Green Bay News

Group of mothers marches against police brutality in DC

Sat, 05/09/2015 - 1:35pm

WASHINGTON (AP) – A group of mothers is marching in Washington to protest police brutality, saying “Stop Killing Our Children.”

Mothers from across the country are joined the “Million Moms March” with the group Mothers For Justice United on Saturday.

Maria Hamilton of Milwaukee, the mother of a man killed by a police officer in a downtown park, is helping to lead the effort. Hamilton’s son, 31-year-old Dontre Hamilton was fatally shot last year on April 30, 2014. His family says Dontre Hamilton suffered from mental illness but was not violent.

In Washington, the group of moms planned to march from Capitol Hill to the Justice Department to deliver their demands for justice and racial equality in the name of their slain children. They spent time Friday lobbying members of Congress.

2002 sexual assault case moves forward

Sat, 05/09/2015 - 11:46am

RACINE, Wis. (AP) – A sexual assault charge has been filed against a 38-year-old Racine man after DNA connected him to a case from nearly 13 years ago.

The Journal Times reports Angel Cartagena is charged with second-degree sexual assault.

According to the criminal complaint, a woman went to police after a July 2002 assault but officers were unable to find a suspect.

In 2012, Cartagena was convicted of felony animal mistreatment and ordered to provide a DNA sample. The criminal complaint says the Wisconsin State Crime Lab then matched DNA from the woman’s case to Cartagena.

But charges were dropped in February because prosecutors were unable to locate the woman.

Racine County District Attorney Rich Chiapete says the accuser is now cooperating.

A message left for Cartagena’s attorney wasn’t immediately returned Saturday.

Brewers rally falls short, errors costly in 7-6 loss to Cubs

Sat, 05/09/2015 - 11:34am

MILWAUKEE (AP) – Scooter Gennett followed a heads-up play with a costly mistake.

The Milwaukee Brewers might have had a better shot at a comeback win if not for the second baseman’s throwing error while tracking down a separate errant toss that sailed wide of first base in the top of the ninth.

Ryan Braun hit a three-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the inning off Hector Rondon to get Milwaukee within a run of Chicago. But Rondon struck out Gerardo Parra with the tying run on second to preserve the Cubs’ 7-6 victory Friday night.

“In hindsight, I don’t know how that game would have turned out,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “But we made mistakes in the top of the ninth that cost us runs.”

Rookie Jorge Soler hit a two-run homer, and Chicago got solo shots from Dexter Fowler, Anthony Rizzo and Starlin Castro.

The Cubs added the run in the ninth after Addison Russell singled and advanced to third on the consecutive throwing errors by charging third baseman Elian Herrera and Gennett with two outs.

Kris Bryant hit an infield single that was overturned on replay review from an out call to drive home Russell two batters later to make it 7-3 going into the bottom of the inning.

“He beats out a ground ball. We challenge. Run scores. That’s the game right there,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said.

The ninth started with Castro’s leadoff homer off reliever Brandon Kintzler.

Then Russell extended his hitting streak to 11 games with his infield single.

There were plenty of mistakes to go around for the Brewers. But a safer play by Gennett following Herrera’s initial error could have prevented another run from scoring.

“You’ve got to keep your head up on the field. Your head can’t be down,” Counsell said. “If there’s a runner at second base, your head’s got to be up.”

Braun finished 2 for 3 with three runs scores to improve his average to .242. Khris Davis was 4 for 5 with three RBIs.

NERVOUS NINTH

A feast-or-famine Brewers lineup seemed like it would be easy work for Rondon, the hard-throwing closer pitching in a non-save situation.

But Milwaukee got to Rondon. Ryan Braun hit a three-run homer to the right-field corner to make it a one-run game with two outs in the ninth. The Brewers followed with two more singles to bring up Parra.

Rondon let out a yell on the mound after striking out Parra swinging on a slider to end the game.

Hammel said he was proud of the bullpen “for grinding it out there at the end. … I guess (wins) are not always pretty.”

Milwaukee had five hits over the final two innings off Chicago relievers after being held to five hits over the first seven innings by Hammel (3-1).

THAT’S A START

Hammel settled down after giving up a run and four hits in the first inning. He struck out eight and walked three; the only other hit he allowed after the first was a solo shot in the sixth by Davis.

Jimmy Nelson (1-3) finished with a career-high 11 strikeouts in seven innings, giving up five hits and four runs.

