Green Bay News

PHILADELPHIA (AP) – The attorney for the engineer who was at the controls when an Amtrak train crashed in Philadelphia says his client has no recollection of a crash that killed at least seven people.

Attorney Robert Goggin tells ABC’s “Good Morning America” that his client, Brandon Bostian, remembers trying to reduce speed as the train entered a curve before he was knocked out and sustained a concussion.

Goggin says the engineer does not remember deploying the emergency brake. He says the last thing Bostian recalls is coming to, looking for his bag, retrieving his cellphone and calling 911 for help.

Investigators have determined the train was only able to slow down to 102 mph Tuesday night before it ran off the rails, where the speed limit was 50 mph.

The lawyer says Bostian’s memory could likely return as the head injury subsides.

MADISON – The cost to live in Wisconsin keeps adding up. If it’s not taxes, it’s fees–sometimes hidden fees.

Politicians like to talk about cutting taxes on the local, state and federal level. To get around raising taxes, politicians can implement fees to cover costs and help balance the budget.

“I think there has been a higher use of fees. I think it’s easier to increase them,” said State Rep. David Steffen, (R)-Howard, a freshman legislator.

Some fees are straight forward–for example this year the governor in his proposed budget is calling for hikes to the state park admission fee and the state park campground fee.  If you visit the state parks, you’ll pay more under the plan.

Some politicians like the idea that if you use it, you should be the one paying for it. Others though believe things like a state park should not have a price barrier.

“You’re starting to price some people out of access to our state parks,” said State Rep. Gordon Hintz, (D)-Oshkosh. Hintz also points out if fees are too high people might stay away from state parks creating another budget problem.

Then there are hidden fees, like some that appear on your cell phone bill. These added fees have little to nothing to do with the good or service you’re buying. Check out the WI Police and Fire Protection Fee on your bill. The money collected doesn’t go directly to the police or fire departments, but rather to shared revenue funds the state gives to local governments.

“Those are the kinds of fees that certainly elected officials like because they can get away with them,” said Todd Berry, president of the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance in Madison.

Steffen says chances are most people don’t even realize how much they’re actually paying in taxes, and state and local fees every year.

While Governor Scott Walker says he will cut property taxes in Wisconsin, the Legislative Fiscal Bureau examined the proposed budget’s tax and fee modifications and found net taxes would go up $39-million and net fees would increase $8.6-million over the two-year plan.

Check out the Legislative Fiscal Bureau tax and fee modification findings here.

Be sure to watch Mark Leland’s  FOX 11 Investigates report Thursday night on FOX 11 News at Five and Nine to find out how much you’re really paying in taxes and fees to live in Wisconsin.

MILWAUKEE (AP) – Authorities say a man accused in a fatal hit-and-run in Milwaukee has been arrested after being followed by a witness.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports 34-year-old Alvaro Canseco-Hernandez was charged Wednesday with homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle, among other charges. He’s accused of driving his pickup while drunk on May 8 and hitting 59-year-old Anthony P. Orosco, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

A criminal complaint says Canseco-Hernandez drove away from the scene, and a witness in another vehicle followed him. According to the complaint, the witness saw a marked police car and alerted an officer to the pickup. The officer chased Canseco-Hernandez before he eventually pulled over.

Authorities say Canseco-Hernandez told police he drank 14 to 17 beers before driving.

A message seeking comment was sent to an attorney listed as representing Canseco-Hernandez.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) – 6:45 a.m.

Cranes and heavy equipment are working to right the overturned cars from an Amtrak train that crashed in Philadelphia, killing at least seven people.

Investigators have determined the train was traveling at 106 mph Tuesday night before it ran off the rails along a sharp curve where the speed limit drops to just 50 mph.

The National Transportation Safety Board says the engineer applied the emergency brakes moments before the crash but slowed the train to only 102 mph by the time the locomotive’s black box stopped recording data.

The engineer refused to give a statement to police.

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Nick Fradiani is the latest winner of “American Idol.”

The 29-year-old rocker of Guilford, Connecticut, bested soulful 22-year-old vocalist Clark Beckham of White House, Tennessee, to win the 14th edition of the Fox talent competition.

