Green Bay News

WAUSAU, Wis. (AP) – A group of central Wisconsin Muslims wants to build a mosque in the Wausau area to help meet the growing number of worshippers.

The Islamic Society of Central Wisconsin has purchased a building for the mosque and hopes to have construction complete within the next two years.

Adeel Aslam, a member and general secretary of the Islamic Society of Central Wisconsin, told Daily Herald Media the Muslim community in the region has grown since the first mosque, Masjid Al-Noor, opened nine years ago in Marshfield.

Aslam says the group now is large enough to support a second house of worship.

About 15 families are regular members of the Marshfield mosque, which draws Muslims from the entire north central part of Wisconsin.

The Wausau area has about 30 Muslim families, and a new mosque would also draw members from Stevens Point and areas to the north, Aslam said.

“It has been very difficult for them to have to travel to Marshfield and other cities that have a masjid (a mosque) to attend prayer and services,” he said.

The society is a nonprofit religious organization that founded the Marshfield mosque. The group is fundraising among its members to complete the remodeling of the Wausau building into a mosque, Aslam said.

The Rev. David Klutterman of Wausau’s St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church, who long has been involved in the city’s interfaith efforts, said he welcomes the group.

“It represents that Wausau and this area will have representation of the larger world and therefore the challenge will always be before us to somehow see what unites us instead of divides us,” Klutterman said.

Rabbi Dan Danson of Mt. Sinai Congregation said a mosque in Wausau will enrich the cultural life of the community.

“We’ve done interfaith forums (in Wausau) and it’s difficult (to include Muslims) when there isn’t an address for a mosque. This will make it more dynamic,” Danson said.

ONEIDA – The Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin conducted their first Secretarial Election in 46 years Saturday.

The last time the Oneida changed their Constitution was in 1969.

A Secretarial Election is the only way the Oneida can make constitutional changes. The Constitution was first approved in 1936.

According to the Oneida Tribe, there were five recommended changes to the Constitution. The results are:

• The minimum voting age has changed from 21 to 18 years
• The requirement to hold the annual and semi-annual meeting on the first Monday of January and July has been changed
• The official name has changed from the Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin to the Oneida Nation
• The Oneida Judiciary was formally established as a branch of government within the Constitution
• The Secretary of Interior has been removed as the federal oversight authority for changing the Constitution in the future

In 1936, the Oneida Tribe adopted an Indian Reorganizational Act provision for establishing a constitution. The Oneida Constitution has been amended three times since 1936.

A total of 1,694 Oneida citizens registered to vote. The office of the Tribal Secretary will have official results and voter statistics available on Monday.

Challenges must be filed by 4 p.m. May 5th with the Chairman of the Secretarial Election Board Chairman.

DE PERE – Firefighters were called to a fire on St. Norbert College’s campus Sunday morning around 8:30 a.m.

The fire started in open air in front of the lower level patio and storage area attached to The Campus Center.

The De Pere Fire Department says that an arson task force is investigating the cause of the fire.

The college issued an emergency notification telling students it was closed and to avoid the area.

The Campus Center is still closed at this time.

According to the De Pere Fire Department, the fire was put out within a couple hours.

Fire Departments from Green Bay, Bellevue, Lawrence, Ashwaubenon, and Ledgeview were all called to the scene.

One small boat and equipment belonging to the ski team was damaged during the fire.

MENOMINEE TOWNSHIP, MICHIGAN – With a 30 pound cross on his back, Pastor Dave Pennell is getting ready to walk through Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

The journey starts Monday morning in St. Ignace, Michigan. Pennell will end the nearly 200 mile walk in Menominee, Michigan.

“What it’s doing is to bring awareness to the problem that we have up in the U.P. and Northern Wisconsin and that’s homelessness,” said Pennell.

Pennell hopes to raise $100,000 for Abundant Life Mission during his six day walk.

• Click here for more information about how you can donate

The mission serves as a homeless shelter in Menominee and currently houses 24 people.

“We take men, women and families,” Pennell said.

• Click here to learn more about Pastor Dave’s walk

FOX 11’s Gabrielle Mays will have the full story tonight on FOX 11 News at Nine.

TOWN OF RIPON, Wis. (AP) – Authorities say a 45-year-old man from the Ripon area is in custody after a man’s body was found in a home over the weekend.

The Fond du Lac County sheriff’s office says Ripon police asked for help around 6 p.m. Saturday handling a request to check on someone’s welfare. Officers entered a home in the Town of Ripon and found the body of a 45-year-old man.

