Green Bay News

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) – A Patriots lawyer says the “deflator” nickname used by a ballboy and cited in the NFL’s decision to suspend quarterback Tom Brady was about weight loss, not footballs.

Team attorney Daniel Goldberg said Thursday the two Patriots employees used the term jokingly to refer to locker room attendant Jim McNally, who was trying to lose weight.

In a 20,000-word rebuttal to the league’s findings, Goldberg disputes the conclusions of the investigator hired by the NFL on matters of science, logic and law.

Goldberg represented the team and was present during all of interviews of team personnel. Patriots spokesman Stacey James confirmed that the site wellsreportcontext.com was genuine and “approved/supported by the team.”

The rebuttal was published ahead of a deadline for Brady to appeal a four-game suspension.

Goldberg’s response claims the league’s conclusions are “at best, incomplete, incorrect and lack context.”

It denied a link between Brady and the two equipment staffers, and it rejected Wells’ claims that the team was not cooperative in the investigation. Wells said the team refused to make McNally available for a follow-up interview; Goldberg said the league should have asked all of its questions the first time.

Among the claims in the response were that Wells ignored an innocuous scientific explanation – backed by a letter from a Nobel Prize Laureate – for the loss of air pressure in the footballs used in the AFC championship game against the Indianapolis Colts.

The rebuttal also includes claims of other incidents of ball-tampering that were not dealt with as harshly. And it says increased communication between Brady and the ballboys after the scandal broke were just normal expressions of concern, rather than evidence of the quarterback’s guilt.

Brady’s agent, Don Yee, said the three-time Super Bowl MVP would appeal the suspension issued on Monday for his part in the deflation of footballs below the league-mandated minimum. He had until 5 p.m. on Thursday to do so.

The Patriots have not said if they’ll appeal their penalty by a May 21 deadline – a $1 million fine and the loss of a first-round draft pick next year and a fourth-rounder in 2017.

The Wells report issued on April 29 found that Brady “was at least generally aware” of plans by the two team employees to deflate the footballs below the league minimum of 12.5 pounds per square inch. It also said Brady and the team were not fully cooperative.

The appeal would be heard by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell or a person he designates. The league will go against an experienced foe in labor lawyer Jeffrey Kessler, who has won other appeals against the league and is helping Brady.

If the suspension is upheld, Brady would miss the first four games of the regular season and be eligible to return against the Colts on Oct. 18.

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AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi contributed to this story.

DENTON, Texas (AP) — The Sally Beauty chain confirmed Thursday that it has suffered its second data breach in just over two years.

The beauty products seller notified customers earlier this month that it was investigating reports of unusual activity on payment cards used at some of its U.S. locations.

Sally Beauty Holdings Inc. would not talk about the scope of the illegal intrusion Thursday because the investigation is ongoing. Its shares have fallen almost 5 percent in the past month.

“We are working diligently to address the issue and to care for any customers who may have been affected by the incident,” CEO Chris Brickman said in a printed statement.

The Denton, Texas, company said customers won’t be responsible for fraudulent charges that are promptly reported.

Customers who have concerns about their payment cards can call a customer service hotline at 1-866-234-9442 or email [email protected].

Sally Beauty had a security breach in March 2014 that affected the credit and debit card accounts of thousands of customers. The company offered one free year of credit monitoring and identity-theft protection to customers who may have been affected by that incident.

A number of retailers have been hit in recent years by damaging data breaches, most notably Target Corp., when some 40 million debit and credit cards were compromised.

There has been a push by consumer rights groups and others for retailers to upgrade their security. Banks and credit card issuers are already moving in that direction.

On Tuesday, JPMorgan Chase said that it will replace all of its customers’ debit cards with more secure chip-based cards nationwide and it expects to have chips on 70 percent of its debit cards by the end of 2015.

Sally Beauty sells and distributes products through 4,900 stores, including about 200 franchised units, in the U.S., the U.K., Belgium, Chile, Colombia, Peru, France, the Netherlands, Canada, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Ireland, Spain and Germany.