“This is amazing,” he told “Idol” host Ryan Seacrest. “This is the best day of my life.”

Fradiani joins such champions as Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, Phillip Phillips and Kris Allen, as well one more winner to be determined next year. Fox announced earlier this week that the next season would be the last for “Idol.”

Before he was revealed as the winner on Wednesday, Fradiani dueted with singer-songwriter Andy Grammer.

“I can’t even think right now,” Fradiani said after Seacrest informed him that he received the most viewer votes – without revealing the exact number cast.

Fradiani’s win came on the strength of his renditions Tuesday of Matchbox 20’s “Bright Lights,” Jason Mraz’s “I Won’t Give Up” and “Beautiful Life,” intended as his first single. Beckham sang Ray Charles’ “Georgia on My Mind,” Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine” and “Champion.”

The two-hour extravaganza kicked off with Fradiani and Beckham joining Fall Out Boy on their song “Centuries.”

The series’ penultimate finale also resurrected Chic, Ricky Martin, NKOTB, Michael McDonald and Steven Tyler for performances, as well as judges Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban and Harry Connick Jr.

The once-blockbuster singing contest, which hit a peak of 30.3 million viewers in 2005, is now averaging 9.15 million viewers per episode, according to the Nielsen company.

Lopez, Urban and Connick Jr. are due back at the judges’ table for next year’s 15th and final “Idol” outing. Beckham had a few words of advice for those looking to become the last-ever “Idol.”

“You have to be good at lot of different things,” he said. “It’s not just singing a song.”

GREEN BAY- Warmer weather continues to slowly build back into the area and highs will be in the 70s for the weekend.

It will be mostly cloudy Thursday and a bit warmer with a high of 63 and southeast winds at 10 to 15 mph. Rain will develop Thursday night, mainly after 8 p.m. and scattered showers will continue through Friday morning.

Rainfall amounts between a quarter and a half inch are expected.

After an early morning shower Friday, we will see mostly cloudy skies and a high of 70.

Click here for Director of Meteorology Pete Petoniak’s full forecast.

OSHKOSH – There is plenty to do and see in Oshkosh!

FOX 11’s Emily Deem spent Thursday morning at The Paine Art Center and Gardens to see what events are coming up!

Click here to learn more.

WASHINGTON (AP) – The deadly Amtrak derailment near Philadelphia appears to be yet another accident that didn’t have to happen.

It could have been avoided if a long-sought safety technology had been installed on its tracks and trains, according to information gathered by accident investigators.

Seven years ago, Congress gave Amtrak and freight and commuter railroads until the end of this year to install the technology, called positive train control, on their trains and tracks. But few, if any, railroads are expected to meet the deadline. Now lawmakers are proposing to give railroads another five to seven years to get the task done.

The technology uses GPS, wireless radio and computers to monitor train position. It can automatically brake to prevent derailments due to excessive speed, collisions with other trains, trains entering track where maintenance is being done or going the wrong way because of a switching mistake. It’s all aimed at preventing human error, which is responsible for about 40 percent of train accidents.

A preliminary review of the Amtrak train’s event data recorder, or “black box,” shows it was traveling at 106 mph in an 80 mph zone just before it entered a curve where the speed limit is 50 mph, National Transportation Safety Board member Robert Sumwalt said Wednesday. The train’s engineer applied maximum braking power seconds before the crash, but it was too late.

“We feel that had such a system been installed in this section of track, this accident would not have occurred,” Sumwalt told reporters.

At least seven people were killed and about 200 injured in the derailment.

The Philadelphia accident shares similarities with a 2013 derailment in New York on the Monday morning after Thanksgiving. A Metro-North commuter train derailed in the Bronx, killing four and injuring dozens of others. The train’s engineer had fallen asleep and failed to slow the train from 82 mph to the maximum authorized speed of 30 mph as it entered a curve. An NTSB investigation concluded that crash would also have been prevented by positive train control.

Not counting Tuesday’s derailment, the NTSB has investigated 29 passenger and freight train accidents that officials say could have been prevented by positive train control since 2004. Sixty-eight people died and more than 1,100 were injured in those crashes. The board has been urging installation of the technology, or its precursors, for 45 years.