Authorities say the man had been dead for several months.

The case has been referred to the Fond du Lac County district attorney’s office. It remains under investigation.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – An eighth case of bird flu virus has been detected in Wisconsin.

The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection said Sunday the latest case is in a commercial turkey flock in Barron County. About 16,000 breeding turkeys and nearly 42,000 hatching eggs are affected. It is the fourth reported case in Barron County.

The property was immediately quarantined. Remaining birds will be euthanized and will not enter the flood supply.

Bird flu was first detected in Wisconsin at a commercial chicken flock in Jefferson County on April 13. The number of affected birds has risen to more than 1.5 million in Wisconsin.

A ban on poultry movement to shows, exhibitions and swap meets in Barron, Chippewa, Jefferson and Juneau counties remains in effect through the end of May.

TOWN OF BELL, Wis. (AP) – Authorities are investigating a house fire that killed a 95-year-old woman and her adult son in northwestern Wisconsin.

The Bayfield County sheriff’s office says the fire was reported just after 4 a.m. Friday in the Town of Bell, also known as Cornucopia.

The sheriff’s office says Dorothy Swenson and her 62-year-old son, Dennis Swenson, were killed in the fire, along with the family dog.

The Wisconsin Department of Criminal Investigation/State Fire Marshal and the Bayfield County coroner are helping the sheriff’s office investigate the fire.

WDIO-TV reports fire departments from three communities responded.

BALTIMORE (AP) – Baltimore’s mayor has lifted a citywide curfew six days after the death of Freddie Gray sparked riots in the city.

The order for residents to stay home after 10 p.m. had been in place since Tuesday, and officials had planned to keep it in place through Sunday. Protests since Monday’s riots have been peaceful, and the announcement of charges against six officers involved in Gray’s arrest eased tensions.

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said in a statement Sunday morning that her goal was not to maintain the curfew any longer than was necessary.

Gray died after suffering a severe spinal injury while in police custody. The six officers face charges ranging from manslaughter to second-degree murder.

Chicken Enchilada Skillet

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons chili powder
3 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, diced into small pieces
2 cans (10 ounces each) diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 can (10.75 ounces) cream of chicken soup
1 pound Velveeta cheese, cut into cubes
1/4 cup milk
3 cups crushed Doritos
1 cup diced, seeded tomatoes
1/2 cup sour cream
A few tablespoons sliced black olives

Directions:

In a skillet, cook chicken in oil until no longer pink. Season with chili powder. Add the tomatoes and soup, cook until heated through. Add velveeta, and milk and heat until melted. Top with Doritos and remaining ingredients before serving. Great served with shredded lettuce or a salad on the side!

CALUMET COUNTY – The fourth suspect in a New Holstein home invasion and shooting is in custody at the Calumet County Jail.

Officials say they took Cody Meidam into custody Friday night.

Police found him in the Manitowoc area after getting several tips he was there.

Authorities say Meidam and three others broke into a New Holstein home Wednesday night. One of them fired shots, and a 30-year-old man inside the home was hit in the foot.

The other three suspects, an 18-year-old town of Charlestown man, a 17-year-old Kiel boy and a 16-year-old town of New Holstein boy, had already been arrested.

APPLETON – A tasty annual event sure to broaden your taste bud’s horizons is back at Xavier High School.

The International Food Fair takes place Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The fair will feature ten booths selling Asian, British, Dutch, French, German, Hawaiian, Italian, Latin American, Mid-Eastern, Yankee inspired treats.

In addition to delicious food, there will also be live entertainment, a silent auction, a garden shop and more.

The fair helps raise money for tuition assistance at Xavier High School.

The admission fee is $3 per person or $5 for a family. Alumni are free.

FOX 11’s Pauleen Le spent the morning getting a taste of what the International Food Fair has to offer.

For more information on the International Food Fair, click here.

Most of Sunday will be dry, warm, and breezy. Highs reach 80 degrees.

By Sunday evening and night a line of thunderstorms looks like it will sweep southeastward through the area with a cold front. These storms should arrive between 7 and 10 PM. Showers and thunderstorms are likely for the entire area. Right now indications are that a half inch to an inch of rain is possible which would help lessen the fire danger.

There is the potential that some of these storms will be strong to severe, with hail and high winds the main risk. The best chance for these severe storms will be west of the Fox Valley and into North-Central Wisconsin, but severe weather cannot be ruled out for us.

