Green Bay News

NEENAH- The mourning continues for the victims of the Trestle Trail bridge shooting.

Jon Stoffel and his daughter Olivia were killed in the shooting on May 3.

Visitation for them starts Wednesday at Calvary Bible Church in Neenah from 4-8 p.m.

It continues from 3:30-6 p.m. Thursday with a funeral to follow.

Jon Stoffel’s wife Erin was shot, but survived.

Another victim, 31-year-old Adam Bentdahl from Appleton, also died in the shooting. His funeral was Saturday.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) – An Amtrak train has abruptly overturned in Philadelphia, killing at least five people and injuring dozens of others.

Train 188, a Northeast Regional, had left Washington, D.C. and was headed to New York when it derailed shortly after 9 p.m. Tuesday. Amtrak says the train was carrying 238 passengers and five crew members.

More than 140 people went to hospitals to be evaluated or treated, and six were critically injured.

Mayor Michael Nutter, who confirmed the deaths, described the derailment as “an absolute disastrous mess.” He says all seven train cars, including the engine, were in “various stages of disarray.”

The accident has closed the nation’s busiest rail corridor between New York and Washington as federal investigators begin sifting through the mangled remains to determine what went wrong.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup dry Italian seasoned bread crumbs
8 ounces elbow macaroni, cooked al dente
2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 large eggs, beaten
1 1/4 cups milk
1/2 cup sour cream
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup Panko Japanese breadcrumbs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 12 cup muffin tin with cooking spray. Sprinkle muffin cups with Italian breadcrumbs. Shake out the extra breadcrumbs so that the cups are just lightly coated. In a bowl whisk eggs and milk together. In a big bowl, mix butter, 1 1/2 cups of cheese and sour cream into the hot macaroni. Next stir in egg mixture, mustard and a little salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Spoon macaroni mixture into muffin cups. Top each with a little of the remaining cheese and then panko breadcrumbs. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until bubbly. Allow them to cool a bit before serving, Use a knife and spatula to remove mac ‘n cheese mini from tins.

Green Bay- Click the video to see the High School GameTime highlights from Tuesday night, with Neenah beating Hortonville in soccer, Appleton North and Kimberly playing to a 1-1 tie, and the Ashwaubenon Jaguars getting a 3-1 win in softball.

MILWAUKEE (AP) – Chris Sale struck out 11 in eight solid innings in his return from suspension to lift the Chicago White Sox to a 4-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday night.

Chicago ended a seven-game road losing streak despite another modest offensive effort. It didn’t matter with Sale (3-1) on the mound, as the lanky left-hander made every run count before David Robertson converted his sixth save to end it.

Milwaukee’s Elian Herrera homered for the third straight day, but Brewers reliever Michael Blazek (3-1) faltered late.

Sale looked nothing like the pitcher who’d given up 13 runs over his previous two starts against Minnesota and Detroit in returning from a five-game suspension for his role in an April 23 brawl with Kansas City.

The biggest reason was his command. After walking seven in his previous 8 1-3 innings, Sale didn’t allow a walk until two outs in the eighth in notching his 19th career double-digit strikeout game in his 91st career start.

He limited Milwaukee’s offense to a pair of big plays – a triple to lead off the game by Jean Segura, who came around to score on Ryan Braun’s groundout and Herrera’s homer that landed in the Brewers bullpen to lead off the fifth that tied the game at 2.

It had the makings of a pitching duel early when Brewers starter Mike Fiers retired the first 11 batters he faced. Fiers struck out seven and allowed two runs on three consecutive hits in the fifth, but his bullpen didn’t help him after leaving with one out in the seventh.

Reliever Will Smith got out of a seventh-inning jam to keep the game tied at 2, but Blazek loaded the bases with one out on two walks and a single before Alexei Ramirez’s sacrifice fly in the eighth made it 3-2. Jose Abreu’s two-out RBI single in the ninth proved to be the final margin.

Chicago improved to a modest 3-12 away from U.S. Cellular Field, still the worst mark in the majors.