MILWAUKEE (AP) – The Milwaukee Fire Department says all passengers made it out of an Amtrak train after a fire in the locomotive.

Cassie Taylor, the department’s office assistant, says firefighters were notified of the fire in the passenger train just after noon Thursday.

Citing dispatch logs, Taylor told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel everyone was evacuated from the train.

The fire was reported in the engine.

The incident in Milwaukee comes amid scrutiny of a deadly Amtrak crash in Philadelphia on Tuesday.

GREEN BAY – The Green Bay Area Public School District is giving students two days off in observance of Memorial Day.

The district announced the schools will be closed Memorial Day, May 25 and the day after, Tuesday, May 26.

School district officials say May 26 was originally scheduled as a weather make-up day but no inclement weather days were necessary this winter.

Classes will resume on Wednesday, May 27 for students.

APPLETON – Police are looking for a dog that bit a boy Wednesday on Appleton’s east side.

Around 5:45 p.m., police say they were called to the 600 block of S. Buchanan St. A 12-year-old boy said he was riding his bike on the sidewalk when the dog came up and bit him on the upper thigh. The boy’s parents ended up taking him to the hospital for treatment.

The dog was described as medium-sized, with black and white coloring. It was on a leash and was being walked by two females who had a stroller with them. They were last seen walking south on S. Fidelis Street.

Anyone with information is asked to call Community Service Officer Fillebrown at (920) 832-6414. Anonymous tips can be sent by text message with the keyword APDTIPS to 274637.

NEW YORK (AP) — An escalating contract dispute suggests that Harry Shearer may be exiting “The Simpsons,” where he has voiced several of its characters since the FOX cartoon series debuted in 1989.

In a pair of Twitter posts on Thursday, Shearer said re-upping with the show would have denied him “what we’ve always had: the freedom to do other work.”

from James L. Brooks' lawyer: "show will go on, Harry will not be part of it, wish him the best.". (1/2)

— Harry Shearer (@theharryshearer) May 14, 2015

This because I wanted what we've always had: the freedom to do other work. Of course, I wish him the very best. (2/2)

— Harry Shearer (@theharryshearer) May 14, 2015

Hours later, “Simpsons” executive producer Al Jean tweeted, “The show will go on, made by people who love it…” In another post, he resolved to “recast if Harry does not return.” Yet another tweet seemed to leave the door open for a rapprochement: “In life I never say never.”

.@thesimpsons #everysimpsonsever The show will go on, made by people who love it and see in it the most wonderful vehicle for satire ever.

— Al Jean (@AlJean) May 14, 2015

Shearer voices characters including Simpsons neighbor Ned Flanders, billionaire Mr. Burns and his kowtowing aide, Smithers.

FOX recently announced picking up “The Simpsons” for two more seasons — its 27th and 28th.

A statement from Jean and fellow “Simpsons” executive producers James L. Brooks and Matt Groening said Shearer “was offered the same deal the rest of the cast accepted, and passed.”

Shearer did not respond to a request for comment.

The multi-tasking Shearer, 71, has charted a diverse career as an actor, writer, musician and producer, both before and since becoming part of the “Simpsons” troupe. Also known for his starring role in the 1984 mockumentary classic “This Is Spinal Tap,” as well as for hosting public radio’s weekly “Le Show” for more than 30 years, he recently produced and starred in “Nixon’s The One,” portraying President Richard Nixon in a TV dramatization of the secret White House tapes.

Thursday’s public acknowledgement of the ongoing dispute, he tweeted, was prompted by word from the lawyer of “Simpsons” executive producer Brooks that declared, “Show will go on, Harry will not be part of it, wish him the best.”

Shearer tweeted, “Of course, I wish him the very best.”

MADISON (AP) – The Legislature’s finance committee plans to reject a proposal in Gov. Scott Walker’s budget that calls for expanding the state’s Family Care program and ending the IRIS program.