Skies will become mostly sunny on Monday with highs just a touch cooler at 71 degrees.

We’ll have the latest information right here on fox11online.com and on FOX 11 as the day progresses.
Be sure to download our FOX 11 Weather App so you can get the latest alerts, radar, and lightning strikes right on your smartphone.

CLINTONVILLE – If you live or travel through Clintonville, there’s a hard-to-miss landmark on Main Street.

The 19th century building known as the Finney House has housed a local business for decades.

But now, a new chapter of history is in store for 102 South Main.

“The historical value of it is interesting, mysterious. It has a mystique like most historical places because so many people have their idea of who owned it previously and what happened here,” said Ann Fuge, Finney House owner.

Historical records show this is where Dr. John Finney lived when he and his wife moved to Clintonville in 1874. Finney became the community’s first doctor and mayor.

After Finney died, his son William continued his father’s medical practice at the home.

“They would come in here, and right about here the stairs would begin to go upstairs because that’s where he saw his patients. And they would wait in the sun parlor,” Fuge explained.

Fuge and her husband bought the Finney House from the city of Clintonville in 1984.

After renovating the vacant building, the couple opened and ran Honey Creek Gallery for 30 years.

Ann retired last December and closed the business. But it won’t sit empty again.

“It should be given to them because of what they do,” Fuge said.

Fuge is talking about the Clintonville Area Historical Society. She’s donating the Finney House to the non-profit organization in order to preserve the historical significance of the site and make it available to the community.

“That group of people have a passion for what happened here, and they want to be able to tell that story and this building should help them do that,” said Fuge.

“I suspect somewhere in this book is a picture of the house,” said Marilyn Berkvam as she paged through a book at the History House.

Berkvam is the president of the Clintonville Area Historical Society.

“The Finney house and the main street location is a wonderful advantage for us,” said Berkvam.

The society has gradually built a large collection of historical items and information about the Clintonville area.

“There’s a lot of Clintonville history that’s attached to things like the World Wars and inventions like the 4 wheel drive and airlines like North Central,” Berkvam explained.

Many of the items are displayed in these buildings in Pioneer Park. But room is running out.

While no specific plans are in place for the Finney House, ideas run along the lines of a museum with focused displays and information about them.

“Where we’re going to use some technology so we convey the great amount of information we have for specific things which is hard to do here,” said Berkvam.

Part of the process will include learning more about one of the city’s finest historical sites and the people who lived there.

“We will be researching more and trying to find anything we can out about the family,” said Berkvam.

With just a pair of William Finney’s shoes on hand, she hopes the public might help contribute to the cause.

“We would hope to get some of the artifacts from the Finney family, if they’re around, so that we can make it more interesting for the family history in the house,” Berkvam said.

The historical society says it hopes to move into the Finney House and partially open to the public by next summer.

Meanwhile, it’s looking to the community for ideas and suggestions for the property, as well as volunteers and donations.

DETROIT (AP) – Geological experts say a small earthquake centered in southwestern Michigan has been felt around the state and other parts of the Upper Midwest.

U.S. Geological Survey geophysicist Paul Caruso said the 4.2-magnitude temblor was recorded shortly after noon Saturday. Its epicenter was about 9 miles southeast of Kalamazoo near Galesburg.

There were no reports of damage or injuries. Caruso says that’s common for quakes of this magnitude.

People have reported feeling the earthquake in Indiana, Ohio, Illinois and Wisconsin.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder says in a statement that earthquakes are rare in the state. He added that the lack of major problems is “fortunate because we are acutely aware of the challenges posed by such natural disasters in other parts of the world recently.”

GREEN BAY – Looking for a last minute Mother’s Day gift idea?

How about making mom some beautiful handmade jewelry?

Brenda Stary and Elizabeth Roherty from Stary Beads joined FOX 11’s Emily Deem on Good Day Wisconsin to talk about some upcoming classes.

Click here to see a list of classes.

GREEN BAY  – A group from the Green Bay area is Making a Difference by collecting books!

Members involved with the Green Bay Chamber of Commerce group called Brown County Teen Leadership — joined FOX 11’s Emily Deem to talk about “Books for Smiles”.

The group is collecting any new or gently used books for children between the ages of 3 and 14.

There are drop-off sites for books set up at the information center at Bay Park Square Mall and Lighthouse Christian Books.

The books collected will be brought to children at St. Vincent’s and Bellin Hospitals, who are fighting long-term illnesses.