TRAINER’S ROOM

White Sox: Manager Robin Ventura settled on a starting rotation Carlos Rodon, John Danks and Jeff Samardzija as the starters for this weekend’s series in Oakland after suspensions, injuries and a weekend doubleheader wrecked his bullpen. Coming into Tuesday’s game, Chicago relievers had given up 13 earned runs over 14 1-3 innings over the previous three days, making Sale’s start all the more important.

Brewers: With a left-hander on the mound and lingering lower back tightness, Brewers third baseman Aramis Ramirez was out of the lineup for the fifth straight game. Ramirez, who has hit left-handed pitching well in his career, came in with just one hit in 13 at-bats against lefties this year.

UP NEXT

White Sox: Jose Quintana (1-3) starts the series finale for Chicago. He’s been a hard-luck loser as of late, going 0-2 over his last three starts despite just five earned runs over 19 innings.

Brewers: Milwaukee wraps up this 10-game homestand on Wednesday. Jimmy Nelson (1-3) gets the start coming off a career-high 11 strikeouts last Friday against the Cubs.

APPLETON – Fans in Jim’s Place cheered as Aaron Rodgers was announced for his big Celebrity Jeopardy! matchup.

“I think they’re interested to see how smart he is and how he compares with the people that he’s with,” said Jay Plamann who has owned Jim’s Place for 19 years.

He told FOX 11 Jeopardy! enthusiasts come here every night to watch the show.

“It’s part of the Lawrence trivia contest that always came here and it just became part of the culture here,” Plamann explained.

But Tuesday’s Aaron Rodgers appearance made the nightly ritual even more exciting.

“Absolutely! We all know that he’s the man,” said Dave Henek who was on Jeopardy! almost eight years ago.

Henek understands what it’s like for contestants going into taping.

“Extremely nerve-wracking. The bathroom in the green room before Jeopardy! is one of the most used bathrooms in America,” he told us, laughing.

But Henek said not even Jeopardy! could phase the MVP.

“Oh, I think anyone that thinks Aaron Rodgers feels pressure is a fool,” he said.

At times the bar was quiet as viewers waited for Rodgers’ answers. They were impressed with his smarts.

“Very cool under pressure,” remarked Henek.

At other times, it was like watching a football game as fans lamented a wrong answer from Rodgers. Then celebrated a wrong answer from one of his opponents.

In the end, it was a celebration as Rodgers clinched another victory.

“Aaron Rodgers is the man, as I told you before! I always had confidence in him!” exclaimed Henek.

Proving the fans have Rodgers’ back, no matter if the game is football, or tirvia.

And just so you know, Dave Henken came in second during his turn on Jeopardy!

Green Bay – Aaron Rodgers used his smarts instead of his arm to get a win on Celebrity Jeopardy!, a quiz show which aired across the country on May 12th, and in Northeastern Wisconsin on Fox 11.

Rodgers was up against astronaut Mike Kelly and the host of the television show “Shark Tank” Kevin O’Leary. Rodgers got the win, earning $50,000 for the MACC Fund, an organization Rodgers often helps, which uses funds to fight childhood cancer.

Dressed in a sensible sweater instead of his traditional number 12 in the Green and Gold, Rodgers hit the big stage, and ever the stickler for preparation, Aaron Rodgers had a foolproof strategy for his turn on Celebrity Jeopardy:”I knew the rules, and had studied up a lot, on reaction time, when to buzz in,” said Rodgers after the win. “I studied up on strategies, whether to jump around or go up and down.”

Rodgers even tried to enlist Alex Trebek as a teammate, getting him in on the action, enticing the host to perform Rodgers’ trademark belt celebration for a show well done. “But I don’t have the cheesehead!” said Trebek after performing the move.

Rodgers held a lead into Final Jeopardy, and even though he failed to identify Harley and Davidson from an early motorcycle photo (Rodgers guessed Ernst and Young) he still won, earning $50,000.

“This has been a great experience,” said Rodgers. “It’s great to see that number go to a great organization.”

GREEN BAY – As students are finishing up taking the new Badger Exam this month, lawmakers could decide whether those scores will actually count.

