Green Bay News

DE PERE – A fire at St. Norbert College caused about a half-million dollars in damage, fire officials said Tuesday.

Firefighters say they were called to the Ray Van Den Heuvel Campus Center around 8:30 a.m. Sunday. Although the fire was put out in about 10 minutes, the building had to be ventilated because smoke had seeped inside.

The fire started in open air in front of the lower-level patio and storage area attached to the building, officials said.

Investigators are still trying to figure out exactly how the fire started.

APPLETON — Any time you have an ace, your baseball team stands a chance of winning game, no matter the opponent.

Monday, Appleton East trotted out its ace Nick Goodreau against Fox Valley Association contender Kimberly and its ace Brice Swick and what transpired over seven innings was the definition of a pitcher’s duel.

Kimberly’s Griffin Hawley lays down a bunt against Appleton East during their game Monday. (Doug Ritchay/WLUK)

Goodreau and Swick baffled batters most to the afternoon, but the Papermakers found a way to break a 1-1 tie in the top of the seventh inning and posted a 2-1 win.

“Goodreau is a top-shelf competitor, a real good pitcher,” Kimberly coach Ryan McGinnis said. “He’s a fun guy to go against and Brice Swick is, too. So that’s a neat baseball game to be part of.”

Almost two weeks earlier Goodreau won a 2-1 decision over Oshkosh North, which is viewed as an FVA title contender with Kimberly and Appleton North. So when he trotted out to the mound Monday, it was going to be interesting to see how the Papermakers responded.

Kimberly (11-2, 7-1) scored once in the first, but then was stymied the following five innings.

“Every part of our order had chances to drive guys in,” McGinnis said. “Austin Weyenberg did in the first, we got one in. I think we played a little on our heels and Goodreau had a lot to do with that. Any time you face a guy like that you get better.”

“Their guy threw well all day,” Vanden Boom said. “He was popping the mitt. His curve ball was solid, good off-speed pitch.”

Not to be overlooked was Swick who allowed a crazy run in the second, when a blooper landed halfway up the first-base line, scoring a runner from third.

He’s been doing it all year,” sophomore Danny Vanden Boom said. “Infielders like me like Brice on the mound. He’s going to be rolling ground balls all day. Glad we have him.”

Vanden Boom ended up being a key player in Kimberly’s seventh inning. The shortstop opened with a leadoff triple to right field and a pinch-runner scored on a suicide squeeze to give the Papermakers the winning run.

“It was middle away, about belt-high, just trying to take it to right field,” Vanden Boom said. “Coming off that second at-bat where I got tied up twice; wanted a little bit of redemption. I swung hard.”

McGinnis said as a team you need to be ready to take advantage of any chance to score because in baseball when that chance comes is unknown, especially against a quality pitcher.

“We hit some balls hard that we weren’t able to get guys in so it’s really fun to be in these types of games,” McGinnis said. “You don’t know when you’ll get your chance. When it’s there, you take it.”

Follow Doug Ritchay on Twitter @dougritchay

PORTAGE, Wis. (AP) – Portage is the latest Wisconsin city to confirm the presence of emerald ash borer.

An urban forester for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources confirmed that at least two ash trees in Portage were infested with the larva of the destructive pest.

The larvae invade the area under the bark of the ash tree. The discovery came just weeks after the city of Portage was recognized as a Tree City USA for the 20th consecutive year.

Dan Kremer, the city’s manager of parks and recreation, tells the Portage Daily Register that emerald ash borer has been spreading throughout Wisconsin for the last several years. The insect was first spotted in Columbia County last July.

Kremer estimates there are up to 1,000 ash trees on public property in Portage.

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) – A judge has determined that a woman charged with cutting an unborn baby from a stranger’s womb will stand trial.

Dynel Lane appeared in court for her preliminary hearing in Boulder on Tuesday. She is charged with attacking Michelle Wilkins and removing her 8-month-old fetus after Wilkins responded to a Craigslist ad for baby clothes.

Wilkins survived the March 18 attack, but the baby girl did not.

Because prosecutors say there is no evidence the baby lived outside the womb, Lane was charged with unlawful termination of a pregnancy. Colorado does not have a fetal homicide law, and the case reignited debate at the state Capitol on the legal rights of fetuses.

Lane is charged with attempted murder for attacking the mother.

SHEBOYGAN, Wis. (AP) – Sheboygan police say the death last week of a worker at Sheboygan Paper Box Co. was an accident.

Sheboygan police Capt. Kurt Brasser says 67-year-old Thomas Van De Kreeke had been working in a narrow walkway near the loading dock on April 29 when a truck leaving the area struck and killed him.

The accident was investigated by Sheboygan police and the Wisconsin State Patrol. Because a motor vehicle was involved, it’s being classified as a fatal traffic accident.

Sheboygan Press Media (http://shebpr.es/1IKX3u4 ) reports no charges are being issued against the truck driver.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – The Legislature’s budget-writing committee has voted to cut a local recycling program cut by 20 percent.

