:24:29) for the men and Gisela Olalde of Nashville, Tenn. (2:40:36) for the women. The 2014 half marathon winners were Tyler Sigl of Green Bay (1:07:26) for the men and Elizabeth Turner of Minneapolis, Minn. (1:20:13) for the women.

FOX 11’s Pauleen Le spent the morning checking in with runners before and after the race.

For more information on the Cellcom Green Bay Marathon, click here.

DE PERE – After months of hard work, designers got to show off their talents at a home in De Pere while supporting the House of Hope Foundation.

The Designers for Hope showcase opened for public tours Saturday.

Six designers transformed assigned rooms throughout the home, reflecting their personal tastes and ideas.

Proceeds from the event go to support the women and children staying at the House of Hope shelter.

“The House of Hope is a warm and inviting place for mothers and children to come and feel safe and secure. The Designers for Hope event, again, allows the homeowner to open their doors to the community and let us all kind of take over for a few months and raise money for the girls so it’s a great opportunity for everybody,” said House of Hope board member, Kristin Davies.

Sunday is your last chance to check out the showcase at 1559 Fox Ridge Court.

The home is open for public tours from 10 in the morning until 4 in the afternoon.

GREEN BAY – Children in Green Bay got the chance to learn about planting a garden that will produce edible treats.

The “Ready, Set, Grow” event took place at the Brown County Central Library, with the help of the Boy Scouts and UW Extension master gardener volunteers.

All ages took part getting their hands dirty by preparing soil in container beds for seeds, and building planters out of pallets.

The garden will include vegetables and fruits for a summer harvest.

The kids were even given starter potatoes to plant to get their own gardens growing at home.

APPLETON – Students in Appleton went to school Saturday, on their off day, for a different kind of class.

Columbus Elementary hosted the “Learn Big Event.”

It’s part of a nationwide effort to connect schools with their community.

School parents and neighbors taught some fun courses – including bird house construction and making balloon animals.

The school’s principal says he hopes events like this can bring the community together.

“We want people to know that this is their school, this is our school, and we are trying to involve more and network the neighborhood in supporting the kids so that the school can be a resource for the neighborhood and the neighborhood can be a resource for the school,” said R.J. Chesterton, Columbus Elementary principal.

A total of 15 volunteers were chosen to teach the classes for the day.

LITTLE CHUTE – People had the chance to witness history in the Village of Little Chute Saturday.

The community celebration highlighted Little Chute’s culture and heritage.

The village’s windmill opened for tours, and the newly constructed and renovated Village Hall hosted an open house.

The windmill stands at more than 100 feet tall.

Its design is based off windmills built in the Netherlands in the 1860s.

Another building in town also happens to match the same time period as the design of the windmill.

“Our church was finished in 1868, so if you go up in the rafters in the attic of the church it all matches the wood that we have here, its all honed and stuff like that. I give tours over at St. John’s Church and you feel at home in both places,” said Gene Janssen, windmill committee secretary.

When the landmark was first built, it came with a price tag of more than $4 million.

NEW YORK (AP) – Wilmer Flores hit a grand slam off Matt Garza from the No. 9 slot in the batting order, sparking a 10-run fourth inning and leading the New York Mets to a 14-1 romp over the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday night.

Jacob deGrom had three singles – including two in the fourth – to become the second pitcher since at least 1914 to have three hits batting eighth, according to STATS.

Flores followed deGrom’s second hit of the night with a drive into the left-field party deck, an area where the Mets brought in the fence before the 2012 season, for a 6-0 lead.

He became the first starting NL position player to hit a grand slam from the No. 9 hole in an NL ballpark, STATS said.

DeGrom (4-4) gave up one run in six innings, while Garza (2-5) allowed a career-high 10 runs in 3 1-3 innings.

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

ASHWAUBENON — It’s not often a college football player finds themselves on the same field as Aaron Rodgers, or a student basketball player takes on LeBron James. Bowling, however, gives ascending players a chance to test their abilities against the best in the world.

“I try not to look at the scores too much, it just makes it more nerve-wracking,” said Appleton native and UW-Whitewater senior bowler Lindsay Rusch.

Rusch was part of the youth movement of women’s bowling taking part in the USBC Queens bowling tournament at Ashwaubenon Bowling Alley. The event, now an event on the Pro Women’s Bowling Association Tour, moved to a match play, double-elimination format on Sunday after 15 games of preliminary bowling. Rusch was one of the top area finishers, ending up just outside the top-64 bowler cut line to advance to the match play round.