“That’s kind of been nicknamed the ‘pause bill’,” said State Representative Jeremy Thiesfeldt (R-Fond du Lac).

Thiesfeldt says it’s in response to Governor Scott Walker’s budget bill, which cuts funding for the Badger Exam.

“The state is going to be using a different test, and, because of that, it was decided that we should not be using this test for just one year of data,” Thiesfeldt said.

The state does not know what will take the place of the Badger Exam next year.

The bill would stop the state from issuing the school report cards and teacher effectiveness data based off of the Badger Exam results this year.

State Representative Eric Genrich (D-Green Bay) says this bill has bi-partisan support.

“My only objection to the bill was that it should have been passed already. Students and schools are in the midst of taking this exam and, rather than give them the certainty of what this would be used for, it’s been caught up in some politics,” said Genrich.

Students in grades three through eight are tested on English and math. Schools could begin giving the test last month. They have until May 29th to submit the tests to the state.

In Green Bay public schools, 90 percent of students have taken the test so far. Despite delays with the tests across the state due to technological issues, Green Bay says there have been minimal problems.

“There were individual students who were getting bumped out of the test and needing to be logged back in and students hitting the submit button when they shouldn’t have logged out. But this hasn’t significantly impacted our ability to test the kids,” said Stephen Miller, the director of assessments for the Green Bay Area Public School District.

However, the director of assessment says he would support not using the data.

“Give our staff and students a chance to take the test, learn from the process of testing without the anxiety of it being connected to some kind of high stakes accountability,” said Miller.

The Department of Public Instruction says it has sent requests for proposals for new online testing systems. Schools say they do not know how a new test next year will affect their districts.

The Assembly is set to vote tomorrow on the bill that would throw out this year’s Badger Exam results when it comes to state accountability. The results would still count toward federal regulations.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) – An Amtrak train headed to New York City crashed in Philadelphia on Tuesday night, injuring at least 50 people according to authorities on scene.

Train 188, a Northeast Regional, had left Washington, D.C., earlier Tuesday. The front of the train was going into a turn when it shook.

Passengers of an Amtrak train that crashed gather Tuesday, May 12, 2015, near Philadelphia. Train 188 was traveling from Washington to New York City. (AP Photo/Paul Cheung)

An Associated Press employee, Paul Cheung, was on the train and said it appeared it went off the tracks. He said he was fortunate to be at the back of the train and the front of it “looks pretty bad.”

Several train cars appear to have overturned in the crash.

Police swarming the Port Richmond area where the crash occurred are telling people to get back.

Former Congressman Patrick Murphy was on the train and said he has been helping people. He tweeted photos of firefighters helping people in the wreckage.

Amtrak hasn’t returned a call seeking comment.

The National Transportation Safety Board says it will be looking into the crash.

FOND DU LAC – A Fond du Lac mountain climber is back home, more than a month after he set out to summit the world’s highest peak.

Andy Land was stranded while attempting to climb Mt. Everest in Nepal when a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck south Asia last month.

He landed in Chicago last Thursday.

“The way things unfolded was way bigger and how that will change my life is also way different than if I ever summited,” said the hospice nurse, admitting his journey to raise hospice care awareness took on a whole new meaning, once the tremor hit.”

I sat down with Land, 53, at his home on Fond du Lac’s south side Tuesday morning to talk about how the trip not only changed his mission, but his life.

Land was at a climbing camp, above Everest basecamp when the tremor struck.

”It was the scariest thing I’ve ever been through.”

Land said he was waiting for the avalanches coming down around him to hit his tent, waiting to die.

“It wasn’t something that ‘my life passed before my eyes’ or anything, it was just way too fast for any of that. It was recognition that this is what was happening, and there’s really nothing to do, except, wait.”

No one was injured at the camp, but Land was stranded on the mountain for two days until he caught a helicopter to basecamp. The basecamp didn’t fare as well as Land’s location; an avalanche killed at least 19 people and injured many more.