The Joint Finance Committee on Tuesday went along with Gov. Scott Walker’s proposal to cut the state’s environmental management account from $20 million to $16 million for the fiscal year that starts in July. The money that goes to county and local governments would be restored in the second year of the budget.

The nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau says it’s not known how many local governments would have to change their recycling programs due to the one-year cut, or what kind of changes they would have to make.

The Fiscal Bureau says that while eligible recycling costs have increased the past 10 years, the amount of grants available to defray the costs have dropped.

Funeral arrangements have been set for one of the victims of Sunday’s shooting on the Trestle Trail.

Adam Bentdahl, 31, was one of four people who died, including the shooter.

According to his obituary, Bentdahl was born in Minnesota and graduated from Appleton West High School in 2002. He earned an associate’s degree in general studies from the University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley and later studied at UW-Oshkosh.

Bentdahl attended Fox Valley Christian Fellowship in Kimberly and went to Argentina on a mission trip while he was a member of the youth group. The obituary goes on to say he enjoyed camping trips and spending time outdoors.

• Click here to read the full obituary

A statement released by his family Monday read, in part, “We are deeply saddened by this tragedy and the senseless death of our son. We still need to keep loving people and living our lives. Adam had a bright personality and was a kind and gentle person.”

Bentdahl donated some tissue and bone, which the family says will benefit more than 100 people.

Visitation for Bentdahl is scheduled for Friday evening at Valley Funeral Home in Appleton and again Saturday morning at Fox Valley Christian Fellowship. Funeral services are set for 11 a.m. Saturday at the church.

The family asks that any donations in Bentdahl’s memory be sent to:

Valley Funeral Home
c/o Adam John Bentdahl Memorial Fund
2211 N. Richmond St.
Appleton, WI 54911

GREEN BAY –  Books, books, and more books line tables in the Brown County Central Library as part of its used books sale.

More than 100,000 used books are for sale that came from old library inventory, and community member donations.

Proceeds from the sale will be used to raise money for more library resources.

Organizers say this is the biggest event of its kind in the area.

Curt Heuer from Friends of the Brown County Library, says, “We have over 100,000 books we guess on sale, and if you cant find what you are looking for here, you are looking in the wrong place. This is one of the largest used book sales conducted by a library in the country.”

The sale started Tuesday, and will run through Saturday.

 

MADISON (AP) – Gov. Scott Walker has scheduled a special election in July to replace state Sen. Paul Farrow.

Walker said in a news release Tuesday that the election will be July 21. Candidates can begin circulating nomination papers immediately and must file them with state election officials by May 26. If a primary election is needed it will be held June 23.

Farrow, a Pewaukee Republican, was elected on April 7 as Waukesha County executive. He has said he will resign his Senate seat after legislators pass the state budget. He notified the Senate clerk last week that he plans to resign on July 17.

Republicans currently hold a 19-14 majority in the Senate. Farrow’s district lies in a heavily Republican area so his seat is expected to remain under GOP control.

Kimberly visited Appleton East in a Fox Valley Association baseball game Monday.

The National Retail Federation says Americans are spending more than ever on mom this Mother’s Day.

Based on the NRF’s data, people are expected to shell out $21 billion for Mother’s Day. That’s an average of $172 per mom, a record and $10 more than last year.

Two out of three people polled said they would buy their mom flowers and a third said they planned to buy jewelry.

101 years ago, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the second Sunday in May to be Mother’s Day.

 

TOWN OF MENASHA – The Stoffel family says Erin has conveyed a powerful last message from her husband before he passed away.

Brian Stoffel, Jon’s brother, told FOX 11 Erin wrote him a message on a piece of paper that said, “his last words were to forgive the man.” Brian says Erin wrote messages to other family members that stated Jon said “forgive the shooter.”

Jon Stoffel,33, is one of three people who were killed in the random shooting on the Trestle Trail Bridge on Sunday night. Jon’s daughter, Olivia, 11, and Adam Bentdahl, 31, also died.

Erin Stoffel, 32, was also shot three times. She remains hospitalized in serious condition. Brian Stoffel says Erin had a breathing tube removed this morning. Brian says Erin is resting and concentrating on breathing.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration is offering rewards of up to $20 million for information leading to the whereabouts of four top leaders of the Islamic State group.

Through its Rewards for Justice program, the State Department announced Tuesday that it would pay up to $7 million for information on Abd al-Rahman Mustafa al-Qaduli, up to $5 million each for Abu Mohammed al-Adnani and Tarkhan Tayumurazovich Batirashvili and up to $3 million for Tariq Bin-al-Tahar Bin al Falih al-‘Awni al-Harzi.

According to the department, Qaduli is a senior IS official who originally joined al-Qaida’s affiliate in Iraq, Adnani is an official IS spokesman, Batirashvili is a battlefield commander in northern Syria and Harzi is the group’s leader for the border region between Syria and Turkey.