But the young right-hander couldn’t overcome the Cubs’ homers.

“Jimmy had no-hitter stuff, in my opinion,” Counsell said. “But the mistakes he made, they hit home runs.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Brewers: 3B Aramis Ramirez was a late scratch from the lineup with lower back tightness. He was replaced by utility man Herrera. … CF Carlos Gomez could return on Saturday from what Counsell called a “very mild” right hip flexor injury. Counsell said it was a precaution because of Gomez’s earlier right hamstring injury. Gomez has missed the last two days.

UP NEXT

Cubs: LHP Travis Wood (2-1) will try to reverse his fortunes on the road, where he is 0-1 with a 7.36 ERA in three starts this season.

Brewers: Well-traveled veteran Kyle Lohse (1-4) has pitched for the Reds and Cardinals along with the Brewers in the NL Central. He has a career record of 7-7 with a 4.88 ERA in 23 starts against the division rival Cubs.

___

Follow Genaro Armas at http://twitter.com/GArmasAP

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

Flags ordered lowered for EMT who died trying to save mom

Sat, 05/09/2015 - 10:31am

TOWN OF BELL, Wis. (AP) – Gov. Scott Walker ordered flags to be flown at half-staff for an emergency medical technician who died while trying to save his mother from a northwestern Wisconsin fire.

Sixty-two-year-old Dennis Swenson went into a Town of Bell home to try to save his 95-year-old mother, Dorothy Swenson, from a fire May 1, but both ended up dying.

Walker signed an executive order, ordering the flags lowered Saturday.

WDIO-TV reports a memorial service for the pair was expected to be held Saturday.

In a statement, Walker said the longtime volunteer EMT represented the service and sacrifice of all emergency responders.

Cooler temps today

Sat, 05/09/2015 - 6:22am

Today will be dry, but cooler. Highs top out in the mid 60s (still mild for this time of year as the normal is 64) with partly sunny skies and a northeasterly breeze at 10 to 15 mph.  Lakeside temperatures will be near 60.

Temperatures take another step back for Mother’s Day on Sunday.

Highs only reach 58 under cloudy skies, and we could see rain showers mainly over the second half of the day. A few thunderstorms may develop during the evening and overnight hours as well, but no severe threat is expected.

Community invited to celebrate Colton the pink fire truck’s first birthday

Sat, 05/09/2015 - 4:25am

TWO RIVERS – A pink fire truck that has traveled throughout Manitowoc county to raise awareness and hope for people fighting cancer turns one year old Saturday.

Community members are invited to a birthday party for Colton, the pink fire truck, at Two Rivers’ Walsh Field from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Visitors can enjoy food, children’s games, music and other fun activities.

There will also be a 5K Run/Walk along Rawleys Trail that starts at 9:45 a.m.

Colton is one of 150 pink fire trucks across the country a part of the Pink Heals organization. The organization dedicates its trucks to people battling cancer or who have lost their fight to cancer. The trucks are signed by anyone touched by cancer.

Colton, the pink fire truck is named after Colton Steinhorst of Ashwaubenon who died of cancer in September 2013 at the age of four.

FOX 11’s Pauleen Le spent the morning learning more about Colton and checking out the birthday party preparations.

For more in the Pink Heals organization click here.

For more information on the birthday party for Colton, the pink fire truck, click here.

 

 

 

Healthy dessert and dip recipes from Nutritional Healing

Sat, 05/09/2015 - 3:30am

APPLETON – Summer is almost here and that means swimsuit season!

Are you looking for some healthy recipes?

Kimberly Neher and Kerry Evers — from Nutritional Healing in Appleton — joined FOX 11’s Emily Deem on Good Day Wisconsin.

Avocado-Free Guacamole
(Makes about 1 and 3/4 cups)
§ 8 oz asparagus (34-36 skinny spears, ends trimmed)
§ 1 cup plus 2 tbsps peas (or 5 oz frozen, thawed)
§ 2 tbsp mayo, such as Vegenaise, OR homemade Greek yogurt <http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2015/02/15/how-to-make-greek-yogurt-homemade/&gt;
§ Juice of 1/2 a lime
§ 1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
§ 1/2 tsp cumin
§ 1/8 tsp salt
§ 2 tbsp diced red onion (omit if desired)
§ optional 2 tsp dry cilantro
§ optional sweetener if desired
Steam the asparagus just until soft, then combine all ingredients except onion, and blend in a food processor until very smooth. Stir in onion. Refrigerate until cold. (Or you can steam the asparagus in advance and chill them so your dip will be cold after blending.)
Garbanzo Apple Cake
Ingredients:

1 19-ounce can of chickpeas
4 eggs beaten
2 tbsp powdered stevia
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 medium apple grated through a fine grater
1 tsp grated lemon rind
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Drain and rinse chickpeas and process them until smooth in a blender or food processor.
Spoon the puree into a bowl and add the remaining ingredients stirring until fully combined.  The mixture will be runny, this is normal.
Grease an 8×8 cake pan.
Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and let cool completely before cutting into squares.