Land says the earthquake lasted about 40 seconds. In that time, a trip with so much purpose and optimism changed 180-degrees as he and his expedition party hiked down the mountain.
While goal of reaching the summit slowly faded in the distance, the trek towards Nepal’s capital gave him time decompress, reflect and help the Nepali people.

”The impact that Nepal has had on me I think is really still unfolding,” he said.

As Land looks through hundreds of photos from his trip – some of which are grim – there are others that highlight stories of inspiration. One photo sticks out. It’s of a 9-year-old Sherpa girl who sat next to him as he listened to music in the small Sherpa village of Phortse – about 20 miles away from base camp.

“She wanted to show me how she could write in English. So I gave her my journal and she wrote, ‘My name is Lapka Sherpa, I am nine-years-old,’ – and she was so proud of her English and her ability to write and to show me that, and that was just so cool, and it was such a great thing to be a part of.”

In a country that has already been through enough death and destruction to last a lifetime.

“We’re so fortunate in the United States, and yet these are people that – they are experiencing so much loss and yet, in some way, are just the most incredible people I’ve ever met,” Land said. “These people have nothing and yet they’re some of the most optimistic, positive, resilient, generous people I’ve ever met. And that’s sitting with me and then hearing about the earthquake in Namche (Bazaar), Nepal (Tuesday morning), I just feel so bad for people.”

People – and an experience – that Land is trying to process and how it fits in with the trip’s original purpose. A trip that he doesn’t plan on trying again.

“How do you refocus that (original mission)?” I asked him.

“Some of that, I think, is still to be sorted out.”

RACINE, Wis. (AP) – A 19-year-old Amur tiger has died at the Racine Zoo.

WISN-TV reports the tiger named Niki died Sunday.

The zoo says Niki was considered geriatric and was under veterinary care while staff worked to ensure her comfort in the last years of her life.

She arrived at the Racine Zoo in 2001. The tiger was born in 1995 at the Lee Richardson Zoo in Garden City, Kansas, and was moved to the Toledo Zoo in 1997.

Amur tigers are found mainly in Russia and are considered critically endangered, with only an estimated 350 to 400 animals left in the wild.

A full necropsy, or animal autopsy, will be performed in the coming weeks.

ST. NAZIANZ – It was 15 years ago Tuesday, a widespread super storm swept across the state.

High winds and hail damaged areas in four area counties.

One of the places hit hardest was St. Nazianz in Manitowoc County.

It was just before noon on a blustery Friday morning, then St. Nazianz Fire Chief Fritz Koeppen got word of a storm headed toward his village.

“It was black. The street lights were coming on. It was purple, green color. I didn’t like what I seen,” said Fritz Koeppen, Retired St. Nazianz Fire Chief.

Koeppen says he was at the fire station when baseball-sized hail came crashing down.

“It sounded like a gravel truck above, dumping a load of stones on the firehouse. I’ll never forget that sound,” he said.

Just up the hill, Eugene Riesterer was working outside when the storm hit.

“When I started seeing things flying off the house, I headed for the basement,” said Eugene Reisterer, St. Nazianz..

Trees toppled, and signs blew away.

“Then I heard a locomotive,” said Koeppen.

“Anyway, 42 seconds, it was all over,” he said.

Koeppen went outside to survey the damage.

Reports were coming in of people hurt in a trailer park nearby.

“He says we have people laying all over. Trailers upside down. It’s a mess up here. Get some help,” said Koeppen.

Koeppen says within hours, 28 fire departments were on the scene. Ambulances and buses shuttled people to the hospital.

“We had 31 injuries. But nobody got killed,” said Koeppen.

Dozens of buildings were damaged including St. Gregory Church.

“The top of the church. The tower was gone. The roof was ripped open, about a third of the way back,” said Riesterer.

But the village rebounded, and rebuilt.

15 years later, the church steeple towers over the town, and only a few empty lots remain at the trailer park.

Meanwhile hail damage on a lone garage serves as a reminder of a storm that changed this community forever.

Total damage from the storm is estimated to be $122 million.

To see the National Weather Service’s report on this super storm, click here.