In 2008, a month after a commuter train and a freight train collided in Chatsworth, California, killing 25 people, Congress passed a law requiring that positive train control be installed by Dec. 31, 2015. But railroads have long complained that complications will prevent them from meeting that deadline.

In March, the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee approved a bill that would give railroads until 2020 to install the technology, and another two years after that if they need more time. The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, which opposed the bill, complained at the time that some of its provisions would make it virtually impossible for federal regulators to ever force freight railroads to implement the technology.

At least three of the bill’s key sponsors – Sens. John Thune, R-S.D., Roy Blunt, R-Mo., and Claire McCaskill, D-Mo. – have each received more than $100,000 in contributions to their campaigns and political committees from the rail industry over the course of their careers in Congress, according to the political money-tracking website OpenSecrets.org.

The three senators said in statements or through their aides that reports by government agencies show railroads need more time. One of the hurdles is getting all the railroads to agree on systems that will work on everyone’s tracks despite differing policies and operations. Such interoperability is necessary because freight railroads frequently operate on each other’s tracks. Commuter railroads and Amtrak also often operate on freight rail tracks.

Amtrak has been one of the more aggressive railroads in installing the technology. Three years ago, Amtrak announced it expected to finish installing positive train control throughout its busy Northeast Corridor by the end of 2012. While positive train control is in operation in much of the corridor between New York and Boston and on some other Amtrak lines in the Midwest, other portions still lack the technology. Amtrak officials didn’t reply to questions from The Associated Press about why the technology hadn’t been installed on the Philadelphia tracks where the derailment took place.

“For decades we have seen preventable derailments and collisions occur,” said former NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman. “If we do not implement technology such as PTC to prevent these events, we will continue to see them for the foreseeable future.”

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., a commerce committee member who voted against the bill, blamed the Federal Railroad Administration in part for not leaning hard enough on railroads over the past seven years to get the job done.

“There is more evidence than ever that it is irresponsible and reprehensible to grant so long an extension,” Blumenthal said.

One of the obstacles is the cost to industry of implementing positive train control, estimated in the billions of dollars. A Republican-controlled House panel approved deep spending cuts to Amtrak’s budget on Wednesday just hours after the Philadelphia accident. An attempt by Democratic lawmakers to boost Amtrak spending by $1 billion was rebuffed.

MILWAUKEE (AP) – Jose Quintana struck out 10 in seven solid innings, and Avisail Garcia and Adam LaRoche hit back-to-back home runs in the first inning to lead the Chicago White Sox past the Milwaukee Brewers 4-2 on Wednesday night.

Chicago, which had a major-league worst three road wins entering the game, won their first road series of the season after taking two of three from last-place Milwaukee.

The Brewers made things interesting in the ninth after Carlos Gomez hit a solo homer off David Robertson. Adam Lind then walked to put the tying run at the plate with one out.

Martin Maldonado lined out before Robertson got Hector Gomez to strike out on a 1-2 curveball for his seventh save.

Quintana (2-3) allowed four hits, benefiting from the solo shots from Garcia and LaRoche with two outs to make it 3-0 in the first off starter Jimmy Nelson (1-4).

OSHKOSH – State health officials say suicide is a growing problem in Wisconsin. So the state Department of Health Services is taking a new approach to try and prevent future suicides.

Pediatrician Dr. Susan Szabo has been involved with Community for Hope in Oshkosh for 12 years. The organization works to prevent suicide.

“I got involved after losing a patient to suicide. He was the kind of kid you never would have thought would die from suicide,” Szabo explained.

According to the state Department of Health Services suicide is the 11th leading cause of death statewide. Between 2007 and 2011, 724 people on average died by suicide each year.

Wednesday DHS released a new suicide prevention strategy.

“It creates for us a road map as to what various people across the state can do,” explained Joyce Allen with the DHS Division of Mental Health.

There are four goals in that road map. The first is to reduce the liklihood that people become suicidal.

Szabo told FOX 11 one way to do that is by reaching out to young people.