Another area bowler was Morgan O’Brien, the Fond du Lac native and former St. Mary’s Springs bowler who has competed on the national level before. This is her second time in the Queens tournament and was happy this appearance, after recently graduating from Clark University, was so close to home.

“Obviously I want to make everyone proud,” said O’Brien. “I think just being here, being able to bowl with these amazing athletes, and having bowling finally recognized as a sport is just a huge honor. Being able to be a part of that first tournament on this [PWBA] tour is an awesome experience.”

Match play competition starts Sunday and continues Monday. The finals are Tuesday night at 7pm and will be broadcast on ESPN2.

BALTIMORE (AP) – American Pharoah has Bob Baffert back in the Triple Crown groove.

With thunder rumbling and rain pouring down, Kentucky Derby winner American Pharoah cruised to the lead early and easily won the Preakness Stakes on Saturday.

The brilliant 3-year-old colt was never seriously challenged after shaking off long-shot Mr. Z and won by seven lengths to set up the ultimate drama in racing – a Triple Crown attempt at the Belmont Stakes in three weeks in New York.

“Great horses do great things,” Baffert said after his sixth Preakness victory, “and he showed that today. He’s just an incredible horse.”

American Pharoah, who started from the rail under Victor Espinoza, will be 14th Derby-Preakness winner to take a shot at becoming the first to sweep the Derby, Preakness and Belmont since Affirmed in 1978.

For Baffert, he’ll be taking an unprecedented fourth shot at racing’s most coveted prize. He won the Derby and Preakness with Silver Charm in 1997, Real Quiet in 1998 and War Emblem in 2002. All three fell short in the Belmont.

“I don’t even want to think about the Triple Crown right now,’ the 62-year-old trainer said. “I want to enjoy this. It’s tough up there.”

A rainstorm began about 15 minutes before the race went off, preceded by several lightning bolts, but it didn’t affect American Pharoah, a sweet-striding 3-year-old. The colt dealt with similar conditions in winning the Rebel Stakes in March.

The dominating win confirmed owner Ahmed Zayat’s belief that American Pharoah is a champion in the making.

“I always told everybody American Pharoah would show up today,” said Zayat, drenched after his trip to the winner’s circle. “Indeed he did. He is the real deal.”

American Pharoah may have only half a tail and sensitive ears that Baffert stuffs with cotton, but he’s pretty close to perfection. Bought back at auction by Zayat for $300,000, American Pharoah earned $900,000 for the win to boost his winnings to $3.7 million.

A Triple Crown is priceless.

“He put on a show today,” said Zayat, a businessman from Egypt who lives in Teaneck, New Jersey. “Nobody came close to him.”

Espinoza played his role well, too. His horse in the previous race was scratched when he reared up in the starting gate and fell, but Espinoza wasn’t bothered by the incident.

In fact, he became the first jockey to have a third try at a Triple Crown. Espinoza won the Derby and Preakness with War Emblem in 2002 and California Chrome last year, but fell short in the Belmont.

“I hope the third one is the charm,” Espinoza said.

With a record crowd of 131,680 crammed into Pimlico Race Course, American Pharoah broke a step slow before Espionza hustled him to the lead. He then fended off a brief bid from Mr. Z, while American Pharoah’s stablemate, Dortmund, and Derby runner-up Firing Line weren’t factors.

“He didn’t like the sloppy track,” said Dortmund’s rider, Martin Garcia. “He didn’t come out good from the gate. He didn’t like the mud in his face.”

Simon Callaghan, who trained Firing Line, said the horse lost all chance when he stumbled a stride out of the gate.

“That took his momentum and then he never really got hold of the track,” Callaghan said.

American Pharoah comes into the 1 1/2-mile Belmont with a six-race winning streak. His margin of victory in the 1 3-16th-mile Preakness was the largest since Smarty Jones won by a record 11 1/2 lengths in 2004. It matched the sixth-largest margin in Preakness history.

Tale of Verve was a distant second, followed by Divining Rod, Dortmund, Mr. Z, Danzig Moon, Firing Line and Bodhisattva. The winning time was a slow 1:58.46.

American Pharoah was sent off as the 4-5 favorite and returned $3.80, $3.40 and $2.80. Tale of Verve returned $19 and $8.80, and Divining Rod paid $5.20.

“It went very well,” Espinoza said. “He bounced out of there. He broke a little tiny bit slow and I pushed him to the front.”

And now it’s on to the Belmont, also known as the Test of the Champion.

“He just skips through everything,” Baffert said. “He’s that kind of horse. A wet track. A dry track. These horses can make excuses, but if they are ready to run and he fires, you win.”