 

NEW DENMARK – The Maribel man who was ejected from his vehicle during a one-vehicle crash in New Denmark has died from his injuries.

20-year-old Tyler Decker was flown to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries after his vehicle rolled over on Rosecrans Road just before 11:00 p.m. last Friday.

Decker was pronounced dead at the hospital shortly after 5:00 p.m. Monday.

The Brown County Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Team is continuing its investigation into the cause of the crash.

 

MADISON (AP) – The Legislature’s budget committee has voted to provide funding to pay for a 2 percent pay raise for prosecutors and public defense attorneys.

The Joint Finance Committee on Tuesday voted unanimously to spend about $1 million for the pay raise next year. Gov. Scott Walker did not propose spending any money on raises for the attorneys.

The money would be directed toward salaries of assistant district attorneys and assistant state public defenders. They currently earn between about $49,400 and about $119,500.

Democrats who supported the increase say it’s helpful, but it doesn’t go far enough to deal with high caseloads and turnover in positions.

The raise becomes part of the state budget, which the full Legislature is expected to vote on next month.

MADISON (AP) – The chief justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court would no longer earn $8,000 more than the other six justices under a budget provision that has been approved by a legislative committee.

The Joint Finance Committee on Tuesday voted to go along with Gov. Scott Walker’s proposal doing away with the pay differential.

The Republican-controlled committee voted 12-4 along party lines to go along with Walker’s proposal.

The vote came as two justices Patience Roggensack and Shirley Abrahamson disagree over which of them is chief justice. Roggensack has said she will donate the $8,000 differential in pay to a commission that arranges civil legal services for people who can’t afford them.

Currently, the chief justice is paid $155,403 while justices earn $147,403.

MADISON – Do you have a question about your driver’s license? Help may be only a few clicks away.

The state Department of Transportation is now offering live online chats where drivers can connect with Division of Motor Vehicles representatives and ask questions directly.

The DOT says chats can help drivers with the following subjects:

• Get a duplicate driver license or ID card
• Check eligibility and reinstate a driving privilege
• Check eligibility for an occupational driver license
• Find out how long high-risk (SR-22) insurance is needed
• Purchase a driver record
• See if a license is valid
• Change an address

Online chats are available between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday at wisconsindmv.gov.

CAIRO (AP) — The Islamic State group claimed responsibility on Tuesday for a weekend attack at a center near Dallas, Texas, that was exhibiting cartoon depictions of the Prophet Muhammad — though it offered no evidence of a direct link to the attackers.

An audio statement on the extremist group’s Al Bayan radio station said that “two soldiers of the caliphate” carried out Sunday’s attack in Garland and promised the group would deliver more attacks in the future.

The Islamic State did not provide details and it was unclear whether the group was opportunistically claiming the attack. It was the first time the extremists, who frequently call for attacks against the West, claimed responsibility for one in the United States.

It was also unclear from the statement whether the group, which holds a third of Syria and Iraq, had an actual hand in the operation, or whether the two suspects had pledged allegiance to the group and then carried it out on their own.

The statement was read on Al Bayan radio — a station based in the Syrian city of Raqqa, which the group has proclaimed the capital of its self-styled caliphate.

“We tell … America that what is coming will be more grievous and more bitter and you will see from the soldiers of the caliphate what will harm you, God willing,” it said.

Two suspects in the attack were shot dead after opening fire at a security guard outside the center. Officials identified them as Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi.

According to mainstream Islamic tradition, any physical depiction of the Prophet Muhammad or other prophets is considered blasphemous. Drawings similar to those featured at the Texas event have sparked violence around the world.

There have been numerous attack in Western countries believed related in some way to the group. In October, Canada was hit by two terror attacks by so-called “lone wolves” believed to have been inspired by the Islamic State group.

___

Associated Press writers Zeina Karam and Sarah El Deeb in Beirut contributed to this report.

 

MILWAUKEE (AP) – Milwaukee police are turning to billboards for assistance after an increase in violence.

Clear Channel Outdoor donated electronic billboards in the Milwaukee area to advertise the tip line for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The billboards say “Stop Gun Violence” and ask residents to turn in felons and drug dealers with guns.

People who make a report can remain anonymous and in some cases could get an award.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports the number of nonfatal shooting victims has risen to 173 so far this year, a 52 percent increase from the same time last year. And the number of homicide victims is 52, compared to 18 at this time last year.

The AFT, Clear Channel and Police Chief Edward Flynn announced the billboards Tuesday.

APPLETON – Roads will be closed in downtown Appleton on Saturday morning as runners and walkers hit the pavement for the annual Sole Burner fundraiser.

Appleton police say parking restrictions and street and lane closures will start at 5:30 a.m. The races begin at 8:15 a.m. in the City Park neighborhood.

The races take participants down College Ave., John St., E. South River St., Olde Oneida St. and Water St.

Route map:

The event is expected to be finished by 11 a.m.