“It’s really important and we start out in grade school, not necessarily bringing up the word suicide, but talking about, ‘it’s okay to ask for help,’ and ‘who can you go to if you need help?'” she said.

The next goal is to identify suicidal individuals and provide timely access for treatment. The hope is to do that by making the general public more aware of suicide and its signs.

Community for Hope trains regular people on what to look for.

“Trying to get those trainings into businesses, into churces, into community groups,” explained Szabo.

The third goal is to support suicidal individuals with the highest quality of care. This is aimed at the medical community.

“Create for them a system that is one that can better screen patients for identifying people that might have suicidal thoughts and then how they can better refer people to the type of treatment they need,” Allen told us.

The final goal is to collect statewide data to monitor whether the steps to prevent suicide are working.

If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts you can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1(800)273-8255.

ASHWAUBENON – The top female bowlers from around the country are in town for the next week.
The lanes are set, and the pros are eyeing up the competition.

“The atmosphere is a lot different in here than a lot of people realize. If you come in and you watch these tournaments, you realize how competitive it is, and how many women are extremely talented out there,” said Brittni Hamilton, a member of the U.S. National Bowling Team.

As the USBC Queens roll into Ashwaubenon this weekend, one local teen is hoping to become bowling royalty.

Meet Morgan Stary.

“I’m 17. I’m a junior in high school. This is my first big one,” said Stary.

The Green Bay Southwest High School student has been a stand out on the junior circuit for years. This is her first time taking on professional bowlers, right in her own back yard.

“It’s really cool. It’s really exciting to be here. I’m familiar with the lanes. It’s a national tournament here in my hometown so that’s pretty cool,” said Stary.

250 of the country’s best female bowlers have made their way to Northeast Wisconsin. This is the first time the Professional Women’s Bowling Association has held a national tournament tour since 2003. And it’s the first time ever for the Green Bay area hosting a national professional women’s tournament.

“We never hosted anything of this magnitude before. It’s great for the community. You have the world’s greatest bowlers here and the women they throw fantastic. They are really, really good,” said David LaBar, the co-owner of Ashwaubenon Bowling Alley.

Professionals like Brittni Hamilton say they hope other young girls will come out to the tournament, and someday want to follow in their footsteps.

“I would encourage young girls to go out and bowl. There is a lot that bowling can give you: scholarships to go to school, the PWBA tour coming back now, and there is a lot of things out there for women’s bowling,” said Hamilton.

The qualifying rounds for this tournament begin Thursday afternoon.

Ashwaubenon Bowling Alley hosted a national men’s tournament earlier this year.

The tournament goes through Tuesday, with the final round that night televised on cable channel ESPN 2.

GREEN BAY – Green Bay’s mayor and some city council members aren’t happy with the way each other are acting.

Green Bay’s personnel committee meeting turned into a session of finger pointing Wednesday night.

“Everybody in this room knows what this is, this is the bologna of Mr. Schmitt,” said Guy Zima, an alderman.
“We as a council need to come up with some type of rule so this kind of behavior can finally stop,” said Jim Schmitt, Green Bay’s mayor.

Schmitt wants a review of Zima’s conduct from an April 8th council meeting. Schmitt says Zima swore at and flipped off a constituent. You can hear some of the exchange in a video.

“You can stick it up yours,” Zima can be heard saying in the video.

“To have an alderman give someone the finger, to swear at them, and this has been going on for years and years,” said Schmitt.

Zima says he did nothing wrong considering the exchange happened after the meeting.

“This committee has no standing and for you to participate in this charade is beneath the dignity of the council,” said Zima.

Schmitt is facing his own accusations. Alderman Tim De Wane says Schmitt bullied Economic Development Authority members to support a psychiatric hospital proposal. There is audio from that meeting.

“I appointed you to make this decision and I appointed you thinking you had the best interest of our community in mind and that’s how I want you to vote,” Schmitt can be heard saying in the audio recording.

“To tell people to vote in the best interest of the community, is that bullying?” said Schmitt. “I mean that’s what I do. I probably say that every day. That’s just something he trumped up.”