WPS substation damaged by fire

Sat, 05/09/2015 - 3:21am

MARINETTE – Authorities are investigating what sparked a fire at a WPS substation overnight.

A WPS official told FOX 11 that about 2,800 customers in the City and Town of Marinette and the Town of Peshtigo lost power just before 12:30 Saturday morning.

She said there was a small fire at the utility company’s substation on the west side of Marinette.

Most customers got their power back around 1:30 a.m. through other substations.

Officials don’t know how much damage the substation sustained or when it will be back up.

Bittersweet memories at Trestle Trail

Fri, 05/08/2015 - 9:40pm

TOWN OF MENASHA – This past weekend’s shooting has made the Trestle Trail a place of bittersweet memories.

As people in the Fox Cities honor the victims of Sunday’s tragedy, they’re also remembering happy times at the park.

Like many of us, when Rob Dorn found out about Sunday’s shooting, he was stunned.

“It had struck me that I had asked my wife to marry me there, you know? This shouldn’t be a place where that kind of thing is happening,” Dorn told FOX 11.

Rob and Nicole Dorn became engaged on this spot in December 2013.

“That was probably the best happy day I’ve had,” said Dorn.

Their engagement photographer Graham Washatka went through similar emotions.

“As I was thinking about the shooting I kept on thinking about the wonderful time I had here with Rob and Nicole and I couldn’t help but thing about both of those at the same time,” Washatka told us.

Now this place evokes a bittersweet feeling.

“I think people definitely tie emotions to places,” said Washatka.

Dorn said it’s necessary that we never forget what happened at this park, or the victims of Sunday.

“It’s very important. There’s no other way to explain it, you know? Such innocence lost right there,” he said.

And while Washatka and Dorn told FOX 11 it’s important the victims are never forgotten, they told us it’s also important people remember good times here.

They said it’s part of healing.

“The victims here were here to enjoy it and I think we should continue to, if anything to honor them, to keep on enjoying it like they wanted to themselves,” explained Washatka.

Dorn said we should never let a terrible event take away all happiness.

“I’m not the only person that has happy memories here and I feel like there’s always gonna be happy memories coming,” he said.

Rob and Nicole Dorn were married last October. They’re expecting a baby in September.

Photos: Notre Dame vs. Bay Port baseball

Fri, 05/08/2015 - 9:17pm

Notre Dame visited Bay Port in a Fox River Classic Conference baseball game Friday.

Baier slams Bay Port to extra-inning victory

Fri, 05/08/2015 - 9:02pm

SUAMICO — For seven-plus innings Friday Bay Port’s perfect record in the Fox River Classic Conference was in severe jeopardy.

Bay Port and Notre Dame were tied 4-all entering the bottom of the eighth inning and you had to figure all the pressure was on the Pirates to stay perfect.

If that’s the case, Bay Port shook the pressure off just in time to avoid a loss. After the first three batters reached base in the bottom of the eighth inning, Joe Baier put a charge into a pitch sending it over the left-field fence for a grand slam, giving the Pirates their first lead of the game and an 8-4 victory.

I told him when he went up there to just relax,” Bay Port coach Mike Simoens said. “Hard thing is to be overaggressive on the first pitch and then you find yourself in a double play. He took two, three pitches and then put a ride into it.”

“I saw one that crossed my belt,” Baier said. “I was able to put a good swing on it and watch it fly out. It’s pretty hard to have a better feeling than that.”

The feeling early on was queasiness for the Pirates (14-2, 14-0), who started the game like they had no interest in staying perfect in FRCC play. Two early errors led Notre Dame to a 4-0 lead, but then Bay Port started whittling away at the lead, tying it in the fourth inning with three runs.