Family Care provides managed long-term care services for the elderly. IRIS provides assistance with bathing, dressing and other needs. Both programs are available in 57 of the state’s 72 counties. Walker’s budget calls for expanding Family Care statewide and eliminating IRIS. That program’s functions would be wrapped into Family Care.

Sen. Alberta Darling and Rep. John Nygren, the committee’s co-chairs, told reporters on Thursday they want a “better product” than Walker’s plan.

They said the committee plans to vote later this month on directing the state Department of Health Services to start developing a plan that would reform long-term care.

CLINTONVILLE – FWD Seagrave has landed a $12 million contract to rebuild 92 military vehicles.

The Clintonville company says it will be rebuilding 92 Crash Fire Rescue vehicles for the U.S. Marine Corps over the next four years. Rebuilding involves disassembling each vehicle down to its frame, refurbishing or replacing parts and reassembling the vehicle.

“Providing these Crash Fire Rescue vehicles for the U.S. Marine Corps gets us back to our roots working on heavy-duty military vehicles,” Chairman and CEO AJ Neiner said in a news release. “Our team is committed to providing superior quality and top-notch service for the Marines and we expect this to be the beginning of a long-term relationship with the U.S. military.”

FWD Seagrave has been providing vehicles for the military since the Spanish-American War in 1898.

MADISON (AP) – The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction says four new religious private schools will be added to the statewide voucher program starting next year.

The department said Thursday that more than 3,540 students have applied to receive a taxpayer-funded voucher to attend private and religious schools. That number is more than triple the enrollment cap of 1,000 for the statewide program that’s in its third year.

The four new schools added to the program next year will be Heritage Christian Schools in Brookfield, Kettle Moraine Lutheran High School in Jackson, Central Wisconsin Christian School in Waupun and Saint James Lutheran School in Shawano.

Of the eligible student applications, 49.3 percent are already paying to attend a private school. If selected to receive a voucher, taxpayers will pay for their education.

• Click here to learn more about the Wisconsin Parental Choice Program

Flowers are in full bloom at the Paine Art Center and Gardens in Oshkosh.

OSTRAVA, Czech Republic (AP) – Ben Smith and Charlie Coyle scored 57 seconds apart as the United States rallied for a 3-1 victory over Switzerland in the quarterfinals of the ice hockey world championship on Thursday.

Smith tied the game for the Americans with a wrist shot 10:17 into the second period, and Coyle deflected in a slap shot by defensemen Seth Jones for the go-ahead goal.

“It was a big minute and a big boost for all the team,” forward Trevor Lewis said.

Coyle also had an assist to go with his second goal in three games, since he joined the U.S. after his Minnesota Wild were eliminated in the NHL playoffs.

“It’s always nice to help out with the scoring but it was a great zone tie-up by some of our linemates to create those chances and open it up,” Coyle said.

Defenseman Jake Gardiner scored the third with a wrist shot midway through the final period as the U.S. set up a semifinal against defending champion Russia or Sweden.

Defenseman Roman Josi gave Switzerland the lead 13:04 into the game when he collected the puck behind the blue line, carved through the U.S. defense, and hit high past goaltender Connor Hellebuyck.

The U.S., which won its group with six victories and one loss, advances to the semis for the second time in three years. It won the bronze in 2013.

In other quarterfinals later Thursday, Canada played Belarus, and the Czech Republic met Finland.

LA CROSSE (AP) – A soldier from La Crosse who went missing nearly 65 years ago during the Korean War will be buried next week at Arlington National Cemetery.

Francis Knobel was a 20-year-old corporal in the U.S. Army when his 31st Infantry Regiment participated in battles near the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea, the La Crosse Tribune reported. Knobel was reported missing on Dec 12, 1950, at the end of a 17-day battle, according to military records from the National Archives. He was among 154 U.S. forces declared to have been killed in action that day.