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

RACINE, Wis. (AP) – Racine County authorities say three missing children have been returned to Wisconsin from Mexico.

They say the 2-year-old, 8-year-old and 10-year-old went missing Feb. 5 and authorities believed they were in danger.

Racine County Executive Jonathan Delagrave said in a statement Saturday that the children left in the company of their mother and her boyfriend. Investigators believe the couple fled with the children after authorities issued warrants for man’s arrest on child abuse charges. The adults later left the children with a relative in the Mexican city of Silao.

Delagrave says the children are American citizens and spent their entire lives in the U.S. before they went missing.

Mexican authorities allowed the children to return home Friday and they were welcomed by close family members.

GREEN BAY – More than 970 students graduated from UW-Green Bay Saturday.

Among the graduates, a staff sergeant in the National Guard, who was recognized by UWGB for his hard work and dedication.

Jared Spude has a bachelor’s degree in political science and public administration.

“If you would’ve asked me about five years ago, I never thought I would be here today and [I kind of had] some tough times so it’s just extra special,” said Jared Spude.

Before graduation, Spude served in the Army for almost four years. During that time he completed one tour in Afghanistan where he coordinated close air support and artillery for his military unit.

After the Army, Spude became a staff sergeant in the National Guard.

“I teach at the Wisconsin Military Academy,” Spude said.

UW-Green Bay Veteran’s Services Department will tell you his skills go beyond teaching.

“He’s very dedicated and he’s worked with our Future Phoenix students to help them in education and help them be able to advance to college. He’s also been very supportive with our veterans on campus,” said Elaina Koltz, financial aid adviser with UW-Green Bay Veteran’s Services.

Because of Spude’s achievements, he also received the “Outstanding Student Award” of his graduating class.

“He devoted himself to excellence in the classroom in a variety of student leadership positions and a range of service projects across campus and in the community,” said Gary Miller, UW-Green Bay chancellor.

“To me, it’s recognition of all the great professors and faculty that are here and the support that this university has for veterans,” Spude said.

He said he couldn’t have done it without the support from his family and school.

“What this school does and the dedication it has to its veterans has made me who I am today,” Spude said.

Spude will start his new job this summer as a client manager for a Green Bay energy consultant company.

UW-Green Bay says Spude is one of around 15 military members who graduated Saturday.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – Republican Jeb Bush tried Saturday to regain his stride after an awkward week, noting his misstep about the Iraq war with humility and a laugh while reaffirming his affection for brother George W. Bush, the president who ordered the invasion.

Returning to early voting Iowa, Bush offered an explanation to voters for his confused statements on Iraq over the last week. He joked to an audience in Dubuque that his response to a reporter’s question about Iraq was “a great answer, by the way. But it wasn’t to the question that was asked.”

In a Fox News interview, Bush was asked whether he would have ordered the 2003 invasion of Iraq in light of intelligence failures. He later said he was unsure what he’d do and on Wednesday dismissed such questions as irrelevant hypotheticals. The next day, on Thursday, he acknowledged he would have opposed the war had he known no weapons of mass destruction would turn up.

At the same time, Bush tried to strike a balance between loyalty to the former president and defining himself as his own man.

“War is incredibly tough,” Bush told about 100 GOP activists and students at Loras College in Dubuque. “I know my brother, and you can see it in the bond, when I’m with him, with the veterans. … The bond he has with these men and women is extraordinary.”

Meanwhile, voters seemed more interested in Bush’s stand on education – he supports Common Core education standards in spite of conservative opposition – and in his views of federal drug enforcement and President Barack Obama’s use of executive orders.

Bush was among 11 presidential hopefuls expected to speak Saturday night at the state GOP’s annual Lincoln Day dinner fundraiser. He held meetings with local GOP officials and other influential Republicans earlier in the day.

Others expected to speak at the Des Moines event were former surgeon Ben Carson, former CEO Carly Fiorina, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, former New York Gov. George Pataki, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, businessman Donald Trump and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.

Walker, who appeared at an afternoon fundraiser for a Des Moines area county official, called for a stepped-up fight against terrorism. Having recently visited Israel and met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Walker called the Obama administration’s foreign policy to “draw a red line in the sand and allow people to cross it.” Instead, he suggested the United States “take the fight to them.”

Bush also criticized Obama’s strategy against Islamic State militants even while noting reports that U.S. Army commandos had killed a man described as the head of oil operations for IS. Bush praised those who conducted the mission, but he criticized Obama for pulling back U.S. forces in Iraq, arguing that the move allowed the rise of such groups.

“It’s a great day, but it’s not a strategy,” Bush said.