Notre Dame visited Bay Port on Friday in Fox River Classic Conference baseball action. (Doug Ritchay/WLUK)

“There’s going to be some games where we face some adversity and we’re not going to play as well as we normally are used to playing,” Simoens said. “It’s a matter of all sticking together and playing hard.

“We’re hitting the ball so hard; we’re averaging almost 10 runs per game. Eventually, we’re going to score some runs. We get down early; we don’t get too down on ourselves. It’s a nice win for us to come back.”

Bay Port, which hasn’t lost to an in-state team this season, is two-thirds to perfection in FRCC play. With seven games to play, the Pirates know their situation, but they’re not focused on it.

“We don’t talk about it too much,” Simoens said. “The kids know the record, they know where we stand.”

Because the regular season is about three weeks from ending, Simoens rather concentrate on improving his team.

“Our pitching is pretty good but as you saw today we need to sharpen up our defense,” Simoens said. “When we face some of the better teams in the state we have to play better than we did today.”

Speaking of state, Bay Port has reached the state tournament the last three seasons. The Pirates look to have the makeup to have another long postseason.

“I guess we’ll find out; this is a good team,” Baier said. “Our end goal is to win conference and make the next step. Hopefully, we can make that happen.”

Follow Doug Ritchay on Twitter @dougritchay

Bay Port’s Baier talks about win

Fri, 05/08/2015 - 8:33pm


Bay Port’s Joe Baier talks about 8-4 win over Notre Dame on Friday.

Emma, Noah top list of most popular baby names in 2014

Fri, 05/08/2015 - 8:28pm

WASHINGTON (AP) – Emma is back.

After slipping from the top of the most popular baby names six years ago, Emma was back at No. 1 in 2014. Noah was the top baby name for boys for the second year in a row.

The Social Security Administration released the annual list of top baby names Friday. Emma was followed by Olivia, Sophia, Isabella and Ava. Noah was followed by Liam, Mason, Jacob and William.

Emma’s popularity soared in 2002, the same year that Rachel, a character on the popular TV show “Friends,” named her baby Emma. Also boosting the name, actress Emma Watson played Hermione Granger in the popular Harry Potter movies.

Emma has been ranked among the top three baby names for girls since 2003, reaching No. 1 in 2008. In 2013, Emma was No. 2 behind Sophia.

“In this era when trends come and go faster than ever before, that’s incredible staying power,” said Laura Wattenberg, founder of BabynameWizard.com. “Emma seems to be the only name that America has been able to agree on in recent years.”

Emma was a popular name in the early 1900s, reaching as high as No. 13 in 1900. The name fell out of fashion in the middle of the century but started gaining popularity again in the 1990s.

Emma’s comeback represents two popular trends in baby names, Wattenberg said.

“Emma is a real antique and it came back with the revival of Victorian names,” she said.

It is also short and smooth, like Mia, Liam and Noah.

“They’re tiny little names that are perfectly smooth,” Wattenberg said. “They have no hard edges to them.”

James is also making a comeback, at No. 9. And Charlotte cracked the top 10 for the first time, at No. 10.

James was one of the most popular names of the 20th Century, though it was last No. 1 in 1952. In 2013, it was No. 13.

Charlotte may be due for a surge.

Britain’s Prince William and his wife Kate announced Monday that they were naming their baby daughter Charlotte. Chelsea Clinton, the daughter of Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton, also named her daughter Charlotte.

“Charlotte’s definitely going to hit the top three in the next three years,” said Jennifer Moss, founder and CEO of Babynames.com.

The Social Security Administration’s website provides lists of the top 1,000 baby names for each year, dating to 1880. The top baby names that year were John and Mary. John is now No. 26 and Mary has fallen to No. 120.

Officials hope that people visiting the website to research baby names will also learn about Social Security programs. This year, the agency is promoting a new blog called “Social Security Matters.”

Pop culture has long influenced baby names. And so has religion.

Though today, the most popular names aren’t nearly as popular as the ones from 50 years ago.

Last year, 19,144 newborns were named Noah, and 20,799 babies were named Emma.

In 1964, more than 82,000 babies were named Michael, the top name for boys that year. More than 54,000 babies were named Lisa, the top name for girls that year.

“Parents don’t want a top 10 name,” Moss said. “They are looking for more unique names.”

Social Security also charts the fastest-rising names each year. These names may not be in the top 10 or even the top 100, but they moved up more spots than any other.

For girls, the runaway winner was Aranza, which jumped 3,625 spots to No. 607. Aranza is a popular Mexican singer. Also, there is a character named Aranza on the Mexican telenovela “Por Siempre Mi Amor,” which debuted in 2013.