The Department of Defense exhumed the remains last year and identified them as Knobel’s through dental records, chest X-rays and circumstantial evidence. His niece and next of kin, Julie Houx, was notified in December.

“I was just so emotionally overwrought,” she said. “I’m like extremely happy that he’s been found. I’m extremely sad because that makes it real that he’s gone. But I’m also very proud . He died for his country.”

Houx was born about a decade after Knobel’s disappearance and only knew of her uncle through family photos and stories, she said.

“We grew up with the mystery of whatever happened to him. All we knew was he was missing,” she said. “We always had these childhood fantasies that he was alive somewhere over there, you know, and had a new family.”

Houx and her two children will travel to Washington, D.C., next week for the burial. Knobel will receive several decorations, including a National Defense Service Medal, Korean Service Medal with three Bronze Service Stars and the Purple Heart, before being buried with full military honors.

“He paid the ultimate price,” Houx said of her decision to bury him at the cemetery. “I think he deserves the ultimate tribute.”

JANESVILLE (AP) – The father of a 14-year-old boy who accidentally killed his friend in Walworth County will pay $5,000 in restitution to the victim’s family.

The Sharon man has reached an agreement that pays the family of 11-year-old Eric Gutierrez about half of what it requested for funeral and medical expenses and lost wages. The father was charged with contributing to the delinquency of a child for keeping about 20 guns unlocked in his home. The Janesville Gazette says he was sentenced to probation and ordered to pay restitution.

The man’s son was ordered to serve a year of supervision after facing a juvenile charge of homicide by negligently handling a weapon. The 14-year-old told investigators he and Eric were playing with guns when he accidentally shot him last July.

MADISON (AP) – Russ Feingold announced Thursday he will run to reclaim the U.S. Senate seat he lost five years ago to Republican Ron Johnson, fulfilling the hopes of Democrats who have been pushing for the liberal to return to the political arena.

Feingold said in a 90-second video message obtained by The Associated Press before it was to be sent to supporters that he will run for the seat in 2016. He likely will face the incumbent Johnson, a political newcomer when he defeated Feingold by 5 points in 2010. If successful, Feingold would be only the third senator since 1956 to reclaim a seat.

Feingold, 62, served 18 years in the Senate before losing to Johnson. He sat out the 2012 recall election against Gov. Scott Walker, the race for an open Senate seat that fall, and Walker’s recall election in 2014. He will be running in a presidential year, when Democratic turnout will likely be stronger in Wisconsin than it was in the 2010 midterm when he lost.

In the video announcement filmed inside his home near Madison, Feingold said his “desire to serve is stronger than ever” and that he wants to fight to “bring back to the U.S. Senate strong independence, bipartisanship and honesty.”

Feingold said he intends to travel the state this summer “listening carefully to my fellow Wisconsinites talk about their concerns, especially when it comes to their economic well-being.”

His entry brings Democrats immediate credibility in the race to regain control of the Senate. The GOP has a 54-44 advantage, with two independents who caucus with Democrats.

Feingold’s signature legislation during 18 years in the Senate was his co-sponsorship with Republican Sen. John McCain of a campaign finance overhaul. The measure, which came to be known as McCain-Feingold, attempted to limit the influence of special interest money by banning soft money – unregulated donations by corporations, unions and the wealthy.

The key part of that law was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision in 2010.

The liberal Feingold had a record of breaking with the Democratic Party during his years in the Senate. He was the only senator to vote against the Patriot Act, which was enacted after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to give law enforcement officials greater authority to tap phones and investigate suspected terrorists. He also opposed President Barack Obama’s decision to expand the war in Afghanistan and was the first senator to propose a timetable to exit Iraq.

Feingold was a state senator for 10 years before being elected to the Senate for the first time in 1992.

After his defeat while seeking a fourth term, Feingold wrote a book and taught at the Marquette University Law School, Lawrence University and Stanford University. He formed Progressives United, a political action committee, in 2011, and in 2013 he was appointed as an envoy to Great Lakes region of Africa, a position he left in March.