High pressure building into the area tonight will bring clear skies and cool air to Northeast Wisconsin.

Temperatures will drop will into the 30s, likely bottoming out near 35 in Green Bay.

This could lead to widespread frost throughout our region, and so Frost Advisories have been put into effect for several counties from midnight Wednesday to 7 AM Wednesday morning.

Delicate plants and vegetation could be damaged if left outside and unprotected tonight as a result.

Milder weather is in the forecast from here on out, so we shouldn’t have to contend with frost after tonight and tomorrow morning.

WAUPACA – A man charged with causing the death of his 2-year-old stepson dropped his insanity plea Tuesday.

Joseph Jackson is scheduled to return to court June 22 for a plea hearing, according to online court records.

According to the criminal complaint, Jackson admitted holding the boy’s face down on a bed, to try to get him to stop crying, last May 25. The boy stopped breathing and died.

If convicted, Jackson could spend up to 60 years in prison.

There’s also another case involving Jackson. In June, he allegedly pushed another stepson to the ground following an argument with his wife. That child suffered scrapes. He dropped the insanity plea in that case, too.

MADISON – Watch the complete May 12, 2015 news conference where Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne announced his decision not to file charges against Madison Police Officer Matt Kenny in the March 6 shooting death of Tony Robinson.

Click the play button above to watch the video.

PRAGUE (AP) – Belarus secured the last spot in the quarterfinals of the hockey world championship by beating Norway 3-2 on Tuesday, while the United States beat Slovakia in overtime and Canada thrashed Austria in their final group games.

Captain Alexei Kalyuzhny, Dmitri Korobov and Andrei Kostitsyn all scored power-play goals to help Belarus reach the quarterfinals for the second straight year. Norway replied with goals from Patrick Thoresen and Mattias Norstebo.

“We were looking good at 3-0 but Norway are a good team and they came back hard,” Belarus forward Andrei Stepanov said. “It was hard at the end.”

Belarus will face Canada in the next round.

Jack Eichel scored on a wrist shot with 28 seconds left in overtime to give the U.S. a 5-4 victory over Slovakia as the Americans finished first in their group with six wins and one loss. The result means the young U.S. team will meet Switzerland in the quarterfinals.

“It was great to get the goal there,” said the 18-year-old Eichel, who is No. 2 on the 2015 NHL draft. “It’s good for us to win our bracket and be able to control our own destiny.”

The U.S. blew a 3-0 lead after goals from Ben Smith, Seth Jones and Anders Lee, who played junior hockey for the Green Bay Gamblers. Marian Gaborik, Adam Janosik, Vladimir Dravecky and Milan Bartovic put Slovakia ahead before Charlie Coyle tied the game at 4-4 with 52 seconds remaining in the second period to force overtime.

The Canadians wrapped up the group stage by routing Austria 10-1, getting two goals and two assists apiece from Colorado Avalanche forward Matt Duchene and Dallas Stars forward Jason Spezza.

“We played a really good 60 minutes, and obviously the score reflected it,” Duchene said of Canada’s second double-figure victory after crushing Germany 10-0.

“It obviously shows we have a lot of skill on this hockey team and everybody can score. Everybody’s contributing pretty equally. That’s a really good thing, a sign of a really good team.”

Canada rested Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby.

The Canadians got the remaining six goals from six different players – Tyson Barrie, Taylor Hall, Aaron Ekbland, Nathan MacKinnon, Jordan Eberle and Brayden Schenn.

“We want to get past the quarters and win it this year. We want to win this tournament,” Duchene said.

Canada is looking for its 25th title. It last won in 2007 and has been waiting for a medal since winning silver in 2009.

The star-studded Canadian team dominated Group A with seven wins from seven games, scoring 49 goals on the way, to place first ahead of Sweden, host Czech Republic and Switzerland.

“They’re a skilled team, a team that’s dangerous,” Hall said of Belarus. “They showed that through the tournament.”

In a match of two bottom teams in Group A, France beat Latvia 3-2 after a penalty shootout. Austria and Slovenia will be relegated to the second-tier tournament next year.