Also rising: Montserrat and Monserrat (different spelling), and Maisie.

Maisie Williams is an actress on the HBO show, “Game of Thrones.” She apparently carries some weight in the world of baby names. She plays a character called Arya – Arya jumped 62 spots to No. 216 on the list.

For boys, the biggest riser was Bode, which jumped 645 spots to No. 783. Also among the top risers were Bodie and Bodhi. Bode Miller is an Olympic skier. Bodhi is a Buddhist term for enlightenment or awakening.

Axl jumped 624 spots, to number 850. Hard rock fans may remember Axl Rose, the lead singer of Guns N’ Roses, a very popular band in the ’80s and ’90s. Younger fans may know that Fergie, a singer in the Black Eyed Peas, named her son Axl in 2013.

“Anybody who chooses that name has already heard of Axl Rose,” Wattenberg said. “But maybe they hadn’t quite made the mental leap to thinking, ‘Hey, I can actually name a baby that,’ until they saw Fergie do it.”

2 of 3 inmates who escaped from corrections camp captured

Fri, 05/08/2015 - 7:44pm

NEW RICHMOND, Wis. (AP) – Two of the three inmates who walked away from a corrections boot camp in western Wisconsin have been recaptured.

New Richmond police say Kyle J. Peterson was arrested around 8 a.m. Friday at a home in Whitewater on a tip from the public. He’s being held in the Walworth County jail.

Peterson is originally from Winnebago County.

Andre L. Vance was arrested Friday afternoon in Madison. He’s being held in the Dane County Jail.

Police are still searching for Jesse J. Fairley.

The three walked away from the St. Croix Correctional Center in New Richmond on Wednesday night. It’s a minimum security facility where the men were taking part in a boot camp program that includes manual work assignments and discipline.

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

Triathlon in Pulaski

Fri, 05/08/2015 - 5:36pm

PULASKI- Some local students with disabilities got to take part in a triathlon today hosted by Pulaski schools.

More than 60 students got to swim, bike, and run in the event.

Students from middle and high schools from around the area were able to participate in a 10K or 5K course.

Organizers say it is a great way for them to feel a sense of accomplishment.

“We see a lot of good performance out of them. This is their day to shine. If they complete the race they get a medal and it’s a huge accomplishment for each student.”, Aaron Triphan of Pulaski High school said.

This is the 5th year the event taken place.

Packers hit Hutson Center for rookie camp

Fri, 05/08/2015 - 5:33pm

It’s practice No. 1 of Packers rookie camp at the Don Hutson Center and the message is clear. Forget combines, pro days or where you were drafted. The only thing that matters is right now.

“It’s time to throw your 40-yard dash and all the other stuff out the window,” Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. “It’s about the opportunity to be a part of the 2015 Green Bay Packers.”

A field beaming with 59 bright eyed college standouts, getting their first taste of the Green Bay Packers legendary brand.

“The videos during our meetings, they were showing the championship rings and the 2010 Super Bowl,” second-round pick Quinten Rollins said. “It gave me chills, I want to be a part of that.”

For new talents like Ty Montgomery or Jake Ryan, it’s the first chance to show the Packers they can contribute right away. An important notion for an organization that doesn’t mind playing guys right out of college

“Not hard to stand out if you’re flying around making plays,” fourth-round pick Ryan said. “It’s the same defense I played in college. I’ll be fine.”

“Doing everything you’re asked at full speed,” third-round pick Montgomery said. “Even if you mess up, right now it’s all about effort.”

But even though their college careers have come to an end. Their days hitting the books, have really just begun.

“Different than college and having classes,” sixth-round pick Kennard Backman said. “This is a profession. At the meetings, coaches stressed getting into and studying your playbooks.”

Plenty of lessons to be learned and dreams to be had as the newest rookies in “Titletown.”

“They’ll sleep great tonight and really good tomorrow night,” McCarthy said.

In Green Bay, Dylan Scott, Fox 11 Sports.

Train sparks grass fire in Town of Menasha

Fri, 05/08/2015 - 5:01pm

TOWN OF MENASHA – If you thought the wild fire season was over, it’s not.

Firefighters battled a grass fire Friday afternoon near railroad tracks by county highway CB, south of the Outagamie County Airport.

The Town of Menasha fire chief told FOX 11 the fire was caused by sparks coming off a passing train that ignited some dry grass and brush. Around three acres were burned.