LA CROSSE, Wis. (AP) – Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson says Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin violated a bipartisan agreement over the process for filling a longtime vacancy on a federal appeals court.

Johnson told reporters Saturday that he believes the appointment process for the nation’s oldest vacancy on the U.S. Court of Appeals will have to be restarted.

Baldwin sent the names of eight candidates to the White House earlier this month. Johnson says they had agreed only to send the names of two finalists, but Baldwin didn’t like either one. He declined to say who they were.

The spot has been vacant since 2010.

Baldwin’s chief of staff Bill Murat told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel she forwarded the names because “it is important that action be taken to put a judge in place.”

LA CROSSE, Wis. (AP) – U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson says Democratic challenger Russ Feingold is a career politician addicted to holding office.

Johnson spoke Saturday at the Wisconsin Republican Party convention in La Crosse. He says he was initially surprised that Feingold announced on Thursday that he was running against Johnson in 2016.

But Johnson says Feingold is running because he’s addicted to being a politician and “he just can’t stand being away from it.”

Feingold served 18 years in the Senate before Johnson beat him in 2010.

Johnson says his race against Feingold will give voters a “pretty clear choice.”

Johnson says he expects a “vicious campaign.” Democrats have targeted the seat as one they can pick up as they try to win back majority control.

OCONTO COUNTY – Improvements are in-the-works at numerous boat landings throughout Oconto County.

The fill was flying at Chute Pond County Park near Mountain this week.

Construction crews raced to get this new shower building ready at the campground.

“This Spring, when we went to turn the water on, the water line froze over the Winter,” said Bob Skalitzky, Oconto County Forest, Parks and Recreation Director.

The shower project is one of two at Chute Pond.

Dump trucks shuttled dirt to a new parking lot for a crowded boat landing.

“So when we have a lot of users, this is full. They’re parking up and down the road. As it comes in, that creates a safety hazard for us,” said Skalitzky.

Skalitzky says the parking lot should be complete by the end of June. The shower building, by Memorial Day weekend.

And about 40 miles to the southeast in Stiles, a new handicapped-accessible pier is coming to the Machikanee Flowage.

Bob Rodich is with the Machikanee Advancement Association. He showed us the plans.

“It will be approximately 30 feet long. It will be T-shaped. It will have a number of sitting benches with it,” he said.

The fishing here may be good.

“Bluegills, perch, and crappies,” said Rodich.

But with the new pier installed June first, he says it will be even better.

“When you can share anytime with children, handicapped people, give them a place to relax that’s safe and hopefully productive, it’s got to be a benefit,” said Rodich.

The Pensaukee boat launch will be getting a facelift.

“Now we are working with the highway department. They have the area cleared out and graveled. Additionally they are going to blacktop the entire landing, resurface the landing as it goes in,” said Skalitzky.

And at North Bay Shore County Park, leaders have applied for a grant they hope will help pay for a fish cleaning station at the boat landing.

“There’s a campground there. What happens is when people clean their fish, they put the remains in the dumpster by the campground. It becomes a smell, and we get complaints from campers,” said Skalitzky.

Construction depends on the weather. But in the end, Skalitzky says the projects will make a difference for those using the parks.

The price tag for the five projects is about $387,000. Grants, user fees, donations, and taxpayers will pay for it all.

LA CROSSE, Wis. (AP) – U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan tells Wisconsin Republicans that the party needs to expand its appeal in order to win the presidency.

Ryan delivered the message Saturday at the state Republican Party convention in La Crosse.

Ryan was the vice presidential nominee in 2012 under Mitt Romney. He says one of the lessons he learned in that campaign was that “the electoral college matters.” He says in order to win, “we need to expand our appeal.”

Ryan says that will take showing all voters “from every nook and cranny” that Republicans have better ideas.

He says changes to the party’s primary process, including limiting the number of debates, will improve the nominee’s chances.

Gov. Scott Walker is a likely presidential candidate. He spoke earlier at the convention before heading to Iowa.

GREEN BAY – The Green Bay Cellcom 5K kicked off Saturday and organizers say it was a beautiful day.

Just under 4,500 people crossed the finish line at Lambeau Field.

The men’s and women’s 5K winners were a father daughter duo from Green Bay.

Sage Wagner, 14, won the women’s event with a time of 19:40. Her dad, Todd Wagner, 45, won the men’s event with a time of 17:02.

Nearly 1,600 kids from over 50 schools ran the 5K as part of the Prevea Luv2Run program. Nearly 50% of the overall field was youth under the age of 18.

There were also 866 registrants in this morning’s WPS Kids Power Run!