The personnel committee voted to receive and place on file both complaints against Schmitt and Zima. Members said the full city council should discuss both, along with the possibility of creating a personal conduct policy for the council.

“If its behavior that has an impact on the legislative bodies’ work and ability to do its work, then I think it’s legitimate to talk about,” said Alderman Tom Sladek.

“That’s subjective nonsense,” said Zima.

The city council is expected to take the issues up next Tuesday.

The city council currently does not have a personal conduct policy.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Public aid recipients in Wisconsin would be limited in how much junk food they could buy and forced to undergo screenings for illegal drug use under bills passed Wednesday by the state Assembly.

The Republican-sponsored measures face an uncertain future, however. They still must pass the Senate, which last session refused to take up the junk food bill. Also, it would take hard-to-get federal waivers to enact the junk food restriction and drug tests for food stamp recipients.

There are also concerns about whether the state would allocate enough money to pay for the drug tests or the grocery store software needed to track food purchases.

Still, Republican supporters pushed forward Wednesday, saying they wanted to make sure that beneficiaries of public programs are eating healthy food and not doing drugs, making them more employable.

“With help from the government comes responsibility,” said Assembly Speaker Robin Vos in a news conference prior to debate.

Under the junk food bill, food stamp recipients would have to use at least two-thirds of their monthly benefits to purchase nutritional foods such as beef, chicken, pork, potatoes, dairy products, fresh produce and food available under the Women, Infants and Children nutrition program. Users would be barred from buying crab, lobster, shrimp and other shellfish.

Democrats and other opponents – including a coalition of businesses that worry the limitations would be bad for Wisconsin food products – have argued that the measure was an overreach.

Grocery stores have also balked at the proposal because new software would have to be installed to track spending by food stamp users, which is estimated to cost as much as $55 million.

Rep. Andy Jorgenson, D-Milton, said Republicans were pursuing the issue to try to distract from other unpopular proposals in Gov. Scott Walker’s state budget.

“You’ve decided that being the food police might make you more popular,” Jorgenson said.

The federal government funds food stamp benefits. The limitations imposed under the bill would require a federal waiver, something no other state has received for such a proposal.

The bill passed on a 60-35 vote, with all Democrats voting against and all Republicans in favor except for Reps. Adam Neylon, of Pewaukee, and Jessie Rodriguez, of Franklin.

The Assembly also passed a pair of bills that would require drug tests for applicants for state job training programs such as Wisconsin Works and certain applicants for unemployment benefits. Since state law requires able-bodied people who don’t have dependent children to get job training to receive food stamps, the drug test requirement would also apply to some food stamp recipients.

Under the bills, applicants for the public benefits and job training programs would first have to complete a questionnaire screening for drug abuse. Based on the answers, applicants could be forced to undergo state-funded tests and enter state-sponsored treatment to retain their eligibility.

The proposals are similar to what Walker, a likely presidential candidate, proposed in his budget.

The bill affecting worker training programs passed 62-33. Democrat Chris Danou, of Trempealeau, voted for the bill, while Neylon broke with Republicans and voted against it. The bill affecting unemployment benefits passed 63-32, with Rep. Nick Milroy, D-South Range, joining Danou and Republicans in favor and Neylon with Democrats against.

Eleven states already require drug testing of at least some welfare recipients, according to data from the National Conference of State Legislatures. And four states require drug-testing of at least some people filing for unemployment compensation.

But the idea has run into legal problems. A federal appeals court in December affirmed a ruling that a law in Florida requiring mandatory drug testing of welfare benefit applicants was unconstitutional. And Georgia officials last year put on hold a new law requiring drug testing of food stamp recipients amid concerns about its legality.

NEW LONDON – Authorities in New London are looking for a man who they say robbed a pharmacy Wednesday afternoon.

Police say just before 2:30 p.m. a man robbed Jernegan’s Health Mart Pharmacy, located at 1301 S. Mill Street.

Witnesses say the man pointed a gun at the employees and demanded prescription pills and money. The man got away with a small amount of prescription pills but did not get any money.

The man is described as white, 40-50-years-old, around six feet tall, 190-200 pounds with possibly gray/black facial hair. The man was wearing a black hooded jacket.