Crews from several departments were able to put out the fire quickly.

As of Friday afternoon, the DNR considered the area high for fire risk. Much of the rest of Northeast Wisconsin is in the moderate risk category.

FOX 11 Investigates Update: how DARE money problem was discovered

Fri, 05/08/2015 - 4:35pm

BROWN COUNTY – On Friday, Brown County Sheriff’s officials explained what led to DARE Officer Kevin Vanden Heuvel’s admission to pocketing DARE parking money.

When cars pull up to the DARE parking lot on game day, the driver gives a sheriff’s officer or DARE volunteer $20 in exchange for a parking pass.

Last October, on a dreary Thursday night game versus the Vikings, a parking attendant tipped off officers when one of the parking passes wasn’t like the others.

“She looks at that pass and it’s not on the same cardstock that all of our passes that we’ve used for years has been on,” said Captain Jeff Sanborn with the Brown County Sheriff’s Department. “It’s on a flimsy piece of paper.”

A flimsy piece of paper that was the same color, same design and markings as the rest of that game’s DARE parking passes.

“You couldn’t tell the difference if it was sitting on a dash, a dashboard, but as she held it she could tell,” said Sanborn.

The passes are important because they verify the correct amount of money was collected each game. For example, for the Vikings game, 2,040 passes were printed. If all were sold for $20 each, DARE should have collected $40,800.

Investigators say the passes would be very difficult to duplicate because they change color each game, are printed shortly before the game, and are handled by only a few county employees.

The day after the flimsy pass was discovered, sheriff’s investigators went back out to the DARE lot to check the passes given to campers.

For campers, it is 20 dollars to get into the lot, and another $20 for each parking space they take up. The camper is supposed to be given a parking pass for each $20 spent.

“Say it’s $100, you took up four spots plus $20 to get in the lot, that’s $100,” said Sanborn. “They should have got five passes for that $100. They were given one pass. That means $80 is missing from that one camper. It happened over and over and over as we talked to the campers.”

Many campers often times parked a day ahead of the regular game day parking. Vanden Heuvel and his longtime volunteer parking assistant were the two who regularly parked the campers.

Investigators say eventually Vanden Heuvel and the assistant admitted to pocketing money by handing out extra, flimsy, parking passes and not providing campers with enough passes.

“With all the different variables in place with our amounts being different weekly and with our accounting for the cards, we never in our wildest dreams thought two people that you entrust with this would go bad together and get into a conspiracy for something like this,” said Sanborn.

Investigators say for a while, Vanden Heuvel and his assistant were handing out real parking passes. They had the county employee who prints them, print off 52 extra passes. That equals more than a thousand dollars that the two could pocket.

Sheriff’s officials say if the two hadn’t started using the flimsy substitute, they might have never been caught.

Lambeau Field job fair attracts high school culinary students

Fri, 05/08/2015 - 4:10pm

GREEN BAY – Food was flying at Lambeau Field in Green Bay Friday morning, for a job fair aimed at high schoolers interested in the culinary arts.

Students could leave with cooking experience and possibly a job too.

From a high-tech root beer float to a specialty pasta dish, “First we’re going to take a bit of shallots,” said Green Bay Packers Executive Chef Heath Barbato.

Packers chefs demonstrated some of the tricks of the culinary trade.

“I think it’s awesome. They’re putting on just a really awesome show. I think they’re really getting the kids excited about culinary,” said Emily Fraser, Green Bay East High School Teacher.

About 70 high school students from Green Bay East, West, Preble and Southwest took part in the very first culinary career day.

“It gets their foot in the door. And there are so many jobs within the walls of Lambeau that work for the kids. For us, obviously we could always use the help on game day, and to have skilled kids that want to be in the culinary arts, it’s a great start for us,” said Charlie Millerwise, Sportservice at Lambeau general manager.

Millerwise is the general manager for the Packers’ food vendor, Delaware North Sportservice. He says about 40 workers were hired at two recent jobs fairs. He says plans for the high school event started last year.

Green Bay East junior Dom Gerbec worked at Lambeau Field last year as a dessert cart attendant. This season he hopes to move up.

“If people see you, they’ll take notice. And they will take you under their wing and mentor you and hone your skills,” said Dom Gerbec, Green Bay East Junior Student.

Students got tips on job interview skills.

Summer Reed is a senior culinary student at Preble.