Johnson’s victory over Feingold came in his first run for office. The chief executive of a plastics manufacturer in Oshkosh, Johnson emerged as a speaker at tea party rallies in 2010 and spent more than $8 million on the race to defeat Feingold. He has said he will not self-finance his re-election effort.

Johnson ran as an opponent of the federal stimulus plan. In the Senate, he’s been outspoken against President Obama’s health care law, even filing a lawsuit challenging the requirement that lawmakers and their staff obtain health insurance through the exchanges.

Johnson was among 47 Republican senators who signed a letter to Iranian leaders in March raising doubts about Obama’s nuclear negotiations. Johnson defended the letter, but also said he regretted that it wasn’t sent as an open letter addressed to no one rather than to Iranian leaders.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – The police chief in Minneapolis has ordered an investigation into reports a child was pepper sprayed by an officer during a demonstration over a police shooting in Madison, Wisconsin.

The group Black Lives Matter Minneapolis claims a 10-year-old was among those police sprayed with a chemical irritant as dozens of people marched downtown Wednesday night. Police have not said whether officers used pepper spray on the crowd. But, Minneapolis Police Chief Janee Harteau said in a statement that the group’s concerns would be investigated.

The demonstration follows a decision by the top prosecutor in Dane County, Wisconsin not to charge an officer in the death of 19-year-old Tony Robinson in March. The officer is white. Robinson is biracial.

Dozens of people took over a two-block area before heading to the Hennepin County Government Center where the protest ended.

MADISON (AP) — When a police officer killed an unarmed teen in Wisconsin’s capital city, the shooting quickly heightened tensions and stirred up protests.

But no one has hurled so much as a pebble, broken anything or thrown any punches in protests since Officer Matt Kenney shot 19-year-old Tony Robinson in March in a home near the Capitol building. The approximately two dozen arrests so far have involved protesters blocking traffic.

Instead, police-community relationships, demographics, traditions and cooler heads helped keep Madison’s streets peaceful — at least so far.

“I think the people in this city are … pretty good about voicing their emotions without running around and tearing things up,” said Andrea Irwin, Robinson’s mother. “I don’t think that’s ever happened in Madison.”

Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne raised the ante Tuesday when he announced he would not charge Kenny in Robinson’s death, saying the officer’s actions were justified because Robinson, who was high on hallucinogenic mushrooms, punched Kenny in the head.

The Young, Gifted and Black Coalition, an activist group that has been organizing the protests, led about 200 people on a march through the city’s downtown Wednesday. During a mock trial on the Dane County Courthouse steps, they found Kenny guilty of homicide and then sat in the street before finally dispersing. About two dozen people were taken away in handcuffs after they refused to clear the road, and almost all were released with a $124 misdemeanor fine.

Madison is unlikely to explode like Ferguson, Missouri, or Baltimore, which saw riots break out over police-related killings, said Carl Taylor, a Michigan State University sociology professor who has researched youth culture and violence. Madison doesn’t suffer from high unemployment and other large-scale social problems that can exacerbate civil unrest, Taylor said.

African-Americans make up only about 7 percent of the population in Madison, compared with more than 60 percent in both Ferguson and Baltimore. Police here say they have tried to build trust in the community, meeting with minority leaders and putting officers through diversity training.

Protests have become a regular part of Madison life, too. The city, known as one of the nation’s most liberal, saw tens of thousands of people converge on the state Capitol for three straight weeks in 2011 to rally against Republican Gov. Scott Walker’s plan to strip public workers of their union rights. Passions rode much higher over that issue than in Robinson’s death, and everyone stayed peaceful.

Still, Police Chief Mike Koval began working to avoid what he called Ferguson’s “missteps” in the first hours following the shooting.

Ferguson police initially gave little information about the death of Michael Brown and took a week to identify the officer who shot him. They released video the same day showing what they said was Brown robbing a store.

Koval, in contrast, rushed to Robinson’s mother’s home to offer his condolences hours after the shooting and prayed with his grandmother. He identified Kenny the day after Robinson’s death.