The man drove away in what was described as a 1995-2000 black Dodge truck with a short box without a cap. He was last seen driving south on Division Street from Douglas Street in New London.

If anyone has any information regarding this incident, please contact the New London Police Department (920) 982-8505.

It’s 6:21 a.m. and while most of the world dreams, former Kimberly Papermaker Mike Hardy is back in his high school gym. Awake in the reality of his.

“Being able to come in here and have a chance, just a little chance, to do something in the NFL is mind blowing,” Hardy said.

Just days removed from a taste of Packers rookie camp, the Appleton native who grew up wearing Brett Favre jerseys, is still floating from his Green and Golden opportunity.

“Walking up to my locker and seeing the helmet with the “G” on it and the jersey with my name on it,” Hardy said. “It was unreal.”

The Iowa defensive lineman fared well in his first NFL experience.

“To hear some “that a boys” from the coaches did a lot for my confidence,” Hardy said.

But it’s a numbers game, and with Green Bay resigning B.J. Raji and Letroy Guion, Hardy fell short of the 90-man roster.

“The NFL is a cutthroat business,” Hardy said. “They can cut you one day and call you back the next.”

So it’s back to the gym. To wait for a call, lift weights and reflect on the ride its been.

“We’ll see what happens,” Hardy said. “Even if I don’t make the team and have to get a real job, I’ll still be proud of that.”

Long before he was chasing NFL dreams, Hardy was chasing quarterbacks at Papermaker Stadium. A Kimberly career which saw back-to-back titles in 2007 and 2008.

“They’re starting to build a dynasty,” Hardy said.

From Camp Randall to Kinnick Stadium and now the Hutson Center. It’s been a football career to get pumped up about.

“Whatever happens, it was a great ride,” Hardy said.

And Mike Hardy is up early, to breath a little more life into it. In Kimberly, Dylan Scott, Fox 11 Sports.

MILWAUKEE (WITI-TV) – The state’s favorite quarterback brought home another win Tuesday night.

Aaron Rodgers won $50,000 for the Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer on Jeopardy!

“It’s an amazing organization dedicated to funding childhood cancer and other related blood disorder research,” Rodgers said.

The charity is extremely grateful for all the money, but says his win is bringing in even more than expected. MACC Fund officials say Rodgers has helped to increase awareness, giving more people hope.

“Imagine what it means to a child and to a mom and dad, grandma grandpa, mom and dad, uncle, brother sister, to know that the league’s MVP cares about them,” said Executive Director of MACC fund, John Cary.

The MACC Fund has already received the check for $50,000.

And besides lots of buzz on social media, the organization says it received a bunch of phone calls Wednesday as well.

TOWN OF EATON – Among Reedsville High School’s senior class, there are some that are going off to college to study medicine. Others are looking at careers in agri-business or education.

Grant Wedepohl wants to become an engineer.

“I kind of like building things and designing stuff to build, and welding, so, that made me like engineering,” said Wedepohl.

Wedepohl is set to attend UW-Platteville next fall. But before he graduates next week, he and 57 other Reedsville seniors are on a field trip, led area construction company owner Bill Lorrigan.

“We figure we have to be proactive and try and get people to be interested in the trades,” said Lorrigan, yet again confirming a problem he and other business owners have lamented about for years.

That they have open jobs, but can’t attract people to them; find those with the skills; or keep them in those jobs.

At this stop at Greendale Dairy in Eaton, construction work by Lorrigan’s company carries on in the background as the students eat lunch.

Billing the excursion as ‘Building the Future 2015′, Lorrigan hopes the teens come away with a better understanding of what the construction or manufacturing trades are; and the well-paying careers that can come from them.

“Obviously, we are looking for (employees for) our business, but more importantly all the trades need them, whether it’s electrical, plumbing, HVAC, we’re all looking for help,” Lorrigan said of the purpose behind the trip.

“Looking for those individuals who not only have the skill sets they learned through school, but having the soft skills of – the leadership skills, communication skills, having strong bodies of character that have been instilled in them,” said Amerequip President and CEO Mike Vander Zanden.