“I like to cook, but I wouldn’t mind being in the back too, like the shipping and stuff like that,” she said.

From shipping to vending, food service at Lambeau is a big job. On game day, 2,500 workers take care of a stadium full of fans.

And some of these students may be the next new hires.

“We’re going to be doing offers on the spot today. Hopefully if half of them want to stay on with us, that will be a great success,” said Millerwise.

Jobs range from $9 to $12 an hour.

Delaware North says it hired at least 45 of the students at Friday’s job fair.

US launches its own investigation of Baltimore police

Fri, 05/08/2015 - 4:04pm

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department waded anew Friday into fraught big city police-community relations, with new Attorney General Loretta Lynch declaring the subject “one of the most challenging issues of our time.” She announced a wide-ranging investigation into Baltimore’s police.

The federal civil rights investigation, which city officials requested following the death last month of a man in police custody, will search for discriminatory policing practices and examine allegations that Baltimore officers too often use excessive force and make unconstitutional searches and arrests.

The investigation is to build upon the government’s voluntary and collaborative review of the Baltimore police that began last year. Since then, the death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray and the days of rioting that followed exposed a “serious erosion of public trust,” Lynch said, and showed that community concerns about the police were more pervasive than initially understood and that a broader investigation was warranted.

“It was clear to a number of people looking at this situation that the community’s rather frayed trust — to use an understatement — was even worse and has, in effect, been severed in terms of the relationship with the police department,” Lynch said.

The announcement indicated that Lynch, who was sworn in last week as the successor to Eric Holder, is likely to keep the Justice Department engaged in a national dialogue about race relations and law enforcement. That issue consumed the final year of Holder’s tenure and flared most vividly last summer following the shooting death of an unarmed black 18-year-old by a Ferguson, Missouri, police officer.

The federal department has undertaken dozens of other city police investigations, including more than 20 during Holder’s tenure. If they find systemic civil rights violations, the investigations typically result in court-enforceable agreements between the federal government and the local community that serve as blueprints for change and are overseen by an independent monitor. The Justice Department has the option of suing a police department that is unwilling to make changes.

In some cases, such as in Ferguson — where Justice found sweeping patterns of racial discrimination — the federal government has initiated the process on its own; in others, including in Cleveland, city officials made the request.

A separate Justice Department review of Baltimore police policies, by the Community Oriented Police Services office, will continue but its findings will be folded into the new civil rights investigation announced on Friday, Lynch said.

Lynch visited Baltimore earlier this week to meet with city and community leaders as well as Gray’s family.

“We’re talking about generations, not only of mistrust, but generations of communities that feel very separated from government overall,” she said on Friday. “So you’re talking about situations where there’s a flashpoint occurrence that coalesces years of frustration and anger. That’s what I think you saw in Baltimore.”

The city endured days of unrest after Gray died April 19 following a week in a coma after his arrest. Protesters threw bottles and bricks at police the night of his funeral on April 27, injuring nearly 100 officers. More than 200 people were arrested as cars and businesses burned. Last week, Baltimore’s top prosecutor charged six police officers in connection with the death, and the Justice Department is investigating the encounter for potential civil rights violations.

Gray family attorney Billy Murphy said the investigation could put an end to “race-oriented policing.”

“That improper searches and seizure are no longer tolerated and that improper arrests will be a thing of the past,” Murphy said Friday. “All this can happen in Baltimore with the information, because of this investigation.”

Friday’s announcement followed a request from Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, who initially appeared determined to fix the city’s problems on her own but then on Wednesday requested a Justice Department investigation that she said could help “repair the public’s trust” in the police.

“Our city is making progress in repairing the fractured relationship between police and community, but bolder reforms are needed and we will not shy away from taking on these challenges,” she said in a statement Friday.

Baltimore police Capt. J. Eric Kowalczyk, a department spokesman, said Police Commissioner Anthony Batts stands by a statement in which he said he welcomed the mayor’s request “with open arms.”

“We have never shied away from scrutiny or assistance,” Batts said on Thursday. “Our work is ongoing and anyone who wishes to be a part of helping the department better connect with the community will always be welcome.”

He has said the department has accomplished reforms and made progress during his 2 1/2 years in office. By the end of 2014, he said, complaints about discourtesy had fallen 54 percent, and excessive force complaints were down more than 40 percent.

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Associated Press writers Juliet Linderman in Baltimore and David Dishneau in Hagerstown, Maryland, contributed to this report.

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