He also volunteered that Kenny had killed a man in the line of duty in 2007 and had been cleared of any wrongdoing. He declined to discuss Robinson’s armed robbery conviction last year, saying commenting on his past would be inappropriate.

Ozanne prefaced his announcement Tuesday with condolences to Robinson’s family. He pointed out that he himself is biracial and is Wisconsin’s first district attorney of color. He also mentioned his mother, who participated in Freedom Summer, the famous 1964 effort to register black voters in Mississippi, and how she still fears for his safety because of his color.

But, he said, he had to base his decision on the facts.

“My decision is not based on emotion,” he said. “This decision is guided by the rule of law.”

A number of community groups mobilized volunteers to monitor Wednesday’s protests and to caution demonstrators against committing any crimes.

“This is the type of partnerships we think we need,” Madison police spokesman Joel DeSpain said. “We all need to work together to show people a better path.”

The protesters are still seething, though. Alix Shabazz, a Young Gifted and Black leader, told demonstrators on Wednesday not to talk to any officers.

“They are not your friend,” she told the crowd. “There is nothing positive that is going to come from that” interaction, she said.

Reaction to a recent shooting in Detroit has played out much the same way. Demonstrators held protests and marches over the death of 20-year-old Terrance Kellom, a black man shot by a federal agent during a fugitive sweep last month. But the demonstrations have been peaceful so far. Detroit’s black police chief met with Kellom’s family the day of the shooting.

Protest leaders say the peace has nothing to do with police and everything to do with the community members who want to make changes through the political process rather than violence.

“We feel we can use the leverage of political power to make people act, prosecutors and police,” said Ron Scott of the Detroit Coalition Against Police Brutality.

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Associated Press writers Dana Ferguson and Kia Farhang in Madison and Corey Williams in Detroit contributed to this report.

MILWAUKEE (AP) – A former leader of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club who was arrested in Mexico last October is facing new federal charges in Milwaukee.

A grand jury had indicted Randy Yager on charges of racketeering and conspiracy. The indictment accuses the 59-year-old Yager of participating in murders, bombings and arson aimed at rival clubs in the 1990s.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office says the former Crown Point, Indiana man was initially indicted with 16 others in 1997. Yager became a fugitive and was on the U.S. Marshals Service most wanted list in 2004.

Yager will be arraigned in federal court in Milwaukee May 22.

FOND DU LAC, Wis. (AP) – Fond du Lac is now allowing residents to practice beekeeping within city limits.

Action Reporter Media reports the Fond du Lac City Council unanimously passed an ordinance Wednesday allowing beekeeping in residential neighborhoods. It was already legal in parts of the city that are zoned for agriculture.

Residents would have to apply for a yearly beekeeping permit. There is a cap of two hives per property and a 5-foot height limit. Hives must also sit at least 25 feet from property edges, and residents won’t be allowed to sell honey from those hives.

Neighbors living in adjacent properties who are allergic to bees would be able to give input about granting the permit.

Milwaukee and Madison have opted to let residents keep bees on their properties in recent years.

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GREEN BAY – Before you head into the woods, or to the campground, make sure you’re all geared up with the latest and greatest camping equipment. Scott Anderson from Cabela’s near Green Bay, set up a tent on the Fox 11 weather deck to show us what’s new for 2015.  From chairs and sleeping bags, to cooking supplies and bug zappers, we explored some of the ways you can add a little comfort and style to your next camping adventure.  Anderson also talked about Cabela’s new “Disconnect Day” which encourages everyone to pick a day to put down their devices and reconnect with the great outdoors.

Cabela’s
1499 Lombardi Ave
Ashwaubenon, WI

(920) 264-0140

GREEN BAY- Many animals are getting some tender loving care at the Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary.

Spring time is always busy for them.

Curator Lori Bankson joined Good Day Wisconsin with a behind the scenes look.

Click on the video to learn more.