Transferable skills that the agriculture and lawn care equipment company needs. Already employing nearly 270 people, the plan is to add another 150 employees by 2018 – from machinists and welders to IT specialists and engineers.

Amerequip is also the final stop for the group for the day.

“Being able to educate people about manufacturing is important and so to give, young adults and students an opportunity to see the different career options and choices are out there,” he said.

Options and choices that are starting to come into focus for students, like Wedepohl.

“I think one thing that I’ve noticed is that instead of just going and working for a big engineering firm,” said Wedepohl “there’s engineers in smaller companies like this where they lead projects and design stuff, instead of just sitting at a desk all day and design.”

Lorrigan says he hopes to expand the trade trips to other schools in the region.

MENASHA – UW Colleges and Bellin College are partnering to provide students the ability to transfer with an associates degree.

Students will be able to choose from 13 UW campuses to get a two year associates degree.

The partnership will provide UW transfer students that complete credits or a degree, the ability to transfer to Bellin College to earn a degree in nursing or radiologic science.

School officials with Bellin College say this is a great way to produce well-rounded workers who enter the workforce.

“This is an amazing opportunity for Bellin College because it will give us more students into our building, and it will allow us to provide more workers into the workforce for nursing, and radiology sciences,” said Connie Boerst, President and CEO of Bellin College.

This agreement is the first of its kind between the 13 UW Colleges and Bellin College.

APPLETON – An Appleton woman was arrested and charged after police say she threatened her ex-boyfriend with a handgun Tuesday.

24-year-old Megan Stafford is charged with intentionally pointing a firearm at a person.

Appleton Police say they received a call from a 33-year-old Appleton man who said a previous girlfriend of his threatened him with a handgun near the intersection of E. College Avenue and S. Walter Street at 3:38 p.m.

Officers located Stafford’s vehicle a short time later on E. Water Street near Rocky Bleier Run. Stafford was taken into custody.

During a search of her vehicle, police say they found a .40 caliber handgun under the driver’s seat, marijuana and a second loaded weapon. A record check of the second weapon found it was stolen during a vehicle theft in Washington County.

During police interview, Stafford admitted to stealing the second handgun and threatening the man with a weapon, but also stated the man had pointed a handgun at her as well.

The man later admitted he threatened her with his handgun after Stafford drew her weapon.

No shots were fired during the incident.

BAILEYS HARBOR – A wetlands area in northern Door County is receiving world-wide acclaim.

It is the Door Peninsula Coastal Wetlands.

On a sunny Wednesday morning near Baileys Harbor, George Cobb was searching for birds.

“Right now, we’re on the cusp of the migrations coming through,” said George Cobb, Baileys Harbor.

Cobb spends a lot of time at the Ridges Sanctuary, a wetlands area that makes up part of the 11,400 acre Door Peninsula Coastal Wetlands.

The Ramsar Convention, a world-wide wetlands protection organization, recently recognized the area as being internationally significant.

“We are thrilled to join the ranks of The Everglades in Florida and 37 other sites in the United States to have this prestigious designation,” said Nicole Van Helden, The Nature Conservancy.

Van Helden and the environmental group, The Nature Conservancy, applied for the status.

The group met certain criteria, and gained support from local land and business owners.

“People can park in Baileys Harbor, experience the small town right along Lake Michigan, then walk the Ridges trails,” said Steve Leonard, The Ridges Sanctuary.

Leonard says endangered dragonflies, and threatened wild flowers prove the wetlands are worthy of worldwide attention.

“Door County is know for its natural beauty. And people want to come up and experience that. And now as an internationally significant wetland, they can really walk the trails, and understand the importance of the protection,” said Leonard.

The Ramsar distinction is largely symbolic. Van Helden says the protected status of the wetlands will not change.

“All of those entities, are able to manage and own the land as they would normally. This designation really allows us to put a feather in our cap,” she said.

For George Cobb, it’s a feather for the future.

“It will pay off for the area, but I think it will pay off for our grandchildren, and their children in the long run,” said Cobb.

The area will officially celebrate its new honor Friday the 22nd.

That will match up with the county’s annual Festival of Nature.