Finland and defending champion Russia, who are tied with 14 points in Group B, three behind the U.S., met in their last group game later Tuesday. The winner will take on the Czech Republic in the knockout stage and the loser will play Sweden.

All four quarterfinals games are scheduled for Thursday.

Find a listing of summertime attractions in downtown Appleton.

HOUGHTON, Mich. (AP) – Two of the state’s top universities are banding together to preserve the legacy of historic mineral collection in Michigan.

The A.E. Seaman Mineral Museum at Michigan Technical University is curating and exhibiting the University of Michigan’s mineral collection. A permanent exhibit featuring specimens from the Ann Arbor school’s collection was scheduled to open Tuesday at the museum in Houghton.

Other specimens from the collection will be exhibited at mineral shows across the county and at satellite locations. A satellite on the University of Michigan campus will be maintained by Michigan Tech’s museum.

Michigan Tech president Glenn Mroz says the universities are working together for the benefit of all Michigan residents.

The A.E. Seaman Mineral Museum has a nationally recognized mineral collection with specimens from Michigan, the Great Lakes region and other countries.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Likely presidential candidate Scott Walker has tweeted a picture of him shaking hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Walker is in Isreal as part of a trip organized by his political committee formed in advance of an expected presidential run. Walker is not releasing a daily itinerary for the trip, or allowing reporters to attend any of the meetings which he is not announcing in advance.

Walker had said last week he planned to meet with Netanyahu.

Walker tweeted a picture Tuesday thanking Netanyahu for the meeting and saying “Our democracies share common values & work to confront shared threats.”

( function() { var func = function() { var iframe_form = document.getElementById('wpcom-iframe-form-69145324e51e858fe614ff7e19ee86a3-555264eb16d75'); var iframe = document.getElementById('wpcom-iframe-69145324e51e858fe614ff7e19ee86a3-555264eb16d75'); if ( iframe_form && iframe ) { iframe_form.submit(); iframe.onload = function() { iframe.contentWindow.postMessage( { 'msg_type': 'poll_size', 'frame_id': 'wpcom-iframe-69145324e51e858fe614ff7e19ee86a3-555264eb16d75' }, window.location.protocol + '//wpcomwidgets.com' ); } } // Autosize iframe var funcSizeResponse = function( e ) { var origin = document.createElement( 'a' ); origin.href = e.origin; // Verify message origin if ( 'wpcomwidgets.com' !== origin.host ) return; // Verify message is in a format we expect if ( 'object' !== typeof e.data || undefined === e.data.msg_type ) return; switch ( e.data.msg_type ) { case 'poll_size:response': var iframe = document.getElementById( e.data._request.frame_id ); if ( iframe && '' === iframe.width ) iframe.width = '100%'; if ( iframe && '' === iframe.height ) iframe.height = parseInt( e.data.height ); return; default: return; } } if ( 'function' === typeof window.addEventListener ) { window.addEventListener( 'message', funcSizeResponse, false ); } else if ( 'function' === typeof window.attachEvent ) { window.attachEvent( 'onmessage', funcSizeResponse ); } } if (document.readyState === 'complete') { func.apply(); /* compat for infinite scroll */ } else if ( document.addEventListener ) { document.addEventListener( 'DOMContentLoaded', func, false ); } else if ( document.attachEvent ) { document.attachEvent( 'onreadystatechange', func ); } } )();

The Israeli trip is slated to end Thursday. Walker is scheduled to speak at the Wisconsin Republican Party convention Saturday before heading to Iowa for a state GOP event.

MENASHA – Kids in Menasha got to go outside Tuesday in an effort to promote an active lifestyle.

Students in grades 3 through 5 from all Menasha public and private schools got to participate.

The school district’s elementary physical education teachers organized the event, which included activities like running, football and golfing.

Organizers say this is a great way to help give children a vision of a healthy lifestyle.

“We are trying to get them to do is to feel good about being active. So they consider that as an option as they grow older and they try to stay healthy by choosing things that will keep them active,” said John Breaker, event coordinator.

This is the 41st year of the event.