MIDDLETON – WLUK-TV Fox 11 won eleven awards at the annual Wisconsin Broadcasters Association awards banquet Saturday night  – the most of any Green Bay station.

The television competition is divided into three categories: Large Market (Milwaukee), Medium Market (Green Bay & Madison), and Small Market (Wausau & LaCrosse/Eau Claire).

The WLUK winners:

First Place
* Social media – Fox 11 Facebook and Twitter

* Sports reporting – Battling Cancer, 7-year-old bat girl inspires team
Justin Felder’s story on a bat girl for the Appleton East baseball team.

Second Place
* Hard news/investigative – Sex Offender Shortcomings
Mark Leland’s story about what the state spends on sex offenders and how, after an audit prompted by a previous Fox 11 story, the state was failing to followup on the report.

* Sports reporting – Packer player’s heart-warming gesture
Justin Felder’s story about Corey Linsley giving a bike to kid

* Sportscast – A Drew Smith sportscast

* Commercial – Lamers Dairy

* Live on-site online coverage – Door Co. Flooding

Third Place
* Continuing coverage – Sex Offender Shortcomings
Mark Leland’s story about what the state spends on sex offenders and how, after an audit prompted by a previous Fox 11 story, the state was failing to followup on the report.

* Feature – Typewriter adds unique notes
Pauleen Le’s story on how a typewriter became an unconventional instrument at a classical music concert

* Editorial – Making safe decisions
Jay Zollar’s commentary urging people to celebrate safely

* Election coverage – WLUK-TV

In the cumulative award categories, the same stations won both the “news operation of the year” and “station of the year” honors in all three market sizes: WKBT-TV in LaCrosse for small market, WISC-TV in Madison for medium market, and WISN-TV in Milwaukee for the large market. WISC-TV also won the social & digital media award.

Among the Northeast Wisconsin radio stations, WTAQ AM/FM won medium market news & talk radio news operation of the year, and WIXX-FM won medium market music radio station of the year.

For a list of all of the radio and television award winners, click here.

GREEN BAY – Bay Beach Amusement Park in Green Bay opened for the season Saturday!

The park staff had a busy off-season.

Workers were getting a newly donated train ready for riders. There is also a new west end train route being added.

Construction will also start in a few weeks on two new rides: the Tot Jumping Spring Ride and the Rockin’ Tug.

Visitors say they enjoyed getting out of the house and spending time with their family.

“It’s a beautiful day, it’s a perfect day to have fun, watch all the kids smile and you couldn’t ask for a better weather day,” said Sheila Pasnal of Florida.

There are more plans beyond this summer.

The Falling Star ride, which will overlook the bay, is expected to be ready for next year.

FOND DU LAC – A cold glass of lemonade usually goes well with a warm and sunny day.

Saturday, 30 stands offering the beverage were open for business in Fond du Lac for Lemonade Day.

The stands were operated by area grade school students.

Lemonade Day is the culmination of weeks of learning and hard work.

Organizers say it is a great to see all of the students’ work paying off.

“They’ve had to work so hard creating a business plan, learning about accounting, testing receipes. They have put in a lot of hours into these stands and putting together a plan,” said Melissa Worthington, Fond du Lac Area Association of Commerce.

The students earned real money and will use it to spend, save, and share based on their business goals.

WAUTOMA, Wis. (AP) – Warm weather and dry conditions helped fuel wildfires in central Wisconsin, where three houses caught fire and 15 other homes had to be evacuated Saturday.

All three houses that caught fire Saturday in Juneau County were used for storage and no one lived in them, according to Catherine Koele, the wildfire prevention specialist for the state Department of Resources. That fire was contained by Saturday evening, she said.

In Waushara County, about 15 houses were evacuated near Wautoma for a wildfire that burned about 50 acres of forest and swamp land, she said. Officials used two airplanes to drop retardant gel, two Black Hawk helicopters to drop water and six fire departments to help out. She said the fire was contained by 5:15 p.m. and no structures were damaged. No one was reported injured, she said.

Koele said it’s hard to have fires in multiple areas of the state with limited resources. She urged safety, noting 98 percent of wildfires are caused by people.

“It’s important we don’t have more fires than what we are already dealing with,” he said.

There were also less serious wildfires in Menominee, Richland and Taylor counties Saturday.

The entire state was at a high or very high chance of fire danger Saturday. The Department of Natural Resources also suspended all burning permits across the state.